What are some affordable full-suspension mtn-x/jump frames? I'm not sure exactly how much I will be able to pay, but price is the number-one priority.
mtn-x frames
- Thread starter Tully
- Start date
two best bang for the buck, and probably performance in general:
Iron Horse DW-Link MTN-X
Specialized Enduro SX
Iron Horse DW-Link MTN-X
Specialized Enduro SX
Neither of those options are particularly affordable, though.
Tully - would you consider a hardtail? It's pretty hard to beat the affordability of a good burly hardtail...
Tully - would you consider a hardtail? It's pretty hard to beat the affordability of a good burly hardtail...
Binary is right imo. My nod goes to a hardtail.
binary visions said:
They are thr cheapest mtn-x purpose built frames I can think of. Much less than a Tazer or Rail.
Chameleons and Azonics are somewhat cheap.
Without a doubt cheaper than those two options.RD said:
I was just thinking that when someone says "cheap", they usually don't have frames of that price range in mind. Cheap is pretty subjective though, so... We need a better price range to work with than "cheap"!
Possibly a normal IH Hollowpoint frame if the Mnt-X version isn't in the price range?
A good hardtail is still my vote, until there is more information about your price range
i would seriously think about the Azonic Propulsion if you wanted a low cost FS alternative. i had one and it rips.
i upgraded to a tazer tho!
i upgraded to a tazer tho!
I currently ride a hardtail, and I would like to go to full suspension. By the way, I just found an Azonic Propulsion on clearance for $700, so I'll probably go for that frame.
How about a Transition Preston FR? You arent going to find many cheaper new frames out there. Plus, its a really fun bike.Tully said:
Specialized SX is a great frame and low priced, I paid $550 for mine used.
I'd be interested to know if you have any actual data/information to back that up. I don't know the weights on either frames but the Hollowpoint MT-X looks pretty frickin' burly.redical said:
Just a thought... An example of some used frames in great shape for good prices!
http://www.ridemonkey.com/forums/showthread.php?t=89990
http://www.ridemonkey.com/forums/showthread.php?t=89990
redical said:
Don't they only sell Specialized in-store only? I couldn't find the frame on tehir website.
Duh, You can just by looking at it.binary visions said:
How about the new Planet X. Judging by the bang per buck of their other bikes, the new one should be reasonably priced.
My new Azonic Steelhead should be here this week. Now that is a cheap MTX frame. I'll be sure to let you know how it rides.
Tully,
I have a Kona Dudu with a Romic on it that is a nice FS mtn-x frame... I decided to go back to a hardtail since mtn-x races in So Cal are a rare thing... Email me at brianp@marzocchiusa.com if you might be interested, I can make you a nice deal on it.
Brian
I have a Kona Dudu with a Romic on it that is a nice FS mtn-x frame... I decided to go back to a hardtail since mtn-x races in So Cal are a rare thing... Email me at brianp@marzocchiusa.com if you might be interested, I can make you a nice deal on it.
Brian
WIth a name like "Binary Visions" you should use your eyeballs. : )binary visions said:
Seriously though, just compare the two frames. The rail is burly and all strength & $200 cheaper. The IH I wouldn't trust that those stays won't flex. They have had problems with their 2003 linkeages cracking their seattubes. Any engineer who makes such a blatant mistake sucks ass. Aren;t they taiwanese crap anyway? Can't compare to the quality & engineering of a Turner. No comparison, yet Turner cost less. I hear weight is about the same too. And the IH has too long of a chainstay to be nimple enough to corner & accelerate out of the gate & manual - all essentials for a MTX frame.
I am not sure if they do, I got the quote from an actual shop. But at that price, it is worth driving to one. If not, find the closest out of state shop, call up & talk to the manager. Pay with your card right there & then and have him ship it to you.RD said:
It's all about the Benjis, ya know. I am sure he will go for it. Plus you won't pay sales tax. It is worth the effort to save yourself some cashola. By the way, looks like a decent frame at that price, though a bit heavy for racing.
If you are looking for a used bike I would consider something other than the Tazer. The Tazer was pretty much a race only bike and an had about a 1 season life span.stoney98 said:
Especially one that looks as beat as his! hehehe!go-ride.com said:
Very true. I hear their stays are infamous for breaking.
This is also true of any aluminum race frame though. In bmx, you got rid of your alloy frame after a year. Granted, FS MTX frames are stronger but htey take more of a beating. And have complex moving parts that tend to wear & break with time.
Why do I think young grasshopper is going to get is hand smacked?redical said:
Compare the two frames, like, visually? Come on now. Don't gauge a frame by a simple glance at the tubing size. The comment about the chainstays flexing falls under the same category. You have no way of knowing the thickness of the tubing they've used or how stiff they are.redical said:
I'll leave the linkages comment alone. There was a problem, they fixed it. That doesn't mean they suck ass, it means they made a mistake.
