Big bike vs. small bike...decisions

[DaveM]

So I've been thinking about selling my Team DH. With the Totem on my Six it has transformed itself into a great do everything bike that I think will more than handle anything I can throw at it.

The things that I ponder about are this:
I will never break the TeamDH no matter how badly I hack it up. The Six would need a sturdier wheelset if it were to be my only bike (presently Singletracks on Deore hubs, with Kenda wire bead tires). The Six is sitting at 39lbs now, and I can pedal it all day long. If I'm going to beef it up a bit, it's likely going to get heavier and at what point have I sacrificed the benefits of a smaller bike to have something reliable enough that I don't have to worry about it. The TeamDH is about 47lbs, and while I can still pedal it anywhere, it's definitely more of a chore.

The Six is definitely strong enough, but will a smaller bike have the long term reliability that I know I have with the TeamDH when doing days at the bike parks and repeated thrashings.

For those that don't know me, I'm around the 200lb mark and smoothness is not a quality I posess. I'm not a big air guy, but am getting more courageous all the time.

Any thoughts out there? Please keep the peanut gallery comments to a minimum. If you have nothing to add, don't post.

[Sharon]

I'd lighten up the six even more and keep the Team DH.

You won't get the money you think you deserve for it and it will be better in the bike park and for those rides when you needed the added margin of error...

If you want to try out an even lighter bike, I'm demo'ing the Brodie zealot I'd let you take it out for a day!

37lbs/Lyric/pearl - probably a better climber then the six but not as good at descending.

Nothing like have a quiver to suit your moods!

[seand]

big bikes are for fat people who crash coming off the skinny drops on neds!

[Geologyboy]

I have the same dilemna as you. I too am 200+ and not smooth. Not a big air guy, but slowly getting better.

I ended up with a 2007 Shore 1. I can't afford two bikes, and this was the happy medium "do everything" bike for a guy my size. In an ideal world I would have a team DH and a Six. It sounds like you are slowly turning your six into the same bike as my Shore.

I don't think there is really a solution to the problem, but rather an amont you are willing to spend. If you want to cut down to just one bike, you are probably going about it in the right way.

[seand]

I would do as Sharon suggested. Selling bikes is a chore; and a painful one when you see how much less you get for your bike

Keep the DH for Cyps, bike parks...or just those days you want to haul arse on a couchy bike!

While I love using my 6/6 everywhere, sometimes having the option for the bigger bike is nice.

If you have the room, let them keep either other company!

[BareFootMeshback]

Unless you need the $$$ I would follow Sharron's advice, and maybe drop a bit of coin and get the weight down a little more on the Six

[DaveM]

Yeah it isn't a bad thing to have to look in the garage and have to decide which bike to ride!

The wheelset is likely the only weak link on the Six. Maybe I'll keep an eye out for a good deal on 135mm Hadley. As for the Singletracks, they seem to be pretty sturdy so far, but I'd ideally like something stronger but not heavier. Too much to ask? I guess if the DH bike collects dust all year I can revisit this again next year.

As for shedding weight on the Six, I just bought the Totem last week and love it, so it's not getting any lighter any time soon. There isn't too many other places to shed weight (using DHX Air, Hones, etc.)

[DaveM]

Originally Posted by seand

big bikes are for fat people who crash coming off the skinny drops on neds!

That is just one of many places I've taken personal core samples of the local soil.

[TheGiggler]

keep the big bike. after a 4-6 months off the big bike, you will likely want to ride it some more on Cypress or at Whistler Bike Park where the big bike is actually an advantage (not so much on Fromme/Seymour IMO). it's so nice to have multiple bikes so that if you ever feel riding is getting stale (or whatever) you can swap bikes and everything is new again.

as for the 6, i would keep it strong. you don't want to lighten it up beyond that point that it's not suitable for abuse on the shore. your 6 looked like a pretty sweet build to me when i saw it.

[motion]

you might think about adding a pair of crossmax sx's to the six and going tubeless. If you get the mp3 insurance you can ride it like you stole it for two years then replace both bikes with a super duper future bike that you can race xc dh and road on.

[biggles604]

Dave, as I mentioned this weekend, When I go riding, I have a hard time justifying taking the a-line out (It has 1 ride on it!) because the Six is so much more fun for just about everything, BUT, when Whistler opens, I think that the big bike will come back into it's own.
I plan on building up a burly set of wheels for the days I feel like hitting Eagle or Whistler on my Six, but you've seen what I can do on what is essentially XC rims, the Six will definitely take anything that you can throw at it.

[thewwkayaker]

I've moved to an all around bike (Nomad with 1.5HT running Totem) instead of my usual 3 bikes because I like to travel (in BC) alot and I end up wishing I had brought the other bikes for different rides. Taking all 3 (or even 2) means worrying about the bike(s) you aren't riding. Having one bike light enough to climb and do slower technical stuff but with enough cush (6.5 rear and 7 front) to still be fun at various bike parks means I get almost the best of having two bikes without the worry.Trying to decide which bike to take on a trip that will have a mix of all types of riding is now easy. I still have another bike that is an all around bike the wife uses, or when my bro visits, or if my main bike is under repair.

[Uncle Duke]

dave im in your exact same boat. im riding a six w a 66 rc2x. def finding this setup to be very capable. that leaves me a bigger bike in the garage. what to do w the 2003 team ns and shiver? Ive decided to keep it as like sharon said you get nothing on resale, and also I will use it in the winter like I did this yr. bag on it while its cruddy out and then you have 6 months to fix everything that got broken and get it ready for the next winter season ...

on a side note , I forget which six you are on. I have the 2005 that you scoped for me.. it came stock w a 2005 66vf. i recently put on the 2006 66 rc2x. it's like a whole new bike and for the better!!!!. that vf was way too high. this bike now is a mean machine,that I can pedal all day..IMO the perfect bike has been found and its in my bsmnt!!!!..can you hear that growl? that's my bike down in the basement.!!

[gotham]

Not trying to hijack the thread but I guess I don't understand what's wrong with using a Six at Whistler?

Is there that big of a difference in travel/feel at the park?

[the Master Plan Dan]

Originally Posted by Sharon

I'd lighten up the six even more and keep the Team DH.

You won't get the money you think you deserve for it and it will be better in the bike park and for those rides when you needed the added margin of error...

If you want to try out an even lighter bike, I'm demo'ing the Brodie zealot I'd let you take it out for a day!

37lbs/Lyric/pearl - probably a better climber then the six but not as good at descending.

Nothing like have a quiver to suit your moods!

I rode/ran that bike... when I took it for a spin after, it was a very capable bike.

I am in the same boat, go to a lighter... shorter travel bike and keep the Big bike (mine ain't so big) for the days when I want to go big.

I am even entertaining the idea of a hardtail... Knolly has their new one coming out... the Free Radical, and while it is a frame only... it sure looks nice!

I mean if you have seen "one of their employees" on the traildays, if the bike can with stand his hackery... than I am sure that it is a great bike. It's okay Noel... I am not referring to you!

HA!

Dan