this thread is Rad, mane.

4/14/2012 8:18:35 PM

http://live.redbull.tv/events/39/uci-houffalize-xco-men/

if anyone is up early and interested in watching a cross-country mtn bike race. Looks like a sweet course.

4/15/2012 8:56:25 AM

Couple goodies for sale:

(All items are brand new, never ridden. These are from a build kit so they do not have packaging, but otherwise are perfect condition.)

2012 Fox 36 Talas 160 FIT/RLC
Taper steerer, 200mm, uncut
20QR axle
White
$850

Sram X0 10spd rear derailleur
Long cage
Black with green accents
$170

Sram X0 10spd rear shifter
Black with green accents
$90

Sram X0 2spd front derailleur
direct-mount
$45

Sram PG-1070 Cassette
11-36t
$65

Avid Elixir X0 Brake set
180/200mm rotors
Hoses uncut, includes mounting adapter for the rear
$320

4/16/2012 8:15:42 PM

4/25/2012 1:49:18 AM

anybody have experience with Niner bikes, specifically the RIP9?

4/25/2012 5:10:27 PM

My dad has a scandium one niner with a rigid carbon fork. Weighs in at 17 lbs all together. He absolutely loves it. Can't stop talking about it every time we are on the trails. He has also been doing pretty well in the old fogey category at the mtn bike races on it.

4/25/2012 7:50:42 PM

most my MTB buddies have moved over to 29ers and can't stop raving about em

4/25/2012 9:17:11 PM

Sorry, I should have been more specific. Niner, the brand, which only makes 29ers. Here's the RIP9 http://www.ninerbikes.com/rip9

Anybody that knows forks have any comments on putting a 100mm fork on a 29er XC bike? The +120mm options seem to be relatively limited, and what is available seems a bit pricey. Basically, I'm trying to price out a RIP9 build.

4/25/2012 9:45:43 PM

Anyone going to the DH race at Massanutten in VA this weekend?

4/26/2012 1:19:29 AM

^^ There is a reason you can barely find over 100mm travel forks for 29in wheels. That's because you don't need it for XC applications. Besides that, for most bikes, that much travel would throw off the geometry on a 29er. Maybe for downhill it's useful, but that still seems to be the domain of 26in bikes for now. I have a Rock Shox reba RL that I love. It has 80-100mm adjustable travel (it came with 100mm spacer and I haven't changed it).

A hardtail 29er is not going to be all that less cushy than a full suspension 26in bike in terms of just the smoothness of the ride over a typical all mountain type of trail.

4/26/2012 9:34:23 AM

^ That's the impression I'm starting to get, especially since Niner's build sheet for the RIP9 suggests a bunch of 100mm forks and only two 120mm forks. It just seems a little strange (in my limited understanding) for what's supposed to be an all-mountain capable bike. I was looking at a Rockshox reba RL (the 2012 model is only 80-100mm), but this worry over not enough travel has me looking at possibly picking up a 2011 reba RLT Ti with 140mm adjustable travel that I can then set to 120mm. It seems that 100mm should be fine for XC, especially around here, but what if I wanted to spend some time up in the mountains? It doesn't help that I'm trying to do all of this on the cheap

And I'm still not exactly sure what the difference between the RL, RLT, and 2011 RLT TI is.

4/26/2012 11:43:48 AM

Well, you have to consider that 29ers are already going to be dampening quite a bit of the bumpiness compared to a 26in just by the surface area of the tire on the ground. That's the main benefit of a 29er. I have found 100mm to be plenty and I have ridden some of the mountain trails out west, some technical rock garden trails and then the sandy flat stuff here in the middle of the state. 100mm is plenty of travel for everything except the most extreme downhill or dirt jumping stuff.


The difference between the RL and RLT, from what I understand, is that the RLT has a mechanism that allows it to absorb big bumps even while it is locked out. The RLT Ti has some titanium internal parts and is a little lighter.

4/26/2012 2:09:30 PM

ugh, I'm not sure why I didn't realize it until now, but all these 15/20mm thru-axle forks are not going to mount on to my thule fork rack without a PITA adapter. I'm glad I haven't bought anything yet. And I'm still having people tell me that I need at least 120mm, including the guy I got the frame from. </first world problems>

4/28/2012 1:43:54 PM

They say that the through axles are stiffer and more durable, but I have had fine luck with a regular 9mm quick release.

