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Mountain Bike Suggestions on a 6K budget

Old 10-15-21, 06:57 AM
  #1  
Rdmonster69
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Mountain Bike Suggestions on a 6K budget

Hi mountain bike guys. I am more of a road bike guy but am needing a quality mountain bike. Years ago I bough a Giant Rainier w/mechanical disk brakes. I rebuilt it a few winters ago with old XTR components and a trick carbon car. It does OK but is obviously old tech/geometry and I have greatly expanded my bike abilities and budget.

I am leaning towards a titanium hardtail from Lynskey or Lightspeed. I am not against Carbon bikes or dual suspension I just think a hardtail trail bike is probably more my style these days. I also am a bit infatuated with Titanium and think it would be my "forever" mountain bike. I'm 51 and have had a host of pretty significant orthopedic injuries. Sending big jumps or hitting big drops is not gonna be something I am looking to do a lot of. I am more looking for a fast light bike for zipping around the local trails, intermediate type rock gardens and the occasional bike park.

Please suggest any and all cool bikes to me. If you think dual suspension carbon is the way to go suggest it and tell me why please. About my only deal breaker is a threaded bottom bracket, must be threaded. I am not a fan of pressed fit. Call me dumb or old school or whatever. I tend to work on my own stuff and have the tools to do it. I do not want to mess with a pressed fit BB. If I really start doing a lot of mountain biking I will probably need to service it more often than my road bikes.

I plan on getting/ordering this bike in February so I hope ordering times are in the 10-12 week range. Not really wanting to spend big at the end of the rising season. Some companies are posting 20+ week wait times and some do not. Lynskey has a pro 29 with SRAM wireless electronic shifting and about everything I want at my price point. If anyone has a line on coupons or specials etc. I would appreciate it. I could order now but want more research, opinions and to get the holidays out of the way. Shelling out a big stack of cash for a mountain bike (after I just did the same thing on a road bike) requires some shiny golden objects for the wife first !!

So please ..... suggest away !!
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Old 10-15-21, 07:34 AM
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https://turnerbikes.com

Turner has changed from a company that made only full suspension mountain bikes out of American made aluminum to a company that only sells hard tails - and from Titanium.

Turner is still one of the greatest companies and when you call them - you will often get Dave (Dave Turner).

You can get a complete bike for your price - right now.
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Old 10-15-21, 08:04 AM
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https://spotbikes.com/products/mayhe...32140454690850

https://spotbikes.com/collections/bi.../rocker-geared

To be honest...with rock gardens in the mix I would go full suspension.
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Old 10-15-21, 08:32 AM
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Originally Posted by prj71
https://spotbikes.com/products/mayhe...32140454690850

https://spotbikes.com/collections/bi.../rocker-geared

To be honest...with rock gardens in the mix I would go full suspension.
When I say "Rock gardens" I mean the preschool equivalent of what I really see on videos lol. If I up my skillset then a full suspension may be in the offing in a few years !!
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Old 10-15-21, 08:36 AM
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Originally Posted by Rdmonster69
When I say "Rock gardens" I mean the preschool equivalent of what I really see on videos lol. If I up my skillset then a full suspension may be in the offing in a few years !!
I would also add that contrary to popular opinion, you are generally no slower on a FS bike as compared to a HT - even on smooth surfaces. And a FS bike is much more comfortable then a HT.
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Old 10-15-21, 08:37 AM
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Originally Posted by vespasianus
https://turnerbikes.com

Turner has changed from a company that made only full suspension mountain bikes out of American made aluminum to a company that only sells hard tails - and from Titanium.

Turner is still one of the greatest companies and when you call them - you will often get Dave (Dave Turner).

