[slimshady]

Hi guys. Three days ago the rear triangle of my beloved Iron Horse MKIII cracked at the two ends of the right chainstay (the elevated one), so I'm in the market for a new frame. Since I'm from a third-world country, I'd like it to be as cheap as possible. Along with that, these are the main characteristics I'd like it to have:

• Up to 140mm of travel.
• Air shock.
• Good pedaling.
• I'm a big, not-so-fine-driver-style guy. I'd rather get a heavy frame before getting an easy-cracking one.
• I like dual-link designs. I've demo'd a Santa Cruz Blur LT besides owning my MKIII for the last two years. Liked the DW-Link better . Never rode a Giant's Maestro bike.
• Aggressive geo.

Please feel free to drop your suggestions in.

EDIT: Mine was a '07 MKIII, with the new rear triangle (the one with the forged front chainstay). I've heard the old models (the ones with the fully-tubed right chainstay) cracked a lot more easily.

 

[ldw222]

click me...

 

[slimshady]

Too late, the bid ended before I saw your message. Thanks anyway!

 

[andym]

It sounds to me like you just said you want an Ibis Mojo. You could get the SL or HD 140. It has the 140mm DW-Link you ask for, it pedals great, and is a strong frame.

 

[RoboDonkey713]

Blur TRC. It is so fun to ride.

 

[slimshady]

Well, leaving aside the fact of getting an Ibis Mojo or a Santa Cruz Blur TRC is nearly impossible here in Argentina (maybe I could get them via Ebay), I'm not so comfy with carbon itself. I've been looking to the Banshee SpitFire. Does anyone have a real life experience with it? Are bushings much more difficult to maintain than bearings?

Don't get me wrong. The Mojo SLR lives in my wettest dreams since it came out. It's just that I'm not a technical/fine rider, and I'm concerned about hitting a tree or a rock and going back home with just a bunch of carbon tubes...

 

[maddog17]

What about Pivot? Didn't Turner offer a DW suspension?

 

[slimshady]

What about Pivot? Didn't Turner offer a DW suspension?

Pivots look too complicated and expensive, but the Mach 5 might be worth a second look. The Turner 5 Spot has the same elevated right chainstay as mi deceased MKIII, so I'm kinda thinking it would go the same way.

 

[Freeridin']

Check out the Devinci Dixon. It uses DW's latest iteration, Split Pivot.

I have the 2011 Wilson for downhill and the MKIII as a trail bike. The Dixon will eventually replace my MKIII.

 

[Demomonkey]

Dont be afraid of carbon. Pound for pound it'll be way stronger than aluminum. I ride a carbon nomad and its the most solid bike I've owned. I had a Demo 9 in 2004 for reference and it kills it on big landings and corners.

The Ibis HD 140 is a killer machine but definitely more of a 'finesse' bike than a 'plow' bike. A mate has one and its a freaken weapon on single track. Another cool thing is you can up the travel to 160mm by swapping out shocks and mounts. Get an adjustable travel fork and you have a very versatile platform.

 

[SkaredShtles]

Try out a Trance-X.

 

[ldw222]

here's another one!

 

[slimshady]

I ended picking up a used Cannondale Prophet from a friend of a friend to get back into riding. It had a more XCish build, so I mixed and matched some parts I had laying around and ended up with this babe:



It had its maid's dance this past weekend. I hated the single pivot for about half an hour, but once I got my riding position and the rear shock dialled I enjoyed it pretty much. If I'm lucky, my tattoo artist/friend will come back to Argentina for Christmas, and he'll be carrying a brand new Turner 5 Spot for me. Until then, the Prophet will have to do.