Dear Bicyclists

[jeff_man]

I need some help finding a bike. Looking for a freeride / downhill / trails / park bike and get back into bike and destroy and give blood ride bmx like i was in miami.

1st bike i looked at was a black market but it's single gear designed for park and city riding and cost a lot.

2nd was a specialized p2 but still more then i want to pay at $1300 but seems to have everything i want

Bo told me to look at some kona bikes but i don't know enough about them and they come with mechanical brakes. was told to go with hydraulic.

just found KHS bikes but also don't know much about them.

any of you peddle pushers have any info or help you can give on this subject??

[tailchaser]

Chris can probably provide a better fill-in on how serious the need for the cost and weight of "downhill" are in this area...

My most recent trails bike is a Motobecane Titanium 29er... The aluminum version is around $1,000 with good components. http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/...liff29team.htm

[Nexus Flux]

Generally there are a few other things to consider as well. You will almost never pay MSRP, unless you go to RBM and get a Specialized or something else high end; geared bikes can always go back down to a single speed but not so much the other way around; less weight will in almost every case always cost more; and some places (Performance Bike) tend to discount last year's model by quite a bit.

Here are a couple of others you could look at in the DJ/trail bike category: GT Ruckus or GT Chucker Both are in the $800 range

Also check out the for sale section on the DORBA forums, there are some pretty nice used bikes, as well as plenty of folks to bounce questions off of.

[jeff_man]

posted on dorba before i posted her, did look at the GTs but i have never liked GT bikes.

[cone-cerned]

I have a couple of GT Avalanche frames from my 6 foot tall son. You might want to build you own. It's been a long time since I moved them around in the shop but I think one may have a rigid fork. If you are interested, I will dig them out and check the sizes. I remember that one has Zaskar decals, but AFAIK it is an Avalanche frame.

[jeff_man]

i was thinking about building one but i rather just get something that is built for now seeing as i know nothing about current bike stuff. by a bike, ride it and learn as i go.

[miataspeedracer]

Go to your LBS, look at last years' close-out models, ride as many as they'll allow you to, make your decision. You should be able to find a suitable bike that fits you and your needs for under a grand. Plus, they'll probably throw in free service. Performance Bike is a good shop.

[redmenace]

Hydro brakes are nice, but decent mechanical discs will do just fine.

Best values are used, but you gotta know what you're getting into. Next best values are non-current as speed said, so poke around some local shops for '09s and '08s. Performance Bike for GT/Mongoose/Schwinn, Dallas Bike Works for Kona and Jamis, REI (umm... Novara?), Sun & Ski Sports for Rocky Mountain and Haro, Bicycle$ Plu$ in $nider Plaza for Redline.

I didn't know squat about GT bikes, but I bought one of their XC 29ers just for the components and geometry and have actually been very happy with the frame. I have an older Haro that came with some mediocre components (well, I wore 'em out fast) and a bombproof frame. I think Kona make good stuff. KHS and Jamis have actually been around a while; they're not bad, you've just never heard of them. If you like boutique stuff, check out Orange, Dialled, and Transition bikes.

Oh, and if you ride anything like you drive, I wanna watch.

[jeff_man]

Oh, and if you ride anything like you drive, I wanna watch.

you build me a ramp i'll jump it, car or bike.