You can get a complete bike for your price - right now.
Daaaaaamn ....that is one cool bike. This is why I am looking for suggestions on this site. Threaded BB, Internal routing, really cool looking and room in the budget for pedals !!
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Old 10-15-21, 08:38 AM
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Originally Posted by prj71
https://spotbikes.com/products/mayhe...32140454690850

https://spotbikes.com/collections/bi.../rocker-geared

To be honest...with rock gardens in the mix I would go full suspension.
Very cool bikes on this page. My wife is gonna love the jewelry Im gonna have to come up with to get a new bike
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Old 10-15-21, 08:39 AM
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Originally Posted by Rdmonster69
Daaaaaamn ....that is one cool bike. This is why I am looking for suggestions on this site. Threaded BB, Internal routing, really cool looking and room in the budget for pedals !!
Call that number and you will most likely get Dave or Christina. He is incredibly cool and friendly and always helping. I have a 10 year old 26 inch 5-spot and he has helped me with parts and pieces to keep it running. That guy and his company are a dying breed...
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Old 10-15-21, 08:40 AM
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Originally Posted by vespasianus
I would also add that contrary to popular opinion, you are generally no slower on a FS bike as compared to a HT - even on smooth surfaces. And a FS bike is much more comfortable then a HT.
I believe you I just want Ti (cuz it should last forever and ever) and can save up for a full suspension in a year or so.....or a dirt bike..... or another streetbike. ....... I don't care !! If it has 2 wheels TAKE MY MONEY !!!
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Old 10-15-21, 09:09 AM
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Originally Posted by Rdmonster69
Very cool bikes on this page. My wife is gonna love the jewelry Im gonna have to come up with to get a new bike
I admit to being a little biased because I own one.

Main reason for purchasing is their patented living link suspension which makes their bike climb like a hard tail. My home trail involves a lot of hill climbs.




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Old 10-16-21, 11:41 AM
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I’d get a Canfield Lithium but only because that’s the bike I want.

I have a hard tail. Bought it due to budget and family duties (kid seats, towing). I don’t want a bike that climbs like a hard tail any more. They spin out on hard climbs and on long climbs pretty much all current 1x MTB’s have the anti squat to “climb like a hard tail”. The kids got bigger and next bike will be FS

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Old 10-16-21, 02:18 PM
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You really need to decide on FS vs HT before wasting time on specific recommendations.

As far as a Ti HT: were I interested in such a thing, I would be tempted by one of Turners new offerings, mainly because I am such a fan of his old bike (I still ride a 2012 5-Spot) and I have a ton of respect for the cantankerous dude. It is not unusual to have Dave himself answer the phone when you call.
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Old 10-16-21, 10:21 PM
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[QUOTE=Kapusta;22272304]You really need to decide on FS vs HT before wasting time on specific recommendations.
/QUOTE]
Not a waste of time at all. I have a certain ride in mind but peoples suggestions help to spark new ideas. I really doubt I need a full suspension bike but like to see what people recommend that I've never heard of. So far I've been suggested a few brands I haven't heard of and I've had fun checking them out.
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Old 10-17-21, 09:46 AM
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You already have experience riding a hard tail. There are quite a few bike shops now days who will rent you a bike for a day. Rent a full suspension bike for a day. Take it on a good long ride on the terrain that you're planning to ride. At the end of the day you will have a much better idea of whether you want hard tail or full suspension.
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Old 10-17-21, 04:09 PM
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Originally Posted by Rdmonster69
So far I've been suggested a few brands I haven't heard of and I've had fun checking them out.
If there's one thing not lacking in MTB it's number of brands!

This guy analyzes the rear suspensions of new bikes. If you click through his blog for the last few years you can make a pretty good list of things to look at, but also really get bogged down in details.

https://linkagedesign.blogspot.com/

He has tags for different categories, usually sub-120 mm is XC race bikes, 12-140 is xc to trail, 140-16 is trail to enduro, 160+ is enduro to DH, and most recent bikes are 29ers
https://linkagedesign.blogspot.com/s...27%20100-120mm and so on
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Old 11-12-21, 02:34 AM
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Originally Posted by vespasianus
I would also add that contrary to popular opinion, you are generally no slower on a FS bike as compared to a HT - even on smooth surfaces. And a FS bike is much more comfortable then a HT.
Really?

