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Partial Octopus
Feb 4, 2006



VelociBacon posted:

Fox rangers without gel for normal rides and fox rangers with gel for DH/bike park rides.

I second the Fox Rangers. I've used them for years and they're super comfy. They grip super well too.

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evil_bunnY
Apr 2, 2003

Levitate posted:

honestly kinda surprised you got a SC that easy, they said like a month ago their 2021 stock was sold out (to stores etc)
you're not in the US though so maybe that changes things?
I got the last sorbet 5010 at that store.

meowmeowmeowmeow
Jan 4, 2017
Yessss 5010 friend. Pics plz

100% ridecamp/ridecrafts idk I can never remember but they're great gloves. I find gel makes things worse rather than better but ymmv.

meowmeowmeowmeow fucked around with this message at 18:14 on Apr 11, 2021

Boogalo
Jul 8, 2012

Meep Meep




I use fox dirtpaws, mostly because it was the only thing in stock that fit locally, but I've been happy with them. No problems in small crashes and other than my broken finger which wasn't their fault, they protected the rest of the hand well in that OTB, though the glove was destroyed. Got another pair in really nice orange

Aphex-
Jan 29, 2006

Dinosaur Gum
I use Dakine Covert gloves for summer because they're super minimal and I can't stand gloves with gel. I had a pair of Fox Rangers a while ago but I found them pretty uncomfortable and they tore quite easily. 100% Briskers for winter which are absolutely amazing, really comfy and warm which is great.

No riding for me on the weekend but I did volunteer with my local trail organisation and helped work on a brand new long descent for our area which is great, definitely going to volunteer again as it really makes you appreciate how much effort goes in to making good trails.

French Canadian
Feb 23, 2004

Fluffy cat sensory experience
Excuse me! Please enter this contest!

https://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3964819

spwrozek
Sep 4, 2006

Sail when it's windy

I got my first ride of the year in yesterday. I was sore as hell from skiing a 14er on saturday but it went pretty well. A bit "slow" on the way up but not terrible. on the downhill I passed a dad and a 11 year old at the top. Got a PR trying to stay ahead of that little guy!

me your dad
Jul 25, 2006

I mentioned last week that my local shop damaged my stanchions on my Jabberwocky. Over the last couple days I have wrestled with the free fork they have offered (Rock Shox Recon Silver). I didn't make any demands from the shop and I wasn't displaying any anger but I feel guilty for some reason in them giving me a free replacement. The mechanic claimed it might have happened when they were hanging the bike up for storage, but I don't know how that could have happened. I believe they might have been using some force with a tool and had a mishap.

This is the damage they caused:



That's on the air side of the fork, a Manitou Tower Pro. It's a small scratch, but it is significant enough to feel it with your fingers. I don't know why I am even questioning their offer to replace it but for some reason I feel bad. This is my favorite shop and I have nothing but good things to say about them.

Would you have any reservations in accepting a replacement?

I likely wouldn't ever sell this bike. It's eleven years old and the frame was cracked and welded, making it nearly worthless to any buyer. I am planning on converting it to a rigid BMX cruiser with riser bars once I get a new bike. I mention that only because I don't feel the fork damage doesn't impact the value of the bike.

me your dad fucked around with this message at 15:41 on Apr 12, 2021

n8r
Jul 3, 2003

I helped Lowtax become a cyborg and all I got was this lousy avatar
That looks pretty darn small. You sure it wasn’t there before? Awful nice of the shop to offer a replacement.

Anyone know anything about the RM Instinct 50? There are a couple on Jenson and that looks like one of the few bikes I could actually get. Reviews seem pretty tepid.

n8r fucked around with this message at 16:09 on Apr 12, 2021

me your dad
Jul 25, 2006

n8r posted:

That looks pretty darn small. You sure it wasn’t there before? Awful nice of the shop to offer a replacement.

Anyone know anything about the RM Instinct 50? There are a couple on Jenson and that looks like one of the few bikes I could actually give. Reviews seem pretty tepid.

