[rtaylor07]

Hi there this is my first post and yes I am asking for advice ;p I have not yet become part of the sport and I am very interested in getting started.

At the moment I am in a higher weight class then I would like, I'm 5 10' 225 pounds not all fat mind you but I want to get down to 175 to work my way up to welter weight, for mma purposes. My main goal in joining this sport is to lose the weight and second to have fun and eventually make this an everyday thing, I want to get into the sport and put the same passion I have for fighting into mtb. So my questions would be regarding what to buy as I have a very limited amount of money and would like to build a bike so I can spend the money over time. I don't know much as far as what to buy regarding my height and weight. I would assume I would need a bike in the large category but something that I could use at the potential weight of 185 when im in my prime. At the moment I have been shopping frames as I would think that is one of the most important parts because I would then need to build around that. I am looking for something full suspension, most likely a very durable material, obviously not carbon fiber because of durability and the fact that I am noobish and will probably hit the dirt many times, and I don't mean on the bike. I like the look of the xcr gt http://img.auctiva.com/imgdata/7/2/8...8062466_tp.jpg . But looks aren't the most important thing but if I am going to use the frame for a few years it would be a great plus. I like darker frames so frames that have options black, gray blah. As far as other components go I am pretty partial to fox components, I like the look and have read great reviews on almost everything I have seen. Also I really like the Ellsworth Joker frame, i saw the 2003 and really liked it, not sure if its a good frame or not.

I have looked around at complete bikes and some are pretty nice but with my personality I enjoy building things from the ground up so I can be proud that I did the work and it has my touch as far as what components I choose. For budget I was thinking of spending between 200-400 on the frame. I will most likely do ebay so I can get a frame above my budget with a little use on it. That way I can save up to buy some nice components. I take meticulous care of everything I own so the bike will be well cared for. As far as the type of riding I was thinking uphill climbing, downhill and maybe some track racing, I know that is kind of broad. Most likely I will be very tempted to ride on the road as well for local transport to save on gas.

Either way any advice would be of great help and I would defiantly appreciate it. I probably sound like a n00b so correct me on anything I have said.

-Robert "AKA" (n00blit)

Profile- I am a 19 year old male, married with one daughter, I am enrolled in Kaplan online University majoring in Business admin with a focus in information technologies. I love fighting and train in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Muay Thai Kickboxing, I aspire to be in the UFC and or Wrek. I am curranlty living in PA but I am moving to Garden Grove CA well the border of Garden Grove and Orange County on June 10th.

 

[LordOpie]

Buy a complete bike, hard-tail, about $500, for your first bike.

 

[Timekiller]

I love building things also, Just one thing... If you do build up the bike, start out with a very good frame. When I got into MTB, I kinda cheaped on the frame, and wound up wasting the money for that frame and all of the parts that didn't swap over. The "cheap/outdated" frame I had only lasted a few months before I bought a new frame.


As lord opie said, A complete hardtail is a great first bike... or even find just a frame or partial. Check out the Ridemonkey Classifieds Many people will tell you, start out on a hardtail, you will be a better rider. I believe this is somewhat true... Every once in a while I jump on my hartail and notice Im doing something the bike doesnt like, I take a mental note of it... and the next time im on the fully Im suddenly riding a bit better.

 

[rtaylor07]

I said i was completely new to mountain biking but I've been riding bmx bikes since i was wee tall lol, i did some vert and off road jump trails, i can navigate through some pretty rough stuff on a trick bike as far as obstacle to obstacle endos, tail spins and some simple stuff like that. I know mountain biking is a different sport but i think I will adjust pretty well which is why I want a good frame to start and build from there. I know people keep saying hardtail and completes but I really want to build the bike. So a good frame is essential.

 

[Timekiller]

If you want to stay in that budget for a fully rig... def. look for a popular used frame. Something easy to still get parts for.

I wasn't saying that you have to go with a hartail. i went with FS first, then HT & FS. But then again my FS is almost strictly FR.

 

[rtaylor07]

Ok cool I will look for a popular used frame, what material is best, i was thinking something strong which means it will be a little heavy, but i don't mind im a pretty strong guy. Then I was also wondering what your opinion of popular frame is, ellsworth, gt, ironhorse, yeti, specialized, is that what you were thinking, and maybe include in the trek fuel?

 

[LordOpie]

You can absolutely do what you want, this is America!

But do you have experience building up a bike? Do you know what it means to face the BB shell?

I'm just sayin', an inexpensive HT will get you rolling immediately while you build-up your FS, make mistakes, fix them and then you'll have two bikes! You can use the HT later as a commuter or psuedo-road bike.

Lastly, if you're looking for exercise as your primary goal, you're gonna be frustrated with the FS bikes you're looking at.

 

[rtaylor07]

Ive only built bmx bikes and as far as difficulty, there isn't really much to it. I just don't want to spend 500 dollars for a hardtail, then find in the very near future 6 months or less that now I want an fs. In my situation i need to get a bike that will take me into the future because money is an issue with me. Gotta pay the rent and diapers and other things i don't need to list lol. Being a gm for "not gonna say" isn't exactly the best paying job lol My idea was to get a good frame start with mediocre components then when i decide I want more, i can upgrade and it won't cost near as much as buy a new bike all together. I need to spend the money over time like i mentioned.

