[bullcrew]

All right nuff said, I am going to part out my all mountain bike soon. It has all top end bling parts $ can buy. I'll take a small loss but it's for the greater cause. I'm keeping my bullit and now want to add a big brother to the nest.
What bike and why, we all have bikes we love but there's that one that we secretly like more that bugs us when we see it.

Bikes that I like are:
Karpiel armageddon, new V-10, sinister 9 and chumba.

I need so more ideas on frames to look at. I'm going to break the all mountain bike down tomorrow, I am impatient so time is of the issue.

What bike is good for the big drops, road crossing, DH Hucking and all around freeride. I want to keep the weight around 45lb. So a frame with a weight of 12lbs and under is a possibilty.

 

[Brian HCM#1]

Well if you want a Karpiel, it will most likely be used since they are currently out of business.

 

[bullcrew]

That's fine it is still a hell of a frame.

 

[Brian HCM#1]

That's fine it is still a hell of a frame.

I love my Armageddon, just if you find one make sure its in VERY good shape.

 

[sama1ter]

personally for more hucking then dh, id go vpfree

 

[MikeD]

Bikes that I like are:
Karpiel armageddon, new V-10, sinister 9 and chumba.


What bike is good for the big drops, road crossing, DH Hucking and all around freeride. I want to keep the weight around 45lb. So a frame with a weight of 12lbs and under is a possibilty.

It sounds like you like a bike that looks cool. Pick whichever one has the color you want.

The bikes you mentioned aside from the Karp are in many ways very much race bikes. So in all honesty, it doesn't sound like you know much about what makes a bike work a certain way.

Of the ones you mentioned, Karpiel is out of business, and although I wouldn't hesitate to use any of the others for DH riding, I wouldn't pick them for "freeriding" specifically. They have low bottom bracket heights and are built to be lightweight racers, not especially cliff-jumpers.

That said, pro riders can ride them in the Red Bull events-it's not like they'll spontaneously explode on a road gap-but after a season or half a season of big air and possibly bad landings, they might have problems or breakage. (although most any bike could, if ridden like that...)

Personally, I'll go with suggesting the OLD style V10s for you on the little we can tell about you. Gobs of travel, very stout (from what I've seen and heard second-hand, that is; I never owned one...but we're in a guessing game as it is...), slack as hell and very stable/forgiving. Still low and pretty racy, too, but definitely not a light bike.

Demo 9 might be a good choice as well. Of the frames you mentioned, I'd hazard that the R9 might be the best equipped to survive a real sustained beating, based on the old Spooky Motorhead bikes. They were tanks.

MD

Edit: Yeah, VPFree might be just what the Dr. ordered, too...

 

[bullcrew]

I obviously do like bikes based on looks and functionality. Color I really don't care, It's gonna get scratched any how. I know that a race bike has a lower center of gravity for a more controlled ride and lower weight distribution for cornering. I raced motorcross as well as crotch rockets. They are 2 totally diff. animals and yet my cbr could still do most of the stuff Johnny and the 702 boys stunt bike team in vegas could do and still wear it's 1 peice cockpit for the track. I like a bike that can do a little of both, one that can handle a road gap and still have it's shock and or pivot changed or modified to lower the bikes stance to a more desireable heigth for speed. I know that it's going to fall short of the best DH style out their and not do a bender or gracia type drop. But one thats a heck of alot of fun that I'm not going to have to worry about all the time. reliable, look nice and perform with the NW trails and riders.
Atleast I am not looking to do XC with it too.

 

[iridebikes]

canfield brothers?

 

[DLo]

In all honesty, I'd stay away from Karpiel. Sure, you can probably get alot of insight and help from forum members, but if you ever run into problems with the frame/parts itself? Might get yourself into a jumble there. I do love the bikes though

 

[dhriderII]

formula 1- deffin should take a look at that bike... not much on the eyes but its a beast... the intense m3's great race bikes not so great for dropping. but i deffin wouldnt be complaining of i got one of thoose under me

 

[DHGH]

New v10 and chumba: race frames. Thinner tubing and not good to use season after season for big hits only. Karpiel: plain ****, too long for general Freeride and crappy linkage design that yanks on the pedals over small bumps - also out of business so zero support. Sinister: good construction, but also long and low, great for DH but not for hucking. I'd suggest a Banshee Scream, but also not very intelligently designed and really hard to get down to 45 lbs and still have it be spec'd tough. Demo 8/9 is probably the best bet, and if you're going with the freeride side of things more than DH, get the 9. Lifetime warranty and also one of the most logical frames around...and they just look plain hot. If you're looking for something that might be used and you like the v10 a lot, get the old one. Tube design instead of monocoque -> better for FR. And if you already have a Bullit why do you want another all around FR rig?

 

[seismic]

I will say Canfield...they are awesome...

