Big hit bikes that can pedal...and don't cost a fortune

TheMontashu · Nov 30, 2004

check out iron horse there cheep and light

TheInedibleHulk · Nov 30, 2004

No one has really ridden the faith yet, the FSR is well proven but you have to like 24 inch rear wheels. Are you going to be doing any DH racing or strictly trail riding?

biggins · Nov 30, 2004

theres a real nice yeti a-sx on here compleyte for 1995.00. fifth element and whatnot. looks like its in great shape. as far as the fsr goes, it seems with cross country geometry and an air shock and low travel the fsr design pedals well, but when you make it 7 or 8 inches of travel, dh/fr geometry, and a squishy shock it turns into a pretty poor pedaler. Not to say it cant be pedaled around its just that sometimes things are not worth doing. I would look at the bullit, the a-sx, giant AC series bikes. they can be found used by the truckload for around the price you are lookin at.

biggins · Nov 30, 2004

heres the link to that yeti.

http://www.ridemonkey.com/forums/showthread.php?t=103155

heikkihall · Nov 30, 2004

I think you are looking for a bike that sounds alot like the Iron Horse 7 point line. Take a look at those.

yojimborace · Nov 30, 2004

The bighit FSR is very nice for the price. At my local shop they are $1600!! I doubt they pedal well at all, because they are like 40+ pounds, but you can get good at pushing if you have to. Yeti makes a pretty good bike for the money, that is lighter. Here's the link for the bighit :thumb:

http://www.specialized.com/SBCBkModel.jsp?spid=9401&JServSessionIdroot=cc1wb3d0f3.j27004

HTFR · Nov 30, 2004

something cheap could be the norco savage,

TheMontashu · Nov 30, 2004

chech out the other new iron horses

Jm_ · Nov 30, 2004

Tharkun said:
It's me again on my quest for a new bike. I like this community and I value your opinions and am again asking for your help.

Basicially I want to know what is a better trailbike, the Giant Faith 3 or Specialized Bighit FSR. Why I say trailbike is because I do alot of actual pedaling so I want one that is relatively light and can pedal well. Under 2000 is pretty much a necessity. Of course you can suggest any others that you think are applicable. If you need more info to help you help me, please ask.

Thanks alot!

If you haven't figured it out yet, all bikes are the best pedaling ever!

I work for a giant dealer, the faiths are going to take a while to show up, maybe early Jan if you order now. They use a similer wheelpath to the iron horse bikes. They are definitely good bikes and they are going to pedal well, but;

They biggest thing that is going to help you in terms of being to ride a bike all day long and power up the climbs is lighter weight. I've ridden plenty of XC bikes that had "bob", but because they were light it really didn't matter much because it did not affect your ability to ride all day without getting real tired. This is a much bigger factor to me when talking about how well a bike "pedals".

Neither of the bikes you listed are good trail bikes. The faith might pedal well, but because the frame on that kind of bike is usually 10-12lbs, it's not going to be light and it's not going to be a good "trail bike". Same thing with the specialized.

Put it this way, if I had to choose between a 35lb bike that pedaled "ok", and a 40lb bike that pedaled "excellent", I'd take the 35lb bike. I know that my body will be less fatiqued from moving around that mass all day long as compared to the heavier bike. Remember, there's more to riding than just pedaling, there's all sorts of accellerations, up and down, left and right, etc. That stuff takes a toll after a while.

So is the faith fairly light? We have no idea, we haven't seen one for real yet and I don't know when we will. The specialized is definitely not light.

Both of these bikes have decent suspension designs that should resist most bobbing and pedal well.

1soulrider · Nov 30, 2004

I have to add a vote for the Yeti ASX. I have been impressed with the Yeti's ability to pedal up, but still ride like a light dh bike coming down. In the last few years I have owned a RM6, a Big Hit, a Fly, and an Uzzi SLX. The Yeti has been the most versatile of the bunch. One big plus is the full range of seat height adjustment it offers, it's much easier to pedal a big bike if you can raise the seat properly. The quality of travel and frame construction are both very good, and I like the 5th Element in this application very much. I also like the 1.5 because of the wider range of fork options, although this year their are many more 1 1/8 long travel options. The price is also quite reasonable on the ASX.

biggins · Nov 30, 2004

there were som on the buy and sell forum. i have friend that swear by those bikes

dexter · Nov 30, 2004

check out the asx and the new sinister frame the splinter i believe it looks yummy

Bicyclist · Nov 30, 2004

The Big Hit doesn't pedal well at all. I have one, and it is perfect for what I do. But the 24" back wheel makes it sit like a dirtbike. Even though mine is the 6" version, it still bobs like crazy. And it's down to 37 pounds. Despite this, it doesn't go uphill readily. For what you are doing, a Specialized Enduro would be good. I raced DH on one for a while (with an air shock). It's a good mountain/DH bike. The new ones are awesome, and not too pricey.

