Yeah...Marin's are ass ugly. For 600$~, you shouldn't have problems finding a decent used FS XC frame. Just shop around...Darkreaper said:
Budget FS rigs?
- Thread starter Darkreaper
- Start date
I've got a few options, but without prior experience I am basically clueless - an I-drive (not XC) frame is available this side of the pond, but the NRS is still tempting. Help, please!
What rear shock is on the i-drive?
How much do you weigh?
If you can get it with a Fox or Manipoo, pick it up, but the DT Swiss has one problem if you weigh over about 175. It tends to ramp up harshly for bigger guys towards the end of the shock stroke.
I would definently advise getting an I-Drive over an NRS...
How much do you weigh?
If you can get it with a Fox or Manipoo, pick it up, but the DT Swiss has one problem if you weigh over about 175. It tends to ramp up harshly for bigger guys towards the end of the shock stroke.
I would definently advise getting an I-Drive over an NRS...
If you want a bike for XC, get the NRS. Build bike. Ride. Be happy.Darkreaper said:
-S.S.-
All it is is a butchered 4-bar with shock technology making a crappy attempt at making up for its inadequacies...IDRIVE!!!! :devil:SkaredShtles said:If you want a bike for XC, get the NRS. Build bike. Ride. Be happy.
-S.S.-
neaky:
Ach, quit your pompous elitism... Every report I have heard says the NRS works like it says and pedals like a hardtail - and what I really want is a hardtail, but softer!
Get the NRS. Don't listen to the <blah blah blah> of other people.Darkreaper said:
Hold on - maybe you shouldn't listen to my <blah blah> either.
Everyone thinks that the bike they chose is the perfect bike. And you know what - they're right.
Pick the NRS. Ride. You'll find that it's the perfect bike for you. Especially if you don't ride any others.
neaky:The biggest disaster I see for you is that you don't buy *something* and end up not riding.
-S.S.-
Aye. The only problem is finding a NRS over here to check sizing...
I'm 6'2" with a 32" inseam - I got a large. I think their large is 20".Darkreaper said:
-S.S.-
Here's some sage advice I came across in a paper analyzing full suspension designs. It struck a chord with me:
"Our advice is to ignore all suspension theories and other claims put forth by frame manufacturers and industry magazines, and base your buying decisions exclusively on experimentation. That is, make your decisions by test riding the bikes, even if it is just a parking lot test (you can get a lot from a parking lot test). Ignore all marketing!"
They were especially hard on GT's i-Drive.
-S.S.-
"Our advice is to ignore all suspension theories and other claims put forth by frame manufacturers and industry magazines, and base your buying decisions exclusively on experimentation. That is, make your decisions by test riding the bikes, even if it is just a parking lot test (you can get a lot from a parking lot test). Ignore all marketing!"
They were especially hard on GT's i-Drive.
-S.S.-
Sounds like a plan... although I'm only 5'10", a large NRS frame would probably dwarf me. Riding an 18.5" at the mo
Just buy a medium and be done with it!Darkreaper said:
-S.S.-
Anybody have a medium NRS frame to go? JJ's is large...
*entices with the i-Drive*
Buy mine complete! Tehe...
Actually, I may part it, dunno. Moo.
Can you get GT frame-alone kits over there?
Buy mine complete! Tehe...
Actually, I may part it, dunno. Moo.
Can you get GT frame-alone kits over there?
Just keep the damn thing, you schizophrenic foo'. Nobody gunna buy dat P.O.S. anyways.............blue said:
-S.S.-
I'm a very confused little boy who needs 8 grand so I can buy every bike I NEED.SkaredShtles said:Just keep the damn thing, you schizophrenic foo'. Nobody gunna buy dat P.O.S. anyways.............
-S.S.-
Marin's are BADASS! Find me a VPP bike at a better price. The company is super attentive to their customers Why do I think they would be more popular if they had some edgy team to ride their bikes.blue said:
I really wouldn't give a crap if they had an edgy team or not...their bicycles look like ass. Like Ellsworth Jokers...those are ass too...CunningStunt said:
Ellsworths suck because they break. Marins rock because they WORK. It's a bike, not a chick.
