Just curious what people's opinions are on these bikes... Which one would you prefer more and why? Also which is more bang for your buck? (talking used bikes here)
V10 vs. Shockwave 9.5
- Thread starter FactoryCostcoDH
- Start date
I personally would prefer the v10 over the 9.5 any day. I just have seen to many 9.5 snap. But as for cost wise I think the 9.5 would be cheaper in the used market then a used v10.
I have seen 9.5s put through hell and back, and have yet to even see the slightest hint of breaking on one. They are incredibly fun, active rides. Just ditch the 5th for something more active, and you're laughing.
v10 all the way vpp is the ****
I forgot to mention it, but I am going to spend a lot of time pedaling the bike from place to place because you can't shuttle most of my local riding areas. My riding is about 45% FR, 40% DH, and 15% DJ. This is coming from a 2001 big hit (around 50 lbs) and will be my only bike.
hmmm in that case maaybe the 9.5 because your freeriding more, but vpp pedals reallly well too, so v10 also would be good
They're both really nice bikes and I would be happy on either which is why I'm having such a hard time deciding on just one. Money could be the deciding factor for me... I have seen a few cheap v10's though too.
Go with the V-10. The 9.5 is a tank, so it will not be that fun to DJ. The V-10 although it is heavy is more manuverable. Also, as said before VPP is the ****. Also, the V-10 can take any abuse you can dish out.
As far as 9.5's breaking - it is really rare. I worked at Mountain Cycle summer of 2005 and we didn't see any broken 9.5s come in.
I ride one myself and would highly recommend it. It has kept working perfectly after lots of abuse, pedals really wel for the amount of travel, has some of the best feeling suspension I've ridden, and corners great. I would also feel way more confident buying a 9.5 used than a v10, and they tend to be a bit cheaper. The only thing that could be a problem with either frame is the short seattubes. In my opinion, if you are going to be pedalling alot you should be looking a a bit smaller bike with a full length seat tube(7point?). You might not be able to ride dh as fast, but you wont suffer so much on the uphills. Any dh bike is not going to be enjoyable to pedal up hills.
I ride one myself and would highly recommend it. It has kept working perfectly after lots of abuse, pedals really wel for the amount of travel, has some of the best feeling suspension I've ridden, and corners great. I would also feel way more confident buying a 9.5 used than a v10, and they tend to be a bit cheaper. The only thing that could be a problem with either frame is the short seattubes. In my opinion, if you are going to be pedalling alot you should be looking a a bit smaller bike with a full length seat tube(7point?). You might not be able to ride dh as fast, but you wont suffer so much on the uphills. Any dh bike is not going to be enjoyable to pedal up hills.
I do almost all of my pedaling standing up and cut most of the seat tubes I get to shortest possible length, so that wont be a problem. I prefer to have a low stand over height at the seat, especially through the really nasty technical stuff. I've also become accustomed to having the bars feel high when sitting down and like the feeling that my weight is shifted back even when sitting.
vpp isnt the best thing since sliced bread. i would in my opinion go w/ the 9.5 we have had to many problems w/ v-10s at the shop i work at.
Yeah but doesn't the V10 tend to want to stick to the ground more with the extra sag (how stiff can you run the sag without messing up the vpp)?
what kind of problems are you referring to? are they costly problems or just more of an annoyance?
weve had problems w/ pivot play and bearings. i think in my opinion the 9.5 would be better more kinda half and half fr. and dh. you can freeride a v-10 but it will stick to the ground a bit more but you could huck it
V10 you get support, Mountain Cycle is adrift right now. That would kind of break the deal for me.
You have no idea what the hell you are talking about.
The 9.5 frame is relatively light, surprisingly so actually. Its also a SUPER STRANGE Bbike.
The BB is bloody skyscraper high, and the head angle is much steeper then you might expect. On paper is a ridiclous bike, and should ride like a bucking donkey. But it doesn't.
Its gotta be hands down one of the most fun bikes i have ever tried, bar none. stickt he floater on the back, and it gets even better. Honestly, if my current rides don't work out, i will scour the earth for a large 9.5 with floater. Its just that goddam good. Its not the best racebike, but it will do more then you expect better then you'd think. Hell, I took mine trailriding with no issues. I even caught a guy on an RM XC bike on a climb. He was not impressed.
J
J5ive
Guest
They are both Tanks of bikes. Why not look at something with 7" f and r?
Since, you are not doing pure DH, maybe you should consider a VP-Free (or a 7" travel bike like J5ive said. VP-Free's pedal better/easier than V10's and are a lot more fun freeriding and dirt jumping.
7" is enough for DH racing, but will be fun dirt jumping or climbing.
7" is enough for DH racing, but will be fun dirt jumping or climbing.
The figures don't lie... the 9.5 can't hold a candle to a conventional low/slack racebike on the track. You can change your riding style to suit, and obviously a faster rider will be fast on that too - but I don't think it's an ideal solution by any means.
Having been there/done that, I wouldn't touch MC with a ten foot pole. Their geometry is whack, the 9.5 isn't very light at all (check the figure on the site, fairly sure it was 12.5 - 13lbs), and they still manage to crack in 5 places when you look at them too hard. We had a video of one posted on our home forums that snapped clean through the monocoque frontend.
IMO the v10 isn't the most ideal thing geo wise either, with not the shortest stays, an overly short front-centre, and a slightly high BB - but in this case it's definitely the lesser of the two evils. It's also a lot lighter at 11lbs frame/shock.
As others have suggested, definitely look at alternatives - but between those two it's an easy decision.
