First Full Susp bike debate help

[BlackRabbits]

Whats Up. So ive begun the process of deciding which bike to get. Im 6'3" 160lbs and im looking to do it all. I want an all-mountain bike thats going to get me up the hills almost as well as down. and I want something i can expand with and not have to worry about getting another bike anytime soon. my budget- well im pretty set on Transitions 06 Preston FR and i can get that for near 2500.- but Thats on the high end of my budget and is going to take a little longer to scrounge for.. anyhow ive heard nothing but good things and its looking like one of my best bets. Do you all think i should go for the preston or is there a better bike for the money i should look at? Thanks for any and all help!!

[carbuncle]

I've seen several riders on the trail out here riding Prestons and Dirtbags, and I've never heard anything but good reviews from them. That's from people on the trail, not magazines. I saw one guy whose whole family was tricked out with them, from mom and dad on the Prestons to Jr on the Dirtbag and they all had nothing but raves (and dad was looking to pick up a Dirtbag later). Good company, good bikes and one of those times when it's probably worth it to go the extra mile for quality.

[Sir_Crackien]

i got the preston fr and love the thing so far and for 2500 bucks its a great deal.

stop asking questions and get the bike. its probibly the only bike that can do it all (the spec sx it also good though). also the 2 people that work ar transition are both great nad will make sure that the bike it setup right for you. also being yuor size get the 19" anything smaller will not make for a good trail bike but will still make a great fr bike that can take most anything that you will thorw at it.

here are the pics of mine
http://www.hcor.net/modules.php?set_albumName=album290&op=modload&name=Photos&file=index&include=view_album.php

oh btw this is coming from a 6'5" 250 lbs rider

[untitledsince89]

for 2500 there are a lot of options, hell even for 2000 there are a lot of great bikes. Trasiton is definetly a good choice though

[metalhead119042]

have you looked at the enduro trail? i don't know much about it but from what i've heard it seems a lot like what your looking for. maybe a little heavy to take up hills but i don't know.

[BlackRabbits]

yea.. i dont like all i hear about the enduro. i dont doubt its a great bike though

[richcreek]

try the specialized enduro, its only 2200 and is an all mountain with good conponets like a marzocchi fork

[BlackRabbits]

SO ill more than likely go with the transition. anyone have a reason I shoudlnt?? ie.. a better bike for the dough? Thanks for the advice

[richcreek]

its a good bike not that heavy, it is a really good bike i have ride it, with the FSR susp you can ride itup hills with minamul pedal kick back and bouncing.yea.. i dont like all i hear about the enduro. i dont doubt its a great bike though

[BIRDMAN111]

hows about the Jamis Dakar XlT 3.0. its got 5 inches of travel in the rear and 130mm in the front. but what do i know i xc.

[Monkeybidnezz]

You have a ton of choices with the amount of coin you will be dropping. The Preston is a great bike, but I would highly recommend at least trying out a few models before you plop down the cash.

I'm not sure what you have heard about the Enduro, but it pedals very well and can take a ton of abuse. You get a lifetime warranty on the frame as well. The Giant Reign is another good ride with a lifetime warranty.

Just my 2 cents

[Sir_Crackien]

i have a couple of things to say.

1) the preston FR has the FR for a reason. its a burly little bike. it is by all means a FR bike but just with 4-5" of travel. it pedals fairly well to.

2) i work at a shop that use to carry jamis and those dakar xlt's have the most QR chainstay i have ever seen in my life. they break all the time it seemed.

3) for the money the preston is possible one of the best spec bikes out there (hence what i said before). none of the parts are stupid or weak. they might be a little heavier than a nicer parts but that part would also really increase the price on the bike.

4) the reign doesn't have a lifetime warrenty but a 5 year. giant really does stand behind their products. i have had to warrenty in the past and got a new frame in 5 days.

the only other bike i would really look at are the specialized SX. i think those are a great bike that can do fr and trail riding.

[DirtBag]

Well I will speculate that the Preston FR is a fantastic choice. I have a DirtBag and just got a Vagrant frame last week. The DB is fantastic and I imagine that the Preston FR is just as nice. The build specs this year are superb on that thing.

One extra thing about Transition is their service. You will not find a better company when it comes to service. I have called and e-mailed them on a number of occasions and they have been terrific.

[Biking=Life]

Go with the Preston...I have only heard good news for that bike. If I had the money I would buy that bike in a snap.

