Mountain Bike Question

[PureSound15]

Alright I've been using kelly's bike to ride the trails here at school and since she would like to come with me... I'm going to have to buy my own bike:mad: .

I do ride the harder trails and do some rock jumping and also ride through some streams and go down some pretty badass hills... is it worth it to go with disc brakes?

My next question is... should I get one with the rear suspension? I've heard a few times that it's more of a comfort thing, and often just makes it harder to control the bilke on tough trails? Anyone have any info/experience with that?

I'd like to go buy one this evening, any input would be awesome.

Thanks guys,
~Ryan

[pOrk]

Rear suspension bikes = very tiresome to ride. I would stick with a rigid rear and shocked forks, personally.

It is DEFINATLY worth the upgrade to hydraulic disc brakes, they ******* RULE

[UnderPSI]

I agree with pork, instead of rear shocks I would get nicer front shocks. Disk brakes definitly, especially if you are going through wet mud and water. If you are going to do mainly trails and dry off road you really don't need discs. Look for something with nice components too. I prefer the "trigger style" shifting. Shimano has some nice stuff reasonably priced. Rims and tires are another thing, All I would ever buy now is tubeless. You could argue both ways on that one.

Back on topic Get a hard tail with disc brakes. :thumbsup

[PureSound15]

Thanks for the help. I'll spend the money where it needs to be spent. If only I would have bought a bike while my sister worked for trek (carbon fiber :drool: )

[PureSound15]

Alright here's another question.

Since I ride mostly at night, I'll put some lights on it. Any recomendations? Someone here has the HID headlight... it's rediculous. I found a few things on Ebay with LED headlights, but I can't see that throwing any real light out on the ground.

http://i4.ebayimg.com/01/i/05/29/bd/18_1.JPG

[WilliamZ]

The LED's are pretty bright depending on that light you get. If I did more night riding I would get the HID.

[JohnnyT]

The LED's are pretty bright, but don't really cast light that far. They are more for you being seen, then they are for you seeing. If you are riding trails at night you are going to want the most light casting you can get. Not sure what the HID's cost, but it might be worth it. It is also not a bad idea to get a light for your helmet (assuming you are wearing one). That way, you can get light wherever you look vs. just where the handlebars are pointing... Just my .02.

[PureSound15]

Thats a good idea, getting a light for my helmet. I have seen the HID light for soemthing like $300... a bit more than what I would like to spend.

Thanks for the responses.

[UnderPSI]

One more little thing, Take the reflectors out of the spokes if it comes with them assuming you are not riding on the road at night. It really helps the feel of the bike. You wouldn't think you would notice, but it makes a difference. Less rotational weight too. If you get them caked with mud it will feel like the bike is surging front to back. A lot of the higher end mountain bikes don't have them, but a lot of local stores will have them on.

[DirtyMax]

One more little thing, Take the reflectors out of the spokes if it comes with them assuming you are not riding on the road at night. It really helps the feel of the bike. You wouldn't think you would notice, but it makes a difference. Less rotational weight too. If you get them caked with mud it will feel like the bike is surging front to back. A lot of the higher end mountain bikes don't have them, but a lot of local stores will have them on.

Yeah. People coming up in front of you or behind you can't see them anyways. The only people that benefit from the wheel reflectors is the asshole who is about to t-bone you. By then you should be planning your Superman impersonation anyways.

[PureSound15]

Thanks for the hints and tips. I used to BMX as a kid, did the whole summerfest trick thing and dirt jumps. The trails here are awesome, so I figure I'll take advantage of them while I can.

I really caked kellys bike with mud yesterday, so I'm thinking taking the reflectors out will be one of the first things I do.

[CruxGNZ]

Just out of curiousity, what trails are you going on around here?

[PureSound15]

I'm in UW-Green Bay, there are 5 miles of trails ranging in harness levels that circle the campus.

[Cleveland Dave]

i bike to work at night. i bought a gary fisher with front rock shocks and disc brakes and i love it. i have a cat eye brand front light on the handle bars that i bought for around 50 bucks its pretty bright and helps quite a bit when im biking down dark streets. for the back i have a 4 led light that flashes its really bright as well.



http://www.cateye.com/en/product_category/52

[Cleveland Dave]

heres the light i have works really well.

http://www.cateye.com/en/product_detail/261

http://www.cateye.com/sites/cateye/upload/products/261-og.jpg

and here is the brake light i have

http://www.cateye.com/en/product_detail/267

http://www.cateye.com/sites/cateye/upload/products/267-og.jpg

[Prince Valiant]

I've got a trek 6700 (less than 2 yrs old), hard tail with adjustable/lockable front shocks, new disc brakes front and rear....and it's for sale.

[PureSound15]

Could you PM me with a price? I bought one last night, but I have no problem returning it.