To clarify not saying there is nothing to building mtb, saying there is nothing to building bmx bike.

 

[Timekiller]

Ok cool I will look for a popular used frame, what material is best, i was thinking something strong which means it will be a little heavy, but i don't mind im a pretty strong guy. Then I was also wondering what your opinion of popular frame is, ellsworth, gt, ironhorse, yeti, specialized, is that what you were thinking, and maybe include in the trek fuel?

Any brand name, aluminum frame, will be strong. obviously frame travel has a good bit to do with frame burly-ness. As far as popular, any of the brands you have mentioned will be fine for finding parts, I just would stray away from brands like KHS, and other brands that you have never seen before.

i would recommend picking up a copy of mountain bike maintenance Its a good book to learn the basics of mtb building and components.

 

[rtaylor07]

book on order, thanks

 

[Timekiller]

hey man... no prob.

really, the only main part that you want to be able to get for a mtb frame is the derailleur hanger. My first bike was impossible to find a hanger for, and I wound up having to find a hanger that was close to mine and grinding it down. all of the other stuff (bearings, screws, bushings) can really be found anywhere.

 

[rtaylor07]

I'm gonna try to stay post 2002 as it seems it would be best for finding parts. I see most hangers are available in that range. derailleurhanger.com

 

[Timekiller]

exactly...
and there are other places to get hangers too, but you may consider asking a local bike shop if they can get them... It really sucks being off the saddle for a few days because you have to mail order a hanger. Don't ask how I know.

Or just keep a spare or two.

 

[Timekiller]

Another heads up... There are a lot of specialty bike tools out there with a huge price tag. With a bit of searching, you can find info on how to make the tools. Check out this headset removal/install tool:

http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?p=1190007

I figure you have prob. done headst work on BMX, but its just an example.

 

[rtaylor07]

Hi again, if I planned on doing races in the near future or just track riding in general, jumps, drops and such what would you recommend, a hardtail or fs, and for that matter would you recommend a bike like http://www.titusti.com/08/mtn/mototi.php or something else

 

[LordOpie]

Hi again, if I planned on doing races in the near future or just track riding in general, jumps, drops and such what would you recommend, a hardtail or fs, and for that matter would you recommend a bike like http://www.titusti.com/08/mtn/mototi.php or something else

I would not recommend a hardtail.

 

[rtaylor07]

yea i didn't think so, i could see my self off a drop and having the whole bike collapse lol, what would you recommend?

 

[Timekiller]

What kind of racing?

What happened to the ellsworth?

 

[rtaylor07]

I messaged the guy and he says the frame has a very small bend in it around the rear deraingler, I don't want to take a chance so i just stopped bidding on it. I was thinking if I;m going to get into mountain biking I might as well get into the racing jumping aspect of it. I was thinking I want a bike that could handle down hill as well as dirt tracks with jumps and drop offs and such. I'm extremely competitive, well I guess you can tell as I liek to fight but I think it would be fun to do the racing ive seen. Idk it looks fun, I was thinking of saving to buy a complete bike but every bike i see that I fall in love with happens to be 5-6 thousand dollars lol. I think my favorite bike would be the anodized grey maverick durance http://www.maverickbike.com/main/do/products/productID/3

then I would say i like the gt bike series I'm currently bidding on this. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&item=150244139554

Tell me if its good before I win it lol so I don't make a mistake, also i can't determine how high I should bid as he doesn't know the year of the frame so i can't find an msrp if you could give some input that would be great.

Also is there really anything wrong with buying a fezzari bike? From what I can see this bike is great for the price and the reviews I could find on the net look positive, the parts look good especially since this bike has the Avid Juicy 7 break system which you can't really find on a complete bike under 2500 and some other components I don't know enough about lol

http://fezzari.com/products/index/Nebo_Peak/9/18#Specs thats the one im talking about its only 2099 which isn't bad I think

[edit] ok did some research and math, the avg price of all the components put together on that bike brand new is $1835, thats not including any of the fezzari components and no frame. The price they are asking is amazing and they do a complete setup for free according to the measurements of your body, it looks like a good deal to me. If I rode it hard for a year or so and the frame didn't hold up a good portion of the components would still be in good shape. What do you think?

 

[rtaylor07]

After intense research and some demo testing ive found the best bike to suit me from going to mtb from bmx is the transition BottleRocket.
It feels like a bmx with a full suspension. So anybody going from bmx to mtb I would recommend this bike. I'm now saving money for this bike and will hopefully have one in my garage in 2-3 months or sooner if I can sell my damn scooter.

Scooter link if anybody is interested: http://www.ridemonkey.com/classifieds/cat-2/ad-2263/

 

[Timekiller]

Did you get the transition? I recently picked up a trail-or-park it is so wicked awesome.