Quantcast

What do you look for?

robdamanii

OMG! <3 Tom Brady!
May 2, 2005
10,677
0
Out of my mind, back in a moment.
I'm going to be in the market for a DS bike next season, and I'm wondering what I should be looking for in terms of features.

I'm thinking I'll need:

Lockout read shock or propedal or something similar
weight of around 32-35 pounds
Hydraulic discs
a good wheelset

Anything else I shuold be looking at in terms of build, parts selection, etc?
 

BMXman

I wish I was Canadian
Sep 8, 2001
13,827
0
Victoria, BC
I personally prefer to buy frame only and build up. That way you can get exactly what you want...it all depends on how much you have to spend...D
 

Westy

the teste
Nov 22, 2002
54,241
20,022
Sleazattle
Most important thing in my book is fit and geometry. It takes a bit of saddle time on a bunch of different bikes to figure out what works for you.
 

robdamanii

OMG! <3 Tom Brady!
May 2, 2005
10,677
0
Out of my mind, back in a moment.
Seems right now that I'm leaning toward the Kona Dawg deeluxe or Kikapu Deeluxe (preferably the dawg), the Fisher cake line, or the trek fuel line.

The Fuel 70 felt great the way it stretched me out on the bike, but the parts offering sucked for the price (Alivio parts?). The Fisher felt pretty good, but didn't feel too great to me geometry wise (adjustable travel fork to change the angles just a hair maybe?). The Dawg feels good and such, but is a little pricey for what you get. The Kikapu I may rule out for the max of 4" travel (I want something that can do just about everything).

Haven't tried an IH yet, and not sure where to do so around here. Tried a Coiler as well, but it's pretty damn heavy and not quite the cross country bike that I'll be using it mostly for.
 

ito

Mr. Schwinn Effing Armstrong
Oct 3, 2003
1,709
0
Avoiding the nine to five
robdamanii said:
Seems right now that I'm leaning toward the Kona Dawg deeluxe or Kikapu Deeluxe (preferably the dawg), the Fisher cake line, or the trek fuel line.

The Fuel 70 felt great the way it stretched me out on the bike, but the parts offering sucked for the price (Alivio parts?). The Fisher felt pretty good, but didn't feel too great to me geometry wise (adjustable travel fork to change the angles just a hair maybe?). The Dawg feels good and such, but is a little pricey for what you get. The Kikapu I may rule out for the max of 4" travel (I want something that can do just about everything).

Haven't tried an IH yet, and not sure where to do so around here. Tried a Coiler as well, but it's pretty damn heavy and not quite the cross country bike that I'll be using it mostly for.

Fuel 70=waste of money
Fisher Cake=slightly nicer, definitely a bike to look at
Dawg=nice and burly, right in line with the Fisher and possibly a bit more DH ready and a slightly better pedaler

How about a Trek EX 7? Get an '05 on blow out. They didn't sell well and most dealers are getting rid of them for cheap and not bothering with the 06's(downgraded and increased price). Hayes 9, LX external BB, Reba fork, RS rear shock, lockout and the whole deal. Very nice bike for the money, short on travel, but snappy and responsive. Not light weight, but sub 32lbs.

I haven't ridden an ironhorse, so I can't comment on that. But they do seem to have done something right.

The Ito
 

robdamanii

OMG! <3 Tom Brady!
May 2, 2005
10,677
0
Out of my mind, back in a moment.
Well, a trip to the local shop has put me squarely in the King Kikapu family.

My plan is the King Kikapu, swap in my Talas R fork, a set of Mavic rims and hubs, monkey lite bars, Juicy 7 carbons, maybe an XO drivetrain, and POSSIBLY an FSA Carbon cranks to bring me into the 25ish pound range.

Thoughts?
 

ito

Mr. Schwinn Effing Armstrong
Oct 3, 2003
1,709
0
Avoiding the nine to five
robdamanii said:
Well, a trip to the local shop has put me squarely in the King Kikapu family.

My plan is the King Kikapu, swap in my Talas R fork, a set of Mavic rims and hubs, monkey lite bars, Juicy 7 carbons, maybe an XO drivetrain, and POSSIBLY an FSA Carbon cranks to bring me into the 25ish pound range.

Thoughts?
Good choice :thumb:

I got to race a King Kik at Sea Otter a few years ago. Rode great. A Fox on the front will make for a pretty solid bike. Your front end is going to be a fair bit plusher than the back, but it sounds like you want something racey, so it should work well.

The Ito
 

robdamanii

OMG! <3 Tom Brady!
May 2, 2005
10,677
0
Out of my mind, back in a moment.
ito said:
Good choice :thumb:

I got to race a King Kik at Sea Otter a few years ago. Rode great. A Fox on the front will make for a pretty solid bike. Your front end is going to be a fair bit plusher than the back, but it sounds like you want something racey, so it should work well.

The Ito
I figure with the Talas, I can bring the suspension down if I want a shorter travel, and I can always increase the fork pressure to stiffen things up some.

I finally got to check out some XOs at the local place the other day, and all I can say is WOW. VERY nice, and definitely will be making their way onto my next bike.