[Sandwich]

Has anybody ever ridden or currently is riding a Mountain Cycle San Andreas? I'm thinking about getting one as a do-everything sort of rig, mostly east coast trailriding (thinking bumpy and steep), but with a few lift assisted days and a few longer XCish rides. I've always been a huge "fully-active" guy, but new shock technology and the desire to try something different, plus cheap used frames, are making me reconsider.

Any advice? Mountain cycle seems to still be going strong, which is good.

 

[reflux]

A few things about the frame, both firsthand and second.

- Quite a few people have experienced a lot of problems with the monocoque swingarm. I'm not an engineer nor do I pretend to be one, but I've read that it is not the best way to make a swingarm. Look into this further.
- I rode one (several years ago) with 6" rear and 5" front with a psylo. The ride felt suprisingly decent, but be warned, the rear wheel did extend quite a bit when pedaling. I didn't have a position-sensitive shock on it, so I don't really know what effect the new shocks would have on it.
- I know several people who have ridden the SA as an all-around rig and have been extremely happy. The main thing for them was that they were familiar with the ride characteristics of a high pivot and were happy with it.
- The monocoque main frame can be a bit loud on the trail. I don't know of anything that can soften the sound.
- Does it have a replacable hanger? The frame I rode didn't, you either had to use a breakaway bolt or replace the swingarm.
- The bottom bracket was wicked high from what I remember. I don't recall hitting my pedals on anything.
- Fairly maintenance free. The frame I rode had bushings for the swingarm pivot, hopefully the newer models with bearings are done right.

Let me know if you have any questions, I hope this helps.

Andrew

 

[BSEVEER]

I've had one for 6 or 7 years now and I really like it. It started out with the 4 1/2" rear shock/swingarm and a judy dh and I raced xc on it. As I got more into dh I put 5" rst fork on it and ended up breaking the swingarm racing at Keysville. I upgraded to the DHS swingarm and Stratos rear shock bringing it to 6 1/2 in the rear and up front was a Hanebrink with 8". I "outgrew" it for dh and ended up getting a Foes DHS. I still ride it but now it's slimmed down to just under 30lbs with a Psylo. Oh yeah, if you're planning on running a triple clamp fork I suggest a steering stop. I crashed in Mammoth on it and the fork dented the frame enough to make a small crack on the bottom of it near the head tube. I didn't want to risk racing it two days later on the Kamikaze so I had them send me a new main frame. Overall, it's been a great bike.