I have a gravel and road bike and I also was thinking Ti hard tail mnt bike. I am faster than my mnt bike friends up to about 10 to 12%. 15% + their steeper gears, better traction fatter tires help a lot. Down hill forgot about it. They are 2 to 3 times faster than me. ha-ha

I have no interest in bombing the down hills to get top strava times but it would be nice to at least keep up with mnt bikers. My gravel bike is painful on the down hills.

Who makes a good full suspension bike that goes uphill and you don't bounce like a pogo stick just riding on flat ground? I only rode my friends bike for a few minutes in front of his house. All I could remember was it felt like dirt bike. Wide handle bars, cushy ride, and pogo while pedaling on flat smooth road.
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Old 11-12-21, 03:10 AM
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Originally Posted by vespasianus
https://turnerbikes.com

Turner has changed from a company that made only full suspension mountain bikes out of American made aluminum to a company that only sells hard tails - and from Titanium.

Turner is still one of the greatest companies and when you call them - you will often get Dave (Dave Turner).

You can get a complete bike for your price - right now.
good looking bikes
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Old 11-12-21, 05:20 AM
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Originally Posted by sean.hwy
Really?

I have a gravel and road bike and I also was thinking Ti hard tail mnt bike. I am faster than my mnt bike friends up to about 10 to 12%. 15% + their steeper gears, better traction fatter tires help a lot. Down hill forgot about it. They are 2 to 3 times faster than me. ha-ha

I have no interest in bombing the down hills to get top strava times but it would be nice to at least keep up with mnt bikers. My gravel bike is painful on the down hills.

Who makes a good full suspension bike that goes uphill and you don't bounce like a pogo stick just riding on flat ground? I only rode my friends bike for a few minutes in front of his house. All I could remember was it felt like dirt bike. Wide handle bars, cushy ride, and pogo while pedaling on flat smooth road.
So you might be faster just because you are faster and fitter. As for a good bike, I am a big fan of the dw link but many modern bikes will pedal well (neutral anti-squat).

If you rode an older MTB, which had triple or double chainrings, the suspension would have very different characteristics in the different front chain rings. You would have the best pedaling performance (most anti-squat) in the small chainring and little or no anti-squat in the large chainring. This is why MTB have gone to a single chainring. Has more to do with suspension design than anything else.

And the shocking thing is that the wide, cushy ride - even with a slight up and down motion - it often just as fast or faster than a stiff HT ride. Have to find that paper that showed that...
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Old 11-12-21, 12:06 PM
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Originally Posted by vespasianus
So you might be faster just because you are faster and fitter. As for a good bike, I am a big fan of the dw link but many modern bikes will pedal well (neutral anti-squat).

If you rode an older MTB, which had triple or double chainrings, the suspension would have very different characteristics in the different front chain rings. You would have the best pedaling performance (most anti-squat) in the small chainring and little or no anti-squat in the large chainring. This is why MTB have gone to a single chainring. Has more to do with suspension design than anything else.

And the shocking thing is that the wide, cushy ride - even with a slight up and down motion - it often just as fast or faster than a stiff HT ride. Have to find that paper that showed that...
thank you. will look for a bike with dw link then.

so take away is just get used to the slight pogo effect it's not slowing you down at all/much.

do you have a recommendation for a 2020/2021 bike with dw link?
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Old 11-12-21, 12:29 PM
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Originally Posted by vespasianus
So you might be faster just because you are faster and fitter. As for a good bike, I am a big fan of the dw link but many modern bikes will pedal well (neutral anti-squat).
My head hurts now trying to learn about dw link and other suspension. ha-ha

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Old 11-12-21, 12:31 PM
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Originally Posted by sean.hwy
thank you. will look for a bike with dw link then.

so take away is just get used to the slight pogo effect it's not slowing you down at all/much.

do you have a recommendation for a 2020/2021 bike with dw link?

IBIS or Pivot are the two brands that sell bikes with the dw link. The Ripley or 429 are both fantastic bikes. Fast and fast!
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