[fatkid2000]

Rear Maxle never made it into production with pace according to the boys at 18 - not enough demand
They recommended some DT RWS skewers - better clamping apparently?
I want a medium I'm afraid Tim - cheers for the info though.

[fatdoc]

really?

they advertise replacable drop outs, and a maxle version.

I'm soo taken with them that i wouldnt buy without. I'll wait for marin to offer them on their hardtails... i'm sure they will in the 09 range.. they seem to be going *all mountain* I'm sure they'll have a similar aggressive 140mm hardtail in their line up next year..

honest, the difference is staggering.


as its Pace, ask them, they no doubt have the CNC so just get them made, either by them or BETD... make a few, sell them on!

[Bubba]

Isn't this all getting at bit OTT for a first mountain bike?

[fatdoc]

 


probably 
 

[fatkid2000]

Quite possibly, but you only live once.
Fatdoc has the same argument about his road bike. Or maybe he's planning to nick it from me.

[unclesomebody]

NEED ADVICE FAST!

Is this a waste of money, or should I have a bid? I just want something to have some fun on really. Seems cheap enough. The seller doesn't know the frame size and I'm having trouble guesstimating from the photo. Any advice is totally welcome in the next 30mins!

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=260252231985&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=016

[SA Chris]

My quick thoughts - unless you know size, it could be a dud if the geometry is wrong for you. A big guy can really punish shocks too.

[Bubba]

Pretty old but capable bike - probably can't go too far wrong for £200 though

[unclesomebody]

On the basis of an unknown size, and the guy selling it is 6'2" and clearly doesn't know much about bikes I'm going to give it a miss. It's cheap enough, but £200 on a beat up old bike is still a waste of money! And the fact that it just ended at £400!

[fatboySlimfast]

If you want something of that ilk at that kind of price look out for specialized big hits, old orange patriots, orange 222. They are big bikes with very slack head angles., the super 8 was forerunner to the the santa cruz vvp big guns like the V10 and is a real beast.VERY heavy.(this is from me whos big hit prob weighed around 48lbs)
The monster t forks are beastial, 12" of travel,

[unclesomebody]

For some reason I've decided I want to get a bike and start riding again. I never had a full suspension, and back in the day when we raced downhill we did it on hardtails! Only the top pro's at the national events had full suspension, but things have changed a lot since the late 90's.

Anyway, I'm after a full suspension rig, but don't want to spend a fortune. I just want to have some fun and get back into it. There is a big drop near here that we never did back in the day, citing that it would have been easy on a full sus rig so I'm intrigued about going back and growing some balls (or realising it wasn't that big).

Any recommendations are totally welcome. Perhaps it's worth staying away from something too heavy as it will be impossible to jump. I don't really need mega travel either as I'm unlikely to be doing any international world cup downhill events. Thanks

[fatdoc]

Ok.

there's a lot of good general advice earlier on in the thread... so to move on we'll need:

- your intended riding... i.e... up hill & down dale.. does the bike need to go up? If so it's basically more than 1 ring at the front you'll need, maybe 3... that's now been marketed as *all mountain*, and encompasses what we use to call XC... groups of mates going for a ride in essance.

-if the bike's for Freeriding... i.e: pissing about on steps / jumps  / bike parks / drops and not for loops in the hills you have another type of bike to look for.. there is quite a bit of overlap with the all mtn bikes


- if it's full on DH runs... no chance of going uphill, another species of machine again.

I get the feeling it's a heavy duty all mtn / freeride machine you hanker for?

Right... to avoid the monetry disaster that is the *new* or *coming* back to MTB punter you need to right here right now SET your BUDGET. Look what fatkid2000 has done to his wallet on the last few pages!!

Also, will you consider 2nd hand?

What about a last year model??

Dont forget cost of helmet, gloves and probably some pads...

to start your searches have a look at these... I emplore you get hold of a bike and ride it about a bit.. then you can benchmark that with suggestions on here. There is a lot of talk on differing suspension systems... the posts on this thread go some way to explaining them.. with as many critics and advocates for each type. Test riding is going to be very useful for you. Keep off the *bespoke* models.... buy a major manufacters machine for value for money certainly.

