[Hotpants]

Noob here! So be easy on me....

I have decided to cross the pond from XC to DH biking. I need few opinions on these three bikes that I have narrowed down to.
All three are the same asking price (2000) with similar wear and tear and components.
2012 Yeti 303 RDH large
2010 Trek Session 8 med
2013 Marin Team DH med

I am 5.8. I have test rode the Yeti and it did not feel too big at all. It was only in a parking lot, trails might be a different story.

In your general opinion which would be the best option?
Thanks for the input.

 

[supercow]

The Trek will be best

 

[cecil]

Do you live near any resorts you can rent a couple different bikes to get a better idea of what you want

 

[yd35]

What kind of builds are we talking here? TBH, 2000 for those bikes sounds like a bit much to me.

 

[Hotpants]

[COLOR=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961)]Trek:
[/COLOR]
Specs include :
Trek session 8 frame, medium, 8" travel
RockShox boxxer world cup 2009
Fox DHX 4 rear shock
Shimano XT brakes
Sram X9 derailleur
Fr32 alexrims, SunRingle rear hub
Truvativ crank + MRP chainguide
Kona pedals
Italia saddle
FSA bars, bontrager seatpost, ODI grips
[COLOR=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961)]
Marin:

Specs:

2013 Marin Team DH frame
Rock Shox Boxxer R2C2
DSP Dueller rear shock with titanium spring (new)
FSA headset
Easton Havoc stem
Easton Havoc carbon bar
XTR shifter
Saint brakes (new)
Ice Tech rotors
Lizard Skin grips
Atomlab rims/DT Swiss 440 hubs (rear rim is new)
Maxxis DHF/DHR tires
E.thirteen crankset/BB
E.thirteen LG1+ chain guide
KMC gold chain
XT cassette
Saint rear derailleur
Crank Brothers seat post
Chromag saddle
[/COLOR]
Yeti 303 RDH:


The Boxxer is a 2010 R2C2 I believe, it was purchased in new/unused condition as a floor model from a bike shop on the east coast. It currently has a medium spring installed.
The rest of the components were purchased new in the spring of 2013.

Brakes - Saint
Rotors - Shimano XT
Wheels - Easton Havoc DH
Tires - Maxxix Minion DH-F and DH-R Both in 26 x 2.5"
Head set - Hope
Stem - Blackspire Das Stem Direct mount
Bars - Answer DH original length
Grips - Lizard skins lock on
Shifter - Sram X-9
BB - Truvative GXP
Crank - Descendant DH
Chain guide - E-13 LG-1+
Chain - Sram
Derailleur - Sram X-9
Cassette - Sram 9 speed 11 -

Thanks for your help.

 

[blindboxx2334]

pics?

 

[Hotpants]

Not sure if I can post someone else's pics...

 

[Hotpants]

I ruled out the Marin, just don't like the design.
Can have the Trek for 1500
And the Yeti for 1700

What to do.......

 

[Sandwich]

I'd get the yeti. The parts spec is better, the fork is newer (you can get a charger cartridge for it and make it even better). The saint brakes are great, minions are the best, and it's a large. The shock is better...my only problem with some of the yetis is they didn't adopt the 1.5" headtube for quite a while. Not sure whether or not this one has one, but 1.5 gives you a lot of tuning options.

 

[jonKranked]

I'd get the yeti. The parts spec is better, the fork is newer (you can get a charger cartridge for it and make it even better). The saint brakes are great, minions are the best, and it's a large. The shock is better...my only problem with some of the yetis is they didn't adopt the 1.5" headtube for quite a while. Not sure whether or not this one has one, but 1.5 gives you a lot of tuning options.

i would agree with this, it definitely has the better build. the trek may be from a larger company, but it's also an older frame.

however one thing worth noting, yeti does not currently have a DH bike in their product lineup. i'm certain that a frame that's only ~2-3 years old they would still have parts for, but if you completely destroyed it, they don't have any options for a crash replacement (although they have had an SB DH bike in the works for sometime now).

 

[Sandwich]

can you get a crash rep on a used bike? that would be nice if so, but at this point and this age, warranty is the last thing I'd worry about.

I'd set a contingency plan to ride it like you stole it, then replace the frame with a turner or airborne if you smash it up (and you probably won't).

 

[jonKranked]

can you get a crash rep on a used bike? that would be nice if so, but at this point and this age, warranty is the last thing I'd worry about.

full warranty no, but i've gotten crash replacement cost (typically a really good discount off the MSRP) on components in the past.

 

[supercow]

Personally still think Trek. It's an easier bike for a beginner to ride I think. The yeti needs a bit more aggressiveness to get her moving.

 

[yd35]

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't the 2010 Sessions have durability issues? If that is the case, then I'd definitely get the Yeti. Even if the Session is a solid bike, I'd still get the Yeti as it's 2 years younger.