4/28/2012 4:02:16 PM

I have a half-built bike and parts filling my apartment. I want to hurry up and ride it dammit

jocristian - thanks for the advice. btw, I went with a Rockshox Revalation RL 140mm. I contacted Niner and they said I needed at least 120mm for this bike, and 140mm if I wanted to match the geometry of the 2011+ frames.

this build had been quite a learning experience

5/16/2012 11:16:58 PM

I suppose it must be really different on a dual suspension bike vs a hardtail cross country bike. Good luck with your build.

5/17/2012 7:51:20 AM

if yall need parts/advice, dont hesitate to let me know, im also happy to get yall parts at a bit of a discount or for any tech help

im also a niner dealer, so if there are issues there, holla

5/17/2012 8:09:14 AM

I have a used Vassago Jabberwocky frame with Eno cranks and bottom bracket, and chris king no thread set I'm looking to move.

PM if interested.

5/17/2012 9:26:22 AM

Quote :

"im also a niner dealer, so if there are issues there, holla"

orly? Know anything about their rear 12x142mm maxle conversion kit? I ordered one and it was delivered last week, but the problem is that one of the dropouts is too big to fit into the frame. The non-drive side dropout is slightly longer, maybe 1/8", than old, QR dropout. Their CS guy said he had never heard of this problem, but he's shipping me a new non-drive side dropout. Either they sent me the wrong part to begin with, or I'm going to get another that still won't fit. I guess I should find someone with a grinder just in case...

5/18/2012 3:40:16 PM

@#%^#%^& they sent me the same goddamn part that's too damn big. if anything it's fractions of a mm smaller

5/18/2012 8:07:41 PM

What do you guys think is a fair price for this bike? http://cincinnati.craigslist.org/bik/3020646377.html

Im just looking for a used bike for XC after being out of the game for a while (old bikes: fisher paragon, fisher sugar, cannondales, etc).

The guy doesnt have an exact year on it but based on the design and specs it looks like an 03-05.

5/20/2012 11:40:15 AM

I'm no expert, but rim brakes and a fork that can accept them would scare me away from this bike. $400 seems a little much, but maybe that's taking into account the XT components. Others probably have better feedback.

5/20/2012 11:59:26 AM

I might actually get this damn bike finished this weekend

5/26/2012 1:25:38 PM

Rode my new Vassago ChupaCabra frame out at Uwharrie this morning (also a first). Love that trail. Fast and flowy, but with enough hills to be challenging. Did two laps --about 26 miles of mostly singletrack--and I am cooked.

5/27/2012 4:37:42 PM

^ Nice, congrats on the new bike. Is that the Governor's Creek trail? I think the longest distance I've ever gone on a mtn bike so far is maybe 13 miles. Speaking of cooked, I did a 50mi road ride today with no sunscreen....


So, reused the brakes from my Hifi and the rear line was too short, so I picked up a replacement hydraulic line kit. Replaced the line, bled them twice, and they still have no pressure at all. I've got no idea what I'm doing wrong, but I'm gonna let my mechanic fuck with that tomorrow.

5/28/2012 11:13:47 PM

Nah, Governor's creek is closer to Sanford, but that's another good trail if you get a chance to get out there.

Have my chupacabra set up as a single speed at the moment, but I am thinking of switching to a 1x9 or 1x10 setup soon.

5/29/2012 11:17:28 AM

if i swap my coil totem for a fox 36 fit talas 160mm i can cut 2 lbs of the front of my bike

anyone need a 180mm travel RC2 fork ?
i'll include both blue and black springs. for 180-210 & 210+

Make offer

5/29/2012 12:24:58 PM

Okay, I've been checking trianglemtb and craigslist everyday for the past few weeks to no avail for a full suspension 29er that isn't rubbish. I did, however, find something still in stock at Bikes Direct. I truly want/wanted to get something used an save the money, but I'm also itching to get out and ride. So, here's what I found and I need some input as to if this is worth it. Thanks! http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/motobecane/fantom_29_fs_xo30.htm

Quote :