I know. That's why I feel conflicted. On one hand it's a small scratch and likely inconsequential. On the other hand, they caused damage and fessed to being at fault. I know it wasn't there before the last trip to the shop.

Eejit
Mar 6, 2007

Swiss Army Cockatoo
Cacatua multitoolii

n8r posted:

That looks pretty darn small. You sure it wasn’t there before? Awful nice of the shop to offer a replacement.

Anyone know anything about the RM Instinct 50? There are a couple on Jenson and that looks like one of the few bikes I could actually give. Reviews seem pretty tepid.

I don't remember which Instinct I demoed last November, but it was alright. Very smoothy turny, felt like it would be fantastic on flow trails. Too bad we were in the Lunch Loops.

Climbed more nimbly than average for its class, but I felt it wasn't as comfortable in the nasty techy descents that Grand Junction is known for. Didn't do too much more to help me than my cross country/short travel trail frankenbike if that makes sense.

Overall I felt like it was a reasonable bike. If you ride a reasonable amount of flow, you'll love it. If you only ride tech I think you'll be disappointed. Caveat is that the suspension wasn't fully tuned for me so I'm sure some of the bike's ability was left on the table.

n8r
Jul 3, 2003

I helped Lowtax become a cyborg and all I got was this lousy avatar
Your feedback meshes pretty well with the few reviews I found. I’m not real excited for the fact that it’s the same frame as the next bike up (slayer?). I’m also thinking about resale down the road. Bike of the year well known Stumpjumper vs. more niche with stupid name.

It’s sounding like supply will be fubar for 2022 so I’m really leaning toward holding out. My preferred shop does Norco and Ibis, but their Ibis is special order only. I can’t imagine I can get a Ripmo in any reasonable amount of time. I’m tempted by the Norco Optic but it’s a couple of years old now and I bet the new one comes out next year.

Bud Manstrong
Dec 11, 2003

The Curse of the Flying Criosphinx

n8r posted:

Your feedback meshes pretty well with the few reviews I found. I’m not real excited for the fact that it’s the same frame as the next bike up (slayer?). I’m also thinking about resale down the road. Bike of the year well known Stumpjumper vs. more niche with stupid name.

It’s sounding like supply will be fubar for 2022 so I’m really leaning toward holding out. My preferred shop does Norco and Ibis, but their Ibis is special order only. I can’t imagine I can get a Ripmo in any reasonable amount of time. I’m tempted by the Norco Optic but it’s a couple of years old now and I bet the new one comes out next year.

Instinct shares a frame with the Altitude, and the reviews have been great on the Altitude. If you’d consider an Optic, there are a lot of good bikes in that travel range to look at. The Transition Spur would be at the top of my list for shorter travel trail bikes. Given that you wanted a Stumpy Evo, though, you might be happier with a Sight than an Optic.

What about the new Evil Offering? Hell, what about the Canyon Spectral? If weight isn’t the biggest factor, look at a Commencal Meta TR. Probably can’t demo those last two, but it’s 2021; you can’t demo anything now anyway.

Dread Head
Aug 1, 2005

0-#01

n8r posted:

Your feedback meshes pretty well with the few reviews I found. I’m not real excited for the fact that it’s the same frame as the next bike up (slayer?). I’m also thinking about resale down the road. Bike of the year well known Stumpjumper vs. more niche with stupid name.

It’s sounding like supply will be fubar for 2022 so I’m really leaning toward holding out. My preferred shop does Norco and Ibis, but their Ibis is special order only. I can’t imagine I can get a Ripmo in any reasonable amount of time. I’m tempted by the Norco Optic but it’s a couple of years old now and I bet the new one comes out next year.

The current optic is only on it's 2nd model year I think. I got the first year of the new sight last year which is a very similar bike and love it. I have some friends with optics and they also like them. Only thing I have had issues with is getting the rear shock setup to my liking, I wish the suspension was more progressive.

VacaGrande
Dec 24, 2003
God! A red nugget! A fat egg under a dog!

Dread Head posted:

The current optic is only on it's 2nd model year I think. I got the first year of the new sight last year which is a very similar bike and love it. I have some friends with optics and they also like them. Only thing I have had issues with is getting the rear shock setup to my liking, I wish the suspension was more progressive.

