fayan77

Hey everyone new to the thread and riding in general. I've ridden a bike but nothing to what I want to do. I want to ride downhill from mountains and jump and do all that cool stuff. Not sure where to start, don't know what kind of bike I need I think its a "downhill or dirt jumping" I live in the Bay Area Ca. Any help will be appreciated by the way I'm a college student so there is no way in hell I will be able to afford a 2,000 dollar bike.

grubetown

You started this thread, so are very new to it
Downhill and dirt jump bikes are very different.
How much in hell can you afford?

fayan77

Let's say 1000 dollars and it will take me about 6 months to save up for it. how long will a 1000 dollar bike last me? what brand? what are the variables in a bike ex, weight? material? brand? building vs complete?

dabac

On a budget, and new to the sport - don’t ever think about building a bike up.
Parts enough to build a bike cost a lot more than a complete bike.
(Some exceptions apply, like having a big stash of parts, being very good at parts hunting etc)
The bike industry is very homogenous these days. Comparable money will buy you comparable bikes regardless of brand.

Weight isn’t that important for bikes mainly meant for gravity-assisted riding.
Suspension parts is probably the biggest variable in price/performance.

fayan77

I am 5' 11" 155 lb guy are there sizes? I went to a bike shop today, it was pretty overwhelming all the different parts, there are 26 27 and 29 tires, They recommended an enduro bike but jeez that is really expensive. If I were to buy one off craigslist or the flea market what should I look for? I think My first bike will be a "hardtail" I found a diamondback trace 2015 on craigslist for 360.

fayan77

I also found an "Aspect 940" these are the details.

Size XL 19in - 53cm Scott Aspect 940 29er suspension mountain bike! This bike is in almost perfect condition, and fits riders 5'11" to 6'6". Here's a list of features I copied: Aluminum frame with internal cable routing, Suntour XCM-HLO fork with hydraulic lockout and 100mm travel, Ritchey logic zero-oe headset, Shimano Alivio 27 Speed rear derailer, rapid fire 9 speed shifters, Shimano BR-M315 Hydraulic Disc breaks with 160mm rotors, VP-536 pedals (or red Shimano SPD or Crank Bros Eggbeaters), Kenda Slant 6 2.35 in tires(the funky orange reflectors have been switched out for white ones).

Can i witch shocks for longer travel?

dabac

The aspect is NOT a DH bike. Using it as such is likely to end in misery, either mechanical, anatomical, or both.
While bike sizing is a fairly vague ”standard” I would not recommend an XL bike for you. I don’t like them myself, and I’m an inch taller than you and have ridden for decades.
Switching to longer shocks is mechanically possible, but will change the geometry and performance of the bike.
It is NOT a sensible option for a rookie.

fayan77

What bike would you reccomend for someone like me? the trails I want to tackle are somewhat gnarly in santa cruz mountains, sierra mountains, mammoth trails all that good stuff. I'd say its pretty hardcore, I'm pretty athletic so I should pick up fast. that being said I'm thikning of saving up for a good expensive bike that will satisfy my needs. But I really want to get out there and ride already If I do go that route is a hardtail a go?

katsup

Buy a cheaper bike that works and fits you, so you can ride. Save for, and learn, which bike you really want.

fayan77

Well that is the question, what cheaper bike their are like a million options

katsup

There is not 1 answer to that question. Decide what you want to spend, find used bikes that are your size within that budget, look up the specs of said bike and decide if it will work for what you want.

The riders you see in the races are riding bikes that cost much more than $2k.

fayan77

Do you think a hardtail is a good first bike? It's because I want to go down fast, jump, go fast and I feel like my butt is gonna take a beating without the rear suspension. Also when buying used from craigslist or the flea market what are red flags to look out for? Also are their biking clubs or do you go out there on your own?

Canker

Hardtail is fine. You aren't sitting down when you are hauling butt downhill or jumping anyway. Don't worry so much about the brand of the frame, the parts attached to the frame are more important than the stickers on it. While you don't have to worry about the brand so much the geometry of the frame does matter. For your height you want a Large and for what it sound like you want to do something with a slackish head angle would be good. The vast majority of hardtail you are going to come across used are going to be your standard XC bike, 100mm fork and 70 give or take a degree head angle. You want 120-140mm fork and 66-68 degree headangle. Get on pinkbike and your local facebook bike groups and see what is out there for sale.

As far as new a bike like the diamond back hook, line, and sycn'r are the style I'm talking about.

hig4s

REI has a couple do everything hardtails on sale. They have leftover 2016 Diamondback Mason Trails,, Suntour full air fork, Tektro hydraulic brakes, and 68 degree head, for $1,049. Decent not too expensive all around hard tail. There is also the 2017 Ghost Asket 4, Better Fox fork, SRAM brakes and 66 degree head. But it is $1700.

fayan77

what is the advantage of a hard tail to a full suspension> wouldn't it be better to have a full suspension when buying a bike in the thousands range? I found some pretty goos ones on pinkbike some hard tails and some all full suspensions in the 700 range with a lot of aftermarket parts. and again what are red flags when buying a used bike besides rust, dents,

hig4s

Hard tails climb better and generally get the power to the ground more efficiently on smoother ground. For someone in good shape that rides well they can go almost anywhere on a hard tail they can go FS. But it is harder on the body. For me, being old and with bad knees and a sketchy back, the FS is a must.

