All Things Bikes and Tacos! (...and every vehicle imaginable)

Nice thanks. Yeah i kinda want one so I can put a basket or tent on top of it or my snowboards too. But right now I just toss my stuff in the bed

 

New member here, and just found this thread. I traded in a 2014 GTI with 80k miles and picked up a 2010 Taco with 13K miles. It was getting old to have to play tetris loading the car every time I wanted to go on a bike or ski trip. I do a few DH mountain bike races and travel all over the east coast to freeride and check out new places to ride all summer.

Here's the taco with my DH on my bike rack until I get a tailgate pad. I'll probably keep the rack as it will still be handy if I have a lot of people or stuff to bring.



My DH bike is a 2012 Devinci Wilson that I built from the frame up:


And heres my trail bike and trail dog. The bike is a Lapierre Zesty XM 527 with upgraded Fox suspension and the dog is a mutt lol.



This is a video my buddy and I made during the mild winter we had this year:

 

I would say go hitch mount because of how easy it is to load and unload the bikes. Check out my 1UpUSA rack on my post above.

 

Nice vid and sweet rides! Welcome to the community. I also plan to retire the two bike rack in favor of a tailgate pad. Leaning towards the raceface model at the moment..

 

Trails in NC look awesome!!

 

Thanks man! I would read through this thread here from MTBR: http://forums.mtbr.com/car-biker/best-tailgate-pad-1004481.html

A lot of people had frame damage with the RaceFace pad and had to add additional padding to the trailgate before the tailgate pad.

I am going to be getting the Fox Factory one because of how much padding it has and the straps to hold the bike in place.

 

Nice kit brother, where do you ride at on the east? Those whips are on point!

 

Good looking out! I had not done all my research yet, but was planning to do some clear film on the tailgate before installing the pad just in case. Also have the clear film on the downtube, but others that I ride with probably don't... It looks like the opening for the handle will work with the 3rd gen backup camera (maybe with a little modification).

 

I havent been able too. Out of the previous bikes i have listed the only one that is still for sale is the yeti and he lives about 3 hours away. Also he only vame down to 1900 and thats because he said i would more then likely want to put the bushing kit in it this season. (165$) value.

Ive almost decided to stick with a lower priced buke for now somewhere between 1000-1300 ish because as i foubd myself getting up around 2-2500 i would almost rather take the plunge on what i really want which would be a brand new transition So if i stuck with a cheaper bike now. Got my feet wet as far as local trails go and mtb maintenance on something simple. Then maybe this winter or next spring buy a frame and build what i want from the frame up.

And ive played around some on the newer dual suspension bikes but all in the 140-150mm front shock travel range. Ive never been on something like the yeti with a longer wheel base and more travel and a slacker seat tube angle.( what i want but may not be ideal right now ).

The local guy with the heckler said he would take 1100. Should I completely pass being its 7 years old? Or should i go look? At this point im anxious to get something to just get out and start riding. Im impatient for sure. Heres a picture of the heckler. Now if yall with experience dont think its worth my time then ill definitely keep searching.

 

I agree with some others that the heckler for being that old and meh components, I would pass. I generally only surf pinkbike when I buy stuff, unless you want a carbon bike as they tend to have a 3-5 year warranty ONLY for the original buyer. I have an SC nomad that I bought the frame new, everything else I sourced it out through PB. Right now, you might see bikes flying out the window as the DH season is finally here! So all the peeps are trying to score their rides to be ready to bomb the weekends away (atleast for me). I think you can find some prime deals, but they will go relatively quick as people want to be out now. Since you sound like more of an all mountain guy, I would keep on the hunt if you can assuming you got something to ride in the mean time. If you were into DH, renting a bike every weekend can get old fast over buying one if the funds are right. I normally tend to buy up my bike stuff during the Nov/Dec time frame as many are looking for funds for the holidays and many swap out their stuff before the next season.

It might be a little foreign to you, but there has only been one time where I have bought a bike locally without just committing to having it shipped. The drive was four hours one way, and because the guy had three offers from others trying to swoop the bike, he tried to get me to bail on the deal by not meeting half way. I got the bike in the end, but yea driving wise I wouldn't of done it if I don't need to, but the dude wanted an extra $300 to ship a bike a state away. Nopes.