I'd go with the V10. It pedals better than almost any single pivot will. It's also a good deal lighter as Udi said. And even though the V10 would be a terrible DJ bike its still better than the MC. With MC you won't get any support right now as they aren't really in business or out of business yet. The V10 is by no means the ideal bike for you but it's the better of the two.
First off I don't want a bike with less travel than the one I already have. I would rather sacrifice DJ ability in order to take the bigger hits more comfortably than be able to pedal around easier and bottom out more than I already do on my big link equipped big hit. My bike is horrible at pedaling so I'm sure either will work fine with me. I have also considered a demo 9, IH sunday, and an RMX but I can't seem to find anything under $1000 (for a frame). Anyone have an alternative suggestion they find better than a v10 or 9.5? So far I'm starting to like the v10, is there any difference in how the newer ones ride compare to the 03 or 04 (which ever one has the straight top tube and diff. looking linkage)?
I ride an older V10 and my buddy rides a 9.5. I have ridden both and like them both. I would not buy either if I had to pedal 40% of the time.
Believe me, I KNOW it will pedal better than mine so pedaling is NOT an issue. How's your buddy's 9.5 ride compared to your v10?
It is hard to compare them. They are two completely different animals. I have an 04 model v10. Mine is low, long and fast and sticks to the ground. I have no problem with gap jumps but lippy jumps that need you to pop off the lip are more challenging. The V10 is def. a plow. You can run it into really rocky choppy sections and it will eat up eaverthing in its path. It can also be finnessed through the tough stuff. It is a little long for tight turns but the way it handles high speed sweepers is unbelievable. I do not notice much brakejack and I have ridden other bikes with floaters so take that for what is worth
The 9.5 on the otherhand has a shorter WB, Higher BB and a shorter cockpit. not a heavyweight but not racer light either. A little heavier than my V10. Easy to loft over obstacles and pop off the lip of a jump. On fast choppy stuff it is confidence inspiring but does not "float" over the trail like my V10 seems to. That could be due to Sup. setup though. My time on it is fairly limited compared to my own bike but it is a fun ride. You will be in love with the feel of the bike compared to the BigSlit. Brakejack may be an issue unless you find one with a Floater on it
my friend came from a Trek Session 77 and the 9.5 made a HUGE difference in his riding.
Hope that helps
I think the whole thing about sticking to the lippier jumps could benefit me when I race, adding the ability to come at jumps faster without over jumping them. Which one do you feel is more free and movable while in the air? I like the idea of being lower on the v10 and having a lighter frame but the shorter wheelbase of the 9.5 sounds good as well...
I ride and race a large 9.5 with a fox 5.0 and have had no problems with it. I think that at the price you can get them they are a much better bike than the v10.(lighter and in my opinion a much more fun bike). I would also consider contacting kenisis. apperntly they were selling new 9.5 frames for just ove 1000. If you can find one without a fifth element than get it.
Kinesis doesn't own any remaining MC stock.
Just currious how you decided on these two bikes, as they are quite different from eachother.
My first issue for looking at any bike right now is money (hopefully $1000 and under). I can get either one fairly cheap and some of the other frames I like are too much cash for me. Another issue is getting a bike with more travel than I already have because I am getting tired of bottoming super hard on larger hits. Third issue is how well the frame will hold up to abuse. It is going to be my only bike so I can't afford breaking it on a sketchy landing, miscalculated jump, etc. Another issue is how tall the bike is. I want something with long travel but as low a stand over height as I can get (though don't want the bb height too low). And lastly I need to be able to race it and pedal it well.
With what you just said i would go for the V10 based on the two choices you have listed
So far the only reason I am unsure of the v10 is the long wheelbase and wider turning radius. If I do go with the v10 I think I'm definately going to look for a small (I'm at 5' 9" and a 32" inseam)
Here's a 9.5 for 800 for the frame.
http://www.pinkbike.com/buysell/207772/
http://www.pinkbike.com/buysell/207772/
I am 5'7 and ride a Med. Could get way with a small but the bike does not feel "long" to me
What model are you looking at getting? I assume used
My friend has a small V10. I can ride it but it feels kind of small to me. I would get a medium myself. I'm 5'5, but I like longer bikes anyway.
Just don't buy one without test riding the different sizes.
That was my point though. The numbers are, quite frankly, stupid. The BB on mine was over 15"s with the 888. A bike with numbers like that shouldn't be fun to ride.
But it is.
Its still hands down one ofthe most fun bikes i have ever ridden, and I would take another in a second. I have also heard of dropping in a 9x3 shock to slacken it out, and drop the BB to race geo.
Sometimes numbers on paper just don't tell the whole story, and the 9.5 is definitely one of those bikes.
Why no VP-Free?
Anything under a large sounds good to me. I'd love to test ride one, but I don't even know if I can find one to sit on, let alone try out different sizes. I can't think of any shops down here in north county San Diego that carries v10's.
thats a really nice frame, i know the guy, we race for the same shop, and i can say that it is an amazing deal, custom white, new bearing kit, floater, really good deal. i race a 9.5, and freeride even more, they are perfect for everything, i love mine. they pedal surprisingly well, even with a 38 tooth ring and a road cassette. they have a small cockpit, they are super agile, overall just a good bike. v10's are a very good bike also, and i have nothing against them, but my friend has an 06, and they are horrible fro jumping. i would say if you are going to be freeriding at all, go with the 9.5, mountaincycle could use all the support they can get.
hope that helped
exactly, they are amazing bikes, and yes, you can mess with the shock size, i dont think i will just because i dont want to mess with my geo, but they are amazing bikes!