Noob on the block.
 

Hello all,

Thanks for having me here, I'm also eager in learning a lot about bikes in general. I did my own research here and there and I will be asking (hopefully) appropriate questions that won't hurt your brains (in the level of my ignorance in the subject). I'm not looking for best bang for my buck but nothing too outrageous.. I do plan to hit trails (since there are NO mountains in FL)... So, I'm pretty sure a HT will suffice. Just looking for stiffness and great components/hardware... as I have shopped around the brands I happened to catch someone say "GO FULL CUSTOM or BUST!" .. I build custom gaming rigs and I mod my personal vehicle so, doing the same with bikes would be simple knowing what I'm looking at...

I look forward to your guidance MTBR... pave or gravel my path... or help me along the way heh...

Welcome to Bike Forums!

welcome! what are you riding now? what kind of trails do you have nearby?

It's florida... it's very minor... No mountains here just mediocre hills and some woodsy terrain.

Welcome! You’ll get a lot of ideas from the members here. We can be an opinionated bunch and don’t always agree but the discussion is always useful.

Well, cycling in general is opinions and preference, right? :P

I appreciate all the info and insight to get the ball rolling in the correct way.

So, I narrowed it down to three...

Orbea Laufey 27+ H-LTD 19
Santa Cruz Chameleon (Alum) S+
Ibis DV9 (Again... CF)

Now, I've heeded the warnings and I understand that even though a novice I can be prone to falling thus damaging the CF frame... or merely improperly laying it on a rock etc... yet, it was so difficult to remove that bike from my final 3...

I wasn't able to try out an Orbea because they're mostly online... so there were non at the demos nor in shops... I did manage to try out a Chameleon D+ (originally thinking of going 27.5) and a standard Ibis DV9 up in Viera, FL.... (a bit of a drive.)

So, the Orbea was removed because I couldn't get a proper feel of the bike which comes down to the other two... I felt more comfortable with the Ibis... after going back and forth with spes/reviews and my own feel for those two I ultimately decided on the DV9...

I ordered it today from Competitive Cyclist (not driving back up to Viera...) which they attended me well...

Frame in White/Teal, Medium
RockShox Pike RCT3 29 Charger DebonAir 130 Boost Fork
Chris King InSet Tapered Headset with Griplock
TruVativ Descendant 35mm Stem (40mm)
TruVativ Descendant 35mm CF Handlebar
Ergon GA2 Grips
SDG Components Tellis Dropper Seat 31.6x413mm/125mm
WTB Volt Comp Saddle
Sram Dub BSA BB
Complete Sram GX Eagle Drivetrain 175mm/32t
Crank Brothers Stamp 2 Pedals
Shimano XT SM-RT86 Rotor 180mm/160mm
Shimano SLX BL-M7000 Brakes
Stan's NoTube Arch MK3 29ers
Maxxis Minion DHF Wide Trail 3C/EXO/TR 29x2.5 Tires...


Now to find a quality tow hitch and hitch rack for a car (Sentra...) any suggestions..?

Welcome! Looks like you are getting serious. Since this area is more for introductions, I'd suggest going to the mountain bike or general forums for your questions. Good luck!

Hey and welcome. This is the right web site for asking questions. People here are super-helpful. I did most of my learning here (and on YouTube) over the last three years.

My bad, I thought this was the introduction section... Pardon my dyslexia lol.

No, you're fine. I was just pointing out that you could get more help and suggestions in some other areas for your questions. Your intro was great.

Ty kind sir, I'll post it over the MTB section :)

Hi and welcome!

Thanks for the warm welcoming!

Welcome!

Have you made your purchase?

Yes sir, read the final posts.

https://www.bikeforums.net/mountain-...bis-dv9-d.html