For VI and other interested in Mountain Biking

I miss going mountain biking. Every year I think I'll get in good enough shape to go on a few rides, but I never do. I go on twenty to thirty miles road rides to stay in shape, and the mountain bike just gathers dust. The last time I did any upgrading at all on my MTB was 1997. The frame and fork date from 1990!

I did a lot of mountain biking the summer of '95, most of it at Boggs demonstration forest. Miles of great single track. I was getting pretty good, but that's been years ago.

One great ride I've done a few times is a ten mile climb up Grasshopper Peak in Humboldt Redwoods state park (reviewed here ) with some of the climb being a grind in your lowest gear, being careful to distribute your weight just right- too far forward, your back tire slips, too far back, and the front end begins to lift up. When I've gone with groups on this ride, I was one of the few to not get off and push up this section. And coming back down it is a white knuckle rush.

I ought to just go ahead and buy a new mountain bike this spring.

 

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I'm not sure what my budget will be yet. Depends on a few factors that are months away, yet. That frame looks nice though, so we'll see what happens when the time comes.

My current bike is 41 lbs, I think, so that would make things a little nicer. I'm a big guy, too, and although I don't plan to be quite so large by spring, weight doesn't mean as much to me as it would to someone who is smaller.

I do a fair bit of All Mountain riding as well, so decent pedaling will be a bit of a bonus and may in fact be one of the deciding factors in my choice of frame.

 

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Hiking + biking = mountain biking.

 

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Ahhh yes. In that case, and you like Transisition, may I suggest this one:
http://www.transitionbikes.com/2007/PrestonFR.cfm
It only has 5" of travel in the back, but Transition knows how to make low suspension travel bikes that can still endure big hits.
This one is also supposed to pedal really well.

Another bike I like extremely well and was actually the other of my two final choices of a bike; The Chumba Evo.
http://www.chumbaracing.com/evo_build_kits.shtml
The main two reasons I went with the BR over the Evo was that the BR was a bit more suited to what I was going to do with it (i.e. SS and only SS), and one of the other guys here in town already had an Evo.
I love this bike, and still want one. The way the rear triangle/swingarm assembly is set up on the bike, it makes it look like a Transformer. When I first saw my buddies Evo, I kept thinking it was going to transform into a robot and kick my ass. Haha.
The price for an Evo frame is about $1550, not too far off from the BR. You'll wind up spending about the same as you would a complete BR. And the Evo has been said to be a much better descender than the BR.
I would seriously consider the Evo as well if I were you.

 

The Evo descends better than the Bottle Rocket? That strikes me as odd, because the geometry looks much tighter (or less slack), but since they don't have frame geo specs I can't tell for sure. It looks much more like a pure AM setup, which is not exactly what I'm looking for. Plus, after a quick look around their website, it doesn't appear as though there are any Canadian dealers, which could make it more expensive if I factor in shipping. Comparatively, I have a bike shop 5 minutes walking distance from my house that carries Transition.

Like I said though, I have a few months to decide and do my research. The PrestonFR has interested me, but I wasn't a fan of the Bottle Rocket until I saw it in person -- something I haven't had the pleasure of experiencing with the Preston.

Another manufacturer I've been interested in is Devinci, like the Ollie for example. They are an Eastern Canadian company, and they are a little pricey, but they make nice bikes.

 

Sorry I should have clarified. The BR doesn't fare that well on DH trails(i.e. very techie bumpy rocky sections/rock gardens), as it has a short wheel base and low bottom bracket; that tends to make them very bouncy and non controllable. Most DH bikes have longer wheelbases and slacker suspension. You could set the suspension up on the BR for DH and it would do better, but still wouldn't be as good as a DH bike.

Don't let the looks fool you. Chumba even mentions that it is an AM/FR bike.
IIRC the head angle on the Evo is 68.5 degrees. The BR's head angle is 67 degrees. Only 1.5 degree difference. Any angle under 70 deg. is going to be excellent for FR.
Since the Evo does have a slightly steeper head angle, it makes it better for climbing.
Here are the frame geometries for both bikes:
Evo...
http://www.chumbaracing.com/evo_frames.shtml

Bottlerocket...
http://www.transitionbikes.com/2007/BottleRocket_GeometrySizing.cfm

I keep forgetting you live near Whistler (you suck btw.). What about Rocky Mountain Bicycles? Like I mentioned, my first full suspension bike was the Edge. I love that bike. I would still be using it but I think it's a bit too delicate for any continued abuse on it. Not as stable in the air as the BR, but it was much lighter and way more flickable.