Jm_ · Nov 30, 2004

Tharkun said:
I've heard rumors that the Faith could be 35 pounds. Impossible probably. But if it did would that be a good bike?

It's not 35lbs. There's no way with a marz 66, DH wheels, 8" discs, meaty tires, etc....

Yeah, if it weighed that much sure it would be decent, but an 8" travel bike is not going to weigh 35lbs with any kind of a reasonable build, at least with having the parts be as strong as the frame.

Jm_ · Nov 30, 2004

Tharkun said:
I like the Enduros but they are too pricy. I think the lowest one is 1900 bucks and has an EXR pro fork on it, not the best I think. How bout the current AC's? Are they good? The lowest one is pricy as well (2000 I think) but I might get a decent deal. It would be awesome for what I need. I thought the new Sherman Firefly had 6" of travel, on Giants site it says only 5". I have the new Giant catalogue and the AC is really reduced this year, but on the site they still have good AC's.

yeah, the AC could be a good bike for what you need. It's in between the Faith and the Reign as far as toughness. It's a progressive linkage bike so that helps a bit. No true freeride bike is going to be easy to pedal uphill or on long rides compared to true XC bikes, but a bike like the AC could work really well.

The faith is like a super-freeride bike made to compete with the likes of the Foes Fly, Banshee Scream, Demo9, etc. Taking these bikes uphill on milder slopes is possible, but still quite an effort no matter how well they pedal.

TheInedibleHulk · Dec 1, 2004

I'm gonna have to go ahead and disagree with Jm on that one, I had an AC2 and in my opinion, AC should stand for Absolute Crap. The bike has heavy (built as stock), pedaled poorly and the back end was very flexy. I swear my giant DH team pedals better uphill then the AC did. Bighit is a much better choice, or ASX or probably Faith as well.

KleinMp99 · Dec 1, 2004

hucker13 said:
The Big Hit doesn't pedal well at all. I have one, and it is perfect for what I do. But the 24" back wheel makes it sit like a dirtbike. Even though mine is the 6" version, it still bobs like crazy. And it's down to 37 pounds. Despite this, it doesn't go uphill readily. For what you are doing, a Specialized Enduro would be good. I raced DH on one for a while (with an air shock). It's a good mountain/DH bike. The new ones are awesome, and not too pricey.

Awww man what? I had a bighit comp last year and not only did it pedal well but it went up hills like mad! In comparison to the demo 9 I had this year the bighit was a xc bike in the uphill department. I actually rode the bighit to the top of the 2 track road that held the local trails. Demo 9....no way I could get that thing to the top unless it was after a nice long sleep. My plan was to do some big big stuff on the demo this year but it didnt happen. New bike is going to be the sx trail......I cant f****** wait for that thing to come.

I dont recommend a giant AC bike. You might like it if you enjoy having your cranks get pulled back and forth while riding though

nh dude · Dec 1, 2004

TheInedibleHulk said:
I'm gonna have to go ahead and disagree with Jm on that one, I had an AC2 and in my opinion, AC should stand for Absolute Crap. The bike has heavy (built as stock), pedaled poorly and the back end was very flexy. I swear my giant DH team pedals better uphill then the AC did. Bighit is a much better choice, or ASX or probably Faith as well.

no sheet
those giant dh bikes pedal damn well. i dont know what you should get. burly and effeciant don't usually go hand in hand. maybe a uzze slx, a buddy is selling to get a trek...

The Kadvang · Dec 1, 2004

I really agree with JM_'s statment about the lightness of the bike. I usually ride a hardtail and when pedalling my friends fullies the bob is not that important, it is annoying but then again you get the nice soft ride and traction on technical climbs. What I do notice is the weight, bob or no bob, pedalling 50 pound (or even 40 pound) bikes just sucks.

