Suggestions on new bike - what's the deal with 29-ers

I'd like to pick up a new bike in the near future. I'm wondering what I shoudl be looking for.

Right now I'm riding around on a 1995 Pro-Flex 855 that's getting pretty beat up and outdated.

I loved the bike at the time but the shocks are shot and the Girvin front fork squeaks like a mother which makes it almost impossible to even ride, it's so annoying.

I could replace the suspension but it would run me several hundred so it probably makes more sense to throw in the towel and get something newer anyway.

I've kinda slacke don biking int he past few years but I'd love to get back into it fairly regularly. There are some nice places around my office I could do lunch rides on.

I can tell a lot of tehcnology has changed and bikes have gotten more specialized since I last went bike shopping. Used to be you either had a MT bike, Road bike, or hybrid, (plus a few random types like BMX and Cyclocross) but nowadays there are specialized freeride bikes, downhill bikes, cross country, etc.

I'd probably primarily be doing cross country runs ... 6 - 15 miles in distance. I'd like something that climbs well and is fairly maneuvarable, don't need a huge tank of a downhill bike.

Any opinions on 29" rims as well? That didn't exist a decade ago so like I said I'm kind of coming back into it now.

Price range... probably 1500 - 2000 max. I do enjoy the occasional huck & jump but I'm definitely not going to be extreme freeriding or anything like that.

Plus then I can get out with you guys every so often

Kind of a shitty picture but you can see the bike in the background here, this is from Douglas State Forest about 2 yrs ago

PS the ProFlex was pretty light - around 27 lb I think (for a full suspension). I'm probably wanting to stay < 30 pounds. I get the impression the bikes are getting a lot heavier nowadays with huge suspension travel, etc.

Pretty much looks like this: (found online)

I hate to say it, but for that price you're looking at the low end of FS bikes. Does it have to be a FS, or would you consider a hard tail?

I dunno, I think it's gonna be hard for me to switch to a hardtail after a decade of riding on FS.

At the time the ProFlex was a mid-range bike, you used to be able to get something decent for under $2k :roll:

EDIT: I'm sounding old. "Back when I was younger!... "

Don't get me wrong; a FS in that range won't be a piece of crap. You'd just have more options with HTs.

I got a Trek Fuel last year, and love the shit out of it....Greg had one a few years back, and reccomended it.. Was around $1800

Steveo

Trek Fuel, Giant Anthem, and Specialized Camber would all be a good start for what you're looking for. You may like the fit or feel of one or the other. Go find some at your local bike store (LBS) and try them on for size.

Personally I wouldn't consider a 29er. IMHO they add cost and weight, and all they really gain you is the ability to roll over stuff easier (plus you can say you're part of the hip 29er crowd). If you were looking for HT I might have a different opinion.

Gonna look some stuff up in the next few days. Before it starts snowing again :lol:

I've always liked Specialized, I don't think it's really against other bikes but I had a friend who always rode specialized and they always served him well.

The Camber is new for this year, and has been getting some good reviews (I think?). It gets you a bit more travel over the other two options above. I have a Specialized Pitch, which is probably more all-mountainy than what you're looking for. I like it, but at first I was pretty disappointed with the amount of suspension bob while pedaling. I've gotten used to it, and use the ProPedal setting on the rear shock, which helps. It's something to consider though. From what I gather the FSR suspensions used on Specialized bikes are known for being pretty active, even when pedaling. I'm not sure if the shock on the lowest end Camber has any sort of pedaling platform built into it. The Maestro design on the Giant bikes, on the other hand, is known to offer pretty good resistance to pedal bob due to the design of the suspension, without anything fancy going on in the shock.

All that stuff can get pretty confusing...

Yeah my roomate's bike was an FSR and I remember it was way bobbier than my Pro Flex. I forget but I think the Pro Flex was less bobby because the bottom bracket was in the frame and not the rear hinge part - pedaling hard helped "pull" down and tighten up the suspension. I think.

That's my real non-technical description :lol:

I have a Giant Reign which is an all mountain bike, thing climbs pretty dam good in my opinion and is right around 30lbs(I think). They also have a model called the Trance which doesn't have as much travel, take a look at it, seems Giants are a pretty good bang for the buck.

I have very little bob with my suspension, but I think it has a lot to do with the smoothness and size of the rider.

Nick said:

I dunno, I think it's gonna be hard for me to switch to a hardtail after a decade of riding on FS.

At the time the ProFlex was a mid-range bike, you used to be able to get something decent for under $2k :roll:

EDIT: I'm sounding old. "Back when I was younger!... "

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Nick
I am planning on selling my FS bike soon. It's a 2008 Turner 5spot that I built up. Purchased the frame in 2009. It's a very high end frame in great shape. Was planning on selling it as a frame, rear shock , headset combo. But I have enough parts to put together a whole bike . A bunch of the guys here have ridden with me and can attest to it's sweetness

Anyway, if your curious shot me off a pm and I get you the details and some pics. Could also arrange a test ride somewhere.

o3jeff said:

I have very little bob with my suspension, but I think it has a lot to do with the smoothness

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Keep telling yourself that... :roll:

bvibert said:

keep telling yourself that... :roll:

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masher! ;-)