"2012 Motobecane 29er Full Suspension Mountain Bikes Fantom 29er4BY4 XO SRAM XO 3x10, 30 Speed Avid Elixir 9 Carbon Hydraulic Disc Brakes Frame Hydroformed Butted and Geometric Multishaped Aluminum tubes,1 set H2O Bosses (Small has no bosses), Four Bar Rocker Arm. Gusseted SL 7005 Aluminum (Disc Brake Equipped) Super Smooth Sealed Cartridge Bearings at critical pivots, replaceable rear derailleur hanger (Customers are reporting there is Room for 2.35" tires) Fork ROCKSHOX REBA RL 29", TAPERED STEERER ALLOY 1-1/8" to 1.5" Taper, 42/47/52CM=193/203/203MM, post mount disc brake, 15mm x 100mm with Maxle Lite QR AXLE, TRAVEL:100mm, External rebound, low speed compression to 'Lock' with internal Floodgate ROCKSHOX MONARCH RT3 AIR REAR SHOCK EYE TO EYE:165mm W/External rebound and 3 position Floodgate switch Crankset FSA 10SPD Afterburner MegaExo, 44x32x22T, 175mm Bottom Bracket FSA BB-7000 MEGAEXO BB Pedals n/a (requires 9/16 axle) Front Derailleur SRAM, XO LOW CLAMP 3x10 34.9mm TOP PULL Rear Derailleur SRAM, XO LongCage 10-SPEED (30 gears total) Shifters SRAM XO, SHIFT LEVER, (30 gears total) Cassette/Freewheel SRAM, 10-SPEED 11-13-15-17-19-21-24-28-32-36T Chain KMC X10SL, Silver, 10 Speed Hubs Vuelta XRP ALLOY FRONT DISC HUB 28H, MaxleLite 15mm THRU AXLE Vuelta XRP ALLOY REAR DISC HUB 32H, 135MM , 2x2 BEARINGS W/ALLOY BLK QR Spokes F/R:28/32PCS ( 3 CROSS ) 3.2 AERO, BLK SPOKES W/BRASS NIPPLES Rims Vuelta XRP PRO 29" ALLOY BLK FOR DISC ONLY RIM,F/R:28/32H W/FV W/EYELET Tires WTB Prowler SL 2.1 29", 29x2.1" ( 52/52 ) DNA Compound, 60tpi Casing, Folding Bead, presta valve tubes (Customers are reporting there is plenty of room for 2.35" tires) Brakes Avid Elixir 9 CARBON HYDRAULIC DISC BRAKE, W/POST DISC MOUNT (front), BLACK, 180mm ROTOR Brake Levers Avid Elixir 9 Carbon hydraulic (carbon levers) Headset FSA ORBIT 1.5 ZS ,FOR 1-1/8"/1.5" FORK STEM Internal Alloy Cups, 1-1/8" ACB Upper, 1.5" ACB Lower w/Std 15mm top cover, cartridge bearing for threadless Handlebar Ritchey PRO ALLOY( 2014 ) FLAT H/BAR(5°) B/CENTER:31.8mm.R/W:0/560mm Stem Ritchey PRO 4Axis aluminum, 31.8mm ) EXT6°)110/120/130mm FOR 42/47/52CM Tape/Grip Ritchey WCS Hex foam Saddle WTB Rocket V saddle, CrMo-rails, Black Seat Post Ritchey PRO Aluminum 31.6x350mm Seat Post Clamp Super Light Polished Aluminum Sizes Small/42cm, Medium/47cm, Large/52cm Colors MatteBlack"

I copied it from a table, so sorry if the formatting sucks.

5/29/2012 5:07:35 PM

Not as familiar with duel suspension setups, but I can vouch for that front fork because I have it and it's nice. Sram x0 and elixer 9 is a great brake and component setup. Now you too can be a shameless bikesdirect shill like I have been on here.


If you do the assembly on your own, make sure and grease everything up well. I didn't have the problem on mine from BD, but I have heard others complain about lack of proper grease in the headset, BB, etc.

[Edited on May 29, 2012 at 9:16 PM. Reason : d]

5/29/2012 9:14:12 PM

I'm looking to purchase my first mountain bike so I have very little knowledge on what brands, size, etc. I should get. I'm not looking to spend a lot of money because a) i will probably only go a few times per year on actual trails, and b) I want to be able to lock it up downtown and leave overnight and not be devastated if stolen. That said, will be used on road as well, and looking to spend <$200.

