Finding Gary a new bike!

MR. evil · Jun 3, 2008

gmcunni said:
thanks for the Ibex links, for the records, i'm not too leary about buying online. biggest concern is picking the size of the bike without physically being able to try it on.

That is a legit concearn. I happen to know enough about bike Geometry that is was easy for me to know what would fit well. What I did to be sure was I went to bike shops and found a few bikes that fit well. Then I compared to geometry to the ibex bike. They were all really close and I knew it would fit.

tjf67 · Jun 3, 2008

gmcunni said:
what's the difference between those sold @ dicks vs. a bike shop? do they use lower quality components for the retailers?

They could but I do not believe they do. You are not really in market for super dooper bike. What you can get for the price at dicks a small guy just can not compete . Top that with dicks return policy. Just saying chek them out after you know what you are looking at.

gmcunni · Jun 3, 2008

tjf67 said:
Just saying chek them out after you know what you are looking at.

no doubt. dicks is one of those places i can go and just wander around drooling over all the stuff i'd love to buy !!

checking dicks website i don't see iron horse listed under mountain bikes. I do see the mongoose though.

gmcunni · Jun 8, 2008

tjf67 said:
They could but I do not believe they do. You are not really in market for super dooper bike. What you can get for the price at dicks a small guy just can not compete . Top that with dicks return policy. Just saying chek them out after you know what you are looking at.

Went to Dick's today in the Milford (CT) mall. they did indeed have Iron Horse as well as Diamondback bikes on display. (not to mention schwinn, quest + several others i hadn't heard of)

The IH was a HT for $299. it felt a bit big for me. Standing over the center bar was snug.
The DB was a FS for $350. I didn't bother writing down the models but when i went to the DB site later i think the one @ dicks was a mission03 (modified for dick's, i'm sure)

Both bikes seemed Ok but i reallly have nothing to base that on. They didn't "feel" much better than my schwinn HN but i other than sit on them, ride 15 feet and squeeze the brakes (both were disk and felt soft) i didn't do much.

Heading to my local shop one night this week to see what they have.

MR. evil · Jun 8, 2008

gmcunni said:
The IH was a HT for $299. it felt a bit big for me. Standing over the center bar was snug.
The DB was a FS for $350. I didn't bother writing down the models but when i went to the DB site later i think the one @ dicks was a mission03 (modified for dick's, i'm sure).

For that price those bike are probably really low end. As a rule of thumb you cannot touch an trail worthy hardtail for under $500 and that is the lowest you want to spend. If you just want a bike to ride around the neighborhood on and occasionally venture off on some really melow trails. one of those bikes may be ok. But they will not hold up to any kind of regular trail riding. Next time you look at bike take some notes. Write down what components they have (derailers, brakes, cranks,) and what kind of fork. Make and model for all of the above. Then post the info here and we will give you some advice. Or see if you can find the bikes specs online

davidhowland14 · Jun 8, 2008

as a rule of personal prejudice, i would stay away from diamondback. We recently got a DB FS into the shop that was totally fucked. A complete replacement of every part of the drivetrain later, and it still had major problems.

Greg · Jun 8, 2008

MR. evil said:
As a rule of thumb you cannot touch an trail worthy hardtail for under $500 and that is the lowest you want to spend.

I don't think my Jamis cost much more than $350 and it seems to ride okay, although I'm still not pushing it too hard and I don't know what the longevity of the bike will be.

MR. evil · Jun 8, 2008

Greg said:
I don't think my Jamis cost much more than $350 and it seems to ride okay, although I'm still not pushing it too hard and I don't know what the longevity of the bike will be.

If you ride regularly you will start to find parts wearing out very quickly on a bike at that price point, or just breaking. Seeing how you are just getting back into things ride that bike till it falls apart, and try not to put too much money into it. After a season of regular off road riding on it you will probably need a new bike. The frame will be fine, but the wheels, fork and components will be trashed, and it not worth replacing that stuff on a low end bike. It will cost more than the bike cost new.

I know it may not sound like it, but I am far from a bike snob. I bought my current bike from a company that only sells bikes online and at a really cheap price and I actually get the occasional crap from bike snobs on the trail "hey, nice internet bike". But the components are all top notch and that is what counts. Now Randi's Marin HT cost a little over $600 on sale last summer. With in a month plus of regular technical riding I had to replace both the front and rear der's. I got a smokin deal on some XT stuff and now the bike shifts great. But with her current setup her bike rivals something at an $800 plus price point.

tjf67 · Jun 9, 2008

gmcunni said:
Went to Dick's today in the Milford (CT) mall. they did indeed have Iron Horse as well as Diamondback bikes on display. (not to mention schwinn, quest + several others i hadn't heard of)

The IH was a HT for $299. it felt a bit big for me. Standing over the center bar was snug.
The DB was a FS for $350. I didn't bother writing down the models but when i went to the DB site later i think the one @ dicks was a mission03 (modified for dick's, i'm sure)

Both bikes seemed Ok but i reallly have nothing to base that on. They didn't "feel" much better than my schwinn HN but i other than sit on them, ride 15 feet and squeeze the brakes (both were disk and felt soft) i didn't do much.

Heading to my local shop one night this week to see what they have.

Geez you are really looking at the bottom end bikes. You should just put the money into your old one if you are going that low end.

MR. evil · Jun 9, 2008

gmcunni said:
The DB was a FS for $350. I didn't bother writing down the models but when i went to the DB site later i think the one @ dicks was a mission03 (modified for dick's, i'm sure)

.