 

[Hotpants]

Thanks for all the input, really appreciated.

I am definitely new to DH but am a seasoned XC with lots steep situations....I spent a week at Highland and felt extremely comfortable on a DH bike ripping through most of the trails (jumps.. these I have to work on.....).
I am leaning toward the Yeti as well, as it is newer with better components etc.

Two things:

The large frame felt ok (parking lot) to my 5.8 body,
Not sure if this will be a major problem down the challenging trails.

Read about the rail system and it seems to be quite high tech. As a beginner (glorified) will this be a benefit to me, will I even notice in terms of what it is meant to do?

Thanks

 

[Hotpants]

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't the 2010 Sessions have durability issues? If that is the case, then I'd definitely get the Yeti. Even if the Session is a solid bike, I'd still get the Yeti as it's 2 years younger.

I also read this somewhere.

 

[jonKranked]

I also read this somewhere.

a buddy had a session that dented on the top tube from that era - althought i'm not sure if it was the 2010 version, but IIRC it was around that time

 

[yd35]

Two things:

The large frame felt ok (parking lot) to my 5.8 body,
Not sure if this will be a major problem down the challenging trails.

Read about the rail system and it seems to be quite high tech. As a beginner (glorified) will this be a benefit to me, will I even notice in terms of what it is meant to do?

Thanks

I think the large Yeti will be fine. If I remember correctly, the Yetis ran a little small anyway. I suspect that with the recent sizing and geometry trends on DH bikes, the measurements on your large Yeti are probably similar to most newer, medium bikes.

In terms of a larger bike presenting problems, it depends on the trail. You'll appreciate the bigger bike on fast and steep stuff that's not too turny. On slower, twistier tech, the smaller bike would be better. For DH, I'd personally rather have a slightly larger bike that's more stable at speed.

In terms of the rail system, it's not gonna transform you into Aaron Gwin, if that's what you're wondering. On a more serious note, people seem to really like the 303 so I think it's a good setup. I think the rail is self-lubricating so just make sure you keep it clean, and you should be golden.

 

[Sandwich]

the rail system doesn't do anything but modify the leverage rate. It's a bit of a novelty, you could get similar results with a pivot, but I think most people didn't have much of a problem with maintenance.

The sizing is a bit weird. Did you test ride that bike? If you did, and you felt comfortable on it, then you should be OK. You can run a shorter stem to help compensate. That being said, 5'8" on a bike with a 46.5" wheelbase is pretty extreme. I'm a huge fan of bigger wheelbases and longer reach measurements on faster and steeper trails, but Yeti doesn't appear to show reach, so it's hard to e-judge what's right for you.

In my opinion and experience, having a longer reach measurement let's you go really fast with a great margin of error, but it makes the bike more difficult on the bike-parky stuff, and certainly less maneuverable. When you're going mach stupid, it's a god send, but it becomes a bit of a pig on anything flat or very twisty.

So, buy the yeti and just go fast.

 

[Hotpants]

Thanks for steering me in the right direction.
I will go with the Yeti.
Cheers

 

[djjohnr]

I used to own a 303 RDH. They do run short in reach. I'm 5'10" and had a medium, a large would have been better for me. Your results may vary at 5'8". The frames are pretty stout with fairly thick tubing, but you should give the shock shuttle a good check-over before you buy. Remove the shock to do this. Once it's off cycle the shuttle back and forth to make sure there's no rough spot. Yeti does not sell the shuttles, however they are an off the shelf industrial item. The Yeti rep told me they're pretty expensive to replace, I never checked into the price though.

 

[Hotpants]

Hi again,

The Yeti seller is messing with me a bit. Can't seem to hook up.

In the meantime another bike came to my attention:

2011 Slopestyle Intense

"for sale a very nice intense with 2013 boxxer team, deemax Wheel, chromag bar, X9 transmission 10 speed"

Any comments in terms which one is a better buy.
I hear Intense bikes are amazing and made in the US.

 

[yd35]

The slopestyle is not a proper DH bike. I think it has 6.5 inches of travel?

 

[Hotpants]

Here is a pic

 

[Sandwich]

the slopestyle is VPP and is therefore unrideable.

but I've heard a lot of people like them. I'd steer towards an M9 if you can find one. It looked like all of the bikes you're looking at are in eastern canada, so I'm guessing you're riding at bromont or MSA. That shorter travel bike is going to be a bit brutal at bromont, but it should be awesome at highland.

What about grabbing a new airborne frame for $1000 and building it up yourself? I'm sure you can find some deals if you're clever.

 

[Hotpants]

Originally, that was the plan to build it up. A nice winter project. But from experiance "from scratch" projects are very expensive.
Yes, I am from Ont.
And highland is by far my favorite park...