The Optic was new for 2020 and is pretty universally loved. It won't get replaced for another couple of years. I have three friends with them now and their only criticism is that other 120(ish) bikes pedal a little better. The Optic is pretty squarely on the going-fast-down-things side of the short-travel trail bike market.

n8r
Jul 3, 2003

I helped Lowtax become a cyborg and all I got was this lousy avatar
If I could get my hands on the optic c2 shimano I’d probably go for it, odds seem very slim.

Cannon_Fodder
Jul 17, 2007

"Hey, where did Steve go?"
Design by Kamoc
I missed nearly 40 pages of the new MTB thread? Nice to have a reading backlog, I guess.

yoohoo
Nov 15, 2004
A little disrespect and rudeness can elevate a meaningless interaction to a battle of wills and add drama to an otherwise dull day

n8r posted:

If I could get my hands on the optic c2 shimano I’d probably go for it, odds seem very slim.

Same I picked up a Trek Fuel EX in October but if I come across an Optic in store I won't hesitate to buy it and sell the Trek.

n8r
Jul 3, 2003

I helped Lowtax become a cyborg and all I got was this lousy avatar
Well the local shop had a c3 on hand so I said gently caress it and bought it. Already got it out for a first spin and I have a few thoughts. Things were a bit biased because the shop forgot to switch the to moto style brakes. Spent the whole time mentally reminding myself which hand is which. I am coming from the previous generation optic 27.5.

My idea of fun is 6+ hour epic backcountry rides. I was always a little nervous about the efficiency of the SJ evo for these rides. The optic had been on my radar since it came out, and I had a very brief test ride on it last year (was so short I couldn’t really tell much).

Biggest thing I noticed was the 150 dropper. No longer was the saddle hitting my legs in some situations. This allowed for even more lean angle on the bike.

The brakes were totally fine, more initial bite than my sram levels, but more power overall. LBS owner assured me I wouldn’t mind them and he was right.

The bike handled tight switchbacks very well. It’s been a few years since I had time on a 29er but it turned great. It also changed directions very well, there are some s turn sections that it did just great on it.

It has a ton of traction for both cornering and climbing. A lot of this is just 29er and also new tires. I really liked the tires it came with.

Felt really efficient and fast climbing. This was a strength of my old bike but this one is even better.

The shock and rear end feel good through chunk. My old optic also felt great in this regard. I’ll definitely play with the settings but maybe it’s a tie? I was not on trails that really push it.

Drivetrain felt great. The upshift feels like it takes a little more thumb strength, but it performed flawlessly. I may step down to a 30 tooth front for that ultra easy bailout gear.

For my local trails I won’t feel over biked. All of my after work riding is on blue square level trails. I was concerned with a longer travel bike that I’d just float over everything and the trails would get boring.

Complaints:
This pike feels exactly like my version 1 pike. I was really hoping it was going to feel more plush. Maybe some break in needs to happen. I have heard of people servicing pikes right off the bat so maybe I’ll explore that. I haven’t ridden the modern grip2 fox. Maybe it’s not any more plush than the pike...

I only rode a few chunky sections but the bike doesn’t have that floating/monster truck feel. I think I would have gotten it with the SJ evo. For the short bits I ran, it felt pretty similar to my old bike. I am sure that it’s limits are higher than the old bike, but I’m not sure if I’ll feel like I can push it any harder than my old bike. I need time on the bike on harder trails with brakes setup properly.

Biggest upside:
Got a bit of a bro deal at $3700. $1300 less than the SJ evo. I’m already contemplating carbon wheels. I may keep my eye out for a used fox fork, but I need to ride one first.

Cannon_Fodder
Jul 17, 2007

"Hey, where did Steve go?"
Design by Kamoc
I've spent the morning getting myself waitlisted for the Surly Karate Monkey frameset by every bike shop on this side of my state.

I lucked into a drivetrain + wheelset that would work beautifully on this thing. I checked out the specs, checked with my LBS, and it should be 100% compatible so I'm most of the way to a bike already.