Can someone take a look at the couple of links below and tell be if a good deal? Or any other you come across on CL or other places you recommend would be great, especially brand suggestions. Im taller (~6'3) and not fat if that helps. thanks

http://raleigh.craigslist.org/bid/2998281805.html
http://raleigh.craigslist.org/bik/3046494330.html
Is mongoose decent?
http://raleigh.craigslist.org/bik/3034494433.html
http://raleigh.craigslist.org/bik/3031323751.html

5/30/2012 11:45:54 AM

IMO you don't want a mountain bike then. You should just buy a cheap, used road bike and put fatter tires on it and maybe a straight handlebar. If you're only planning on taking it on an unpaved trail a few times a year then it sounds like its primary role will be a commuter bike. You don't want to have to try to pedal all the extra weight of a shitty mtn bike around town just for the ability to jump a curb every once in a while.

5/30/2012 1:06:32 PM

^what he said. If you are trying to commute primarily, lugging around a pig of a mountain bike is gonna make you not want to do it.

Mongoose used to be a decent bmx brand, but they sold out to walmart and those bikes you are looking at are walmart specials. You can probably spend about what those folks are asking and get the bike brand new at walmart.

Since it looks like you are going budget, I would recommend going with less moving parts. Find something without suspension. No suspension is better than low end suspension (and that goes double for dual suspension) and it's just one more thing to break or wear out or otherwise not work properly. If you can find a singlespeed, all the better. It really would be a good idea to look for an old road bike and put some fatter tires on it for the occasional trail use and commuting.

5/30/2012 1:24:30 PM

Thanks for the feedback. Im not really viewing this as a commuter bike. I live ~2 miles from downtown, so its more of an occasional ride it dt and cab home type thing if i do some drinking. But that would likely be the extent of road biking. Otherwise it would be used for local trails, and also I want something I could bring to the beach and ride on the sand (which i realize would not need suspension for). So likely would get minimal usage anyways, thus the budget, but I was also viewing this more of a beginner mountain bike to see if it is something Id like to get into. So i feel like i should get something with at least front suspension to learn on. Make sense?

ETA: are mountain bikes really THAT much heavier than road? To the point where it would suck to ride a couple miles on the road?

[Edited on May 30, 2012 at 2:39 PM. Reason : .]

5/30/2012 2:37:22 PM

The weight + the rolling resistance of the fat knobby tires + the gearing made for off-road make riding a mountain bike on the road inferior to road bikes.

I'd guess that those bikes you are looking at are in the 30-35lb range whereas even an old steel road bike is gonna be in the 20-25lb range. That's a pretty big difference.

This may be a little outside your price range, but here is my recommendation based one what you said: http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/gravity/g29ss.htm

A couple years back, I bought basically the same model to see if I wanted to get into mountain biking. Turns out I loved it and I have since upgraded to front suspension (last fall) and just recently to a light aluminum frame. I rode it as it came on some pretty aggressive trails and it did well, though. The bigger wheels/tires means you won't get beat to death even without front suspension in light trail riding and the frame and components are solid enough that you can upgrade individual parts. It's also been my experience that singlespeed is much more reliable than low end derailers and shifting. Much better value than a walmart bike.

5/30/2012 3:07:21 PM

Do any of you know of a place I can get a white Niner carbon 1 1/8" fork? I have scoured the internet and no one has any.

6/1/2012 11:03:05 AM

Looks like they're out online http://store.ninerbikes.com/Components/Carbon-Forks/Niner-taper-steerer-rigid-carbon-fork_2

you check any of the dealers in the area? http://www.ninerbikes.com/fly.aspx?layout=dealerlocator

there's a tapered one on pinkbike, but doesn't sound like what you need http://www.pinkbike.com/buysell/list/?q=niner&category=10&pmin=&pmax=®ion=3

how about these?

http://www.cambriabike.com/shopexd.asp?id=100073
http://www.coloradocyclist.com/product/item/NWC-NIN-160
http://www.bikeman.com/BTI-NE1292.html

6/1/2012 1:12:12 PM

Anyone ever ride Douthat?

6/1/2012 1:35:02 PM

I traded emails with Niner this morning and they do not have anymore in house. They expect more to be available in August. I talked with one dealer in Cary and got the the same info.

Right about the tapered - don't need that one.

Cambria & Bikeman are out, CC is the wrong fork.

Looks like I am going with a black one then. I'm not waiting till August or later.

6/1/2012 1:39:29 PM

Quote :

"ETA: are mountain bikes really THAT much heavier than road? To the point where it would suck to ride a couple miles on the road?"

