new bike for Canada... ideas...?

[rustyfromUK]

Hi, I know this question is always floating about but just wondered what kind of feed back I would get as I'm undecided on what to spend my hard earnt cash on yet...
My plan is to visit Whistler start of Sep for probably 2 weeks then spend the rest of my remaining 6 weeks travlling around BC and riding as much as possible.
I currently ride a hardtail DMR Trailster set up for most types of riding...
I'm into what we call Down Hill over her (prob extreme xc in Canada!) some dirt jumping and general riding/bombing about
plan on buying a full susser to use for Canada and back at home but what to buy!?
Think I'm going to buy in uk so I can get used to it over here, have ridden full sus before but always good to have as much experience as poss I think...
prob not going to be used for the dirt jumps but just want a good free ride bike... think about 6 inches of travel would be ok for me... oh and at a price tag of £1500!
I know.. I want I want but just wondered what pearls of wisdom you have to offer me

cheers for any help offered

Russ

[Supervokes]

you are just going to have everybody tell you to buy the bike they own themselves..... For that price you will have lots of options. You can rent almost any bike in Whistler, so my advice is to try a few out and then decide on which one suits you the best (oh and I am not going to tell you to buy the same bike I ride)

[Danksi]

Tricky as Whistler you could ride a really big bike and not have to worry about pedalling uphill. However a lot of other places in BC you'd be better off with a 'lighter - All Mountain' bike, depending on whether you prefer to ride or push uphill?

(personally I like to ride up and down)

[patrolskid]

coilair . . . .

[smoochy]

i don't know what prices are like in the UK, but you might do well to buy here - vancouver has a pretty competetive market for bikes and you can score some wicked values rides, esp a bit later in the season.
for two weeks at the whis, you might do well to just rent a biggie (deal on two weeks rental?), then purchase something smaller for all-rounding, or just use your HT.

but i don't ride whistler that much, so i could be wrong...

max

[Geologyboy]

you are just going to have everybody tell you to buy the bike they own themselves..... For that price you will have lots of options. You can rent almost any bike in Whistler, so my advice is to try a few out and then decide on which one suits you the best (oh and I am not going to tell you to buy the same bike I ride)

Yeah you should totally buy a 2003 Norco Launch.:lol:

My personal feeling about bike rentals is it is like flushing money down the toilet. Free demos are great, but $100 to ride for a day is better spent on purchasing a better bike in the first place.

[blunt boy]

Although its not optimal, I ride my DMR @ Whistler and always have a good time. The rental bikes there are very high quality but they are as stated $100/day. If I were you I would bring my DMR over and give it a shot. If you find it rough try to find one of said deals or rent. I'm pretty sure you'll find Norcos, Konas, etc at better prices than the UK so if you have the means this is a very viable option.

[shirk]

A 5x5 or 6x6 bike with a granny gear is what you need.

Too many good bikes in the category to list.

[rustyfromUK]

Ok, cheers guys...
looked at rentals, they are fully expensive!
was thinking of something like a Kona Stinky...
I can get an 05 model here in the UK for £1100
would like to take the DMR but is is a bit 'aged' now and worried it mite not take the abuse, also if it doesnt suit my needs and I require another bike I don't want to have to sell ii as it's not really worth my selling it...
Bikes I was looking at were Norco, Kona or Specialized
Would like something thats possible to ride up the gentler hills...

cheers again

Russ

[hpman]

100$ per day is quite exepensive but cheaper than the bike rental in France (about 90€ per day).
Be carreful on Specialized bike because Spe doesn't has bike between the Enduro and the Demo (or BigHit) and I think that the Enduro model is not the perfect bike for the Whistler Bike Park and the Demo is Downhill bike.
I think that Norco or Kona has model which can be OK for your ride (strongs, reliable and which could be uphill).

[Supervokes]

If you go into most bikes shops, you can usually convince them to give you a 2 hour rental (if you stress and be aggressive that you are interested in buying the bike). Probably would have to go on a slow mid week day though. Likely set you back $25 or so per bike, but for between $100-$200, it would sure be nice to convince yourself you bought the right bike. That way you can try a run or two on each bike you are interested in. The nice part about Whistler is that you can demo a wide variety of bikes including Rocky Mountain RMX's, Demo 9's, Norco A-lines, Norco 6's, Banshee screams, various Kona's, Coves (if you are willing to drive to Vancouver) etc. etc. If you have a few "target" bikes in mind, just post it, and I am sure somebody will directly you to a bike shop that rents them.

I spent 3 weeks demo'ing various bikes for an entire day. Yeah it cost me over $600, but I got the bike that I wanted in the end (Demo 9).

[Supervokes]

You can easily pick up an 06 stinky for that in Canada (or equivalent). I believe the retail on that bikes is the same as you indicated you can get an 05 stinky for.

[heckler]

Buy mine!

(kidding)

[connor]

everybody I meet from England talks about how much cheaper bikes are here than there.. I would just buy one here.. if you want a do everything bike. Definetly a Specialized SX trail, or SC Nomad would be awesome.. you can get a killer bike here for ~3K CDN..

[teflon_cock]

Specialized SX trail - they seem to be the bike du jour for almost every style of terrain. I don't own one but they seem to be very versatile capable bikes.

[Spit]

Specialized SX trail - they seem to be the bike du jour for almost every style of terrain. I don't own one but they seem to be very versatile capable bikes.

A word if warning- Specialized are now clean out of medium SX Trail's- I know because I just paid a deposit on the last one... :D

[rustyfromUK]

Top advice guys cheers...
I like the idea of renting to test ride bikes, that would be sweet
just wanna ride now!
going to be fun having a go on the bigger bounce bikes, had a ride of my mates 04 Stinky at the wkend, is just a bit different from my hardtail!

cheers people
Russ...