I have to say the Mount Vision design is growing on me, partly 'cos of its stealthedness. Way outta my league though.
Aren't Jokers and a lot of Marins made in the same factory?CunningStunt said:
I think *most* bike frames are made in a Giant factory in Taiwan. Probably even your GT.blue said:Aren't Jokers and a lot of Marins made in the same factory?
-S.S.-
Not really...What I was trying to say was that the Joker is a rebadged Marin frame.SkaredShtles said:I think *most* bike frames are made in a Giant factory in Taiwan. Probably even your GT.
-S.S.-
Depending on the model, most GTs are made at the Pacific Cycles Taiwan plant, but some are also outsourced to Kinesium in Taiwan.
And most frames aren't made by Giant...
Hmmm....blue said:Not really...What I was trying to say was that the Joker is a rebadged Marin frame.
Depending on the model, most GTs are made at the Pacific Cycles Taiwan plant, but some are also outsourced to Kinesium in Taiwan.
And most frames aren't made by Giant...
They used to be. Giant was the largest bicycle mfg in the world. Has that changed?
-S.S.-
No, they are, but just because they are the biggest doesn't mean they make the most bikes. There are a hell of a lot of frame manufacturers out there, and they outproduce Giant by far.SkaredShtles said:
I guess I don't understand what you're getting at? Do you mean all other frame mfg-ers, when combined, make more bikes than Giant?blue said:
You know - I guess ultimately it doesn't matter. I'd heard that Giant pretty much made all the frames for the big retail brands: Specialized, Trek, etc.
It'd probably be impossible to actually get data, anyway, to actually figure out the "real" story.
-S.S.-
Yeah - Giant makes the most of any single manufacturer. They don't make that many for other brands, as far as I know, aside from carbon stuff for a few companies. I know Pacific has their own Taiwan and China facilities, and I'm pretty sure Trek makes all of their own stuff, or gets the cheap stuff from a generic Taiwanese manu. Specialized might get their Carbon ish from Giant, though...that's usually the case when companies all of the sudden have carbon stuff that they don't personally brand.SkaredShtles said:
And you're right, it's a pain in the ass to find out information about where companies get their frames...
Geez, you and I tonight eh?blue said:
I know that at one point a couple of years ago, Giant was producing about 4 million bikes/year, about 1/4 of those being Giant-branded, so do the math.
There are a myriad of Taiwanese/Chinese frame-building houses, Ideal, Kinesis, Merida, those are the other big ones. Merida is the #2 producer of bikes, and I'm not sure how many that is. They did buy a "minority" share of Specialized a couple of years ago, I guess concerned with losing more share to Giant. Which I think is really funny because Giant is still making some Specialized frames, so Merida is paying money to their biggest competitor. Maybe it's just me.
As for carbon, the parent company of FSA is pretty HUGE in that market, so is Pazazz (or Golden Lion, or whatever their "real" name is) is pretty big too. There are a bunch of other people making carbon frames, I highly doubt Giant is making some for anyone, as they couldn't keep up with their own demand for production last I heard. Not a bad problem to have I suppose.
Anyway, though that didn't really add anything to the discussion, sorry, I felt the need to interject I suppose.
I really do like those Specialized Stumpjumpers in either 4" or preferably 5" travel modes though, I'd probably be rocking one of those if I hadn't already had an '05 bike...Jamis makes a pretty cool rig too, the Dakars are sweet, again, in either the 4" or 5" versions...
JJames
So what you really want is to be able to get an unbranded frame straight from the factory, before the manufacturer triples its price?
Doubt it's likely though.
Doubt it's likely though.
They have them on eBay from time to time...There was an unbranded Giant carbon hardtail with full XT going brand new for 1200 bucks buy it now there. Some are kind of sketch though, you have to look out. Or go on a trip to Taiwan and stake out the backdoors of all the manufacturing plants...Darkreaper said:
I remember seeing that, it said "Giant" with emphasis on the quotes. They were just name-dropping a couple of different companies, it was not a Giant frame. Shysters...blue said:
does anyone have a link to the NRS?
You might want to try giantbicycles.com, perhaps.