mountain bikes
Having happily broken in my new street bike after my old street bike was recently stolen, I resumed my search for a mountain bike, to replace my old mountain bike which was stolen, then stolen again.
Confused? Here's a timeline:
Junior high, perhaps: Ghetto Costco bike. Heavy and couldn't shift. Didn't get a good impression of bikes.
High school / freshmen college: Trek Mountain bike, front suspension only. Loved it. Left it locked up outside dorms one night (with hundreds of other bikes), and it was stripped of all its unlocked parts. I replaced all its parts (which cost as much as it did originally) and then the whole bike was stolen behind our house in Viewridge/Sandpoint area (totally an old/rich person area... not high-crime at all, but the damn gardening contractor punks next door probably stole it.)
Then replaced it with my Trek 7500FX, since I was 4 miles away from campus on a paved trail, and a street bike made more sense. That bike was stolen in Canada, right when I was about to purchase a mountain bike.
So... the street bike is replaced, so it's mountain bike purchasing time.
Today I took out a Trek Fuel 90 full-suspension bike for a spin.
HOLY SHIT.
I'd never ridden a full-suspension bike, and it's totally crazy. I was going full speed at medians in the parking lot, up over curbs, tree roots, bushes, rocks, and it didn't feel like anything. Whatever I ran into I just floated over.
I took it for quite a long ride, over everything I could find, including a creek. I had to apologize for bringing the bike back all muddy but the salesperson (who helped me with my bike last week) was just amused, not knowing where I found mud on such a sunny perfect day. (I was also all muddy myself)
So I headed out to their warehouse sale to find the disc-brake version, but the last/only one had sold since their database was updated last night, so now I suppose I have to buy the 2004 version which will be about $300 more.
Hopefully if I pick it up tomorrow morning
whitaker and I will head up to Vernonia and bike 20 miles downhill to Banks.
Anybody have recommendations about other full-suspension bikes before I drop a G and some on this? Klein didn't seem to have as much selection, and most were a lot more expensive. Gary Fishers were about the same, but longer frame, and ugly as ass. Any others?
Confused? Here's a timeline:
Junior high, perhaps: Ghetto Costco bike. Heavy and couldn't shift. Didn't get a good impression of bikes.
High school / freshmen college: Trek Mountain bike, front suspension only. Loved it. Left it locked up outside dorms one night (with hundreds of other bikes), and it was stripped of all its unlocked parts. I replaced all its parts (which cost as much as it did originally) and then the whole bike was stolen behind our house in Viewridge/Sandpoint area (totally an old/rich person area... not high-crime at all, but the damn gardening contractor punks next door probably stole it.)
Then replaced it with my Trek 7500FX, since I was 4 miles away from campus on a paved trail, and a street bike made more sense. That bike was stolen in Canada, right when I was about to purchase a mountain bike.
So... the street bike is replaced, so it's mountain bike purchasing time.
Today I took out a Trek Fuel 90 full-suspension bike for a spin.
HOLY SHIT.
I'd never ridden a full-suspension bike, and it's totally crazy. I was going full speed at medians in the parking lot, up over curbs, tree roots, bushes, rocks, and it didn't feel like anything. Whatever I ran into I just floated over.
I took it for quite a long ride, over everything I could find, including a creek. I had to apologize for bringing the bike back all muddy but the salesperson (who helped me with my bike last week) was just amused, not knowing where I found mud on such a sunny perfect day. (I was also all muddy myself)
So I headed out to their warehouse sale to find the disc-brake version, but the last/only one had sold since their database was updated last night, so now I suppose I have to buy the 2004 version which will be about $300 more.
Hopefully if I pick it up tomorrow morning
whitaker and I will head up to Vernonia and bike 20 miles downhill to Banks.Anybody have recommendations about other full-suspension bikes before I drop a G and some on this? Klein didn't seem to have as much selection, and most were a lot more expensive. Gary Fishers were about the same, but longer frame, and ugly as ass. Any others?