[ThePriceSeliger]

Hey... I have been riding a 03 bighit expert for about 2 years now and I am now thinking of a new bike. I had in mine a demo 8 frame with all the goodies from my bike but I had a friend talk me out of it... he also sugested a Cannondale Gemini frame.. is it worth it? Which frame is a good deal and high quality?
Price

 

[vitox]

this will be pure speculation

the gemini is a rather light dh frame, nice for lighter guys and all but if you are heavy then you could run into problems later on, its too early to tell but a bit caution is never a bad idea, besides the gemini isnt really all too different from a number of other bikes that are built a bit sturdier.

 

[Wingnut]

Your gonna get mixed reviews on the Gemini. People who own one, say they are good. People who don't own one, will tell you they are garbage. The Cannondales seem to be hit or miss, but are obviosly a good design. There was a post on here somewhere with a brand new Gemini with a crack inside the headtube, but the reason has yet to be determined as a factory defect as far as I know.

The Demo seems like a good, strong bike. Personally, I'm not a fan of it, or any specialized FS bike. But it has proven to be reliable, the FSR is renound for being active and cushy, but reasonably good for pedalling. It(Demo) has good standover, low center of gravity, and looks burly. There have been a few complaints about the Specialized waranty, but that could be for a number of reasons, too many to go into.

I'd maybe look into a V-10. They've proven to be strong, exept maybe the linkage bolts, but they can be upgraded inexpensively. It pedals nice, tracks well and handles big hits realy well.

 

[ThePriceSeliger]

I am 180 pounds and 5"10... I dont think i want the v-10 plus i have a friend getting one. Any other sugestions?

 

[ThePriceSeliger]

I was looking at a Balfa BB7 and fell in love!

 

[buildyourown]

I have a BB7 and think it's a great riding bike. However, it's lack of thru axle can make it feel a little squirley in the rear. I'm 170. I don't think I'd recommend it for somebody bigger.
What's wrong with the Demo 8. Or Demo 9 for that matter.

 

[Racerx7734]

Banshee Scream

Hands down.

Hey... I have been riding a 03 bighit expert for about 2 years now and I am now thinking of a new bike. I had in mine a demo 8 frame with all the goodies from my bike but I had a friend talk me out of it... he also sugested a Cannondale Gemini frame.. is it worth it? Which frame is a good deal and high quality?
Price

 

[me89]

i like banshees but they get really heavy (50+lbs) from what i hear. i just got a new 03 sgs team dh frame from ironhorse and it seems like it would be able to handle a bigger rider. its got a 10 or 12mm thru axel in the back (havent measured or got specs). and you get a 1.5 headtube and reducer that comes with it so you can run any fork on the front of it. so just to throw out a few suggestions. the scream was my second choice for a frame. ohh and with shock, seat, and seatpost the sgs weighs 13.2 lbs. so just another thought.

 

[frorider]

this will be pure speculation

the gemini is a rather light dh frame, nice for lighter guys and all but if you are heavy then you could run into problems later on, its too early to tell but a bit caution is never a bad idea, besides the gemini isnt really all too different from a number of other bikes that are built a bit sturdier.

pure speculation brings erroneous conclusions.

the gemini was designed to combine strength, stiffness, and reasonably low weight. the lack of a shock linkage (which saves weight) means that the shock valving is critical. however, w/ the right shock set-up, it's amazing how well a simple single pivot can work. the use of an uninterrupted seat tube design increases the strength:weight ratio of the frame. the use of a large diameter downtube + 1.5 inch head tube means stiffness and strength w/o heavy gussets. heavy frames aren't automatically stronger frames. it depends on how they are engineered.

in california i see tons of geminis at the lift areas. a shop in mammoth uses them as rentals, and we know how rentals get pounded. i have yet to see or directly hear of a failure. a couple of years ago there were some gemini frames (a small percentage) w/ defective downtube machining, but that was a warranty issue.

gotta laugh at the 'too early to tell' comment. the gemini design has been essentially the same for what, 3 years now? and how many bazillions sold? i see them as often as i see the giant AC series, and let's not forget all the linkage plate issues w/ the AC series.





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[JRogers]

At 180 lbs, I don't think you have much to worry about; no more than the average customer unless you find yourself to be a particularly abusive rider. Any of the frames mentioned will work fine. Any regular DH frame would work well. Personally, I'd stay away from the Banshee, though. Really heavy, outdated design, high leverage ratio, steep geometry. Not any advantage over other designs unless you are really rough on frames and don't mind the leverage.

 

[vitox]

gotta laugh at the 'too early to tell' comment. the gemini design has been essentially the same for what, 3 years now? and how many bazillions sold? i see them as often as i see the giant AC series, and let's not forget all the linkage plate issues w/ the AC series.


