Best long distance comfort bike?

[Sandwich]

I'm going to be competing in an adventure race soon, and I wanted to get some opinions on what a good bike would be. I don't have a bad back or knees, and I'm willing to bet it'll mostly be smooth trails. I can get a real good deal on an old proflex (500) which I've always wanted, but it's a high pivot bike and I wonder if too much of my energy will go into the suspension. I could get a cheap hardtail, but I'm not used to riding them, and not sure what that'll do to me on a multi-hour ride.

I'm super anal about performance and efficiency, but I also want to be comfortable on a 30-50 mile ride. I'm used to riding my 50lb DH bike, so anything under 30lbs will feel like a rocket ship; I still want something relatively light.

Any suggestions?

[Westy]

I'd say any 4" FS bike would do great.

[Heidi]

I didn't know any Proflex bikes were still around! You could probably get by with a 3" xc race bike. Are you buying a bike just for the race?

[splat]

what kind of distances are you talking about ???


and don't bet that it will be smooth trails , I know poeple who did the Douglas ( mass ) Adventure race and got abused on the Mt bike section.

[Sandwich]

It's the sunflower race in kansas, 24hr, no course yet, but it's kansas...

I'm not buying a bike just for the race, but I need a bike by late march, and I may as well buy one that will be ideally suitted to it.

[Sandwich]

the proflex is from 96 but relatively unused.

[sanjuro]

I have to believe a Proflex is a 30lb clunker, posssibly with elastomer suspension.

I would rather get a hardtail than use that bike.

[vtjim]

I have to believe a Proflex is a 30lb clunker, posssibly with elastomer suspension.

I would rather get a hardtail than use that bike.

Most deffinitely elastomer!!! ha... I remember when they gave a bunch of them to a Kenyan Olympic team back in the day.

I'd say and 3 to 4" XC bike. It will be light enough but also comfortable. I'd stay away from the Proflex; it's 11 years old (technology wise) and if you're worried about efficiancy then you probobly don't want it. Also, as said above full sus bikes were not exactly light back then compared to today's standards.

[vtjim]

Correct me if I'm wrong but doesn't Salsa make a 29er "soft-tail"? It sounds like the kind of thing you might be looking for.

[Sandwich]

Cheapitude is also a factor. Has to be under $1000, unless it's exactly what I'm looking for as a keepsake forever.

The proflex I'm looking at has coils and a carbon girvin. The elastomers are long gone. I don't know what the weight is, but I should be checking it out this weekend so I'll know for sure.

FS bikes back in the day weren't light, per se, but they were a lot lighter than some of the ones today, mostly due to their lack of strength.

What are my other options? DW link? I drive? hmmm...

[splat]

Correct me if I'm wrong but doesn't Salsa make a 29er "soft-tail"? It sounds like the kind of thing you might be looking for.I demo'd that Bike at pedrosfest. I hated it ! every time I tried to turn I foot hit the front wheel

[vtjim]

Cheapitude is also a factor. Has to be under $1000, unless it's exactly what I'm looking for as a keepsake forever.

The proflex I'm looking at has coils and a carbon girvin. The elastomers are long gone. I don't know what the weight is, but I should be checking it out this weekend so I'll know for sure.

FS bikes back in the day weren't light, per se, but they were a lot lighter than some of the ones today, mostly due to their lack of strength.

What are my other options? DW link? I drive? hmmm...

Well if price is an issue than it the Salsa is out. I just checked it out and it's a scandium frame. The Dos Niner.

I would have to say that full sus bikes are heavier today only for all mountain bikes. I have a Giant VT 1 that weighs in at a respectable 31 pounds and it's a 5" bike. If you go for something with around 3" of travel you'll really drop the weight.

For a thousand bucks you could get something maybe 2 or 3 years old that would be perfect for what you want, plus good for future races etc.

[JRogers]

For less than a grand, you might want to look into a used bike. You could get a sweet hardtail for that amount. A good FS might be harder to come by. If you want a new bike, you could check out an aluminum hardtail- something like a Rockhopper Pro Disc.

[Wumpus]

You should be able to find something used like a

Trek Fuel
Titus RacerX
Specialized Stumpjumper
etc.

[Wumpus]

A little out of your price range -- http://www.hammerheadbikes.com/esper/index.htm

[douglas]

check it (http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/motobecane/fly_pro_07preorder.htm)

[vtjim]

Nice find.

[Sandwich]

That hardtail is sweet but doesn't ship until the middle of march...which is just too close for comfort. That's a nice link though, they have some other bikes that are pretty similar.

How about a cannondale rush or K2 Razorback?

[SkaredShtles]

I'll bet you can find Giant NRSs for a song nowadays....

[Sandwich]

Well I picked up a Cannondale Prophet last night for cheap. I really wanted a rush but was scared off by the low BB. Plus, I'll get more use out of the prophet.

Thanks for the responses...that's the problem with buying used...you take what you can get (or you don't, and wait).

[JRogers]

Well I picked up a Cannondale Prophet last night for cheap. I really wanted a rush but was scared off by the low BB. Plus, I'll get more use out of the prophet.

Thanks for the responses...that's the problem with buying used...you take what you can get (or you don't, and wait).

Awesome! I was going to recommend the Rush, but figured you wanted something that was less $$$.

I own a Prophet and it's great for all around riding. In the slack/low setting it really rips descents. Aside from a few small issues (mainly not being thrilled with the Lefty or the swingarm cable routing), I think the Prophet is near perfect.

[vtjim]

You got a Prophet eh? I thought you were going for something a litte more XC racer no?

[MMcG]

Nice score on a prophet that met your budget. Pics??

[Sandwich]

It's pretty much identical to the website shot of the prophet 600 from 95. I picked it up for what I consider a good deal, and there isn't much use on it.

I wanted something more XCish, so I had kind of settled on a Cdale rush, but then I discovered they have a silly low BB. That might work ok for the race in KS, but most of my riding will be in rocky new england, and the last bike I had with a Low BB sucked so bad I couldn't ride it. I didn't want to worry about pedal timing and hoping over obstacles I should be able to ride over. Then a Prophet came up on craigslist for cheap, so I checked it out.

I figure weight isn't that much of an issue since any model I can afford is going to be specced low, and the difference between the frame is maybe a little gusseting and one extra half-tube. On top of that, I can ramp up the air pressure to get less travel if need be.

All in all, I figure it's not perfect for the race, but it'll be a better bike to buy and keep.

BTW, I checked out that proflex and it was sweet, but had a cracked HT so it was a no go. It was surprisingly light too, probably around 28lbs or less.

[Old_Dude]

Get a frame from Jensonusa.com (or a zillion others) and add some decent components - or get them from your LBS. Also, sometimes you can get good deals on parts from chucksbikes.com - I bought a pair of 105 brakes, brand new for cheap-cheap. This should be a fun project.

Have you ever considered using a single chainring and using only the middle 5 cogs on the cassette? The course may be somewhat flat, so having a large range of gears may not be necessary. Also, I'd recommend a $1K hardtail any day over a $1K f/s bike - even for long distances. Don't most pro's still continue to win on hard tails versus f/s?

I've also had good success using MTBreview.com. Good lunch.

[TreeSaw]

Well I picked up a Cannondale Prophet last night for cheap. I really wanted a rush but was scared off by the low BB. Plus, I'll get more use out of the prophet.

Thanks for the responses...that's the problem with buying used...you take what you can get (or you don't, and wait).

Yupper -- the low bb is why I won't have a Rush :disgust1: Otherwise it's a great machine!

Congrats on the prophet! Post up some ride shots!