I will be getting a new bike here in the next week or two. I have narrowed it down to either a Faith or if i save up around 186 dollars more i could get a vp-free. Which would you guys recomend? Also how will they compare when riding?
Giant Faith or VP-Free
- Thread starter renorider40
- Start date
I know that there are a couple of guys around here with Faiths, how do you like yours? Do they have any week areas?
okay, i'll chirp in..
faith 3 is alright, so they stopped making them.
i rode a 2 and it has a bomber, and you can always flip the links(which i plan on doing)
i really like it, considering it is my first dh/freeride bike
i take decent hits 10 feet or so, handles nice, though on a little heavy
you need a chainguide, preferably e13, and the hayes nine and hayes sole don't cut it
my review on mtbr
FavoriteTrail: anywhere..
Duration Product Used: Less than 1 month
Price Paid: $1600
Purchased At: westwood cycle
Strengths: everything...strong frame design...ok front suspension...a step below the jr. t.
Weaknesses: the fork is a little uh...sketchy but don't worry about it, you save so much since this bike is cheap u can upgrade in a month
Similar Products Tried: faith 2, too exspensive, diamondback i'm not sure which one (friends) a kona stuff(friends) get the faith 3
Bike Setup: stock, look it up at www.giant-bicycles.com
Bottom Line: great bike, not a lot of money...look into it and email me if you have questions
Value Rating: 5 Overall Rating: 5
there it is on the 3
http://www.mtbr.com/reviews/Downhill_Full_Suspension/product_124722.shtml
faith 2
http://www.mtbr.com/reviews/Downhill_Full_Suspension/product_124721.shtml
faith 1
http://www.mtbr.com/reviews/Downhill_Full_Suspension/product_124720.shtml
faith 3 is alright, so they stopped making them.
i rode a 2 and it has a bomber, and you can always flip the links(which i plan on doing)
i really like it, considering it is my first dh/freeride bike
i take decent hits 10 feet or so, handles nice, though on a little heavy
you need a chainguide, preferably e13, and the hayes nine and hayes sole don't cut it
my review on mtbr
FavoriteTrail: anywhere..
Duration Product Used: Less than 1 month
Price Paid: $1600
Purchased At: westwood cycle
Strengths: everything...strong frame design...ok front suspension...a step below the jr. t.
Weaknesses: the fork is a little uh...sketchy but don't worry about it, you save so much since this bike is cheap u can upgrade in a month
Similar Products Tried: faith 2, too exspensive, diamondback i'm not sure which one (friends) a kona stuff(friends) get the faith 3
Bike Setup: stock, look it up at www.giant-bicycles.com
Bottom Line: great bike, not a lot of money...look into it and email me if you have questions
Value Rating: 5 Overall Rating: 5
there it is on the 3
http://www.mtbr.com/reviews/Downhill_Full_Suspension/product_124722.shtml
faith 2
http://www.mtbr.com/reviews/Downhill_Full_Suspension/product_124721.shtml
faith 1
http://www.mtbr.com/reviews/Downhill_Full_Suspension/product_124720.shtml
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Go for the VP-FREE because it looks better ! lol......................
I love my free, it makes me smile every time I ride it. Ride them both before you decide, but either way you'll probably be stoked.
If you're down to 186 dollars, call Bobby at Mojo Wheels in Denver. He'll hook you up.renorider40 said:
i'd go for the vp, the giant faith's are pretty heavy
dump the idea of getting a faith and chuck up the extra cash and go with the vpfree..... you WILL NOT REGRET your efforts
you are right, faiths are heavy, the faith 3 stock is about 50 pounds, and i own one and can vouche for thatSteezyWeezy said:
if you go with a faith 2, they are approx.. 35ish from when i tested one, though i'm not sure about the 06 ones..
faith 1 is about the same, maybe take a few pounds w/ the single crown and stronger components..thats IMO
as for this
the seat tube is a bitch on the faith, and the stock ones come super long, and me being a small teenager(5'6") i had to cut my post all the way down so i wouldn't have clearance problems..nothing a pipe cutter can't fix in a matter of minutes..joelsman said:
i plan on doing a shackle flip, and i'll let you know how that goes.
uh, no. Add 10 lbs.
The faith is a better dh specific bike...the frame is heaver, the angles are slacker and the bike is much lower.
The vp-free is a pedal around freeride bike..the bb is much much taller and its steeper. The frame is a bit lighter and has an un-interrupted seat tube.
so seeing as you didnt specify what you wanted, go with the faith if you are interested in lift assist, dh or racing, or go with the VP free if you like to pedal up hills more.
yea, both of them arent really dh rigs, but the faith in general is lower, but the frame is heavy no matter what, they use a lot of metal for it, and the vp's are simple, light, and come in cooler colorsA.P said:
vp free for sure, plus faiths r heavy, well the faith 3's are
my faith 3 is heavy, about 50 something poudns, what do i care, i don't have to carry it up mountains, they have lifts for that.