[Monkeybidnezz]

[QUOTE=Sir_Crackien
4) the reign doesn't have a lifetime warrenty but a 5 year. giant really does stand behind their products. i have had to warrenty in the past and got a new frame in 5 days.
.[/QUOTE]

I'm not that familiar with the Giant warranty, but are you sure it only runs a 5 year warranty? The shop I asked said it was lifetime, and I went to the Giant website and found this.

) A. Giant Bicycle, Inc. ("Giant") warrants the frame and rigid fork of each new Giant brand bicycle and Giant brand frameset to be free from defects in material and workmanship for as long as the original purchaser owns the bicycle..

Not a biggie, and I'm not trying to stir anything up but I was curious since it sure looks like it is a lifetime warranty.

[bikerpunk98199]

get a preston the transition guys are super cool and chill. youll love the bike. and there rider owned

[Ascentrek]

Whats Up. So ive begun the process of deciding which bike to get. Im 6'3" 160lbs and im looking to do it all. I want an all-mountain bike thats going to get me up the hills almost as well as down. and I want something i can expand with and not have to worry about getting another bike anytime soon. my budget- well im pretty set on Transitions 06 Preston FR and i can get that for near 2500.- but Thats on the high end of my budget and is going to take a little longer to scrounge for.. anyhow ive heard nothing but good things and its looking like one of my best bets. Do you all think i should go for the preston or is there a better bike for the money i should look at? Thanks for any and all help!!

I'm 6'3" and 165lbs. I own a SC Bullit. You won't find one new, but you can pick them up used all over the place. It is one of the perfect everything bikes you can get. I have two forks and two wheelsets for it (888rc / Z.1; DH wheels / XC wheels). The weights range from 34.5 to 43 lbs. The Large seems to be a perfect match for my height. The key here is to get a bike with an uninterrupted seat-post. That way the delta you can raise/lower is greater than most. You can slam the seat for some seriously steep DH sections, jump the hell out of it; but still managed to go cross-country and climb.

The Bullit opened me up as a rider. I was a bit slower on the uphill than my friends, but learned to have much more fun on the DH, freeride, and technical sections that we all climbed for.

I eventually bought a Santa Cruz Nomad, but I still have the Bullit because of the versatility. I'll never part with it. The simple single-pivot platform is proven and basic.

You can pick up one of these (used) for under 2500 easily.

[Sir_Crackien]

huh they might have changed it. for as long as i have been working with them it has been 5 year. good for them!

we recently dorp giant do to company differances. man i wish we still carried them

[DHRFX Joe]

http://www.bustedspoke.com/Forum/viewtopic.php?t=20257


what you see plus a new 888 with flat crowns, $2500. pretty solid deal if you ask me.

[untitledsince89]

that bullit^ is a super clean bike looks very nice

[smedford]

I am pretty impressed with the '06 Norco Shore Two, great bike foe the money.

[skatetokil]

i'm surprised nobody's said it already, but why not look at a 7point? If you can get your hands on one of the 2 that are being sold used in north america, it will probably be in your price range.

[BlackRabbits]

Thanks for everyones comments and advice. still leaning towards the preston. Hows the overall ridability of the dirtbag? Would it be wiser to go 400 more for that? I feel like ,from what ive heard, the preston will take me where i want to go and more. Then if i get bad ass enough i could upgrade to the longer susp frame? what do you all think. Ive also heard the prestons cockpit and ride geometry might be a little more fitting to all day riding of any kind and the dirtbags a little more dh oriented.- Looked at the 7points ironhorse has for 2006. i like the looks and specs. whats everyones opinions on these? and whos ridden them?

[DirtBag]

From the looks, geometry and build spec I would say that the Preston is probably a better bike for riding all day and everywhere compared to the DirtBag - but probably not by much.

However I pretty much use the DB as my all purpose bike - except any XC of course. It pedals very well and is set up more on the heavy duty side compared to what the new DB's are specced with. Mine is a fame that I built up with my own parts.

Depending on your riding terrain and skill the Preston should be able to handle about everything that the DB would.

[zmtber]

has anyone said a specialized enduro yet

[JRB]

I have an 06 Reign and the warranty book says 5 years. That's a lifetime though. I like the bike a ton, but I would look more into a Faith, if you wanted Giant for freeride. I'll hit some stuff, but wouldn't repeatedly drop 4 - 5 ft on it. It is a nice trail bike, but for a few pounds more, you can have a Faith. My Reign is 34.5 lbs, with some heavy wheels, but just the 20" frame weighs 8.2 lbs.

