Hey everybody! Just found the ridemonkey site, glad to see so many cool enthusiasts in one spot! I'm typing down at JMU, where the biking is nice when the weather is... late fall/winter round heres parts is for hunting! Anyway, I've got this 2002 Bianchi Denali down here:
, got it for under $500, great deal imo. Love the steel, but more and more I'm missing my main ride, which I left back home. 2001 Schwinn Homegrown Comp. Maybe its the 18' instead of 17.5" frame or just the Al but the Homegrown climbs so much better! The parts spec is also better I'd say, but I question the very light wheels and the Judy is OK.
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The Homegrown is my baby, the bike I got for my Bar Mitzvah that I learned to ride on... I like the performance of steel but the longish top tube and weight make me go to my Homegrown more. The Bianchi is still a sick bike, and is probably better suited for the epic XC stuff down in the Shenandoah Valley. I definetly like the Marzocchi MXR Air more than the Judy Race in terms of design... the Rock Shox are heavy and pretty flexy. But the motion is much smoother and I'd bet it's longer travel, the MXR is very sticky right now. I want the best stuff on my Homegrown, I threw the WTB Speedmaster wheels (w/ Bianch hubs?!?) from the Bianchi on and took off the Tioga rims (eh?!?) with Deore hubs. The WTB's are much better, although much heavier, and in terms of wheels I know nothing.
So I guess I'm wondering if anyone has experience putting this kinda Marzocchi on a Homegrown. Also, the wheel switch made sense to me, although the Tioga/Deore setup is much lighter and I wanna lighten up the Homegrown. I want to keep the Homegrown the best with performane first, weight as a close second. Anything else y'all would do? The stem (i think) is 0 rise on the Homegrown but 7 rise on the Homegrown. Would that lengthen out the geometry of the Homegrown, or is the Bianchi longer b/c of the top tube?
BTW, the Homegrown now has carbon risers on it. I'd appreciate any input
I also am a poor college student, thankfully w/ two sweet bikes. Just a fork swap with a rebuild of the Marz will be around 100, so every swap I do I want it to be worth it. It would be easier to compare bikes, which I can't do till I go back home for break in a few weeks, so I'm meanwhile theorizing here. Also, I'm doing Mid-Atlantic XC riding, with lots of road/comuting in there too. Some 6-pack Downhills too, for all them Harrisonburg folk 
Thanks everyone, hope for some cool ideas. 
The Homegrown is my baby, the bike I got for my Bar Mitzvah that I learned to ride on... I like the performance of steel but the longish top tube and weight make me go to my Homegrown more. The Bianchi is still a sick bike, and is probably better suited for the epic XC stuff down in the Shenandoah Valley. I definetly like the Marzocchi MXR Air more than the Judy Race in terms of design... the Rock Shox are heavy and pretty flexy. But the motion is much smoother and I'd bet it's longer travel, the MXR is very sticky right now. I want the best stuff on my Homegrown, I threw the WTB Speedmaster wheels (w/ Bianch hubs?!?) from the Bianchi on and took off the Tioga rims (eh?!?) with Deore hubs. The WTB's are much better, although much heavier, and in terms of wheels I know nothing.
So I guess I'm wondering if anyone has experience putting this kinda Marzocchi on a Homegrown. Also, the wheel switch made sense to me, although the Tioga/Deore setup is much lighter and I wanna lighten up the Homegrown. I want to keep the Homegrown the best with performane first, weight as a close second. Anything else y'all would do? The stem (i think) is 0 rise on the Homegrown but 7 rise on the Homegrown. Would that lengthen out the geometry of the Homegrown, or is the Bianchi longer b/c of the top tube?
BTW, the Homegrown now has carbon risers on it. I'd appreciate any input
I also am a poor college student, thankfully w/ two sweet bikes. Just a fork swap with a rebuild of the Marz will be around 100, so every swap I do I want it to be worth it. It would be easier to compare bikes, which I can't do till I go back home for break in a few weeks, so I'm meanwhile theorizing here. Also, I'm doing Mid-Atlantic XC riding, with lots of road/comuting in there too. Some 6-pack Downhills too, for all them Harrisonburg folk Thanks everyone, hope for some cool ideas.