AZ BS Thread 2.0

I want a job lol

 

It decided to stop lol

 

Just drove through four peaks with my girlfriend first time ive driven all the way across in a long time.

Anybody ever stopped at Butcher Hooks restraunt? Food is pretty good

 

That sucks! Good luck in finding a new job.

Don't you already have a job?

 

Lay off the pipe greekboy..

 

Thanks Brian

 

Just got 3 gallons of Toyota coolant for $30 too nice

 

Where at? Hook it up!

 

Craigslist haha

 

I got 3 gal of Toyota pink if you need some.

 

For all of you mountain bike guys, what's a good place to start looking for a good mountain bike? Brands, full suspension vs front and all that jazz. Been reading a bit but would like some opinions

 

What segment/style interests you? I'm been around it a loooooong time and seen a bunch of advancements. More into XC/Endurance/Climbing, so I'm a big proponent of hardtail to learn fundamentals instead of starting on a monster full suspension that soaks up everything you hit. But, if you want more gravity/tech/chunk/jump and have a decent budget; FS is not a bad thing.

MTBR for the wide teaching forums/reviews/research

Hit up some actual shops to touch/feel/size/try. Demos and rentals (often rolled into purchases at that shop) to try on the dirt are the way to go. Nearly anything available at a bike shop is good. Specific brands depend in style/desire/nit-picking.

I don't hit the LBS (local bike shop) anymore, so I can't make specific recommendations. Check stuff near you and go off of the vibe and service.

 

I've always like south mountain cycles in Ahwatukee. Seem to be good guys. Tempe bikes or cycles or something is where I bought my last bike.

 

Thanks for the advice.
I used to have a hard tail when I was younger and my dad and I would go. But whenever we got into the downhill more technical stuff is when I really started having fun, so thats what I'm thinking I'm wanting to get a bike more focused on. I'll have to go check out some shops and just get a feel for them. I'll most likely buy used though.

I'll check the tempe place out that's a lot closer to me. I drive by rage off Scottsdale road every day on my way home from work

 

I've heard good things for Rage on the MTBR AZ Forum.

At least you've ridden trails, so not a total newb regarding bikes/trails/lines/handling. Lotsa discussion/reviews/advice on MTBR, just have to wade thru plenty of BS and crazy budgets.

I'd personally focus on either 27.5 or 29 wheels and 4-6" of suspension travel F&R with reviews leaning towards somewhat efficient pedaling/climbing because most AZ riding requires earning your turns. Last October when in Moab, I rented a Ellsworth 27.5 with 160mm travel and my buddy was a Scott with similar specs. The Ellsworth was a blast going down rough stuff, but pretty mushy/sloppy when pedaling. My buddy really enjoyed the Scott and felt the pedaling performance was good. We are both hardtail riders that did most of The Whole Enchilada for the first time.

If you happen to still be looking in October for some reason, OuterBike in Moab is 3-4 days of almost every brand of bike offering demos. But sticker shock can be REAL.

Watch Craigslist, MTBR Classifieds, and PinkBike Classifieds.

 

I've had my current bike for just over 5 years now. Went full bore and got exactly what I wanted to fit my needs/desires all at once with the flexibility to change it up depending on fitness and upcoming rides. It is a semi-custom handbuilt steel hardtail from Siren Bicycles. 29" wheels, sliding dropouts so I can run singlespeed (majority) or geared. It has mostly had a 80mm travel Rock Shoc Reba, but I've also run a couple different rigid forks for a couple of years (even in the TX and AZ rocks). There have been instances of passing guys on high end full suspension rigs while going down rocky descents with the rigid fork.

It has been great for climbing, riding all day, bike packing, and exploring.

 

Global bikes is a good place too when I bought mine they were awesome

 

Rage is a great shop and the only one I go to. All the guys are super chill and they always have a ton of parts in stock, rather than always having to order.

That said, also check the classified section on pinkbike.com. There's usually some great deals on there.

For our terrain, I'd recommend a full squish, with 5 to 6 inches of travel. Something like that would allow you to ride pretty much anything in the state without beating the hell out of you. Hard tails are great, and certainly serve their purpose but I personally ride more aggressive trails, therefore my current fleet consists of a 6 inch carbon trail bike and an 8 inch DH bike.

The next thing to consider is the great wheel size debate.. 26, 27.5 or 29.. IMO, 26 or 27.5 are the best way to go. 29 is just a little tall for my taste, but then again, they certainly have their following.

I guess what it comes down to is budget. What you want to or can spend will determine what you can get. And like others have said, try to demo some bikes to see what you like.

 

Pinkbike.com is like mtbr

 

Thanks for the inspiration for the amber halos! (Black truck with morimoto's and amber halos. I forget his name)

Threw the morimoto mini H1's this morning





Now I finally have turn signals again! Next up is restoring my lenses