NitroRunner

Kona, specialized, trek and norco all make great bikes, im 16 and ive owned 2 konas,(i still have the kona shred. just got it) a trek 820, and a specialized hardrock comp. Ive never owned a norco but I hear they are good bikes too. If u get a bike get a marzochi fork, theyre the best.

The_Lost_Otter

do you want a down hill bike or a free ride bike??


intense
foes
haro
all good bikes

Baja5BLST

Kona Stinky Deluxe=Badass for DH riding

saleens7

i have a diamondback coil x.....i dont know how much it is (parents got it for me for christmas) but its a sweet bike....i like how easily adjustable the rear shock is.....there arent many mountains or bike trails here in south florida, so im usually stuck to climing and riding on some fairly large man-made hills at a nearby park....there is markham park too...dont go there much though....i like how it has a extra large sprocket for the lowest gear setting, i can go up pretty steep hills fairly easily......

im pretty hard on my bikes, and im surprised how well mine has taken the abuse....although i think its time i fix it up a bit...both tires have a wobble to them, the rear brake gets stuck a little when i after pulling it...not enough to lock up the brakes though...unless you hear the brakes rubbing on the rim you wouldnt know its doing that....the left peadal keeps getting loose (because the bolt tightens by truning right, and when you peadal, you torque it left, it loosened the bolt over time and now it need to be re-tightened every couple of runs....the front handlebars got loose on me once...although after tightening them up they haven showed any signs of getting loose anymore...ive also had to change the rear tire (soon the front as well)....riding on asphalt alot isnt good for those knobbies....

i gotta say though, its a pretty great bike...especially compared to my last one (NEXT)....on the first day the handlebars came loose from the front wheel....i lost control...and hit a tree[:@]....luckily my face absorbed most of the impact....


man though, some of those newer mountain bikes im seeing....i wish i could buy one....disk brakes, awesome looking suspension systems that have so much travel...i got to test ride one like that....with my diamondback it would be bouncing around everywhere...this thing was smooth....and even if mines has one of those "superlight" heat treated aluminum frames, these things weight only 1/2 as much and are so much more durable...they have carbon fiber or graphite or some exotic materia for the frames and use that extra light but strong aircraft grade aluminum for all the metal parts....then again, whats the point of getting one if there arent really any mountains or bike trails around here....

still though, i ride my bike for a couple of hours ever day for exersize....im kind of as some would say "plump" so the exersize helps keep my weight down...

CustomTamiyas4Life

My Feedback: (34)

I'm in that same boat, I love the bikes and riding but all the trails around here are flat so I dont need to spend 2 grand on a bike I wouldnt get to beat on.

saleens7

it may be pretty flat here, but i still find ways to beat on this bike

im still surprised it retains its origional shape after all the jumps, crashes, etc. its been through....

Baja5BLST

Austin has a lot of trails, it nice.

RCtruckRacer

Awww, go for broke man!


Kestrel makes the best frames

Baja5BLST

That frame is the exact same as the one from my 2001 KHS FXT Comp. Stolen ideas ftl. [:'(]

lee172

you could also say that was copied from the old Specialised FSR, but i guess bike designers are kinda limited in rear suspension designs..

nitro _ burner

How about Orange??
They're realy expensive, but take one look at the frame and you instantly know it'll withstand a nuclear bomb!!

RCtruckRacer

Everybody copies each other it seems. I won a Kestrel frame back in '87 when they were a new company. It was pretty cool. And I believe that Specialized did come out with the 4 bar linkage suspension first. So I guess its KHS ftl too.

I wouldn't mind having one of these:

Baja5BLST

I'd take one of Scott's carbon frames over that though.

drag racer

i like santa cruz bikes
i think thats how to spell it[&:]
im lookin into gettin a norco full susser its like 2500 bucks but i gotta fix my car up first

Baja5BLST

Santa Cruz is where I am going to try to get into college. Maybe I should get one of their bikes? Fitting no? Riding a Santa Cruz in Santa Cruz.

