Short Travel DJ/Freeride

[T:I:M]

I'm thinkin that I want to use my money for things other than just biking, seeing as I think , and others think that I am rather obsesive about it:rolleyes: :o So I was thinking that i could sell my big dh bike, which i have been using for dirtjumping, hardley ever use anymore for dh/fr runs, and get a smaller travel bike, and use the rest of the money for my truck and/or jetski's and dirtbike.

I've really gotten into dirtjumping the past summer, and I don't go huge, but I like to have a little bit of give under me, so i don't want a hardtail. Some thing with like 4 to 5 inches would be good, I'd probably try to get a sherman up front, and a decent spec, if i build it up.

So far my idea's for frames are as follows, I'd like it to be about 1500, give or take a 100:

Older Foes zig-zag: seems like it would be perfect, 4 to 6 inches of travel, not to heavy?, dunno how tough it is. I could get one for probably under 700(us)

Older Intense tazer

Norco 4 X 4: seems fairly burly, nice for dirtjumping?

Cove hooker: I doubt i could find one for that price, but im just thiking here.

Kona stinky: Well? Seems like a pretty good idea

bighit comp: I dunno about this whole 24 inch rear wheel dealo.

Later on down the line, maybe upgrade the rear shock on whatever to like a romic, seein as most of these come with a vannila R.

Suggestions? People selling? Differnt ideas?

Thanks
[T]

[IFO]

why no Spec. Enduro SX ???

thats the perfect frame for you...

http://www.specialized.com/SBCBkModel.jsp?san=03EnduroSXFrame&bl=mountain&JServSessionIdroot=z5nkta6ttk.j27005

[T:I:M]

Because i forgot to put it down:) yeah, i was thinking that it would be an awesome frame as well. Don't think i could finance building it up new though, and i've never seen one used:( And I couldn't be on team bighit :lol:

Wait a minute, that msrp price is lower than i thought!:eek: I thought it was like 1650! I wonder if WBC could hook me up?:)

MMM, sx, with sherman, sram goodies:D

Does that look like an rc in the pic, not an r? whats up with that i wonder, some one sneaking an rc onto these frames?:P

[freerideforever]

I have seen used Intense SLX's going for like 1200$ That's what i would look into.

-Nate

[NickS]

That specialized dosent look up to dirt jumping abuse . Id say get the Norco or the Cove Hooker or even a G spot.

[Captain Da]

i have a 4by and love the thing. i can't recommend it enough. i put on a 5" dj2 and the angles seem a good balance between trail and djing.

btw i'd suggest running it with a 24" rear wheel, although you can fit a 26", unless you want a steep head angle for djing.

[Stinky_Rider]

4by is a good bike, nice for urbaning and dirtjumping, and freeride. BigHit Comp is a sweet bike, it's sweet for dirtjumping and probably comparable to the 4by but has abit more travel.

Stinky is a good bike as well. Remember the linkage design is also a factor to your riding style.

What did you ride before? Sorry...

Cya,
Chris

[Stinky_Rider]

I forgot to add, maybe take a look at the Chapparal, I sat on one the other day with a Romic, it felt like better than the scream, and more like magic.

Cya,
Chris

[trail worker]

My vote would have to go to the cove hooker or norco 4by.
if you've got lots of money...the turner rail is about as nice as they come.NO doubt about that.
if i got a daully again,i think i'd look at something like a 4by or size small bullit or,maybe,just maybe a newer model kona dually frame.

[T:I:M]

Well, I would be coming off of a 2002 Norco TeamDH. Yeah, i wish i had the bling to get a turner rail, definetly a dream ride for slalom and dirtjumping.

I defiently want a burly bike though, I don't do 10 foot drops, but I enjoy the occasional 6 footer. I also have plenty of overshoots, and flat landings when i jump( the wind catches ya and carry's ya farther, wicked wind where im at)

I'd want a bike that was an above average dirtjumpable, easier to maneuver in the air, but also good on the trails, light downhill, and drops.

As for the suspension design I don't know what exatly I'm looking for. John Cowan seems to do fine on his Kona, and the tazer, zig-zag, and sx are all for mountain-x so i'd assume they're decent. And the bighit would be in the same boat as the kona, kind of a trailish bike, sorta dirtjumper ish. and then there's the 4 by.

I'd like the final build on the bike to be about 1500 or maybe a little bit more, so no 1000 dollar frames. US dollars of course.

[T:I:M]

Well, Im pretty sure that the bike for me is a 4 by. Just gotta figure out what to do there. I could get a frame and build it up, hopefully at about 1500 give or take, or I could buy one used. Then if I went used I could get an 02, or an 03. Or of course I could go new, which would be nice. But then I could get an 02 from sbc outlet -> http://sbcoutlet.com/bikes.htm for 951(us)
or new.

Now if I go new, where, and at what price can I buy it? I've got no dealer's anywhere near me. And MSRP is like 1,750, but I know that shops probably beat that price by quite a bit?

Thanks for putting up with all these longass posts

[Chakalaka Rider]

Turner (http://www.turnerbikes.com/) Rail seems good for your style of riding? 4.5 inches of rear travel. But $1695 USD retail for the 2003 model.
KHS (http://www.khsbicycles.com) FR2000 has 4", 5", 6" of adjustable travels. Or KHS DS2000, they all come with Romic shocks.