- All MTN:
orange 5, marin 140mm series ,specialized Pitch, specialized Enduro, The Giant maestro range (forgot the model), Trek remedy

All £,1400 to £3k+ 
- Freeride: specialized SX trail, most of the above (!), Specialized demo 7

- DH:
specialized Big Hit - the best value big rig there is...


this is just a small example of the huge range out there... Bubs, Norton, FBSF & I will steer you in the right direction...




So

- budget & intended use...... get back to us!




oh yeah, how big is this drop BTW?

[Fatboy]

I got a BeOne Nirvana 2.0 2007 model on ChainReactionCycles.com for not-too-much-money and I find it ace on everything I need it for!
Even... are it say it... a bit of road cycling!! 

What would be your take on this one Dr.Fatdoc?? Interested to know what you think!

[Falling Down]

For some reason I've decided I want to get a bike and start riding again.

Go for an All-Mountain bike. For someone moving from an old-skool hardtail background to a full-sus all day bike you won't believe how good they are for rough terrain and blasting fast downhill. I have a 5 year old Scott MC30 with about 4 or 5 inches of travel that I can blast down loads of rough stuff without any problems and it'll lock-out and ride all day with no problems.  I imagine the newer models by similar manufacturers are even better.

[fatdoc]

I got a BeOne Nirvana 2.0 2007 model on ChainReactionCycles.com for not-too-much-money and I find it ace on everything I need it for!
Even... are it say it... a bit of road cycling!! 

What would be your take on this one Dr.Fatdoc?? Interested to know what you think!

for what they cost - i note the new discount on the site - it seems a perfectly reasonable way to spend your cash... good deal on the components or what!

[fatkid2000]

My wallet is still intact apart from the future Mrs C trying to destroy it - bloody wedding.
I may go for the Orange 5 instead, but I must say that Pace was awesome and compared to what I want for my next road bike its good value in my mind.

[fatkid2000]

Oh and The orange 5 range is hardly cheap unless you go entry level, and fatdoc you know you want a Pace.

[Bubba]

specialized Big Hit - the best value big rig there is...

Word to that - great bike that can be got v. cheap. Handles well, built like a tank - great freeride bike but some have even entered them in world standard DH races.

[fatdoc]

My wallet is still intact apart from the future Mrs C trying to destroy it - bloody wedding.
I may go for the Orange 5 instead, but I must say that Pace was awesome and compared to what I want for my next road bike its good value in my mind.

christ.... that'll be a cervelo then.

I think you have a bike buying habit that is equal to, or even more so than mine.

just get on with it 

I cannt get out until weds, for the usual after work ride, if you dont have a ride by a week on weds I'm gonna beat you.

FTIW I dont think the £2,900 Orange 5 is worth it. I havnt looked at the rest of the range but IMO Orange seem even more expensive than they have been recently..  but hey - this is not a *need* purchase but a *want* purchase.... go get fatkid

[fatdoc]

Uncle,

register at southerndownhill.com

I cant link into there from here.

In the complete bike for sale section there is a rash of freeride bikes for sale... either with or cheaply convertable to 2 rings at the front - so you'll haul up most hills and be a God of speed on the way down. Not knowing your height I cant tell which one is the best for you..

but there's some quality Sx trails and a session 77 that have certainly caught my eye!

[Norton Sharley]

Oh and The orange 5 range is hardly cheap unless you go entry level, and fatdoc you know you want a Pace.

i've said it before but just in case you missed it, ring up Orange and ask if they have any deals on.  I got a grand off an Orange by buying direct.  I don't think the 5's are worth the full price but they are bloody good bikes.

[Bubba]

One thing that does often seem to get overlooked by these type of topics (not that such discussions aren't fun of course ) is the fact that once you've got a reasonably decent bike, 95% of what makes you go fast, go big, or whatever is rider skill and fitness.

A good rider on an old nail will always beat a crap rider on the best bike money can buy. You can throw money at the sport but it won't help you beyond a certain point.

[dave]

A good rider on an old nail will always beat a crap rider on the best bike money can buy. You can throw money at the sport but it won't help you beyond a certain point.

its the same with everything, photography, climbing, the lot. Hence why gaskins and jerry could crush like fuck in boreals, malc was a worldbeater in scarpas but mere punters like the rest of us debate for days about whether to buy dragons on solutions.

[cofe]

fitness is key on a bike. fitness.

[Bubba]

Fitness is a big part of it but you still need ability.

An ultra-fit XC whippet isn't necessarily going to be able to ride fast through rocks, roots and drops.