Ideal MTB (See requirements)

[mitzikatzi]

...snip.... 2009 Marin Quake 7.9 was $6899 NOW $1749!

At $1749 you could make money parting that Marin Quake out. The Fork is worth about half the sale price.

[Nobody]

hardtails are without doubt more efficient and faster... you can deal with the comfort factor to some extent by running less pressure in the tyres, say mid-20s ... but you'd need to go tubeless to avoid getting pinchflat punctures..

At his height and therefore likely weight, he is probably light enough not to pinch flat at that pressure. Depends on how big the bag is too. I run 25 on a 2.2 and don't have a problem. I'm about 82Kg.

Interestingly, ran into another bike store owner who is not convinced about 29ers after having tried them... but then he does crazy freeride stuff that I look at ... and decide "I'm walking".

Since MTB is so varied these days, I can see why there are so many different opinions. I think it would work for me, but I'm too tight at this stage to make the move. I'll probably just wait until I'm too old to continue rigid, then change.

[kunalraiker]

...snip.... 2009 Marin Quake 7.9 was $6899 NOW $1749!

At $1749 you could make money parting that Marin Quake out. The Fork is worth about half the sale price.

Hmmm... really, but the fact that this bike is advertised at more then 3 times the sale price make Joe a little questionable.
Someone once said, if it seems too good to be true, it probably is !

Would pick this one up tomorrow but a bit weary as to why oh why, has it not sold ?

[mitzikatzi]

It's a Downhill bike or at the least a Free Ride bike. It would suck to ride on the flat.

[kunalraiker]

It's a Downhill bike or at the least a Free Ride bike. It would suck to ride on the flat.

Yeah that's what I thought, but didn't know that it would suck that bad on flat riding.

Oh well lets just say, I need an enjoyable bike and not a competition one which I won't enjoy

[Gordo]

but from what I have read,up hill will be easier,

yeah, im thinking it would prob smash it up reasonable consistent gradient but when it comes to the stupid steep steep stuff i like then maybe not so.

cornering less but marginally.

i rode a trek superfly HT carbon. it was good. i liked it. had me sold for a while on 29er. smoothed out stuff pretty well. when i went around some reasonably tight 180 degree corners i tried to do it like my 26 and felt a loss of control. had a couple of 'oh fk' moments on it. the camber 29 would prob corner even less well than the race thing i was on. Still reviews are good, they say it corners better than expected. The flickability of 26ers is still nice i think

i havent ridden 29ers enough to come to a decision on em. i dunno

[AlMac]

If you really want people to go WF at you on your bike, buy some old POS, ramp up your stamina and skills and use it to smoke people on the trail.

On the road or on the trail, the thing that people notice most is getting their arses kicked by someone on their old POS.

I watched a big group of roadies cruise by the other day. All sorts of carbon drool, but the only WF moment was the red single speed sitting at the front of the pack - and they were moving.

I see all sorts of joy out on the trail, but it doesn't make me go WF.

The Niners look ok, but they're nothing to me compared with an orange carbon Tall Boy.

[Mugglechops]

Tall boys are nice

[sblack]

but from what I have read,up hill will be easier,

yeah, im thinking it would prob smash it up reasonable consistent gradient but when it comes to the stupid steep steep stuff i like then maybe not so

In my experience stupid steep stuff is mostly about the balance between weight over the rear to keep traction and weight over the front to keep it on the ground. My understanding is that a 29er is better in this regard. It's when things get tight and twisty when manoeuvrability matters that 26 has the advantage.

Sent from my MB526 using Tapatalk

[kunalraiker]

but from what I have read,up hill will be easier,

yeah, im thinking it would prob smash it up reasonable consistent gradient but when it comes to the stupid steep steep stuff i like then maybe not so

In my experience stupid steep stuff is mostly about the balance between weight over the rear to keep traction and weight over the front to keep it on the ground. My understanding is that a 29er is better in this regard. It's when things get tight and twisty when manoeuvrability matters that 26 has the advantage.

Sent from my MB526 using Tapatalk

Yup that is what I believe too, but wouldn't know the degree of tightness until I test one.

