Official mountain biking thread

Anyone have any recommendations for upper body armor? I'm looking for shoulder, rib, chest, and back protection. Short sleeve too.

I have been participating in various gravity sports for about 15+ years now and have never hit my head so hard / had such a high speed impact. Scared me and now I'm looking to upgrade protection.

Considering Troy Lee Designs, Alpine Stars, POC, and the usual suspects. Any experience with this type of equipment out there?
 
13699087:JuliusJ said:
wait what no. I would not recommend an XL for most companies, i'm 5'11" and the M/L he originally said is spot on. You're going to just have to ride the bike to find out if it works for you. I typically go a bit on the larger frame w/ a shorter stem.

@Cornolio get something like a Specialized Camber or something that is 130ish rear travel, it'll pedal well for when you ride XC most of the time and still get out on some burly terrain.
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Just to be clear I said some companies, not most. Santa Cruz is notorious for having a short reach measurement. I'm 6'0" and would not go below an XL sizing on their bikes.
 
13702167:loopie said:
Just to be clear I said some companies, not most. Santa Cruz is notorious for having a short reach measurement. I'm 6'0" and would not go below an XL sizing on their bikes.
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input from everyone is good. good to know sc runs small, there might be l/xl, others l/m, exactly why i asked the questions.

all input welcome, i'm still about to buy another ss 29 on cl for < $300 and then buy another bigger bike for whatever
 
13702167:loopie said:
Just to be clear I said some companies, not most. Santa Cruz is notorious for having a short reach measurement. I'm 6'0" and would not go below an XL sizing on their bikes.
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Yup. I'm looking at new(er) frames and at the top of my list is a Banshee Prime (29") or Rune (26/27.5"). A large Rune has the same (even slightly longer) numbers as my older Nomad. The Nomad is mostly pretty good, but I'd rather have a larger frame with a shorter stem.

Soon enough...
 
Depending on how good your local shop is they should have a bike fitting service. Where they can determine the best frame size for you, then adjust stem length to better fit your reach...
 
13702215:jblaski said:
I'm 6'1" and ride a Large Nomad. It's not too small.
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I can see that. My buddy's large nomad is not too terrible for me and I'm 6'4". But his large V10 is legit unrideable for me.

Ya gotta just sit on the bike to figure out how it fits you.

On an unrelated not, I managed to land a little too sideways on A-line Sunday and got bucked full speed into a rather stout tree. Full on George of the jungle style. I got my head out of the way, you can see the wood streak on the side of my helmet where it grazed the trunk, but took the full force to my chest and bounced backwards. One of the hardest impacts I've ever taken- now my sternum clicks and pops. If I wasn't in the gym building muscle as much as I am, things could been seriously bad as my developed pecs and abs cushioned my ribs and organs. Feels like my heart/lungs are fucking bruised
 
13702228:californiagrown said:
Feels like my heart/lungs are fucking bruised
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Careful with this. Last summer I had what was probably a less forceful crash and ended up with a collapsed lung. I hit a tree on a monday, and nothing hurt too bad until friday when I 100% thought I was having a heart attack
 
I have 2013 giant reign x for sale. 160 mm of travel front and rear. Full slx 1x10 setup. Pm for pictures. I will accept any reasonable offers.
 
13704291:GANDALF said:
who is gonna be at crankworx?
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I'm thinking about it and I have a relatively free place to stay too. But I'd have to miss two days of work and wouldn't get back till early Monday. If I could go for fri-sun and ride 1 park day and 1.5 valley trail days, id go in a heartbeat.

Still might go anyways. Gotta see if other folks' plans jive with my own.
 
If I have a hardtail and buy a rear suspension frame alone, can i use all of the other components of the hardtail on the full suspension bike?
 
13704632:mike759 said:
If I have a hardtail and buy a rear suspension frame alone, can i use all of the other components of the hardtail on the full suspension bike?
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As long as wheel/axle, bottom bracket, and headtube sizings match up, yeah.
 
13704632:mike759 said:
If I have a hardtail and buy a rear suspension frame alone, can i use all of the other components of the hardtail on the full suspension bike?
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also make sure the fork fits with the sort of travel the frame is built for. don't buy a 150mm trail frame and throw a 100mm fork on it or the other way around.
 
13705863:BaconSteezburger said:
No one wants trades there
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So sell your bike for money, then use that money to buy a bike! Was it really that tough to connect those dots?

If you can't get much money for your bike, why would someone want to trade for it?

Pinkbike is your best bet.
 
anyone in tahoe? heading down to northstar on thursday morn. ill be riding friday and then i'll be filming on saturday/sun. message me if you wanna spin some laps
 
13704632:mike759 said:
If I have a hardtail and buy a rear suspension frame alone, can i use all of the other components of the hardtail on the full suspension bike?
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Follow up question: does anyone have a 650b, L or XL full suspension frame?
 