[sketchy]

There's nothing like a fully!! I rented for a week last year at whistler bike co. and they gave me a $10/day discount. (Norco A-Line) BTW the bike was in tip-top shape. Just my $.02

[rustyfromUK]

I'm now thinking of buying in UK, really want to get riding and used to the character of a full susser before I get there
Anybody had/ridden Iron Horse?
Yakuza Kumicho looks pretty good for the £
Also thinking an 05 Coiler mite suit my needs just under £1000 for an 05
Also the new Big Hit looks sweet...
there's a place fairly near me I can check out a few of these bikes so hope to have a good look at them soon...
Obviously the less I spend the better but don't really wanna go much over £1500

[smoochy]

no matter how much you ride in the UK right now, you will log way more miles than that in a day or two at whistler. so buying a bike there to get used to it isn't worth any extra cost (if there is extra cost) because you will get used to it PDQ here.

[the Master Plan Dan]

Okay Iwhile I half agree with buying the bike there and shipping it here.

Certain bikes cost more here than they do there and vice versa. When I visited Whistler 2 years ago, I sat on the bus beside a guy from the UK that was buying a COve Peeler here because even with the exchange and the duities he would have to pay, it was cheaper for him to buy it here that there.

I have been to England stuff there is so expenisive compared to here. Do your research... internet is free... price the bike out that you want and check between the two countries.

Hope that helps.

Dan

[rustyfromUK]

good advice, cheers...
got any good recomendations for good bike shops in either Vancouver, Squamish or Whistler? have tried to check some shops on-line but not found all that many...
I'm just excited and wanna start riding a new bike again!
Been so long since I've had a new bike!

very much appreciate all the advice people, please keep it coming even if you think it's pointing out obvious stuff!
I'm thinking about so much stuff right now I'm finding it tricky to make exactly the right decisions sometimes!

Cheers
Russ

[Spit]

good advice, cheers...
got any good recomendations for good bike shops in either Vancouver, Squamish or Whistler? have tried to check some shops on-line but not found all that many...
I'm just excited and wanna start riding a new bike again!
Been so long since I've had a new bike!

very much appreciate all the advice people, please keep it coming even if you think it's pointing out obvious stuff!
I'm thinking about so much stuff right now I'm finding it tricky to make exactly the right decisions sometimes!

Cheers
Russ

I've bought my bike via Dizzy Cycles in Van, and James at the shop has been super helpful, so I can highly recommend them. Evolution in Whistler also seem like a good bunch.

Someone suggested to me simply rocking up at the Cove shop and seeing if there are any 'factory-damaged' frames going; you might be able to pick up a frame with a cosmetic scratch or similar for really cheap.

[::Liam::]

yeah its crazy the differences in bike prices between countries...

apparently in the uk giants are really expensive... a bloke flew down here, bought a dh comp, rode it for a while, shiped it back to his brother and sold it for more than he paid for it..

[Carbuncle]

I second the CoilAir, if I could trade my downhill bike and my hardtail in on one I would.

[Loopie]

As has been mentioned...really check into the pricing differences between there and here. It could be significant.
As was also mentioned...you will clock SO MANY miles of trail in such a short time period, that you'll adapt to a new bike within a day or two if not within hours! What I would add to that is that if you're even remotely competent on your hardtail...you should take to a FS bike like a duck to water. I wouldn't worry about getting used to your new fully prior to your trip AT ALL in my opinion:)

The first bike that comes to mind for you...a SantaCruz Nomad with a coil shock. Light...fully lightweight XC ridable but can be set up with an 8" fork too and is still warrantied!

[Loopie]

oh ya...you do know Kamloops should be at least in the top 4 of your list of places to ride right?

I've been known to ride with out of towners;)

[the Master Plan Dan]

Evolution in Whistler, Corsa in Squamish, Cove in North Van, On Top Bike Shop in North Van.... so many to choose from!

[SysCo.]

the new switch or sx trail

[rustyfromUK]

Why do Canadas bike shop sites have no prices?
checked out the ones above but no price lists on line...?

Will be visiting Kamloops, that comes after Whistler, also will be visiting Squamish and Fernie and any other places that look cool!
How long do you think is a sensible time to spend in Whistler?
I was thinking 2 weeks or so...

[dubrider_mart]

think you should get a bullit dude, or an sx trail. both are real nice and light but can take some serious big hits too. put some single crown forks on and you're away! let us know what you get and we'll look out for ya on the hills

[Straw]

good advice, cheers...
got any good recomendations for good bike shops in either Vancouver, Squamish or Whistler? have tried to check some shops on-line but not found all that many...
I'm just excited and wanna start riding a new bike again!
Been so long since I've had a new bike!

very much appreciate all the advice people, please keep it coming even if you think it's pointing out obvious stuff!
I'm thinking about so much stuff right now I'm finding it tricky to make exactly the right decisions sometimes!

Cheers
Russ
www.fanatykco.com in Whistler.

[theweev]

Why do Canadas bike shop sites have no prices?
checked out the ones above but no price lists on line...?

Will be visiting Kamloops, that comes after Whistler, also will be visiting Squamish and Fernie and any other places that look cool!
How long do you think is a sensible time to spend in Whistler?
I was thinking 2 weeks or so...
2 weeks for whistler and squamish is plenty as they are only 40 mins from each other and whistler is an expensive place to hang around unless you're crashing @ a friends.. oh ya... Get thee to Nelson young man. Nelson is the shit!!!! :banana:

[miffed]

i get a rockey slayer that bike is pimp