[JRB]

has anyone said a specialized enduro yet
RTFT :teacher:

[BlackRabbits]

okay so I know what i really want is the preston.. but in the case that money is a real stopping issue, what about the Kona Stinky DeeLux 05? its like 1800 at wheel world right now. I was looking at konas before also. And santa cruz. Im concerned about the components and weight on the stinky though. Opinions?

[stinky6]

look at the Norco Six and Kona Coiler too.

[Sir_Crackien]

stinky6 is right the coiler and six are more inline with the preston than the stinky is. plus all three bikes are pretty good. the preston is a beauty though. definalty a quality differance. not saying the other are bad by any means keep in mind.

[BlackRabbits]

can anyone compare the stinky (stinky deelux) and the coiler? I like both and was wondering if the triple crown fork would be an advantage over the coiler.. any other bike suggestions are more than welcome!! Thanks alot

[rigidhack]

can anyone compare the stinky (stinky deelux) and the coiler? I like both and was wondering if the triple crown fork would be an advantage over the coiler.. any other bike suggestions are more than welcome!! Thanks alot

If you are looking for a do-it-all bike, I 'd stick with the Coiler of those two. It is a little bit lighter, has a bit less travel (so it will pedal just a bit better) and the SC fork will not get in your way on twisty trails. Unless you are a dedicated DH rider or Shore (I mean the actual North Shore of Vancouver, not just wooden stunts) rider, SC is the way to go.

6" is a LOT of travel is you know how to handle a bike. Actually, 5" is a lot if you know how to handle a bike.

That being said: get a Preston.

[BlackRabbits]

haha right on man thanks

[Sir_Crackien]

like the said people love to get these big travel bike for most no reason
(he11 i use to). now i have a preston the bike he subjested and i most say its a great bruly sort travel bike. i even run it in the 4" mode and all i can say is that 4" feels alot more like 6" when you really need it. at the same time though the pedalling is still effectent and tight feeling.

[carbuncle]

My 2 cents (again): the Kona design for the Coiler and the Stinky is very similar to the Transition design, but with Transition you will be able to talk to the owners of the company if you have questions or problems. Also, Kona seems to be rather full of itself right now, and I think their prices are reflecting that. I dig the Coiler, though. Been on one and it feels like a fiiiine all mountain ride.

As for Iron Horse: I have owned three and currently own two of those. They can be great bikes for the money and very durable. However, in contrast to many people who have posted experiences to the contrary, I have had bad experiences with their warranty department. They are very, very slow to respond and when they do get around to you they will answer lengthy questions with one word answers. Example, after I told them about a broken part, inquired if it was under warranty and how to buy it if it wasn't i got back "It's not under warranty." Direct quote. Ultimately, that took a month of telephone calls and emails (which they rarely return) to resolve and ended up with them sending me the wrong part. To their credit, they refunded the total cost, but it was all a waste of time that could have been avoided if some one had checked what parts go to which bike when they first talked to me. Now I have an issue with one of the other bikes, which is in the warranty period, and have sent two emails via their new warranty posting system and haven't yet received a reply (it's been over two weeks since the first one). Based on this, unless you NEED a bargain, I'd avoid IH. After this I will.

[Ascentrek]

has anyone said a specialized enduro yet

I think I heard something to the fact "chainsaw works better for clearning waterbars"

Seriously, those BB brackets are sooooo low, a chainsaw would be better trail mitigation rolling over larger objects.

[Matt H]

Re: Coiler vs Stinky...

In my opinion the Stinky is not an all-mountain bike...I spent a few minutes on a stinky one afternoon and attempted an easy climb, on pavement, and gave up quickly. The coiler on the other hand is lighter, a BIT less travel and more suited for what you want.

Over and above both, I have to recommend the Giant Reign...in your price range you could go with the Reign 1 or 2. I have a 3, weighs in around 32lbs, plenty of travel for me, and it will climb reasonably well.

[fiddy_ryder]

7 point!

[spacemanspiff06]

http://www.konaworld.com/shopping_cart/FrontEnd/Products/product_detail.aspx?productid=317&parentid=253
link to coiler
thats what i recomend, sounds like just what you're after. @ 18 hun. it's under the 25 figure you tossed out before, but you said that was a max. that would be if you realy rock the downs and get into gnarly stuff often. if it's more more of a tamer, flowier trail bike your after then:
http://www.konaworld.com/shopping_cart/FrontEnd/Products/product_detail.aspx?productid=324&parentid=253 @ 23 hun. it's closer to your max, with a sweeter fork. don't let the air shock fool you, this bike is still a rocker.
also check out the heckler, or prophet.