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trail bike q's

jonKranked

jonKranked

Detective Dookie
Nov 10, 2005
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Hey i'm looking for a mid-travel trail bike. something around 6" of travel that I can build up light enough with geometry and gearing to climb, but can still handle a descent like a downhiller. Doesn't need to be a downhill bike, just ridden like one. (FWIW I ride my xc bike like a maniac on downhills - which has resulted in many crashes and flats).

Anyways, I'm looking primarily at VP bikes (cuz they tend to pedal better) like a nomad or a VP free. vp free is more dh oriented... would that hinder me for regular trail riding? I'm going to be putting an older z1 on it at first (5") and eventually upgrading to either a marz 66 or a fox 36.

Just looking for input and other opinions, and experiences from anyone who rides either of these bikes. Or feel free to recommend me something else equivalent. Oh and I'm looking for something used.
 
jonKranked

jonKranked

Detective Dookie
Nov 10, 2005
85,942
24,512
media blackout
Yea I've been doing that. I've got an xc hardtail, and I have a dh race bike. I'm looking for something to bridge the gap between them. Something all mountain, but a little on the burly side.
 
KiwiHusser

KiwiHusser

Chimp
Feb 29, 2008
19
0
Christchurch, New Zealand
i just traded in my dh an smaller trailbike for an ironhorse 6.6,
great for trail riding an dh, has 12 x 150mm rear axle spacing an 83mm bb shell , so nice an stiff. Rides like it has way more than 6.3'' travel.
 
ctrailfreak

ctrailfreak

Monkey
Apr 19, 2004
546
0
Independence,Mo
Versus Blitz II. I have one and can say... It'll take about anything you can throw at it. 6.7" travel and lower bottom bracket makes this bike rail turns and just blow through fast sections. Handles rock gardens fine also.

It also peddles better than allot of bikes I've ridden.
 
B

BlackAthlete

Monkey
Apr 8, 2008
184
0
My vote is for Nomad, Intense SS has that upright seating position that creeps me out a bit. Seems uncomfortable unless you have short arms.
 
Arkayne

Arkayne

I come bearing GIFs
May 10, 2005
3,738
15
SoCal
Spec SX Trail. Get a Fox 36 Talas and a rear shock with platform valving and you have a decent climbing machine and downhill ripper.
 
Sir_Crackien

Sir_Crackien

Turbo Monkey
Feb 7, 2004
2,051
0
alex. va. usa.
i'm going to vote for the giant reign or reignX. both of those bikes can take a ton of flak and still ride of the hill. what you are looking to do is exactly what i do on my reign and i weight more than your average human.
 
rigidhack

rigidhack

Turbo Monkey
Aug 16, 2004
1,206
1
In a Van(couver) down by the river
You already know my opinion. As for VPP, when I was looking I spent some time on a Faith (VPP) back to back with time on the Splinter and I found the VPP suspension to be wierd. Where the single pivot just took a hit and compressed, the VPP started the compression then "hitched" (no idea how else to describe it) before continuing its travel. It was a very strange feeling. Some people cant feel it, but I sure could. I'm not really sold on VPP.

The other thing about the Splinter is that it pedals incredibly well. Surprisingly so, actually. I recently had the platform on my shock disabled and the bike still pedals great. Single pivot, burly as hell, adjustable geometry, perfectly predicable goodness.

I think the IH 6. might be worth a look, too.
 
K

kuksul08

Monkey
Jun 4, 2007
240
0
I do plenty of singletrack regular trail riding on my VP Free with 888R. Sure it's pretty heavy but once you get the pedaling technique down, the suspension doesn't really hinder it too bad.

The nomad is even a better pedaler and can descend almost as well. Up to you...I like the VPP system because the pedaling benefit is worth it opposed to single pivot plushness
 
gonefirefightin

gonefirefightin

free wieners
Feb 5, 2007
11,266
4,952
Surrounded by Police in a hail of gunfire
are you kidding?

what you want is a nomad or an enduro........

sub 30 pounds is light enough to pedal all day and still shuttle on the weekends if you wanted.

I work in a shop and spent all winter training, riding and building different bikes and the one I ended up with after many weeks of flogging and testing was the enduro.



I hardly take out the DHR anymore unless it is a full on shuttle day. I have been mobbing this bike on every patch of ground near the house.

slap on a gravity dropper and put in some headphones and you will forget that this bike weighs 29 pounds
 
unskilled

unskilled

Monkey
Jul 12, 2007
218
0
my faves of that travel amount are
sxtrail 6.7 inches
transition bottlerocket 5.5
intense ss
slayer ss
 
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