Asking for some help with freeride parts.

[thebornotaku]

Hey there.

So, I've been biking as long as I can remember, mostly BMX, but I recently got into MTB's (I have a '08 Giant Rincon that's been broken about four times in the six months I've owned it. I ride hard.) and something caught my attention -- Freeride.

I used to be of the mind that BMX was the only real viable option for tricks and stuff, but checking out some freeride videos got me very excited.

Anywho, obviously it doesn't go so well for me on a Giant Rincon. I mostly do Urban stuff (riding down long flights of stairs at the Uni, riding on stuff like curbs and whatnot. I'm still pretty new, so.) but because of the bike's stiff rear end there's a lot of hard landings and it puts a lot of stress on the pedals, cranks, rear arms, etc. Front isn't so bad because I have front shocks (100mm travel shocks... hm.) but it's still not the best bike for this.

So this leads me into the question -- What is good, entry-level freeride gear? I want to purchase parts individually and build it myself, too. I know of some good companies/parts (Shimano drivetrains, SRAM TruVativ cranks, Haynes brakes), but not that much.

I was thinking of getting a frame (I don't know anything about good full suspension frames) and then looking into some good Rock Shox for the front & rear. I'd like something with a fair bit of travel (5in+ ?) that will react quickly to impact forces then bounce back quickly as well.

I've already got a drivetrain in mind -- Shimano Saint series. Anybody have experience with these? Are they good? Will they be able to hold a 300lb+ rider and all the forces that come with it (I have a LOT of leg muscle. Like, seriously. They're like tree trunks, my legs)? Or do you guys suggest something else?

I need to make sure the cranks and pedals are very strong -- I already broke two sets of the base model TruVativ cranks on the Rincon. The bike shop got tired of seeing me so they hooked me up with TruVativ Blaze cranks. They're alright, but I can't help but feel skeptical when I have to tighten down the left crank arm every ~30mi or so.

I'm on Wellgo pedals that are alright -- but I have big feet. Size 15 to be specific, Wide. So oversized metal pedals with spikes are a must. Even now, with normal riding down the street, it feels like my feet are going to fall off sometimes.

Brakes are another issue. The Rincon has nice ones (mechanical disc, one piston, the company slips my mind atm), so if at all possible I might just pull the brakes off of the Rincon for a freeride bike.

Oh, Frame size. I ride a 20" frame but I think I'd be more comfortable on a 19". I'm 6'1", btw.

hmm, what else. Not too worried about handlebars -- I might just use the ones on the Rincon. They work well but if I have the extra money I might look into lighter ones.


Oh, right. Gearing. If I sacrafice parts off of the Rincon for a FR bike, then the gearing will have to be good for DH, Street, and FR. Or just pretty much anything. I've been known to ride my bike pretty much everywhere. =/



That's all I can think of for now. Lets check...

Frame, suspension, pedals, brakes, drivetrain. That's the important stuff. I'll worry about wheels when I get the frame.


Thanks for the help in advance.

Also, while I've been riding as long as I can remember I don't know all the technical terms for stuff so if you guys could elaborate on some of those, it'd be great.

Thanks a ton!

[stinkyboy]

I have a badass 19" Stinky set up for a big guy with Saints and Syncros Mental pedals, 31.8 Race Face bar and stem on the block.

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a344/stinkyboy/Biking%20Photos/stinky1.jpg

Make offer. Buy bike. Live happily ever after.

[Sir_Crackien]

the bike above is actually a good bike for what you are looking to do.

buy complete for your first FR bike for sure. there are many options out there and for a very good price. def. look into a used bike as most of them on here have plenty of life left in them and are even a better price.

i bet that you will be surprised by any fr bike you get in how it rides and what it can take in comparison to what you are use to. they are built way stronger than that rincon could even wish to be. one thing to remember though is that you are very large for the riding community and you have much different strength needs than you average rider (BTW the industry has classified average as 5'8" and 160 lbs). i'm a larger rider as well at 6'5" and 260 lbs and the bikes that i rider have to be built muck stronger than the bikes of most other people i rider with because of my size. for example my dh bike weights in at 44.5 lbs and i consider that pretty light for my. many of the other riders out there now are building bike that are at or under the 40 lbs mark. if i rode one of those bike for a while it would start to fail where as the one i built would still be holding up strong

[thebornotaku]

I realize I'm large for the riding community. That's one of my concerns. And I know the Rincon isn't a strong bike.


I've had the opportunity to ride a FR bike before. It was awesome. It was harder to get going (heavy) but the ride was phenomenal. And it was like a tank. I fell in love with it. Hence my wanting one.

I've been doing some freeriding but it's been pretty light. I've been keeping the tires on the ground and the speed down. After having rode a FR bike I realized just how weak the Rincon is in comparison.

[Sir_Crackien]

gotcha. just thought i would let you know. most people i know don't realize that. the parts you are looking at are right on track. the saint cranks are the stiffest cranks i have ever ridden. i'm not a big fan of the current saint der. though they have fixed my complain for the 2009 stuff

[thebornotaku]

I figured I'd need stronger parts when I broke the first set of (non-howitzer) TruVativ cranks. I've done some light freeride and I've heard my rear derailleur make some interesting noises, so I backed off. I'm sure it's fine, but it's still a lot of stress that my bike isn't built for...

BMX is just too small for me now. I can't ride it. It's too much of a pain in the ass. Hence, Freeride.

[Kevin]

Lemme recap.
U ride mostly urban...
What would you like when you progress in the sport?
Urban/Street? Freeride in slopestyle settings? Freeride trails?

[thebornotaku]

Harder Urban stuff (I haven't gone over more than a 2' drop yet) and some hard mountain riding. Trails and stuff, yes. They're not freeride specific trails, but I know the biking trails around here can get pretty intense so they will do. And I'm a hard/heavy rider in general, so stronger bikes are definitely a ton better.