I have a buddie, who owns a Faith, and I also have a buddie who owns a VP. I have ridden both, and I think that the general rule is that if you want a lighter freeride bike, that you might enjoy pedaling on the flats, get the VP. but if you the kinda guy who's thinking about 3'ing the Whistler road gap, of at least taking the chair up, and never pedaling on any uphills, get the Faith.
i don't see why everyone talks about vp-frees like they're just a big XC bike with 8" of travel. Sure, it pedals better than a lot of the big bikes out there, but i think that you're making a big mistake if you're getting it for a pedaling bike. No matter how good it pedals, you're still pedaling around a heavy bike with DH geometry.
yes, it has a higher bottom bracket, but dial in a little extra sag and it handles well and really sinks into corners. and extremely low bottom bracket is not always the best thing. I ride with two guys that own sundays and they're always clipping their bottom brackets on things i just roll over without a second thought.
main point of this explanation: don't pick the faith over the vp-free just because you think of it just as a pedal around bike.
yes, it has a higher bottom bracket, but dial in a little extra sag and it handles well and really sinks into corners. and extremely low bottom bracket is not always the best thing. I ride with two guys that own sundays and they're always clipping their bottom brackets on things i just roll over without a second thought.
main point of this explanation: don't pick the faith over the vp-free just because you think of it just as a pedal around bike.
matt2991 said:
decent. it pedals well... but like i said, no matter how good it pedals you're still lugging around a heavy bike with DH geometry. so you're cranking a really long slack bike up the hill. so you have to be a beast to make it up anything steep or tech. and if you have an 8 inch fork and you're pedaling out of the saddle, then the fork bobs through something like 3 inches of the travel.
as you can tell, i think that a vp-free for climbing is pointess. If you're actually into climbing, they why would you pick an 8.5 inch travel bike over something with 6-7 (nomad, intense 6.6, etc.) that would be much better for climbing, and that you could throw around better on the way back down?
I really think that santa cruz should re-design the vp-free to a more DH specific 8" travel bike with a lower BB and slacker HA and still a good pedaling platform. DH is moving toward lighter, more nimble bikes instead of beasts with massive travel. Not everyone wants the v10 because you don't really need 10 inches 95% of the time.
back to topic: i pretty much think that the vp-free is only a good climber with somthing like a fox 36 up front. but if you were running 6 inches up front, why would you need 8.5 in the rear? why not just get a bullit or nomad? If you REALLY care about climbing, then i wouldn't suggest the vp-free.
I agree 100%. People who think the vp free is a big xc bike are in for a rude surprise. Unless your running shorter fork in the front, the head angle is way too slack for any serious climbing - and if you are, you've thrown off the geometry so that it's not good for dh/freeride. That's why I still like my bullit, it climbs really well, the suspension locks out nicely when out of the saddle, and it still has a good geometry for drops and light dh. sorry, I dont have experience with the Faith.AirAddict said:
...so what do you do for the other 9 months of the year?habitatxskate said:
if you want a climbing and xc bike, then get an xc bike. If you want a freeride bike then look to the vp-free or something like it. Or if you want to do a little of both, then look at an all-mountain bike.
I'm going with a no. It climbs well with a shorter fork on it. Like, 6 inches or so. But if you're not going to run a 7/8" fork why get a vp-free. Why not get a nomad, used bullit, or something of that nature?matt2991 said:
The only point the the vp-free is if you have a long, flat gravel road climb to the top of your favorite downhill trail where you can just sit back and cruise to the top. Even then... it just climbs a little better than most bikes that have a stable platform shock on it.
My free climbs great! The suspensions climbs well but you have to remember it's a pig. Tie a 12 pound bowling ball to my trail bike and it'll climb just like my free.
what do you mean by "flipping" the links because im getting this same bike at an amazing deal of 400 brand new for just a frame BB and rear wheel
yea, both of them arent really dh rigs, but the faith in general is lower, but the frame is heavy no matter what, they use a lot of metal for it, and the vp's are simple, light, and come in cooler colors
The faith is an amazing DH bike, I am pretty sure that the kid who won the collegiate series in New England last year or the year before was on a faith....
You flip the rear linkage upside down and the bikes lower..which is better for DH racing.
Do a search on Ridemonkey for 'flippin' links' , it lowers the BB & slackens the headtube angle, gives it very good DH geometry.
I rode a Faith all last year & I like it so much I'm keeping it for another season, although I did buy all Avalanche suspension for this year
I rode a Faith all last year & I like it so much I'm keeping it for another season, although I did buy all Avalanche suspension for this year
ive owned a faith 1 for 2 1/2 seasons
and I'm completely satisfied with it
its solid and smooth
it does well for both free ride and Dh
ide reccomend getting a duel crowned fork, i bent the steer tube of the original 66 on whos knows what
my only problem with it is the paint job it comes with, that silly puddy grey
I could care less about the weight, i ride motocross so all bycicles "feel" relativley light
I find it funny how most DH racers will spend so much exrta money to lighten their bikes up by 5 pounds, where as if they would just stop eatin taco bell and hit the gym they could loose that weight for free and be in better shape
It's not the best thing for pedalin up hills but i ride mine at Moab every year, its totally worth it after gettin my ass to the top of the rides.
and I'm completely satisfied with it
its solid and smooth
it does well for both free ride and Dh
ide reccomend getting a duel crowned fork, i bent the steer tube of the original 66 on whos knows what
my only problem with it is the paint job it comes with, that silly puddy grey
I could care less about the weight, i ride motocross so all bycicles "feel" relativley light
I find it funny how most DH racers will spend so much exrta money to lighten their bikes up by 5 pounds, where as if they would just stop eatin taco bell and hit the gym they could loose that weight for free and be in better shape
It's not the best thing for pedalin up hills but i ride mine at Moab every year, its totally worth it after gettin my ass to the top of the rides.
Faiths are top notch bikes and not expensives if you are looking for DH Faiths are better than VPs, Faith also padals quite well
For me, the VPfree has always been the red headed stepchild of Santa Cruz. it never felt right to me. The wheelbase felt to long for tight trails and not low enough and too top heavy for racing. I never felt comfortable on them. I always preferred my Bullit for freeride and my V10 for DH over the VPfree for either.
The faith on the other hand felt good for freeride and if the links were flipped was a pretty good race bike, low, slack and perfect wheelbase
The faith on the other hand felt good for freeride and if the links were flipped was a pretty good race bike, low, slack and perfect wheelbase
go with the vp