Evader 53

I'd seriously go with an Iron Horse if I were you, their bikes are up there with the big names but for a cheaper price. Yes, you can buy Iron Horse bikes at Dicks, but there are also dealers that sell them.

Ironhorse and Diamondback are essentially the same company and both make GREAT bikes loaded with great equipment. And both you can buy very cheap ($600-$1000) for a full suspension at Dicks.

Go to dicks and check it out, stay away from Mongoose's cheaper bikes, but definately take a look at Iron Horse and DiamondBack... They use much of the same technology and equipment as Trek, Cannondale, etc... To prove this, go to Dicks, look at some bikes that interest you and get the fork, shifting equipment, tires and rim info, plug it into google and guarenteed you will see much of the same equipment on big name brands.

Some DB & Ironhorse bikes at dicks come with Marzocchi (spelling?) forks.

HOWEVER, if you do buy a bike at Dicks, take it into a local bike shop and have them check it over, the 16-year old bike boy getting minimum wage in the back of Dicks assembling these bikes is KNOWN to put stuff on loose/backwards.

_______________________________

On a second note, I am not obsessed with Dicks or their bikes, but just letting you know you are able to get great bikes from them at a great price.

I bought an Ironhorse Warrior FS from a Local Bike Shop and the bike has held up to everything I've put at it, from high speed DH to 10 foot drops.

I previously had a Trek hardtail until I bent the frame, and I have no complaints to trek what-so-ever besides pricing!

Anyway, good luck finding a bike and ride safe.

Spdsk8er

My Feedback: (3)

Yeah I was just at Dicks, and saw the Iron horse bikes. I was surprised at the quality of the stuff the use. Sram, shimano, Marchozzi. That is probaly what Ill be getting. Although, Theres a sweet K2 at REI with front lock out which is pretty sweet for the same price.

saleens7

just throwing a random quetion out there....what would be some good (and affordable) front shocks for a diamondback coil x??

the ones they come with stock have very little travel (i think only 65mm)...i hear most of those better mountain bikes have 200+mm of travel....with the stock shocks, they keep bottoming out every time i land from a jump and if i land hard enough the force is so much it actually causes the front handlbars to move downward...and its a pain having to go back to my house and loosen up the bolts and spin it back up to the origional position...also, maybe a new rear shock as well....i dont mind the current one, but i would like one with a little more travel so i will have softer landings....they shocks are so stiff on this thing when im going fast over rocky terrain the bike bounces all over the place....

Ocitsalocs

My Feedback: (2)

i have an ironhorse and i love it. I want to convert it to hydraulic disk brakes though.

drag racer

saleens7 rock shox and fox shox make good suspensions, and i know fox shox will custom build a rear shock for any bike for like 200 or 250 dollars

saleens7

200-250$?!?

dude, my bike costs 350$...ummm....im fine with the rear shock then....

ill check out rock and fox shocks for some cheapo shocks....just looking for more travel is all...ill need to find out how much they cost though...i wonder if there is a way i could modify my current shocks to have more travel...

annie_himself

Maybe the same way you modify your car or truck to have more travel maybe..I'm not into MTB.

saleens7

umm....i dont have a car or truck (rc or full size)...i wouldnt know how to...

drag racer

yeah the shocks are expensive but they are high quality. i tried modifying an old bike of mine for more travel and it did not work, but that was a long time ago and i had no idea wha i was doing. i bet there is some way to increase the travel. and how do you modify a car or truck to have more travel??

SpikeX

I have a Specialized FSR XC Comp. I'm 13 years old, and I think it's an awesome bike. It has nice suspension, incredible disc brakes, is extremely light, and is very comfortable to ride. I am a serious freerider, and this bike fits the bill perfectly.

Other good bikes from Specialized are the SX Trail II, BigHit III, or Demo 8.