Yes on the first question, and hell no on the second.

As a first time trail rider, I would not recommend a single speed, fully rigid bike...unless you're going to be riding non-hilly non-technical trails, and what's the fun in that? If you're wanting to go on trails, expand your budget to $300-$350 and get a quality used bike. Might take a little while to find it, but something with a decent fork/components can be had in that price range.

As far as riding a bike downtown and leaving it, just get some cheap piece of shit $20 bike for that.

6/1/2012 1:48:59 PM

I really don't think you guys understand how much of a difference 29inch wheels make in the smoothness of the ride. I would almost go so far as to say that a rigid 29er is going to feel about the same on a trail as a hardtail 26er. I don't know if you guys had 20in bmx bikes as a kid like me, but it was like magic when I got my first 26in mtn bike as a kid. I guarantee the jump from 26-29in is about the same in terms of ride quality.

Yes, rigid is miserable on a 26in, but on 29in, it is comfortable except on the most bumpy trails. My three most recent mountain bikes were 26in specialized aluminum hardtail, 29in rigid steel frame, 29in aluminum with front suspension. I would rank them about like that too (26in hardtail< 29 rigid < 29 hardtail).

6/1/2012 2:17:35 PM

its simple the wheel center is 3" higher... so when a 26inch wheel would have all the force of running into a 13" step going in the x direction thus be unable to roll over it a 13" step is still 1.5" below the wheel center of a 29er and thus have the possibility of rolling over the step.
(lol but it would also be 10x more likely to pancake the wheel). I run a 26er because i'm abusive on wheels and would have to spend a fortune to get a 29er wheel set i trust.

But as far as ride comfort goes.. i agree that a very short travel 29er hard tail runs up a rooty trail 100x better then my 7" travel 26er. now down that trail 2 20mph+ i would say mine is smoother.



[Edited on June 2, 2012 at 9:51 AM. Reason : .]

6/2/2012 9:50:01 AM

Anybody have any experience with Crank Brothers egg beaters? I picked up a pair of eggbeater 3's for the hell of it to throw on the Niner. I currently use my mtb shoes for mtn and road using SPD pedals. I refuse to use road shoes/pedals, and it's just silly to have two pairs of mtb shoes just because I need to use two different cleats, so if I decide to stick with the eggbeaters I'll have to pick up another pair for the road bike as well.

6/6/2012 10:29:18 PM

^ I used to love my eggbeaters on my sugar but never used any other kind of mtb pedal so I unfortunately cant give you much of a comparison. For all I know they may have sucked, but they stayed clean, were easy to control and always worked for me.

6/6/2012 11:31:04 PM

^^I do the same. SPD pedals and both mtn and road bike with mtn bike shoes. Have heard lots of good things about egg beaters especially in the mud. They don't cake up like SPDs can.

6/7/2012 6:41:25 AM

I'm really just butthurt that my build weighed in at 30.5 lbs, so I'm trying to shed some ounces to get it down to at least 29 lbs. That'll put it on par with my old Hifi. There's really no other reason I'm considering eggbeaters. Stupid reason, I know, but maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised by the change.

6/7/2012 6:57:31 PM

If anyone thinks they might like to try out mountain bike racing, they should come out to Uwharrie on Sunday. It's not too far from Raleigh and it's a great trail. Also a night ride on Saturday.

http://stormracing.org/team/?page_id=63

6/8/2012 10:52:04 AM

^ where exactly in Uwharrie is that? I'm guessing it's on trails that aren't normally open to bikes?

6/9/2012 10:31:40 AM

Not at all. It's the normal bike trails as far as I know. I rode the course a couple weeks ago and it was open and had a bunch out there riding. It's a loop that is roughly 9-10 miles. Cat 1/Pro will do three laps, Cat 2 two laps, and Cat 3 (me) will do one.

6/9/2012 2:23:45 PM

I'm interested in Xterra racing at some point (year) in the future.....what kinda bike should i be looking at??

6/10/2012 7:52:51 AM

^^^
http://www.tarheeltrailblazers.com/TrailsReview1.cfm?trailid=51

They made some updates about 9 months ago to take out some of the fire road sections and replace it with single track. I've been out there three times, it's a nice destination. I want to say it's about a 2 hour drive one way from the triangle, so I only consider going out there when I'm out that way anyway.

6/11/2012 10:52:45 AM