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From BMW to a Trail bike.....?

seismic

seismic

Turbo Monkey
Dec 22, 2003
3,254
0
South East Asia
I am considering getting myself a Trail bike for riding with a local bunch of guys. However, coming from DH/FR and riding a BMW Hitman w. Avalanche suspension, I am a little concerned ending up with a Trail bike feeling too low quality on suspension and in general too fragile and weak. Of course the Trail bike should not weight a ton and I should be able to ride together with people on an average trail bike group ride, - and therefore, full seatpost length and a 100% pedalable bike is a requirement. My main concern is what bike to go for in order to get some super quality in terms of frame strength and suspension quality. I am not set on the amount of travel, weight or price as I am fairly new to the game of trail bikes. Whatever I end up getting it will be used hard, so as mentioned, quality in general is my main concern.

Your advice is very much appreciated.:cheers:

Thanks
 
bullcrew

bullcrew

3 Dude Approved
Dec 8, 2004
8,891
2,545
I'm dude playing dude pretending to b another dude
I just bought an Chumba EVO for that reason, putting a 66 on it though for more fr and possibly getting a fox 36 for the AM riding.

My considerations would be:
Enduro SX
Giant Reign
Chumba Evo
Felt has a nice one (dont remember)

Yeah its going to be really hard to sit on anything else and have it not feel as dialed! You pretty well shot yourself in the foot there! :D LMAO! Im still an AVY freak for good reason.
I don't know how peddalable you want to go but I assume you want a little strength as well incase you see a line that would cause regret because you couldnt hit it! :thumb:
 
B

Banshee Rider

Turbo Monkey
Jul 31, 2003
1,452
10
Generally, there's not a whole lot going on with suspension on short travel bikes; air pressure, rebound, and the occasional flip of a platform switch. I really wouldn't get hung up on it like with a downhill bike. I personally think, after a bunch of years riding different xc bikes, that angles make more of a difference than the suspension design anyway. I would look heavily at short travel bikes that sit low and slack, which translates to around 13" and 68*(and below). They will handle closely to your downhill bike, and make the transition onto xc bikes more natural. They sit more aggressively and inspire greater confidence when charging techincal terrain - the same cannot be said about traditional 70* bikes. For a stock bike, the giant trance x (upgraded to a 140mm fork) or giant reign (09', which is slacker) are great values. For a winter build project, finding a now discontinued Blur 4X frame on ebay is also another option.

I personally would stay away from the "downhillers trail bike" I see in alot of pictures with lightweight downhill rims, heavy soft durometer tires, 8" rotors, and a tilted seat dropped down low. I would recommend building it under 30lbs with xc rims, xc tires, and xc parts. Alot of people pass off these options because they're convinced they "wont hold up," but generally your limitations from the actual bike exceed those of the parts. Run a short stem, wide bar, and possibly a set back seatpost, to keep your cockpit familiar; but I'd end the similarities to downhill there. For xc group rides, with people riding on even lighter bikes, the trails really cant be "that gnarly" to justify heavy tires , wheels, and parts. If they were, everyone would run them, and they probably wouldn't be on xc bikes to start with.
 
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bullcrew

bullcrew

3 Dude Approved
Dec 8, 2004
8,891
2,545
I'm dude playing dude pretending to b another dude
Also Foes FXR, intense, turner and IH are also good bikes. Id liked to have had a more AM rig but Id break it sooner than later (busted/cracked 3 frames in 3+ years)! The above reply's are great bikes!!!!
I chose the EVO because Im 230lbs before coffee and clothes ride hard and like to fly off stuff and drop!
 
buildyourown

buildyourown

Turbo Monkey
Feb 9, 2004
4,832
0
South Seattle
snipped
bullcrew said:
IH are also good bikes.
Click to expand...
Sorry, but I would stay away from an IH trail bike. Parts availability will be nonexistent. I couldn't get parts when they had a IBD network.

Look for a manufacturer that has a good dealer presence in your country or at least one that is willing to support you from the US. I know Turner will ship whatever you need wherever. I'm sure there are other smaller companies that would do the same.
Personally, I would look at Turner and Ventana
 
RogerH

RogerH

Monkey
Jan 22, 2004
157
0
Sweden
Hi Lars! Nice to hear that you are looking for a lighter bike! I bet it will be interesting!