[trailgumby]

i rode a trek superfly HT carbon. it was good. i liked it. had me sold for a while on 29er. smoothed out stuff pretty well. when i went around some reasonably tight 180 degree corners i tried to do it like my 26 and felt a loss of control. had a couple of 'oh fk' moments on it. the camber 29 would prob corner even less well than the race thing i was on. Still reviews are good, they say it corners better than expected. The flickability of 26ers is still nice i think

i havent ridden 29ers enough to come to a decision on em. i dunno

I experienced that strong sense of instability on the tight stuff, too. Most of it can be resolvd by getting the bars lower, down to the same height off the ground as on yoru 26er. My first ride on the 29er that I reviewed awhile back felt like I was trying to negotiate my way around the track on those tall clown stilts.

Flipping the stem was a big improvement, would have liked to have tried a flat bar but it was too much fluffing around getting the foam grips off for a bike that wasn't mine.

A mate of mine has one of those Tallboys and loves it. I might have to talk him into doing a pedal + bike swap for a day (he uses flats) and see how it goes.

[kunalraiker]

I drove up to You Yangs today, must say the Stockyards Trail is a steep way up had to adjust my bike rack on the car to prevent them from falling along the way.

Did 3 trails, I should say my wife looked more adventurous then myself at the start, I wasn't too bad until I had my first fall on a steep down hill, not exactly a fall.
Was more like ohhh !! BAN ME NOW FOR SWEARING !!, this is too steep, which resulted in me slamming my breaks and my rear tyre in front of me , luckily I wasn't injured and the only thing damaged on the bike was the glove end slightly torn.

But from there it was all fun, I should say I didn't take big risk, just tried to ease myself into it and avoided any steep climbs to exhaust myself early with too much lactic acid around the muscles.

But end in end it was all fun!

[kunalraiker]

Merida and Marin seem like really beautiful bikes that fall in my price bracket, any owners here who would like to word in?

[mitzikatzi]

Not sure what your budget is.
Both of these are good "entry level" bikes.
Both have Silver Recon's and SLX.
I am a bike nerd if I meet you on the trails I would think you had a "nice" bike if thats important to you.

Scale 60 (2011)
or
GT Zaskar Comp (2011)

Valentine's Day is comming up. Buy the GLW/GF one as well

Then go and see Norm and Jess at Forrest for some lessons and great riding.

[kunalraiker]

Not sure what your budget is.
Both of these are good "entry level" bikes.
Both have Silver Recon's and SLX.
I am a bike nerd if I meet you on the trails I would think you had a "nice" bike if thats important to you.

Scale 60 (2011)
or
GT Zaskar Comp (2011)

Valentine's Day is comming up. Buy the GLW/GF one as well

Then go and see Norm and Jess at Forrest for some lessons and great riding.

Under budget unfortunately... hey where's the rear suspension gone

[mitzikatzi]

Both those bikes have large discounts on them.

The bike will be predominantly used to ride on a daily basic along the river tracks Maribyrnong River.
Apart from that it will also be used on weekends to ride on medium difficulty tracks at Lysterfield.
Also will be taken on road trips to be used to be riden on walking and bike tracks.

When I see people riding good quality bikes "pootling alone" on bike paths I think it's sad. Like trying to buy performance. Buy whatever you like. I would buy a bike like one of the two I listed then get lessons on how to ride it well. If I had a partner with a nice bike that wanted to ride with me I would be a happy man.

You don't need full suspension MTB for a bike path you don't even need a mountain bike. A bike with 28mm tyres and a rigid fork is plenty comfort and grip IMHO.

A Kona Dew is a great bike for bike paths and rail trails.

[kunalraiker]

Both those bikes have large discounts on them.

The bike will be predominantly used to ride on a daily basic along the river tracks Maribyrnong River.
Apart from that it will also be used on weekends to ride on medium difficulty tracks at Lysterfield.
Also will be taken on road trips to be used to be riden on walking and bike tracks.

When I see people riding good quality bikes "pootling alone" on bike paths I think it's sad. Like trying to buy performance. Buy whatever you like. I would buy a bike like one of the two I listed then get lessons on how to ride it well. If I had a partner with a nice bike that wanted to ride with me I would be a happy man.

You don't need full suspension MTB for a bike path you don't even need a mountain bike. A bike with 28mm tyres and a rigid fork is plenty comfort and grip IMHO.

A Kona Dew is a great bike for bike paths and rail trails.

That's why they say, we all are made different.
Me for once feels every bump on and off the bike path, then on the trails its a different story.

There is no way I would attempt the You Yangs High Difficulty Trails witheout a dually....

[Gordo]

get one of these. u and ur missus can have great fun. she can take the handlebars, stop u from crashing out

[trailgumby]

Way cool tandem - even has rear suspension!