Are there any minimums you want the bike to achieve? Slack head angle, suspension travel, 1x group or front derailleur, 27.5 wheels, color combo, discipline specific or all around for aggressive riding? I might be able to make some recommendations based off that.

Keep in mind, carbon has a few variants now depending on the company so aluminum is your friend for a cheap frame. Further so if you stay in the 26 realm. Some frames also have the change-able geo to accommodate a 26 or a 27.5 wheelset.

 

A friend and I have been looking to get into mountain biking and decided to purchase last night. Dick's was having a 50% off sale and we both ended up getting GT Aggressor Pro's. Usually $600, we got them for $300.

Rode it last night over 11 miles and loved it. We are beginners so I'm excited to learn and develop in this new hobby.

 

Solid man, considering your profession Im surprised you are now entering the game, although its never too late! Mountain biking is what steered me into what I wanted to do in college.

 

I've always had the itch to join the hobby, but never did. Never really had the spare money to jump into another hobby honestly, so I stuck to my truck/gym life. Decided I wanted something more enjoyable to do for cardio and exploring purposes, and mountain biking can go along with my overlanding hobby too. So it was a no brainer I had to get into it.

 

Good to hear man, running and shit can get old. Also there are some great views to be earned when out there biking. I bet there are some DH parks not too far from you, if you ever get the itch.

 

you can't speak in acronyms to the new guy, c'mon. DH = downhill? would this be like mountain bike racing type stuff?

 

Ah true man, yea Downhill! Downhill is its own discipline, I would say it is the more aggressive side of mountain biking.

 

Hm, I'll look into that at a later date lol. Starting slow. I can tell you the seat has made me sore in a couple areas haha, that's something I have to get used to.

 

I currently only have my bmx bike and a road bike so getting something in a timely manner for me is kind of a goal as i drive myself insane searching every evning and watching videos hahaha.
Now i will definitely wait untill i find a decent deal or if i come across something i dont think i should pass up. I havent considerd buying one and having it shipped as ive always hated the thought of sending someone a large sum of money unless it was a reputable company. But that may be something i need to reconsider.
Honestly i want a everyday bike if that makes sense. This is why i kind of went in the direction of searching for a yeti or something similar. Has the abilty to bomb down hills but is still fun on mellow trails. so the goal is to have a bike that can do it all if need be. I definitely dont plan on long xc trails as thats not my cup of tea. I like fast flowy trails with plenty of playful spots. ( tiny jumps, drops , and other junk) so a bike to allow for that is definitely a must. Some good used bikes would be great if u have a few models that come to mind. Appreciate the adive. Think ill sit still on the heckler. Honestly just leaning towards biting the bullet and taking a hit to my wallet on the yeti

 

Thanks man! I worked pretty hard and did a ton of research to get the bikes I wanted.

I do a ton of lift access and I am trying to find fun new all mountain riding in the area. I mainly go to Thunder Mountain, Killington, Mountain Creek, Highland Mountain Bike park, Plattekill, Whiteface, Burke and Kingdom trails. I am going to check out Lake Placid area and Quebec when I go to Mount Saint Anne to watch the World Cup.

Yeah I might need to cut a hole in the flap that covers the tailgate for the backup camera.

Couple things to keep in mind....26" wheels and 9SPD drivetrains are becoming obsolete. It will be harder to find parts for it and honestly the new bikes are so much better, you should really just save up and get something newer with 27.5 or 29" wheels and a longer wheelbase.

 

The yeti could be worth it, but that suspension might be the one that requires lubrication from time to time if its the one I am thinking of. I ask this as MANY manufacturers sell bikes that fit the all mountain crowd pretty well. I will list off some companies that have some decent rides. Yeti is a nice one, but is also a smaller (boutique) one that sometimes keeps its value high depending on the seller. Flow def seems to be your game, which makes sense coming from the BMX background. The real issue is going to be if your height falls in the med/large spectrum.

For instance, I am 5'10 so depending on the manufacturer I can be a large, but most of the times I fit a medium happily.

Giant Reign
Specialized stump jumper/enduro
Trek remedy/fuel
Intense Tracer/uzzi
Scott voltage/ransom
Santa Cruz Bronson
Transition Covert https://www.pinkbike.com/buysell/2067245/
Rocky Mountain

Feel free to go outside of these model types, but any of these are pretty capable. If you search for a transition covert in 26, you might find some decent stuff!