Kapusta

Seriously?

You are going to recommend a fork with 30mm stanchions and no compression adjustment over a fork with 32mm stanchions and Motion Control?

Sure, OK

Kapusta

OP: If you can get a Recon RL in your price range, you will be doing very well in the fork dept. Motion Control is a good compression damper, it has 32mm stanchions (many budget forks are 30mm) and RS forks are super easy to break down and maintain.

70sSanO

If you are sure you want a bike, I’d go, not just call, to some local shops and find out if they have a waiting list.

I’have no idea how this is being handled. They may not know when they are getting a shipment. They might want a refundable deposit so they know you are serious otherwise they might have a thousand names to wade through.

You can probably get sized on a more expensive bike when you are there.

Just a thought.

John

qclabrat

If the OP rides a small this might work, older Reba fork as well
Can't believe most BD bikes are also sold out
https://bikeisland.com/cgi-bin/BKTK_...ls&ProdID=2499

Sealth

A bit of an update. A friend of mine is selling his 2016 Stumpjumper 27.5 for $2k. He said it's a $6k bike that he got for ~$4k because he got a deal through a friend that worked at a shop who built it for him. The suspension is Pike and some Fox shock. It has a dropper post and a nice hydraulic brakes. The components are supposed to be top notch. The frame is supposed to be for someone 5' 10" and I'm 6'. It seems like a good deal, but it's twice what I wanted to spend and honestly maybe too much for me right now. I took it for a ride and it was pretty awesome, though.

A local shop has a Rockhopper Elite that I'll be test riding on Monday. What other bikes should I be looking at? Is it worth trying some $1k Kona bikes like the Mahuna or Blast?

RowdyTI

Why? Do you have personal experience with those Suntour forks?

Amt0571

Yes. They're not good in my opinion. I also have extended experience with an Axon and would not hesitate tu buy that or an Epixon again. Great forks for the price. Probably the best you can buy at that price range.

RowdyTI

What was your issue with them? I've liked those coil forks I've used. The Axon is an air fork.

See here:

Darth Lefty 

See if you can find another friend selling a 5yo $3000 bike for $1000 and you are all set.

Stumpjumpers are usually right down the middle of what everyone wants. It's not "too much bike," it's just more expensive level than you want to pay. Too much bike looks like this:

Darth Lefty 

Suntour XCn forks on sub-$1000 bikes have damping that ranges from nothing to subpar. I think most people who buy those bikes don't care and enjoy them. But if you want something better, most people who upgrade go to one of the premium brands, that will give you more adjustments with shim stacks and so on, in a full oil bath, that can be rebuilt, instead of Suntour's mystery cartridges.

rodgeman

I have a 2019 Salsa Timberjack 27.5 + that was $1099. Now they have the 2020 Rangefinder Deore 29 for $1099. I highly recommend them.

Kapusta

There is a lot more to a fork than coil vs air. You find high and low end forks with either.

But the spring is not what really differentiates a good fork from a bad one.

One big differentiator is the damping. How refined it is, and also how adjustable.

The other is the fork chassis (i.e., how stiff and straight tracking it is)

Sealth

I ended up buying a used 2017 Rockhopper sport for $300 on craigslist. I'm actually quite happy with this decision. I have a bike I can ride right now, and I can begin the process of upgrading the components. I got it at a good enough deal that I should end up with a pretty nice bike for less than $1k once I upgrade the components. I think I'll make a separate thread for that. Plus, I've been having serious trouble finding bikes at local stores.

RowdyTI

It would be good to see more mid to high end coil shocks.

Wooderson

My last two bikes have 1x (both GX Eagle), and I'll tell you..

I don't really get it either. A ton of people are spending a lot of money, throwing out perfectly good components and replacing them, mostly to achieve the right 'look'. Eagle works fine, but every time I rent a bike with a 2x drivetrain, I'm reminded how nice it is to shift the front when you crest a hill and ramp up your speed, or downshift the front when you hit the climb and need to grind. I also appreciate the smaller gear gaps, maybe it's the roadie in me.