I have to agree with the Turner suggestions! I know you tried my Sixpack wayback, and I think you enjoyed it! The 5Spot looks to have awesome geo for trailriding. Build it with some light, yet strong components. DT 5.1 or D721 rims, XT cranks etc...

I have no experience with the new DW-generation, but knowing Turner history, they should rock :)

The Danish Importer who I got my DHR from, was really cool too!
 
no skid marks

no skid marks

Monkey
Jan 15, 2006
2,511
29
ACT Australia
Yeah my SR6 with Kowa 160ss was a versatile sturdy feeling bike, even with the air shock. You could get one with an Avy. If you wanted something lighter, possibly a Mongoose would feel good for you(high pivot)or a Specialized Enduro or other, they have great warranty.
Or join the queue, and get a Katipo made to how you want it. Mine weighs 17kg with DH kit. With smaller shock and single crowns, you'd get one fairly light.
 
J

JRogers

talks too much
Mar 19, 2002
3,785
1
Claremont, CA
Banshee Rider said:
Generally, there's not a whole lot going on with suspension on short travel bikes; air pressure, rebound, and the occasional flip of a platform switch. I really wouldn't get hung up on it like with a downhill bike. I personally think, after a bunch of years riding different xc bikes, that angles make more of a difference than the suspension design anyway. I would look heavily at short travel bikes that sit low and slack, which translates to around 13" and 68*(and below). They will handle closely to your downhill bike, and make the transition onto xc bikes more natural. They sit more aggressively and inspire greater confidence when charging techincal terrain - the same cannot be said about traditional 70* bikes. For a stock bike, the giant trance x (upgraded to a 140mm fork) or giant reign (09', which is slacker) are great values. For a winter build project, finding a now discontinued Blur 4X frame on ebay is also another option.

I personally would stay away from the "downhillers trail bike" I see in alot of pictures with lightweight downhill rims, heavy soft durometer tires, 8" rotors, and a tilted seat dropped down low. I would recommend building it under 30lbs with xc rims, xc tires, and xc parts. Alot of people pass off these options because they're convinced they "wont hold up," but generally your limitations from the actual bike exceed those of the parts. Run a short stem, wide bar, and possibly a set back seatpost, to keep your cockpit familiar; but I'd end the similarities to downhill there. For xc group rides, with people riding on even lighter bikes, the trails really cant be "that gnarly" to justify heavy tires , wheels, and parts. If they were, everyone would run them, and they probably wouldn't be on xc bikes to start with.
Click to expand...
Really good advice. A bike with a decent enough suspension design, low bb and slack head angle should suit a DHer looking for a trailbike. I run a Prophet- the suspension is good enough and I really like the angles on it and the pretty low height.

Keeping the build light is important. I am a reasonably fast DHer, but, aside from wide bars, I just run normal XC parts on my trailbike (like XT cranks, 819 rims, 2.2 UST tires). I rarely have problems or break stuff and the riding is more fun because of the lighter build. If you're pushing a 38lb bike around on climbs, then you might as well have a DH bike. Unless you're hitting big jumps and drops or riding the bike up just to get to DH trails on the way down, shoot for about 30lbs.
 
Cant Climb

Cant Climb

Turbo Monkey
May 9, 2004
2,683
10
Take a look at Santa Cruz Heckler.....great bike.

Can be built lightish or heavyish. Has good angles and they have been refining it for 12years or so.....it's the only trail bike i have ever ridden and my first was my first DH bike. If your getting a trail bike think about climbing, because you'll be climbing or spinning flat stuff 90% of the time.

Heckler has a nice seat tube angle.........so you can also zip the flatter stuff without having the laborious feel of FR bike. Humping around on a light FR bike is not that much fun IMO. Get a bike that is pretty fast everywhere. The Heckler isn't a pure climber at all, but it is a comfortable climber....that will pay divadends on long rides.
 
V

venom600

Chimp
May 2, 2008
77
0
Bozeman
Giant Reign (or Reign X if you wanna lean more aggressively)
SX Trail (no full length seat tube on pre-'09 frames, though)
Chumba Evo
Heckler
Knolly Endorphin
 
blender

blender

Monkey
Oct 19, 2006
642
0
MDR
consider a Canfield.. they have some solid offerings to suit your needs.
the quality is second to none, and i hear the customer service is top notch.
 
al-irl

al-irl

Turbo Monkey
Dec 9, 2004
1,086
0
A, A
check out the dhers trail bike tread. Loads of sweet rides on it to give you some ideas. My choice is a morewood shova st nice and light, simple, climbs well descends even better. Can't fault it. Also check out the mbuzi if you want something with a little more punch.
 
