Colorado B.S. Thread

@TMFF Is your friend still doing this work?

 

Nope, I’m far away in quiet Wyoming camping for the next week.

 

Hot summer days leading to a cold rainy evening. Chilly water encore.... that's cute....

 

This would be one of the few times I can say this was better than camping

 

It was the best chilly water ever. No question.

 

WSP asked you to play a guitar solo in the concert, then party with them post show?

 

Mushrooms

 

^^^ This. John's Universe got a little bigger and he saw things he normally hears, and he heard things he normally sees. Be safe my friend and remember the real world we all work and breath in.

 

Happy Saturday all you good people

 

Hey Colorado Peeps!

I figured I’d ask this here since I’m sure quite a few of you are into mountain biking…

I'm looking to get back into things after being out of the sport for what might as well be forever. I figure a trail bike would be a good all-around option, as I don’t have the coin for a stable of specialty bikes, nor do I see myself going crazy with downhill riding very soon. I want a bike that will hang in there on some moderate trails and get me back into things slowly.

Any ideas or opinions to help point me in the right direction? Any suggestions for essential gear beyond just the bike?

My budget is $1500-$2000, which I get is pretty humble in a sport with bikes that can be as much as a nice dual-sport or cruiser motorcycle. Beyond that, I think I’m pretty flexible, but I’d definitely rather trade quality and reliability for blingy features that I’ll possibly never utilize. Oh, and I’m a big fella at 6’2”, not your stereotypical malnourished vegan cyclist from Boulder.

Thanks in advance!

 

At that price point you’re probably going to want to look at hardtails and the used market if your priorities are quality and reliability. Take a look at Pinkbike for both their classifieds and their videos on YouTube. Pretty sure they did a budget hard tail comparison and here’s their comparison of sub $3K full suspension bikes.
https://youtu.be/BLB35kbzDlI
The bike industry is also experiencing shortages so finding a budget bike in store is gonna be real hard. The only thing I’ve seen in shop up in FoCo are premium high end stuff and most stores have little to no stock. Most are on a pre-order for late 2021, early 2022 delivery.

Also, check out the consumer direct brands. Commencal, YT, Canyon, etc. More bang for your buck component wise since you are eliminating the middle man. I was looking at getting a rowdy hardtail and I believe Commencal has a delivery date of August 2021 on orders. The cool thing with them is their North American HQ is in Golden. You can have your order sent to them and they’ll build it for you. Also have parts on hand in case you break something. Somewhat of an LBS feel from a consumer direct brand. Good luck!

 

That ain’t the real world

 

That world is the bad place.

 

I forgot - I am retired and some are not. My real world is somewhat different than others - but I still like you!

 

Thanks for the advice, Bart!

I know my budget doesn’t get much with how expensive bikes are these days, but I figure that I can always level up down the road if I’m still into it. I just can’t stomach the idea of shelling out $3k+ for my first foray back into the game. That’s a shit ton of money and I refuse to finance this.

Anyway, I’m going to do some more investigation and maybe I’ll run some options by you later, if you don’t mind.

Thanks again!

 

@RockiesTaco gave some solid advice.

My 2 cents would be something along the line of a trek top fuel or fuel ex if you want a full suspension (you won't regret it if it's in your budget - definately used market instead of new). The lower package models like a 7 or 8 are aluminum frames and cheaper, but the components are reliable. Most should have a 1x drive train so you won't have to deal with a front derailleur. Also, if you can get a bike with a dropper post, I would highly recommend it. It's a big advantage being able to drop your seat down on the fly and not have to fuss with setting it back to the right height when you raise it back up.

I've always ridden trek bikes so I'm not sure what comparable models of other brands would be, but you can look at the specs of those bikes (geometry and suspension) and compare with other brands to see what models would be similar.

 

@jubei i think you may luck out. XL bikes don’t come up as frequently, but also they usually take longer to sell, so a seller may be more flexible on price.

I just sold a carbon frame, carbon wheel 24 pound “trail” full suspension for $1500 to my coworker. It was 7 years old but I took very good care of it and upgraded many parts.

I’ll keep my eyes out for you and send you bikes I find.

I think for the price range, a 5-10 year old full suspension may be a good bet that has upgraded brakes and drivetrain.

 

@jubei

https://www.commencalusa.com/meta-ht-am-ride-maxxis-2021-c2x34394546

Just one example of consumer direct. The SX drivetrain and SRAM Level brakes leave a little to be desired, but SRAM Eagle components are interchangeable from entry level SX to xO1. Easy to upgrade there if you feel like you really want to get back into it. Easy to change internals in most forks to upgrade them without buying new forks too. Brakes are not a giant expense to upgrade either and deals can be found on Pinkbike when others do upgrade. I agree with @mreimann when it comes to Trek. Been riding them for the last few years. Everything from a Remedy, to a Fuel EX and now a Slash 9.8. Even had a Stache HT, a Full Stache FS and a Roscoe HT. I’m not big on them being a big corporate brand, but the Trek store up here has been great to deal with, and that relationship is important to me. If they’re good enough bikes for Cam McCaul and Brandon Semenuk, they’re good enough for me, haha.

As far as age goes, I would stick within the last five years, at the latest, in the used market. That should keep you in a 1X11 or 1X12 drivetrain and more modern geometry, which makes a huge difference in stability on the downs. I’m a huge fan of hardtails because you learn to properly ride your bike in varying terrain. Today’s FS bikes are so good they can make a new rider better than than are, but also can lead to developing bad habits. Either way, get one and go have fun riding it. If you get one and want to ride, hit me up. If you want to check out a new Enduro bike and see what it has to offer, you’re more than welcome to take mine for a rip.

 

@jubei

Quick search on Pinkbike turned up this. Good entry level bike from a quality brand.

https://m.pinkbike.com/buysell/3062729/

 

You guys rock!

Thanks a ton for all of the info. I have some reading to do!