[kunalraiker]

get one of these. u and ur missus can have great fun. she can take the handlebars, stop u from crashing out

Coooooooooooooool!!!!!!!!!!!!! is that what your parents ride ?

[Gordo]

best way to find out what you want/need: go test ride. try and get to a specialized, giant or trek demo day. u can look at bikes all u want and figure out which one u think has the most bling bling, but actually getting on them changes things completely.

rode a camber today. initial impressions. too upright for me. not a slow bike but next to the epic, forget it. butt is very back wheel. wide handle bars, upright. very plush though which was nice. cornering urghh.... cant see myself doing what i do on my 26er around corners with that thing. bawked at going up hills. suspension springy, ass on the backwheel, no thanks. Not the kind of ride i expected it. certainly off the wish list. would have to change and fiddle with the setup a lot to get me to like it.

epic: this is fast. just enough suspension to get places i reckon. felt far more balanced over the bike.Bike didnt feel as big and bulky as the camber. 29er wheels, ok, cant say i was blown away. The bike was very fast when i got it onto the tarmac though. Cornering hmmm???? reduced i have to say. 26ers can flick and maneuver just that bit easier which is difference between hitting and missing a tree sometimes. it did handle well all the same. nice bike. very expensive (wrong side of 3000 for me). has the 'brain' which i dont think i really need or want. great bike though. too bad specialized dont sell a more basic stripped down version of it.

stumpy HT. fast. climbs well. maneurvers well . only 80mm travel, can be adjusted to 100mm by adding or removing spacers. its a HT, the fact it was carbon and had 29er wheels dont make it comparable to a 26 dual suspension IMO. very fast on tarmac like the epic. The epic was better.

[kunalraiker]

best way to find out what you want/need: go test ride. try and get to a specialized, giant or trek demo day. u can look at bikes all u want and figure out which one u think has the most bling bling, but actually getting on them changes things completely.

rode a camber today. initial impressions. too upright for me. not a slow bike but next to the epic, forget it. butt is very back wheel. wide handle bars, upright. very plush though which was nice. cornering urghh.... cant see myself doing what i do on my 26er around corners with that thing. bawked at going up hills. suspension springy, ass on the backwheel, no thanks. Not the kind of ride i expected it. certainly off the wish list. would have to change and fiddle with the setup a lot to get me to like it.

epic: this is fast. just enough suspension to get places i reckon. felt far more balanced over the bike.Bike didnt feel as big and bulky as the camber. 29er wheels, ok, cant say i was blown away. The bike was very fast when i got it onto the tarmac though. Cornering hmmm???? reduced i have to say. 26ers can flick and maneuver just that bit easier which is difference between hitting and missing a tree sometimes. it did handle well all the same. nice bike. very expensive (wrong side of 3000 for me). has the 'brain' which i dont think i really need or want. great bike though. too bad specialized dont sell a more basic stripped down version of it.

stumpy HT. fast. climbs well. maneurvers well . only 80mm travel, can be adjusted to 100mm by adding or removing spacers. its a HT, the fact it was carbon and had 29er wheels dont make it comparable to a 26 dual suspension IMO. very fast on tarmac like the epic. The epic was better.

I wonder if they hold the bike demos here in Melbourne ?

But thanks for posting your views on the camber, epic might be a little out of budget but hey camber might fit the bill with me being a short and all!
Merida and Marin's look convincing too, I need to find a dealer here in Maidstone that stocks them.

[Mugglechops]

The Epic and the Camber are 2 totally different bikes. Not really fair to compare them against each other.

Its like a comparing a Reign to an Anthem with Giants.

[Gordo]

Wouldnt that be more like a trance to an anthem? But yeah, the camber was very different than i thought (maybe part to do with the setup). i was expecting to get something slower than an epic but the difference was really big i felt. not what i expected at all. i was a bit dissapointed and was hoping id like the camber due to its price. now it just leaves near 1000k short on the epic which aint going to happen. test rides are great value non-the-less

[kunalraiker]

Wouldnt that be more like a trance to an anthem? But yeah, the camber was very different than i thought (maybe part to do with the setup). i was expecting to get something slower than an epic but the difference was really big i felt. not what i expected at all. i was a bit dissapointed and was hoping id like the camber due to its price. now it just leaves near 1000k short on the epic which aint going to happen. test rides are great value non-the-less

Gordo, the problem I face is enquiring for a test ride without any commitment to buy, are the retailers ok with that ?