 

[biggins]

yeti as-x. nuff said.

 

[zedro]

i think buying a discontinued bike from a crappy defunct company is the best idea ever....

 

[seismic]

i think buying a discontinued bike from a crappy defunct company is the best idea ever....

positive as always, Zedro ?

 

[biggins]

i think buying a discontinued bike from a crappy defunct company is the best idea ever....

well thats very true, hell you cant even get in touch with him to get a derailleur hanger it seems like.

 

[zedro]

positive as always, Zedro ?

well, i just don't understand why people are hanging onto it.

 

[ChrisRobin]

The only way anyone should pick up a Karpiel frame is if the 'used' price is knocked down by half!!

 

[MikeD]

Hadn't thought of the Canfield...good idea. There's one up in the buy/sell forums, too...

VP-free, old V10, Canfield...all good for you. Why you'd buy a fairly complex bike like a Karpiel when the company is out of business is beyond me, unless you enjoy having derailleur hangers and miscellaneous parts custom-machined for you.

Hell, the Canfield even uses a parallel-link suspension sorta like the Karpiel...so do Cortinas if you must have it.

MD

 

[DHS]

well actaully the der hanger ISN'T replacable

but all you can suck my ballz. i love my Karpiel. besides, i can have pieces made for it anyhow.

 

[zedro]

but all you can suck my ballz.

thats Jans job

 

[dyno]

A shop in my town has a brand new army hanging on it's wall. If you're interested, pm me and I'll put you in touch with them.

BTW, it's in Canada.

-dyno

 

[MikeD]

well actaully the der hanger ISN'T replacable

but all you can suck my ballz. i love my Karpiel. besides, i can have pieces made for it anyhow.

Hey, they're neat bikes that ride well...just that going out of your way to buy one now doesn't seem like the smartest thing ever. I mean, if you've got one, there's no reason to ditch it just b/c Jan went under...but why go buy one when there are alternatives that come with manufacturer support and warranty??

 

[bullcrew]

New v10 and chumba: race frames. Thinner tubing and not good to use season after season for big hits only. Karpiel: plain ****, too long for general Freeride and crappy linkage design that yanks on the pedals over small bumps - also out of business so zero support. Sinister: good construction, but also long and low, great for DH but not for hucking. I'd suggest a Banshee Scream, but also not very intelligently designed and really hard to get down to 45 lbs and still have it be spec'd tough. Demo 8/9 is probably the best bet, and if you're going with the freeride side of things more than DH, get the 9. Lifetime warranty and also one of the most logical frames around...and they just look plain hot. If you're looking for something that might be used and you like the v10 a lot, get the old one. Tube design instead of monocoque -> better for FR. And if you already have a Bullit why do you want another all around FR rig?

The bullit's great and rides awesome, I wanted to get a rig that squats more when evenly from down pressure. Good test is hold both brakes and rock it in a front/back motion, And have it be active throughout the suspension.
Hence the 4 link or virtual pivot designs.

 

[bullcrew]

All right, would I be better upgrading my bullit in a couple of areas insted of buying a new frame.

 

[MikeD]

All right, would I be better upgrading my bullit in a couple of areas insted of buying a new frame.

After reading your last post, I was going to ask you what rear shock and fork you were running...

You could upgrade the rear or have it tuned to better match your fork, and/or upgrade your fork as well. 5th or Swinger give you external tuning options, or you could order a completely custom Avalanche or a PUSH upgrade and tuning if you're running an older Fox.

Plus, there's a whole new crop of forks to consider.

But then again, a bullit's never going to be quite the same as a really slack DH bike with 8-10" travel, a lower BB, and a bigass fork. Gotta decide where your priorities are.

Edit: Re-reading your original post, I might also suggest that if you DO sell a bike, keep your trailbike and sell the Bullit...then buy a big FR/DH bike. The trailbike will keep non-DH riding more fun, and the DH bike will be more fun than the Bullit on the nasty stuff. Less overlap in the bike stable is good...I've recently come to the realization that riding trails on a bike that's too big and heavy just isn't as fun as doing it on a more suitable machine...and riding DH stuff on a freeride bike helps keep me slower than everyone else.

 

[-BB-]

What bike is good for the big drops, road crossing, DH Hucking and all around freeride. I want to keep the weight around 45lb. So a frame with a weight of 12lbs and under is a possibilty.

For "Road Crossings", get yourself one of these:

 

[zedro]

...but why go buy one when there are alternatives that come with manufacturer support and warranty??

because they're cool...duh

 

[Zark]

.I've recently come to the realization that riding trails on a bike that's too big and heavy just isn't as fun as doing it on a more suitable machine...and riding DH stuff on a freeride bike helps keep me slower than everyone else.

Thats freakin awesome and sums it up nicely. I've come to that same realization recently, anyone wanna buy a beater SGS expert?