Rik · Dec 1, 2004

I feel totally opposite to Jm_ and his pedalling vs. weight. I'd much rather a heavier bike that didn't bob and flex, than a light bike that squished all over the place. Maybe I place too much emphasis on pedalling performance (ex roadie and all that), but to me it's very important. I got around on a 45lb bike for a while, it was a tank, but because of its pedalling performance, it was a dream to ride compared to my friends bikes, which were lighter yet were mushy under power.

jackalope · Dec 1, 2004

IMHO, no 45 lb bike pedals well up a hill...Like JM said, it's just too heavy to not wear you out over time - SPV or not...I will agree that SPV shocks have clearly improved the pedaling effeciency of most long travel bikes, so that it's now *possible* to pedal up a hill...But it's still a chore...Trust me, after slogging up some long ass hills this past weekend in Pisgah on my Bullit, it will flat burn you up after awhile...But 45 lbs is really starting to get into specific FR / DH runs, rather than epic trailriding and occasional FR...

As for bikes, dunno about the AC...If you get one, try to get a later model, as some of my riding buds with older AC's had the seat tube crack (where they welded the two tubes together to form that 'S' shaped seat tube)...But otherwise, they seemed pretty tuff...

I've also been on a new Kona Coiler, and it's not a bad ride either...I wanna say it feels somewhere in the neighborhood of 35 lbs, and with a pro-pedal Fox, it pedals OK...Don't know how the parts spec compares to the Big Hit or Faith though...The one I was on came with a Drop Off, RF Evolve cranks, Nilla R Pro, Hayes Hydros (can't remember the model), and a decent wheelset...$1600 bones or thereabouts...

Also have a friend who rides a Big Hit, but that has to be one of the worst pedaling bikes I've thrown a leg over...And that's with a 5th...But, like someone said earlier, it does have a 24 inch wheel, so it feels like it squats pretty badly in it's travel...But if you're just tooling around looking for stunts, or have lift access to the top of a mountain, it's a swell ride...

Otherwise, I'm a big fan of single pivots with a SPV shock...You could build my Bullit a lot lighter than how I have mine - I'd say 36-37 lbs is very doable, and should be reasonably durable...Same goes for the AS-X...I know people who swear by those things...My DH racing bud liked his better than his new VP-Free in fact, but we'll see if that changes over time

Good luck with whatever you decide to go with...

vitox · Dec 1, 2004

Jm_ said:
They biggest thing that is going to help you in terms of being to ride a bike all day long and power up the climbs is lighter weight. I've ridden plenty of XC bikes that had "bob", but because they were light it really didn't matter much because it did not affect your ability to ride all day without getting real tired. This is a much bigger factor to me when talking about how well a bike "pedals".
.

i really could not disagree more with that statement, my experience is totally opposite, i find that bikes with annoying pedalling traits tire me a lot, you have to readjust to them all the time, for instance this weekend i was out riding a giant AC and let me tell you in the granny ring it was a nightmare, i had pedalled heavier full on dh bikes like bb7 thru that particular terrain and im certain i wasted less energy on the bb7 than on the AC.

maybe if you are comparing bikes that pedal marginally better or worse the weight would be the decisive factor, but hey, if i had to pick between an 2 kilo heavier enduro or a high single pivot (without a spv-like shock), id opt for the fsr all the way.

dw · Dec 1, 2004

The 7POINT was designed to do almost exactly what you are talking about. I would put the 7POINT up against any suspension bike in the world with any amount of travel for all out pedaling efficiency in regards to the suspension. No kidding. Its not a 24 lb XC bike like an Azure, but it will eat up the big hits, and has a suspension tuned to pedal up hills.

Dave

biggins · Dec 1, 2004

boo yaaaaaaaaaaaaa

wisc fr-rider · Dec 1, 2004

Id get a sx trail before the bighit, but it costs more.

I have a orange patriot 7+ frame, pretty close to perfect, manitou swinger 4 way, pedals great, full lenght seatpost, reducer headset, and a uncut thompson post

http://www.ridemonkey.com/forums/showthread.php?t=101995

Sir Happypants · Dec 1, 2004

i want a pony

joelsman · Dec 1, 2004

transition dirt bag, under a grand for the frame, dropnzone.com can get you a custom build on a budget

SirChomps-a-Lot · Dec 1, 2004

Tharkun said:
The Yeti AS-X is nice in black, but out of my price range.

Shut up and buy one.

Kntr · Dec 1, 2004

Im in the same boat as you. I want to get my wife a bike with 7" of travel that wont break the bank but will be a good do all bike. I want the bike to have a 66RC or 888RC and Hayes Mags. Most complete bikes come with the VF Zoke or the cheaper Hayes. I know its impossible to find a cheaper bike with these parts..... I might just have to buy her a cheaper bike and upgrade later.

Big hit bikes that can pedal...and don't cost a fortune

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