Advice on a good hardtail.

The fact that the bike shop sold you a bike that was mis-sized in the first
place is a concern. I'm a big proponent of proper fitting and not assuming a
certain "size" of bike is appropriate for any person. Unless they warned
you or advised you against it in the first place, I wouldn't go back there
or give them any business.

I'm 5'9" and during this past winter we vacationed at a remote spot in Baja
Mexico. The place had several "decent" MTBs so we toured a fair amount on
the surrounding hills. On the days that the bike selection was low, I was
forced to take a larger than preferred frame, and by mid day I always had an
aching back and numbing fingers.

My $.02

"frodge" wrote in message
...
Dan Volker wrote:
"frodge" wrote in message
news:2%_sc.2-

-
netserver.com...
Thanks guys. I will check back in 6 months to a year after I have
put some
miles on. I guess my skills are crap right now anyway and the
Trek will be
o.k. for now.



One thing you might do---keep checking the Trek web site looking for
when the DEMO program comes to a trail within a reasonable distance of
your area... You can ride several different sized bikes, and also get
the assistance of the Trek people in choosing the right frame size for
you. And in particular, you can try riding several different styles of
mountain bikes on real trails--you can see how you like a good hard
tail, how you like a full suspension cross country bike, how you like
an
"All Mountain" bike with 5 inches front and back suspension, how you
feel about extremely light versus extremely plush, etc. You get to do
this over real obstacles, not a parking lot where you can tell NOTHING
about how the bike will ride over technical obstacles for you. A lot
of
people on this NG hate Trek, and with that in mind, I'll add that the
DEMO program can help you with what style of bike, and does not have
to
be about choosing a Trek-- you may decide you like an All Mountain
design, and then gravitate to some other manufacturer for the All
Mountain bike you will actually get ( or X-country, or hardtail, etc).
Personally, I like my Trek Liquid 25....its awesome in the rooty type
of
riding we have in south florida, and its holding up well to the abuse
I've been giving it ( Got it in January, been hammering very rooty
trails 3 to 4 days per week on average since then...I weigh 212 pounds
now, and I put alot of stress on a bike frame. For the people who
claim
the Treks have weak backends, I have to say this is nonsense. I don't
use it to jump off 7 foot drops onto flat landings, but to me that is
not mountain biking....If that's what you like, get a bmx or freeride
bike, start banging your head into concrete walls for at least 30
minutes a day to help further reduce your IQ, and try skateboarding in
your spare time;-)
Regards, Dan V


Haha. That last part is pretty funny. I just bought a Trek 4900 amonth
ago and like it a lot. It is a little big for me because I didn't know
anything until after I bought it. I know it is not a heavy duty trail
bike, but for right now it is not bad I guess. I will look into your
suggestions. The bike shop will not work with me with the issue that the
bike i a little big. For what I am doing right now, it seems to be ok.



--

On Wed, 26 May 2004 08:51:41 -0700, "Gwood" wrote:

The fact that the bike shop sold you a bike that was mis-sized in the first
place is a concern. I'm a big proponent of proper fitting and not assuming a
certain "size" of bike is appropriate for any person. Unless they warned
you or advised you against it in the first place, I wouldn't go back there
or give them any business.

I'm 5'9" and during this past winter we vacationed at a remote spot in Baja
Mexico. The place had several "decent" MTBs so we toured a fair amount on
the surrounding hills. On the days that the bike selection was low, I was
forced to take a larger than preferred frame, and by mid day I always had an
aching back and numbing fingers.

My $.02

SNIP


Haven't we hashed this out already with this dude two weeks ago?
Enough! Stop whining and just sell the damn thing on eBay already.
Don't rehash the same question to try and get an answer you like
better than the last.

--
o-o-o-o Ride-A-Lot o-o-o-o
www.schnauzers.ws

[qoute] Haven't we hashed this out already with this dude two week
ago? Enough! Stop whining and just sell the damn thing on eBay already
Don't rehash the same question to try and get an answer you like bette
than the last

-
o-o-o-o Ride-A-Lot o-o-o-o www.schnauzers.ws The thread was started t
find out what would be a real good hardtail for $1000. NOt to "re-hash"
A reading lesson would be proper for you. Read my original post. Sinc
no-one offered a suggestion on bikes, it reverted back to the origina
discussion. Not my fault. You must be bored


-

On Wed, 26 May 2004 08:51:41 -0700, Gwood wrote:
The fact that the bike shop sold you a bike that was mis-sized in the first
place is a concern. I'm a big proponent of proper fitting and not assuming a
certain "size" of bike is appropriate for any person. Unless they warned
you or advised you against it in the first place, I wouldn't go back there
or give them any business.

If it were me, I'd be taking every opportunity to tell people to avoid
this shop. You can get zero service for a lot less money on-line, or
possibly good service for the same price elsewhere.