.

cant help but agree on that heavier does not equal stronger but when you say the gemini has been out for several years that is only halfway correct, it has been out for some time but then again not as a dh bike, im assuming thats the kind of bike the poster is shopping for.
the fact that a similar frame with the same name has been out for years as a freeride bike doesnt mean much for the success of this bike as a downhill rig.
you might actually be right and this bike will turn out to be a great dh plaform (even though it came a bit late when they handed out travel) but again, i dont think its the logical choice in this case, just my opinion though.

 

[dan-o]

It depends on the type of trails you ride. I had a gemini and didn't like it on the tight, technical trails that I usually ride. The long wheelbase had a lot to do with that. It was good on higher speed, flowy trails though and the relatively light weight was nice on climbs. If it were my money I'd go for the Demo 8 or something like a vpfree.

 

[eio]

Banshee Scream

Hands down.

werd.

 

[jmvar]

to the original poster, what attributes did you like/dislike about your bighit? are you gonna use your current fork and 24" rear wheel?

I would start there, look at those and narrow down a bike. With the info given, all you will get is what bike other people like, not what bike YOU will like...

 

[RideMTN]

I have a BB7 and think it's a great riding bike. However, it's lack of thru axle can make it feel a little squirley in the rear. I'm 170. I don't think I'd recommend it for somebody bigger.
What's wrong with the Demo 8. Or Demo 9 for that matter.

I also have a bb7. I have used it for 2 seasons. I am 6' 210lbs. I feel that the bike is to small for me. When I ride it all I here is clown music in my head. It turns really well but in WFO section it is skeetchy at best. But hey, who cares anyway Balfa is out of Business.
Thanks for listening,

Komish

 

[Roasted]

At 180 lbs, I don't think you have much to worry about; no more than the average customer unless you find yourself to be a particularly abusive rider. Any of the frames mentioned will work fine. Any regular DH frame would work well. Personally, I'd stay away from the Banshee, though. Really heavy, outdated design, high leverage ratio, steep geometry. Not any advantage over other designs unless you are really rough on frames and don't mind the leverage.

Glad somone pointed that out. At 180 I wouldn't put you in a heavy weight class for bikes. Even if the gemini couldn't take a beast of a rider, it will likely be fine for you. Nice and light but still strong. The scream might be overkill (and you can fairly easily with alum parts get it down to 45ish) I wouldn't rule out any frame as most of them should be fine

steep geometry

8in fork 66degree HA is steep?

 

[Monkeybidnezz]

Glad somone pointed that out. At 180 I wouldn't put you in a heavy weight class for bikes. Even if the gemini couldn't take a beast of a rider, it will likely be fine for you. Nice and light but still strong. The scream might be overkill (and you can fairly easily with alum parts get it down to 45ish) I wouldn't rule out any frame as most of them should be fine

Yeah, not to say you are a light weight but 180 lbs is hardly a clydesdale. I'm 220 and 6' and dont consider my self that big. I dont think you can go wrong with either frame, but persoanlly I've always been a fan of the FSR suspension because they pedal so well. When the demo comes out you may want to at least ride it for comaprisons sake....just my 2cents

 

[ThePriceSeliger]

I do think I want to go with the Scream now... Maybe a Demo 9 is i can get some cash

 

[YETI187]

first of all, 5'10" and 180lbs isn't big. you're normal. i'm 6'2'' and 265lbs, and i know there some riders out there that dwarf me. that said, any bike should work within reason.

what don't you like about the bighit? i have this year's model in large and like it. the stock jr.T isn't good, but that's different. if you don't have a spv style shock on it in the rear, you amy want to try that out before you go all out with a new frame.

that said, some nice looking bikes for 05 that your may want to look into are the new ironhorse and turner frames.

if you have enough money to get a demo9, you may want to look into a canfield fatty fat. i've heard great things about those and you can get them custom made from the geometry to tubing

 

[me89]

some nice looking bikes for 05 that your may want to look into are the new ironhorse

all that has to be said
dw made a post just for there new bike he road and then theres another post about all the 05s so check those out before any decision is made.

 

[frorider]

It depends on the type of trails you ride. I had a gemini and didn't like it on the tight, technical trails that I usually ride. The long wheelbase had a lot to do with that. It was good on higher speed, flowy trails though and the relatively light weight was nice on climbs. If it were my money I'd go for the Demo 8 or something like a vpfree.

the regular gemini frame has fairly short chainstays, 17 inches. very maneuverable bike and rips the singletrack, and super easy to get the front end up. actually everyone i know who's ridden the gemini has commented on the flowy feel on singletrack. the DH gemini has almost an inch longer chainstay length--is that what you were riding?