Demomonkey

Demomonkey

Monkey
Apr 27, 2005
857
0
Auckland New Zealand
For trail riding, no more than 5 inch. Geo far more important as mentioned earlier. I ride a Commencal Meta 4X. Best trail bike I've owned. 4 inches is plenty imo. Depends on trails you're riding of course.
 
C

Claytr0n Z3R0

Chimp
Oct 18, 2008
9
0
SLO, CA
I second the 4x bike suggestions if you're looking for a short travel bike. Most big companies make one: SC Blur 4x, Norco XXXX, Morewood Ndiza to name a few.

If you're willing to go single pivot I ride a Morewood Mbuzi and it's super sweet, ~67-68 degree head angle with a 160mm fork.

The Shova ST's are supposed to be sweet too and probably climb better.

If I didn't have my Mbuzi I think I'd have a SC heckler or a Giant Reign X.
 
S

Sonic Reducer

Monkey
Mar 19, 2006
500
0
seattle worshington
i'm in this market as well and not really too up on my gear knowledge especially trail bike wise. i like the idea of the blur 4x because I know a kid that has one built up as a DJ bike and he loves it for that but they seem like a rare frame to find.
i'm sorta tending more towards getting a 4" XC bike like a yeti ASR but nothing is concrete. i want a bike that is fast up hill but a solid feeling frame is one of my favorite qualities I HATE flex. I'd like to be able to do very long rides on this bike, maybe race XC but mostly just get out and pedal more. looking to spend $1500 or so for something a little more upmarket but 2-3 years old. I'd prefer it to be around 30 lbs, 22/32/bash, 2.1-2.3 rubber, 4-5" travel, fun jumpy handling, awesome climber, reasonably stiff. i tend to take DHers advice as to what is fun to ride more seriously than XC dudes.
 
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dexter

dexter

Turbo Monkey
Sep 23, 2001
3,053
99
Boise, Idaho
i really see no reason why you would not want a trek remedy 7,8, or 9. only bike i would consider in the genre of a dhers' trail bike
 
Lelandjt

Lelandjt

Turbo Monkey
Apr 4, 2008
2,513
826
Breckenridge, CO/Lahaina,HI
I'm a DHer and have been using a Yeti 575 (look at that over the AS-R) as an XC bike the last few years. I was pretty happy with all aspects of it but I just got an Ibis Mojo SL and swapped most of my parts to that. I'm pretty stoked on the 1lb lighter frame and general feel. For your use I'd recommend a bolt-on 10mm hub regardless of frame. Also get a DT150EXC fork with QR15 if you can afford it. Cheaper, heavier option is Fox TALAS36.
 
E

Evil Sylvain

Monkey
Feb 27, 2006
181
1
Montreal, QC, Canada
I am a bit partial but I don't think I have seen the suggestion here: Yeti 575. The new 2008 and up versions have a 68.5HA with 140mm fork and 66.9HA with 160mm fork.

They can withstand the abuse of 4-5 foot drop (probably not recommended by Yeti) and are very good pedaling machines in my opinion. Of course, a XC rider with a 4" bike might beat me up a fireroad climb but when the climb is filled with roots and baby heads they dab and I, usually, don't. And when faced with the decision of avoiding rocks or going over they usually take the long way around while I climb over rocks. It's funny how they are almost stunned that it's actually possible to ride rocks. And going downhill they are out of the picture.

So if you want to have fun you might want to give the 575 a try.
 
Transfer

Transfer

Monkey
Jan 23, 2004
545
0
Seattle, WA
From what I've seen, the Trek Remedy may be your option. It's pretty tough looking and spec'd well. I'm just building up a '08 Yeti 575 for similar uses as you're describing but I haven't ridden it yet so I can't comment on the durability but I have very high expectations from what I've read. I'm pretty excited about the build though and think it will make a great trailbike at somewhere under 30lbs. Carbon rear, Fox Float 36, RP23, Elixir 7" brakes... Mmmmm
 
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