Plus if you like to ride really technical stuff, lots of rocks and logs, the FS makes it much easier. The cheapest new decent intro FS bike is the Giant Stance at $1500, most other brands, decent starts at $1900 to $2000 new. The sweet spot in bang vs buck in the FS world is about $2500/$3000. Bikes more than that can definitely be better, but not until you are good enough to really know what you want and why.
Buying used, can be hit or miss if you don't regularly work on bikes, there are so many little things that can be missed. But it is also a great way to get a lot of bike for the money. Here is a nice write up on buying used. https://www.singletracks.com/blog/fo...ountain-bikes/

ussprinceton

check out eBay for great deals

fayan77

Well I'm gonna try my luck once more and buy used. I just wanna get out there going fast.

bikeme

I know you're all excited and ready to shred but please be conservative at first as you have zero bike handling skills and could get in over your head fast, get hurt badly then be off the bike for 6 months with a torn rotator cuff (that happened to me). Also, there are a lot of other trail users like hikers, runners, and equestrians that you need to be nice to (e.g. not flying past them unannounced, making them jump out of your path, or spooking their horses, etc.) There's a lot of anti-mountain bike 'tude in Nor Cal, so be cool. Anyway, I'm glad you're stoked to ride. Have fun and be safe (and wear a helmet).

fayan77

found a santa cruz superlight 2000 for 700 post says new shocks, you guys think it is worht it?

Canker

No. Even if I'm wrong and 2000 is a model and not the year I'm still going to say too old, and if that is the year WAY WAY over priced, and that is a XC bike.

Kapusta

I assume “2000” would be the year for that bike (there was never a model called “2000”), and $700 is way too much for a 18 year old frame, I don’t care what parts they have hanging on it.

I actually spent a week in the mountains around tahoe on a 2000 Superlight back in 2002. It handled it all great. Hell, I rode some very gnarly stuff with that bike back in the day.

But......

While I love rough, technical and aggressive riding, I was NOT doing Freeride stuff. I was not hucking off of anything higher than a couple feet.... and the frame was new, not 18 years old.

And while in 2000 the Superlight (which was just a lighter version of the first gen Heckler) was arguably one of the most versitile bikes around, by modern (as in post 2002) standards it is a purely XC bike, and definitely NOT what you are looking for. The handeling is wrong, suspension travel is only 100mm, the rear end is as stiff as an overcooked noodle, and it is not designed for landing big drops.

Regarding rhe hardtail suggestions:

The reason you may want to consider a HT rather than FS, is because it will save you a lot of money. $1000 is really not very much for a bike made to do what it sounds like you want to do with it, and so you are going to have to prioritize things.

An argument could be made that you are better off with a higher end HT with a very good fork than a so-so FS with mediocre suspension at both ends. It really depends on the individual. I’m 50 now with a less-than-stellar back, so there is no way I am riding technical terrain on a HT anymore. But when I started riding 21 years ago, it was no problem. If you are as athletic and hard core and you seem to be trying to project here, you should be fine with a HT.

OTOH, if you are patient, $1000 can get you sutable used FS. But you need to be carefull buying used FS bikes, there are often a lot of suspension parts that wear out in a couple years, and you may soon end up dropping money and time to servicing them, especially if you ride them really hard.

AFMurse

If you truly want to do downhill you'll need a solid DH bike. Look for something that is 2014 and newer as it'll have some of the modern tech, but there are some older bikes that will work.. I just left the bay area and saw a few older Kona Stinky's for sale which were a decent DH bike in their time. I still have a 2007 Kona that rides.
Enduo will be your Jack of all trades and I'd recommend around 160mm of travel for what you want to do. Enduro will also allow you to climb if needed whereas a DH doesn't climb, or pedal well.

I just got a 2016 model bike 3500 MSRP for 1500. It took me a month of searching and 4 hours of driving to get it, but now I have a solid enduro.

You just got to look around. Also, go rent or demo a enduro/DH bike and take it out. See if you like it. Tahoe has bike rentals everywhere, as does Santa Cruz. See if this is even something you'll like. It looks fun bombing down and shredding trails, but there's a craptastic amount of technicality to it.

For you, I would buy a used rig as you can get them for good prices, just make sure it isn't beat to hell... Buying new are your price point is more than likely going to leave something desired.

Go full suspension, riding DH on a hard tail, especially if you want to catch air is going to suck... I BMX'd prior to MTN biking and still wouldn't want a HT on a DH course.

AFMurse

Keep in mind suspension travel. When you set your sag (compression of travel with your weight on bike) you'll have 20-30% of the travel used up. If you only have 100mm of travel and 30% is sagged out, you only have 70mm to compress before you bottom out... Ouch!

Most enduros will be in the 160ish range and DH will be even more.