13706426:cornholio said:
http://www.pinkbike.com/buysell/2005362/

thoughts on the heckler? this is priced around what i want to spend and seems like it could be a good do it all bike for the non lift accessed stuff i'll see most of the time.
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That bike has a blown up low end fork, and a drivetrain that will need replacing sooner than later according to the current owner. I wouldnt trust the condition of the rest of the bike either. those facts alone would make me not pay close to $1600. I wouldnt pay over $1200 for it.

There are better deals out there, wait it out.
 
13706436:californiagrown said:
That bike has a blown up low end fork, and a drivetrain that will need replacing sooner than later according to the current owner. I wouldnt trust the condition of the rest of the bike either. those facts alone would make me not pay close to $1600. I wouldnt pay over $1200 for it.

There are better deals out there, wait it out.
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alright i'll keep looking, though the plan was to lowball on his number anyways. i will probably be picking up a cheap hardtail later this week to hold me over until the right bike shows up
 
Tried downhill for the first time last weekend and ended up going today/tomorrow to. So much fun, may have to dig into the bank account and get myself a downhill bike soon.

And to share some stoke here are some shots from today, staring to get a bit more comfortable on the rental bike

G0040397.jpg


G0040403.jpg
 
https://instagram.com/p/BIZEqpSDmoD/

went out with shin-bang last night and put this together... I really need a good job next year so I can save up for another year of school and get a new bike. I'm thinking an intense tracer 27A. The bike I'm on (I'm in front in the blue) is a 2005 giant reign 3 so it's 10+ years old, time for an upgrade. Still super fun though, summers don't suck as much as they used to.
 
13707760:Poindexter. said:
Are you going to have a car with you out here? If so you can try to work at scheels, they carry trek bikes so youd be able to get pro deals on that
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I hopefully will. I've also looked into black rock bikes since they carry intense.
 
definitely looking into getting a bike to do something on my days off the rest of the summer/fall and figured this was the best place to start. i definitely wanna do some trail riding but also would love to haul ass and jump stuff/rail turns. i guess im wondering if there are bikes that are on the same level as a "one ski quiver". DH/Freeriding looks fun as fuck and especially appeals to me coming from a BMX racing background when i was like 5 till about 12-13.
 
13707831:DeebieSkeebies said:
definitely looking into getting a bike to do something on my days off the rest of the summer/fall and figured this was the best place to start. i definitely wanna do some trail riding but also would love to haul ass and jump stuff/rail turns. i guess im wondering if there are bikes that are on the same level as a "one ski quiver". DH/Freeriding looks fun as fuck and especially appeals to me coming from a BMX racing background when i was like 5 till about 12-13.
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Santa Cruz nomad

Specialized enduro

Trek slash

Kona process 153

Yeti Sb6

Giant reign

Literally every bike manufacturer has an "enduro" bike, which is what you're looking for. Don't skimp on price, look to spend about 3k, and you're bike will thrive on any and all trails... bike park and dh trails included.
 
13707831:DeebieSkeebies said:
definitely looking into getting a bike to do something on my days off the rest of the summer/fall and figured this was the best place to start. i definitely wanna do some trail riding but also would love to haul ass and jump stuff/rail turns. i guess im wondering if there are bikes that are on the same level as a "one ski quiver". DH/Freeriding looks fun as fuck and especially appeals to me coming from a BMX racing background when i was like 5 till about 12-13.
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13892071_1070274463055267_5902323449304052507_n.jpg
 
Man do mountain bike crashes hurt... took a beating today.

Also, I'm planning to get a bike next summer, a newer one. My bike is over 10 years old. I really like the intense tracers and trek slash. I'm really tempted to get another giant tho, if my reign has lasted 10+ years I think that's what I might get.
 
13708291:.lencon said:
Man do mountain bike crashes hurt... took a beating today.

Also, I'm planning to get a bike next summer, a newer one. My bike is over 10 years old. I really like the intense tracers and trek slash. I'm really tempted to get another giant tho, if my reign has lasted 10+ years I think that's what I might get.
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I do love my reign....

I'd love to hop to a Transition at some point, but bang for your buck the Giant's are hard to beat IMO
 
13708307:cydwhit said:
I do love my reign....

I'd love to hop to a Transition at some point, but bang for your buck the Giant's are hard to beat IMO
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Yeah I don't have a whole lot of experience with other bikes, doing a demo for devenci bikes in a week tho, stoked for that. Just hope my wrist is healed by then.

Today I hit a decent sized step up, whipped too hard and was going too fast with lots of wind, landed okay but rode off the trail into same nasty stuff. Ribs ad wrists kill.

What reign do you have, and what year?
 
13708314:.lencon said:
Yeah I don't have a whole lot of experience with other bikes, doing a demo for devenci bikes in a week tho, stoked for that. Just hope my wrist is healed by then.

Today I hit a decent sized step up, whipped too hard and was going too fast with lots of wind, landed okay but rode off the trail into same nasty stuff. Ribs ad wrists kill.

What reign do you have, and what year?
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2013 with a custom build.