I missed this earlier. Any full suspension bike that cheap is a toatl peice of crap. You cannot touch a FS bike for under a grand, and even at $1000 you are talking a low end FS.

gmcunni · Jun 9, 2008

tjf67 said:
Geez you are really looking at the bottom end bikes. You should just put the money into your old one if you are going that low end.

LOL - you suggested i check out what they had @ dicks

davidhowland14 · Jun 9, 2008

i don't know if this has been said before, but make sure any bike you get has suspension that can be locked out. Especially if you get an FS.

Greg · Jun 10, 2008

Any further along on picking a bike here, Gary?

gmcunni · Jun 10, 2008

Greg said:
Any further along on picking a bike here, Gary?

No, not really. I like the ibex HT line Mr. Evil pointed me towards but am at a loss for what size i'd have to get. Was hoping i'd hook up for a AZ ride and maybe Tim would let me look at his as a measure for what i need but i don't think i can join you guys this weekend.

I still need to get to a few of the local shops around my town but I probably won't be able to any time soon. Rough schedule at work this week + kids activities almost every night. The weekend is shot with dance recital, dinner party, and various other activities.

I'll keep pedaling my old schwinn until i get a new ride. My Oakley bike shorts from SAC arrived yesterday and am itching to give them a try!!

Greg · Jun 10, 2008

gmcunni said:
No, not really. I like the ibex HT line Mr. Evil pointed me towards but am at a loss for what size i'd have to get.

Did you click the "Geometry" link for each bike (under the "Add to Cart" link)? They give a typical rider height for each size frame. There's also this page. I think Ibex is the route I'm going to take once it's time to upgrade.

gmcunni said:
Was hoping i'd hook up for a AZ ride and maybe Tim would let me look at his as a measure for what i need but i don't think i can join you guys this weekend.

Let us know if you can work it out. It's Father's Day after all. Gonna be just a morning thing for me.

gmcunni said:
My Oakley bike shorts from SAC arrived yesterday and am itching to give them a try!!

I hope they don't give you an itch.

gmcunni · Jun 10, 2008

Greg said:
Did you click the "Geometry" link for each bike (under the "Add to Cart" link)? They give a typical rider height for each size frame. There's also this page. I think Ibex is the route I'm going to take once it's time to upgrade.

my fear is not getting it right and spending $500 to find out. They offer returns but i'd like to get it right the first time

Let us know if you can work it out. It's Father's Day after all. Gonna be just a morning thing for me.

i'm very tempted.. if i lived closer it would be an easier call but i'd have 2+ hours of driving to/from the ride and that is that part that kills it for me.

I hope they don't give you an itch.

The padding is much "larger" than i expected. I showed my wife and she said it looked like a huge maxi-pad :blink:

MR. evil · Jun 10, 2008

gmcunni said:
No, not really. I like the ibex HT line Mr. Evil pointed me towards but am at a loss for what size i'd have to get. Was hoping i'd hook up for a AZ ride and maybe Tim would let me look at his as a measure for what i need but i don't think i can join you guys this weekend.

!!

I will be more than happy to let you try out my bike. But I need to point out that just becuase my bike fits well, does not mean a different model from Ibex will. Different models have different geometry. My bike is there AM offering (the Atlas) and has much different geo than there full suspension XC bike (Asta). Go to some bike shops and test out some bikes until you find one that fits really well. Then PM or email me with the bike model and size you liked. I will look up the goemetry on that bike and compare it to the Ibex bikes to see what is the best match. There is a chance that the bike you end up liking from the bike shop will be very different from anything Ibex has geo wise.

Another route is www.JensonUsa.com. They don't sell bikes whole sale like Ibex, but during the summer they ussually have some killer deals on IronHorse and K2 bikes. If you go this route find some local shops that sell IronHorse and K2, test ride some of the bikes to find one you like and the size you need. Then order it from Jenson during the sale.

Greg · Jun 10, 2008

gmcunni said:
my fear is not getting it right and spending $500 to find out. They offer returns but i'd like to get it right the first time

I hear ya, but the height ranges seem pretty clear. I'm guessing you're around 5' 9"?

gmcunni said:
i'm very tempted.. if i lived closer it would be an easier call but i'd have 2+ hours of driving to/from the ride and that is that part that kills it for me.

Understood. I don't blame you for not wanting to drive an hour for a ride. Still, if you change your mind it should be a fun time...

gmcunni said:
The padding is much "larger" than i expected. I showed my wife and she said it looked like a huge maxi-pad :blink:

Sounds cozy. How long did it take for them to come? I ordered mine from Chainlove, also a www.backcountry.com store.

gmcunni · Jun 10, 2008

Greg said:
I hear ya, but the height ranges seem pretty clear. I'm guessing you're around 5' 9"?

Maybe with my ski boots on ;-) closer to 5' 7"

Sounds cozy. How long did it take for them to come? I ordered mine from Chainlove, also a www.backcountry.com store.

i orderd on Saturday 5/31, they shipped on Monday 6/2 and arrived yesterday 6/9. standard ground UPS.

Greg · Jun 10, 2008

gmcunni said:
Maybe with my ski boots on ;-) closer to 5' 7"

Seems like you fall right in the middle of the height range for the 16" Ibex hardtails. But I really don't know what the hell I'm talking about so keep that in mind... :razz:

Finding Gary a new bike!

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