--
-BB-
To reply to me, drop the attitude (from my e-mail address, at least)

Bb wrote:
If it were me, I'd be taking every opportunity to tell people to avoid
this shop. You can get zero service for a lot less money on-line, or
possibly good service for the same price elsewhere.
--
-BB- To reply to me, drop the attitude (from my e-mail address, at
least)

The shop has been in existence for over 100 years. The owner wa
like, everybody buys a bigger bike their first time around. Next tim
you will go smaller, everyone does. :rolleyes


-

On Wed, 26 May 2004 17:30:04 GMT, frodge wrote:

The shop has been in existence for over 100 years. The owner was
like, everybody buys a bigger bike their first time around. Next time
you will go smaller, everyone does.

I'm just curious why you're so hesitant to name a shop that has appears to
have an idiot for an owner...?

--
-BB-
To reply to me, drop the attitude (from my e-mail address, at least)

"Dan Volker" wrote in message . ..
"frodge" wrote in message
.. .
Thanks guys. I will check back in 6 months to a year after I have put some
miles on. I guess my skills are crap right now anyway and the Trek will be
o.k. for now.




One thing you might do---keep checking the Trek web site looking for when
the DEMO program comes to a trail within a reasonable distance of your
area...

Naw - skip Trek and try out a Giant or Marin HT. Good stuff. The
Marin can be had in steel, which is nice.

[snip Trek commercial, LOL]

A lot of people on this NG hate Trek

But that's where you're wrong. There might be one or two, but not
"lot[s]". The fact is that Trek makes some OK bikes, and that some of
them might be acceptable to some buyers. But to just recommend "Trek"
every time a newbie comes in is nothing but brand loyalty.

[snip continuing Trek commercial]

Personally, I like my Trek Liquid 25

Of course you do - you bought it, so it *must* be great!

For the people who claim the Treks have weak
backends, I have to say this is nonsense.

And you are a materials engineer? Those carbon stays are a gimmick,
and flexy as hell. Been there, done that. Any serious MTBer would
run away. At the same price point, you can get better bikes from
other makers, including Specialized and Marin. Four-bar, real pivots,
solid and no Bontrager craptastic drivetrain shiite.

When one of those CF stays finally lets go, I hope you don't crash too
badly, and I hope it doesn't screw up the other parts too badly. What
I'd love to hear is if Carla or Jim have ever tested one of these
flexy Liquids - I'd like to know what a real mountain biker thinks of
these bikes.

Frodge: Ride the damn bike, save your money, do some research (not
asking questions in a.m-b., but real look-it-up research, and for
gawd's sake - stay away from the LBS that sold you that bike.

Come back after riding the thing over the summer, and see how you
feel.
--
Jonesy

Bb wrote:
On Wed, 26 May 2004 17:30:04 GMT, frodge wrote:
The shop has been in existence for over 100 years. The owner was
like, everybody buys a bigger bike their first time around. Next time
you will go smaller, everyone does.
I'm just curious why you're so hesitant to name a shop that has appears
to have an idiot for an owner...?
--
-BB- To reply to me, drop the attitude (from my e-mail address, at
least)

Bennetts Bicycle

http://cyclery.com/Members/cybercycl...41/view?state%
3Alist=New+York+(NY)&batch_start=5


-

"Jonesy" wrote in message
om...

For the people who claim the Treks have weak
backends, I have to say this is nonsense.

And you are a materials engineer? Those carbon stays are a gimmick,
and flexy as hell. Been there, done that. Any serious MTBer would
run away.

What I am is 212 pounds, and even "if" JD and a few others here can beat me
up hills at elevations over 6000 feet, I'm strong and heavy enough to put
any mountain bike through more structural stress than most 150 pound riders
could do, no matter how well they can ride.

If you rode a Liquid 25 or 50, and thought the stays were flexy, I'd suggest
what you might have had as a problem was not the stays, but tires that had
sidewalls which were too soft for you, or insufficient air pressure, and
were not allowing the bike to corner the way it should. With the Panaracer
2.4 FR ( freeride and light downhill tires) on this bike, the back end feels
rock solid.


At the same price point, you can get better bikes from
other makers, including Specialized and Marin. Four-bar, real pivots,
solid and no Bontrager craptastic drivetrain shiite.


Considering Trek offers Demo days are real trails on a regular basis, and
most other brands do not, you might re-think this a bit--if they were so
bad, people would be riding them on trails and NOT liking the performance.
Instead, people riding on real trails LIKE the way the bikes handle.


When one of those CF stays finally lets go, I hope you don't crash too
badly, and I hope it doesn't screw up the other parts too badly. What
I'd love to hear is if Carla or Jim have ever tested one of these
flexy Liquids - I'd like to know what a real mountain biker thinks of
these bikes.

I forgot again. Real mountain bikers only exist out west.

My main point was that being able to DEMO a bike on real trails is a huge
big deal. In snow skiing, this is demanded by skiiers---but mountain bikers
must be so damn timid that we just take the **** the bike industry wants to
put out, without any demo or way of knowing how good the bike is.
Dan V

Dan V says:

I'd love to hear is if Carla or Jim have ever tested one of these
flexy Liquids - I'd like to know what a real mountain biker thinks of
these bikes.

I forgot again. Real mountain bikers only exist out west.

Actually, Dan, Carla and Jim are based in NY. They ARE going west this summer,
however, is that close enough?

Steve