They are Taiwanese yes, but don't lump yourself into that category of the ignorant masses who assume anything made in the US is of higher quality than overseas. Taiwan turns out some very, very high quality stuff, and America turns out plenty of crap.
Chainstay preferences are all over the board with riders. Some people like the short chainstays, some like longer ones.. That's not a frame "fault", simply your preference.
I'm not trying to start a fight, I'm simply curious if there's valid information to back up the claim of it being a lot burlier..?
If they have to use ultra-thick tubing to compensate for narrow tubing, you get taxed with weight - and you don't resolve flex issues. WHy do 99% of the frames use large diameter, paper thin tubing?
"They made a mistake" is a lame ass excuse. They are guilty of the same crap tons of these software developers are guilty of - putting out product before it is ready to make quick buck & save development money. What about the poor schmuck who has laid out his hard earned bucks for that mistake?
US made is not an automatic high qual, you're right. But when you are talking about a reputable company like Turner, you know that their quality is what has kept their small comapny is biz for so long in the US - the cost of manufacturing in US is so high that it becomes darwinian survival of the fittest. Either fittest because of the quality of the product or fittest because you have gobbled up the comp (hahahaha). Taiwan can be okay if you have experienced engineers who know what they are doing and don't make msitakes.
Otherwise, I guess that the cheap price of manufacturing there will make up for the fact that you will be warrantying out tons of those frames in the future.
Yeah, people have personal preferences, but for MTX, you need those geo benefits that give you the best acceleration. It is basically big bike bmx. All about acceleration, bike handling, and more acceleration. Especially US MTX tracks at the moment. It is not true downhill where longer bike gives the stability you need to keep from killing yourself. Oh yeah, and the 68 head angle is also a bit slow for these tracks. 68 would have put you over the first berm at Sea Otter. :dancing:
No fighting offense taken, dude. I am just saying that you only need to look at the two frames & you will see that there is no comparison as far as strength. Rail is probably one of the strongest MTX-specific frames on the market - it is overbuilt like a downhiller. Anyway, I am done. My fingers ouchy now! :mumble:
"They made a mistake" is a lame ass excuse. They are guilty of the same crap tons of these software developers are guilty of - putting out product before it is ready to make quick buck & save development money. What about the poor schmuck who has laid out his hard earned bucks for that mistake?
US made is not an automatic high qual, you're right. But when you are talking about a reputable company like Turner, you know that their quality is what has kept their small comapny is biz for so long in the US - the cost of manufacturing in US is so high that it becomes darwinian survival of the fittest. Either fittest because of the quality of the product or fittest because you have gobbled up the comp (hahahaha). Taiwan can be okay if you have experienced engineers who know what they are doing and don't make msitakes.
Otherwise, I guess that the cheap price of manufacturing there will make up for the fact that you will be warrantying out tons of those frames in the future.Yeah, people have personal preferences, but for MTX, you need those geo benefits that give you the best acceleration. It is basically big bike bmx. All about acceleration, bike handling, and more acceleration. Especially US MTX tracks at the moment. It is not true downhill where longer bike gives the stability you need to keep from killing yourself. Oh yeah, and the 68 head angle is also a bit slow for these tracks. 68 would have put you over the first berm at Sea Otter. :dancing:
No fighting offense taken, dude. I am just saying that you only need to look at the two frames & you will see that there is no comparison as far as strength. Rail is probably one of the strongest MTX-specific frames on the market - it is overbuilt like a downhiller. Anyway, I am done. My fingers ouchy now! :mumble:
binary visions said:
My budget is probably going to be no more than $700, so that pretty much rules out any new frame.
Sez you. And, oh wise silverback Gorilla, you won't be tossed off for spamming? I'm no Engineer or hype marketing fool like lots of these guys on here, but I have many many years of race experience in cycling as well as dirt jumping. Consumers have valid opinions too. Time to take back the power from the hype-meisters and give it to the consumers who get stuck with badly designed crap. Once again Rail vs MTX, not even a strength comparison. And what're you, the forum nazi? Freedom of speach, man. You are just pissed nobody wants your beaten up Taz. :dancing:stoney98 said:
Could someone post the geometry of a Tazer and Rail? I can't find either. Also, how much is a Hollowpoint MTX?
Since no one is even hyping the bike in this post yet, just giving honest feedback, what are you really talking about?
What did you honeslty think when you road the Hollowpoint MTX bike? Cause I have no idea what flex your talking about, but then again I only weight 165. But tossing it around and sprinting on it felt damn good and I can't wait to get one.
How was the Rail you've ridden setup, cause the larger one I road felt like a little on the hefty side.
You know the 68 HA is that because of a Breakout fork, if you dial it down, use a different fork, or use e13 reducer cups it'll go as low as you want (more or less). Besides its only one degree different from the Rail.
What did you honeslty think when you road the Hollowpoint MTX bike? Cause I have no idea what flex your talking about, but then again I only weight 165. But tossing it around and sprinting on it felt damn good and I can't wait to get one.