KS Lev

XT Drivetrain + brakes

Wolftooth 32T ring

Azonic Outlaw wheels

RF Atlas 35 cockpit

Got it used off PB and love it.

Those Devinci Spartans are real pretty though.
 
13708316:cydwhit said:
2013 with a custom build.

KS Lev

XT Drivetrain + brakes

Wolftooth 32T ring

Azonic Outlaw wheels

RF Atlas 35 cockpit

Got it used off PB and love it.

Those Devinci Spartans are real pretty though.
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Yeah that's what I'm planning on being on, the Spartan. You have to sign up for them and that was my first choice but if it's taken it will still be sweet to try out one of the others
 
13708314:.lencon said:
Yeah I don't have a whole lot of experience with other bikes, doing a demo for devenci bikes in a week tho, stoked for that. Just hope my wrist is healed by then. /QUOTE]

When it comes to bikes, I've found it to be incredibly helpful owning a brand that is supported locally, as it makes finding replacement parts that much easier. Skis are one thing but bikes are a whole other level of investment just waiting to break/need replacement. Having owned super nichey frames where tracking down a replacement part meant waiting & consequently not riding for a while, it can be downright annoying and maddening. So if you have a choice between two rad bikes but only one is also supported by a local dealer, then I would choose the one you can more easily find parts for.
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13708352:onenerdykid said:
Yeah I don't have a whole lot of experience with other bikes, doing a demo for devenci bikes in a week tho, stoked for that. Just hope my wrist is healed by then. /QUOTE]

When it comes to bikes, I've found it to be incredibly helpful owning a brand that is supported locally, as it makes finding replacement parts that much easier. Skis are one thing but bikes are a whole other level of investment just waiting to break/need replacement. Having owned super nichey frames where tracking down a replacement part meant waiting & consequently not riding for a while, it can be downright annoying and maddening. So if you have a choice between two rad bikes but only one is also supported by a local dealer, then I would choose the one you can more easily find parts for.
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Yeah, I have two shops in my hometown, one carries Giant, Trek, specialized. And the other carries devenci, Norco, intense, and a few others.

So yeah I'll end up getting a giant, trek, intense, or maybe even a devenci. I'll most likely buy used tho, whether it's from our local used bike shop or just on pink bike/KSL, but I'll be sticking to those brands for sure.
 
13704291:GANDALF said:
who is gonna be at crankworx?
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im in the park pretty much everyday. its only my first year biking though so it will be cool to see it this time from more of a riders perspective. stoked to demo carbon bikes all week long haha.
 
Just got a 2016 Trek Fuel EX 9 last week, so stoked to ride it up at Sugarloaf! The trails in Maine are super sick. I spent more than I should have (though it was a good deal, demo that had only been out once or twice), but man, this thing rips!

13620851_1044586175578575_6006298428816797886_n.jpg
 
Damn. It's been a month since I wrapped my leg through my bike and pulled my quad. Still not feeling great.

Fuck it, I'm going skiing tomorrow.
 
13708481:GANDALF said:
Hell yeah! What you riding?
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27TBS2m.jpg


bought a stumpjumper. was going to buy the shops demo bike but new was on sale for not much more so i just went for it. spent more than i wanted to but i was tired of dealing with flaky people people on craigslist so fuck it. no regrets here
 
13708555:cornholio said:
27TBS2m.jpg


bought a stumpjumper. was going to buy the shops demo bike but new was on sale for not much more so i just went for it. spent more than i wanted to but i was tired of dealing with flaky people people on craigslist so fuck it. no regrets here
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sick! gotta love the stumpy. which one are you on? im riding the '15 carbon expert evo right now. fucking so sick. its worth 2 cars
 
13708575:GANDALF said:
sick! gotta love the stumpy. which one are you on? im riding the '15 carbon expert evo right now. fucking so sick. its worth 2 cars
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it's the cheap one, '16 comp 650b. excited to have something to ride on again

my car isn't worth very much
 
13708291:.lencon said:
Man do mountain bike crashes hurt... took a beating today.

Also, I'm planning to get a bike next summer, a newer one. My bike is over 10 years old. I really like the intense tracers and trek slash. I'm really tempted to get another giant tho, if my reign has lasted 10+ years I think that's what I might get.
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13708307:cydwhit said:
I do love my reign....

I'd love to hop to a Transition at some point, but bang for your buck the Giant's are hard to beat IMO
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+1 for the reign.

I ride a 2016 reign 2 and absolutely love it. I demoed a 2015 patrol 3 before I bought the reign and I gotta say it was a bit more playful in the air (however, it was a medium and my giant is a large) but I went with the reign to save a few bucks and don't regret it. After swapping to 1x they're nearly identical bikes with the differences being the location of the chainstay pivot and chainstay length (patrol's is 5mm shorter).

Also, after checking their website to check my facts, I just realized that Giant dropped their 2017 reign line and damn, they upped most of the specs (and finally put a 1X as stock... took them long enough) and dropped the price by over $500... god damn. They brought back the sx model too which is neat.
 
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