A demo 9 sounds like a good fit for what you are doing Bullcrew

Out of the bikes you listed the Sinister sounds the most capable.

 

[MikeD]

Thats freakin awesome and sums it up nicely. I've come to that same realization recently, anyone wanna buy a beater SGS expert?

A demo 9 sounds like a good fit for what you are doing Bullcrew

Out of the bikes you listed the Sinister sounds the most capable.

Whoa, Zark bra, we're like in sync and stuff. Must be the cosmic SB vibes chillin.

Lemme know when those R9 demos are ready. If the Cdale doesn't work out, well, I'll have plenty of profit left over when BMXman buys it.

 

[SuperSlow]

a foes mono would be a bike to look at as well. Light, adjustable headangle, and will take a beating. A banshee scream would be a good idea as well. We have one in the shop that weighs 46lbs with the build kit that we get from banshee.

 

[seismic]

I like Karpiel , but if I was going to invest in a new frame I would go for something where it is at least possible to get some spare parts and some warranty if necessary...

 

[bullcrew]

I run a Stratos S7 fork and a Stratos dh pro rear shock. The shock is dead nuts awesome, with a progressive spring rate of 325-500 and the adjustments I wouldn't change it at all. I have ran a few others fox, progressive and of them this works 10+.
However the S7 work great too, no leaks handles hard flat landings and extremely sharp turning radius for more technical trails. I would be willing to consider the fork options to something lighter than 7.9lbs. 7" travel has served me well so 7-8" is fine.
I weigh in at 210 or so and I don't have body fat to lose so thats not an option for making the bike lighter. I like the boxxers I know they are more race specific, but how are they for drops and reliability with my weight.

 

[OGRipper]

I've recently come to the realization that riding trails on a bike that's too big and heavy just isn't as fun as doing it on a more suitable machine...

So true. I've said recently that no matter how "effcient" your bike might be, or how "good it climbs", or how you can put a front derailleur on it, or how you can run a full seatpost...riding up hills or rolling singletrack really sucks on a 42lb squishy bike.

Enough people have said it but dude, don't buy a karpiel..you sound like you beat on stuff but with a karpiel you will get zero support. That means no warranty, regardless of what it says on the little card. Customer service is something of a crapshoot but give yourself a fighting chance by at least going with a company that is currently in business!

In many ways the vp free is the bullit's big brother, if you like your bullit but want something more burly and with more travel, check it out. It's built for the kind of stuff you want and you can build it up less than 45 no problem.

 

[bullcrew]

Cool I'll look into it tonight, I am leaning towards the V-10 04 model now. I was looking and It looks to be a well rouned bike.
I am undertaking the chore of polishing out the complete frame, swingarm, handle bars, shock legs and archs tonight on the bullit. My buddy just bought a anodizing set up out of LA for $375,000. were going to do the bike tomorrow A.M. and then I'll put her back together by thur. I'll post pics.
He's doing frames for $100 - $150 right now as a special. He does a ton of sporting stuff since he bought it. I'll see how it comes out then post pic.s along with his info.
He has stuff shipped in already from around the country to be done then turns around and ships it back when completed. Usually same day unless he has a big run going on.
He tiedyed his knife handle in anodizing 4 diff. colors with swirls etc..

 

[iridebikes]

ya, the canfield brothers is a sick bike. its a very well thought out suspension design. There's 5 years of planing and design going into the current formula 1. I would honestly call them up and buy new, rather than buying a used one. For a couple reasons, 1: you'd be helping out a small company, which I am all about doing and enjoy helping out my felow riders, and 2: you get a warenty with the frame, where with a used one, you don't. But the ones that are on sale used are at pretty good prices.

But ya, the formula 1 can be used for hucking, and for racing, its a great all around bike. mine should be here within a week or so hopefully. I'm currently in the process of selling my bullit. I only have had it for about 2 months. it has the new dhx shock, and I just hated how it rode. it wanted to catch up on all the pumps and that sort of thing in the trails and for urban stair gaping, the downfalls of the single pivot design really stuck out like a sore thumb. I guess its just because I'm super picky about my bikes, suspension wise that is. So, as soon as i get my bullit sold(which will hopefully be sunday or monday that i'll get paid) then I'll send money off to canfield brothers and my frame will be coming to me, and i'll place the order for my white brothers dh 2.0. and hadley hubs, with some sort of rim. probably 823's or 729's. not sure yet though.

Good luck on your choice. www.canfieldbrothers.com go for it!

 

[seismic]

How much does a Canfield F1 weight ?

 

[UiUiUiUi]

How much does a Canfield F1 weight ?

mine weighs in at about 4.8kg including shock with steel spring

 

[seismic]

That sounds good !! How is the bike when it comes to racing ?? If you compare to whatever you have been rising before ???

 

[DH biker]

Sinister R9 wouls be my choice.