1st Gen Lunchtable Thread - General Discussion

good to know - it just seems wild how many options are out there. The slight differences between components alone is enough to make me scream; it's not easy to tell if I want Fox or this or that or potato.

the YT Jeffsy CORE 2 - AL is pretty sleek though fitting a nice race of quality parts and looking pretty too. I just swing from digging that specialized 170 (like you said, probably too much travel, but again so nice in price and components) to a specialized 140; a kona process 153 and then throw in your niner option there... ffs

 

And efff I just found the izzo too. ffs ffs ffs

 

I personally like rock shox suspension with sram drive train and shimano brakes lol.

what i tell people is start with what travel range are you looking for because that will narrow you down. After that you decide what you want to spend. Anything after that just comes to personal preference between what you narrow down too. Like you might be down to 6 bikes but 3 of them you don’t like the color scheme so now your down to 3 bikes and from there you cant nit pick the fine details like fox or rock shox.

 

Or you can be hella picky like me and just buy a bare from and build the bike exactly how you want it. Just gotta spend $$$ on all the tools lol

 

@turboTacoMonkey what kind of riding do you expect to do? If you're going to take lifts to the top of the hill, or if you expect to keep rides short but technical, you'll want a different bike than if you expect to mostly go on long backcountry cruises.

There's a whole bikes thread if you want more people shouting opinions at you: https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/all-things-bikes-and-tacos-and-every-vehicle-imaginable.445155/

 

I do know a runner friend who has build from frame out -- he may be willing to help poor me.

 

Yeah 170 is alot, if you plan on going to bike parks or getting shuttle to the top all the time then i would say do it. But a bike like that is fun on the down hills but not so fun up vs a shorter travel trail bike which you will have way more pedal efficiency for the climbs.

i get away with 200mm dh bile because i got a ebike so who cares about pedal efficiency lmao. But tbh i much rather pedal my gravel bike then the ebike. My gravel bike just feels so much more effortless and smooth compared to the ebike.

 

I got a few extra forks laying around i dont need lol

 

Too spoon

 

Yeah your local geography plays a big factor in what you want to ride. Someone in Nebraska might be better off with a xc or trail bike. While someone on the pnw might be more looking at a trail or enduro. Or of you live by a bike park you probably end up on a DH

 

Thats a knife one

 

Yah - the 170 CALLED me home but then the Kona 153 and the YT Izzo said no -- you want MEEEEE. It's so hard to pick! lol

 

Why not all 3! Its only money, thats what you goto work for. To make more

 

Are any of them rusty??

 

ha. I admit I have some fuck around funds. But this would be my third/fourth hobby sport ?!?

trail running is mostly priority, then hockey, then maybe ski in the winter and now bike as an alt less impact play?

plus all the regular stuff to train with lifting heavy things and camping and keeping the truck and dog happy.

 

Find a local bike shop and tell them what you want to do. They will know what works best on the local trails. Also I found that after trying a few that I thought I'd like from seeing them online, that they actually didn't fit right or feel the best. For example, I found that 29" tires felt huge and awkward. 27.5" felt much better.

I chose a Kona hard tail with a 120mm air fork. $1k out the door at the time and it's served me well.

I'd advise to not buy the most tricked out bike right off the bat. These things are easy to upgrade or trade towards something better down the road. I definitely wouldn't skimp out on an air fork though, the spring suspension is old school and doesn't hold up imo.

 

any pre-22 Lyrik 29" lowers

 

ill chime in here to say i feel like polygon is a good value. i dont ride much anymore but i picked up a polygon xtrada 5 during covid and have zero complaints. i was riding a couple times a week at some of the close by xc/dowhill and it was great. even took it to vail and i held up to everything I put it through, even the hard trails. only thing i changed was the tires

 

Working for a college kinda takes the fun the out of Van Halen's Hot for Teacher.

 

Ah well Beck came on after and ruined the rest of the mood with whatever nonsense his genre is