I drove down to Atlanta to pick my frame up. It is the baby blue color (stunning color in person). When the brought it out, and handed it to me, as soon as I took hold of it, it gave me chills and I got a bit misty eyed too. It is an incredible frame.

I'll have to look those guys up.
But take a look at the Rocky Mountain lineup and see if there's anything you like. I loved the 2006 model Slayers, but they redesigned them and now they have slopestyle models as well:
http://www.bikes.com/main en 01_101 Slopestyle.html?CATID=1&SCATID=6Since their headquarters is not too far from Vancouver, I'm highly sure you can find a dealer for them around.
One of their bikes that I would also recommend, that they don't make anymore, is the Switch. If you could find an '06 or '07 Switch, those are pretty awesome too. I love their RMX, but they don't make those anymore either and I think that would be more bike than what you would need.

 

Oh, I've seen pretty much everything Rocky Mountain has to offer. On the West Coast here (North of the border), pretty much all shops carry full line-ups of Norco and Rocky Mountain. They are the "local" brands. Although, I think Rocky has moved their main distribution center to Quebec, so a lot of local shops have started to carry other manufacturers due to increased cost. Which is a shame, really, because Rocky Mountain has been a West Coast icon for over a decade.

The baby blue Bottle Rocket is very nice, yes -- they have a small sized frame in that colour mounted on the wall in the shop up the street. They also have a built bike with the Pabst Blue Ribbon decal scheme, which looks surprisingly good. I can't support American beer though.

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The other build they had of the BR was the brushed aluminum frame, but all the accent parts were red or white and it looked amazing.

I may just hit as many shops as I can and try to get some test rides in. Feel out a few different frames and go from there.

I do live near Whistler, correct, but I don't take advantage of it as often as I should. It's quite the shame really, because I have had a blast both times I've gone. I live on Vancouver Island, and we have a park on Mt. Washington as well. This is the site of the Bearclaw Invitational, another slopestyle event.

 

I don't know how I missed this the first time, but that place looks really cool! And 20-30 mile road rides? I wish I had the lungs to get me that far. There was a time when I could, then I neglected my general health for a couple years and am left in very poor shape.

Quite the feat! I am also a terrible climber but have a lot of respect for those that do it well. I am much happier when the nose of the bike is pointing down hill.

You should! It's never too late.

 

Stuff the expensive bikes, get yourself a £40 second hand GT Dyno BMX like me.

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Mine has back breaks, two pedals and is battered though.

I don't know, its this sort of thing...

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Only it's (was) in the woods near my house, not indoors.

 

Not to be intentionally obtuse, but you live in...the UK? I'm guessing so because you mention picking up a bike for £40, but I'm just verifying.

Vancouver's North Shore in BC is the grandfather of everything called "North Shore" with respect to mountain biking, and it's a whole animal of its own. Not to discredit you riding the types of stunts above on a BMX, which is definitely impressive, but there is so much more to make riding on Vancouver's North Shore extremely difficult, even on a mountain bike.

 

While riding a North Shore style trail on a BMX bike is doable, I'd HIGHLY recommend against it. Either you and/or your bike will end up in the scrap heap.

That's Ray's Indoor Mountain Bike Park in Cleveland, OH. I've been there twice. It's fun as hell and a really cool concept.

 

BentheMan: http://bb.nsmb.com/showthread.php?t=116426

There is some discussion there about good places to ride in California that you might be interested in checking through. Sounds like there are some leads to nice single-track cross-country type trails. Apparently Santa Cruz has amazing trails.

*edit* I also found a new frame candidate for myself: http://www.covebike.com/bikes/std.html

 

Some downhill videos, just because:

Fabien Barel
Cedric Gracia
Steve Peat and Andrew Shandro
A Mix of Riders on Whistler

 

I do live in the UK.

The stuff in the woods was a lot bigger and harder than that looks in the picture too.

There's still a few things left I think, but only things that I didn't dare try anyway. I'll take some photos next time I'm down there.

 

Please do! I like seeing trails from places I will likely never get the chance to visit.

 

So, I'm buying an 2008 Transition Blindside on Saturday. I'm pretty excited about it, and it is a decent deal.

 

I'd get it in "really bright orange".

 

Good choice. That thing looks really cool. I think I'm gonna get one for my 19th next year.

@Steve, don't all mountain bikers ride standing up? All the dudes I go with do..

 

Steve100, I'm buying second hand so I don't have a choice in colour. I could get it powder coated, but I think "really bright orange" is a little too ostentatious for me.

I will let you know how it rides, VI, once I have given it a bit of a test.

I will sit or stand depending which direction I am headed -- sitting for ascents, standing for descents.

 

Thanks

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Ah right. I didn't think of that, being a DH'er, I always ride standing up.

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