How was the Rail you've ridden setup, cause the larger one I road felt like a little on the hefty side.
You know the 68 HA is that because of a Breakout fork, if you dial it down, use a different fork, or use e13 reducer cups it'll go as low as you want (more or less). Besides its only one degree different from the Rail.
redical said:If they have to use ultra-thick tubing to compensate for narrow tubing, you get taxed with weight - and you don't resolve flex issues. WHy do 99% of the frames use large diameter, paper thin tubing?
"They made a mistake" is a lame ass excuse. They are guilty of the same crap tons of these software developers are guilty of - putting out product before it is ready to make quick buck & save development money. What about the poor schmuck who has laid out his hard earned bucks for that mistake?
US made is not an automatic high qual, you're right. But when you are talking about a reputable company like Turner, you know that their quality is what has kept their small comapny is biz for so long in the US - the cost of manufacturing in US is so high that it becomes darwinian survival of the fittest. Either fittest because of the quality of the product or fittest because you have gobbled up the comp (hahahaha). Taiwan can be okay if you have experienced engineers who know what they are doing and don't make msitakes.
Yeah, people have personal preferences, but for MTX, you need those geo benefits that give you the best acceleration. It is basically big bike bmx. All about acceleration, bike handling, and more acceleration. Especially US MTX tracks at the moment. It is not true downhill where longer bike gives the stability you need to keep from killing yourself. Oh yeah, and the 68 head angle is also a bit slow for these tracks. 68 would have put you over the first berm at Sea Otter. :dancing:
No fighting offense taken, dude. I am just saying that you only need to look at the two frames & you will see that there is no comparison as far as strength. Rail is probably one of the strongest MTX-specific frames on the market - it is overbuilt like a downhiller. Anyway, I am done. My fingers ouchy now! :mumble:
stoney98 said:
Excellent remarks Stoney. I couldn't have said it better myself!
In my very small number of years on this planet I like to think that the most important thing I have learned is when to shut up and listen so that I can learn more and become a better person.
Anyways, just a thought.
And I also wanted to add the following point with regards to Iron Horse engineering VS. Turner engineering:
Don't judge a book by it's cover. Iron Horse frames may cost a lot less than their Turner counterparts but they may have had much more extensive design and development work done to them. DW implements some of the best thinking in the bike "industry" and any other for that matter in the work he does for Iron Horse and other companies.
From the posts, he hasn't ridden either, otherwise I would have expected some "When I rode this, it..." comments.ssaddict said:
redical, Taiwan didn't produce the frame, they just welded the tubes and machined the parts, and you can get just as high quality stuff from them as in the US, with just as tight QC. I have no idea if the quality level of fabrication is near Turner's, but "it's made in Taiwan" shouldn't even enter into this discussion.
The frame was designed in the good old US-of-A, and the suspension at least was designed by a guy on this board, DW, who I've not seen an ignorant or poorly thought out product from, so keep your flaming about that to a minimum. You have no idea what in the creation/production process might have happened to cause that. And the "poor guys" who laid out their hard earned money got a warrenty, just like they should have. Their hard earned money stayed right where it should - in their pockets.
Lots of comments but it seems like you haven't ridden one so how can you feel so passionatly about it? You don't know if it flexes, or if the geometry ends up working well - you only know your current preferences and have dismissed the frame with a cursory glance as flexy and poorly fabricated.
The Rail is actually less - $1,400 compared to $1,600 for the IH. Eric Carter designed the Rail & along with Troy Lee, "invented" the sport of organized MTX. I'd put my money on his thoughts as far as MTX designs. He rode what he designed. Where was all that thinking you are talking about on the 2003 IH Hollowpoints?RD said:
There's a big difference between you arguing that a bike is crap when you've never ridden it and really don't know whether or not it is crap, and me refuting your unfounded assumptions with facts...redical said:
Right now he is & only until Mongoose/GT/Schwinn/etc./united get him on their new MTX bike, but he did ride the Rail for a couple of years. He rides the XCE because it is lighter, not because it handles better for MTX. He is an awesome rider & could probably race FRONJ's beach cruiser or pixie bike & still win. I never said the Rail was the lightest MTX, just that it was burlier than the IH.
stoney98 said:
I threw some facts at ya as far as specs. You're the one that sounds like a groupie following the herd.binary visions said:
Anyway, it seems like it is time for the ultimate Fall FS MTX frame shootout. Off the top of my head, I'd like to see the Rail (with a valved Romic) vs. IH MTX (5th element) vs. Foes FXR (with a Carnutt) vs. Planet-X Split tail (5th element or whichever SP shock they decide on) vs. SC VP Blur vs. Intense Tazer VP. Take them out to a track and some DJs and compare facts with facts, opinions vs opinions. That would be killer & very helpful to everyone. Come on guys, MBA, DIRT, DECLINE, 26, FLOW, are you guys listening? Give us this killer shootout if you not afraid of pissing off advertisers.