[freerider guy]

^^ don't get a khs cause it stands for kant handle shit. look at the norco 4 by and then you will have enough money to buy a new shermin after also.

[littled]

no, dont get the 4by get the cove hooker. they r one of the nicest short travel dualies.much finer quality and handbuilt in good ole' british columbia.

[C.C.]

The best bang for the buck would be a completete 4by. If you can get one, it'll be way cheaper than trying to build up something like the Enduro SX.

I've been eyeing the Enduro SX for quite some time now. Kind of pricey though for me.

[Desloc]

Originally posted by Stinky_Rider
I forgot to add, maybe take a look at the Chapparal, I sat on one the other day with a Romic, it felt like better than the scream, and more like magic.

Cya,
Chris

I've dreamed of this magic you mention :)


Des

[T:I:M]

I wonder if It would be possible to put a little bit longer stroke shock in the 4 by, or even just a resivour shock, like a 5th or even a fox rc? That would be perfect if i could bump the travel to 5 and 4 instead of 4 and 3:)

[Captain Da]

the stock fork is 4.3", and the rear suspension is adjustable between 4.3/3.9". you'd have to talk to norco about increasing rear travel. i'm happy with 4.3" in the back and a 5" fork.

you could fit an avy defiitely, and probably an RC or 5th - looks like plenty of room for the resevoir - talk to your LBS about that.

[trail worker]

Originally posted by T:I:M
I wonder if It would be possible to put a little bit longer stroke shock in the 4 by, or even just a resivour shock, like a 5th or even a fox rc? That would be perfect if i could bump the travel to 5 and 4 instead of 4 and 3:)

to bump up travel you could get a set of 2002 vps fluid link plates and a 1.75 stroke shock..or,come to think of it just about any link plates from norco bikes would work..you could probably even bump it up to 7.8" with the team dh links and shock:eek:
the best bet would be getting some fuild link plates and a slighty longer shock..it wouldn't change teh bike too muich and you would get 5.25 inches max..a total 1 inch increase.

[Captain Da]

Originally posted by trail worker
the best bet would be getting some fuild link plates and a slighty longer shock..it wouldn't change teh bike too muich and you would get 5.25 inches max..a total 1 inch increase.

if you upgrade it to 5.25" i'd run a 6" fork too like a slider to balance out the angles.

why don't you just leave the rear suspension alone and see how it feels, and if you don't like it then you can change it later.

[T:I:M]

Ach, to much work to get new linkage plates and such, plus the point of getting this would be so that i could spend less time finding parts on the net or whereever, and do othere stuff. And to get a bit of money for my other, motorized habits:D

So I figure that if i get a 5 inch fork on there, that will slack the head angle by about a degree. then if i put just a tad longer shock, with longer stroke, or even JUST longer stroke, it could keep the angle pretty much stock, and nice and even.

I really like this idea of getting a 4 by, but I'm kinda afraid it will be too differnt to get used to, seeing as im coming off a team dh. Most of the time i run it in 6 inch travel, since i've been doing lots of djing but its nice to know you can bump it up, ya know. I just don't wanna get rid of a good bike, i mean I got a pretty good setup, sram 9.0 hayes, mavics, hadley, maxxis and mich tires, and go to an inferior bike(not that the 4 by is) I know you guys don't wanna hear my problems, but I just need some real world input on how the 4 by does, ya know, to make sure it's worth it to make the switch.

Does the 4by feel like it ramps up really quick, or is it feel like it's more suspension, or what?
I feel confident to pull tricks on the team dh, but not at all on hardtails, so does it feel more like a fully, but smaller, or like a hardtail, with a little give?
How does it handle drops? Rocky sections? Steeps? General trails?

Me being at 6'4 would i need a medium or large? I have no shops anywhere near me at all, so I would have to drive awhile to get to one, so I'm just trying to get an idea. The large seems to have a pretty long tt. And the medium seems more like my team dh, it's a medium too.

How does the stock setup hold up? I've heard some bad things about truvativ's for cranks, not a whole lot of good stuff.

[Captain Da]

i think it feels like a really beefy hardtail that smoothes out the trail and has a little cushion for drops and cases, but way, way more stable and versatile than any hardtail i've tried.

yeah i think it would feel pretty odd coming off of a team dh - i moved to mine from an oryx desert dueler hardtail and it only took a day or so to get used to it, might take you a bit longer.

it's pretty good for trails for the most part. i felt like i was running out of travel occasionally in whistler but far less often than i expected for ~4" of travel.

i think it ramps up pretty quickly, it doesn't really feel like more than 4" of suspension but i hardly ever bottom, and it's also pretty fluid in the first part of the travel. the suspension feels just like a longer travel bike with less travel (to be blindingly obvious).

it's really good for drops because it's so stable, having the centre of gravity so low to the ground. rails around berms if you trust the bike and really push it for the same reason.

i have no problems with my cranks, but i'm not a big guy, or brutal on parts.

as for sizing, i'd lean towards the large, but i think the medium would work too as long as you don't use it for epic xc. i have a small and i'm like 5'6".