Any Mountain Bikers in here?

[Halliday]

I have a red/yellow Giant Iguana from 20 years ago. I bought it brand new in a bike shop for me to deliver newspapers on. It's held up nicely.

[Carbon Blue]

About a month ago I bought a Giant XTC SE 06 which Im pretty pleased with.



And I know its nothing in the biking world, but Im hardly a Pro. Planning a few trips to some mountains though.

how much did it cost u?

[Bolter]

[rkjunior303]

I have a Gary Fisher "Tassajara" that I got last year... I love it!

[MoneyShot]

If you are going to be riding rough terrain you definately need both front and rear shocks. It will be so much smoother for you, and it will save your tires from popping a lot. Withought shocks those big rocks will pop your tires if you go over them hard enough. I rode in colorado in the mountains. It was almost if not better then paintball.

[Muzikman]

I rode MANY years with no suspension at all. I then moved to a full suspension and although it was a comfortable ride it was not well suited for accents. Living in Pittsburgh, you have to ride up the hills before you can go down them.

As long as you are not going too crazy, I have come to the conclusion that full suspension is not needed.

[Carbon Blue]

Ive finally come to the conclusion that i will not need a full suspension bike. Ive been hitting the trails almost every other day now with a non suspension bike and im pretty comformtable with it. Unless i come to some sort of awesome deal on a full suspension bike i dont think im going to fork out the extra dough for it. Im looking at the Giants, treks and specialized's right now. thanks for your help

[Bolter]

[Jaan]

If you are going to be riding rough terrain you definately need both front and rear shocks.

I wouldn't exactly use the word "definitely". You know, us old timers rode for years without all these fancy rear suspensions. We used our legs ... just because the seat is there doesn't mean you have to sit in it all the time (c:

[Creative Mayhem]

I agree with your first statement, if you don't pay the money you will be lugging a brick around with you.

As far as the rear suspension issue, yes they can take some of the power being put to ground away from the ground, the bikes coming out now are being designed to eliminate this problem. I do how ever agree with Jaan, I rode for years with ZERO suspension, front or rear, and i still had as much fun then as I do now. While my bike isn't the greatest, it's been taking some decent abuse, but as Bolter said, if you don't pay the money you're gonna be lugging some extra weight.... and I am... UGH It's not so bad though you do get to work just that little harder and it will be better for you in the long run.

As I have said before, when looking for a bike, look for something that fits YOUR needs. Whether it be a high priced job or one that does what you need it to, just pay attention to the quality and componenets that make up the bike.

[punkncat]

I have owned a few Giant bikes and have been very impressed with how their mid priced ones have held up. I currently own an old GT and really like how stiff the rear of the frame is.

Pay particular attention to the quality of the wheels and hubs, brakes, and Shfters/drive gear. This is the stuff that will take the most abuse. Don't buy into the cheap suspension systems. If you are going to do it, go ahead and spend some money on it. If you are only getting front suspension, you can buy a more well equipped bike w/o and upgrade later if you decide you ride hard enough to even need it.

[Carbon Blue]

After test riding a few bikes, I have finally come to a decision to get this one

http://www.fujibikes.com/2005/bikes.asp?id=39. It rode so nice and i was taking it over quite a few big bumps and over cement islands. The front suspension is awesome and brakes grabbed hard! I wasnt used to it so i grabbed the brakes like how I do with my current bike and i almost went over the top, it also seemed alot lighter than my current bike.

[slateman]

I got a Specialized Rockhopper two months ago. Awesomeness. I have to take it in to get a tune up, for the second time, simply cus I've rode it so much.

[Bolter]

After test riding a few bikes, I have finally come to a decision to get this one

http://www.fujibikes.com/2005/bikes.asp?id=39. It rode so nice and i was taking it over quite a few big bumps and over cement islands. The front suspension is awesome and brakes grabbed hard! I wasnt used to it so i grabbed the brakes like how I do with my current bike and i almost went over the top, it also seemed alot lighter than my current bike.

Sweet, she looks good man, the specs are pretty good for the price. Also keep in mind that if you did want to upgrade, you probably can on that one. You know, disk brakes, better gear system, better derailuer (sp) etc. Nice find, post a picture when you get it.

[Carbon Blue]

whats even better is that bike is offered for 100$ under msrp at my local bike shop!! , i wasnt too keen on the grip shifts (mainly because most of the grip shifts i have tried were on magnas ) but until i tried this one it was awesome!!

Another quick question, with the upgraded drivetrains what are the pros of these? With the one i tested on that 05 panic the shifts were quick and direct enough as it is, how much better could the others be? I noticed alot of the 500-1000$ bikes had the deurailers (sp?) called Deore, Deore XT, and XTR?? I tried Giant keorra? with disk brakes and im hoping that they werent adjusted because they wouldnt stop the bike at all when i really needed them to. I wonder if i really do need disk brakes?? Im currently fine with my Vpull system right now so im not too sure if i should just save myself some money and get it now or upgrade later?? hmmm