They're listing Fool's Gold and some bright green color on the site, but not black. One of the places I called said they were receiving a shipment of black in the next month or so. :shrug:

I'm much more hyped for the theoretical call than I should be, but goddamn, NBD is always exciting.

n8r
Jul 3, 2003

I helped Lowtax become a cyborg and all I got was this lousy avatar
I got myself on a list to buy an sj evo at a bunch of places and I heard from exactly 0 shops. Don’t get your hopes up.

the unabonger
Jun 21, 2009
I know that components are hard as hell to find rn, but doing a build around this frame:



Super pumped, I love hard tails and this one looks both fun and beautiful as hell.

Sadi
Jan 18, 2005
SC - Where there are more rednecks than people

Cannon_Fodder posted:

I've spent the morning getting myself waitlisted for the Surly Karate Monkey frameset by every bike shop on this side of my state.

I lucked into a drivetrain + wheelset that would work beautifully on this thing. I checked out the specs, checked with my LBS, and it should be 100% compatible so I'm most of the way to a bike already.

They're listing Fool's Gold and some bright green color on the site, but not black. One of the places I called said they were receiving a shipment of black in the next month or so. :shrug:

I'm much more hyped for the theoretical call than I should be, but goddamn, NBD is always exciting.

ONE OF US!
I bought mine used as a rigid black frame. Painted it, found a take off fox 34, xt 11 drive train, parts bin xt brakes, china carbon narrow rims for gravel days, and $75 WTB 27.5+ wheelset for chunkier days. You can still find tons of good deals on used stuff. You just have to be patient and fast. I picked up the XT 11 speed shifter, derailleur, chain, cable, cassette all for $200 shipped with zero miles.


Any one have shop recommendations for bike rentals around Moab? Going there for a week in late May.

Eejit
Mar 6, 2007

Swiss Army Cockatoo
Cacatua multitoolii

Sadi posted:

ONE OF US!
I bought mine used as a rigid black frame. Painted it, found a take off fox 34, xt 11 drive train, parts bin xt brakes, china carbon narrow rims for gravel days, and $75 WTB 27.5+ wheelset for chunkier days. You can still find tons of good deals on used stuff. You just have to be patient and fast. I picked up the XT 11 speed shifter, derailleur, chain, cable, cassette all for $200 shipped with zero miles.


Any one have shop recommendations for bike rentals around Moab? Going there for a week in late May.

I rented from Moab Cyclery and they were competent and kind with a decent lineup. Didn't blow my dick off, but they're a good shop

Cactus Ghost
Dec 20, 2003

you can actually inflate your scrote pretty safely with sterile saline, syringes, needles, and aseptic technique. its a niche kink iirc

the saline just slowly gets absorbed into your blood but in the meantime you got a big round smooth distended nutsack

me your dad posted:

I went about ten years of mountain biking before discovering padded shorts and it blew my mind. Now I barely want to ride around the block without some rear end padding.

you don't need padded shorts to ride a bike, but boy howdy when you have it available you miss it when you don't

neato burrito
Aug 25, 2002

bitch better have my chex mix

Hello, newish mountain biker here. Picked up a Giant Talon 3 back in November 19 after going to my LBS and saying "hey I'm new what do I get?" I am very happy with the bike (the price especially) but it is time to upgrade. I want to stay in the All-Mountain hardtail world, but with upgraded components and a little more aggressive geometry. I've been practicing bunny hops the last week and while I don't have the height I want yet I am consistently able to get both wheels off the ground at the same time.

Been looking at $1000ish bikes like Giant Talon 1 and Polygon Extrada 7; does anyone have opinions on either one for someone like me? 1x11 seems to be very popular, would I miss the gears the my current 2x8 uses? I still ride on the streets and on paved park trails.

Nocheez
Sep 5, 2000

Can you spare a little cheddar?
Nap Ghost
1x drivetrains are soooo much better. It frees space on the bars for your dropper post switch, which is another comfort that goes a long way on an entry-level bike.

Cannon_Fodder
Jul 17, 2007

"Hey, where did Steve go?"
Design by Kamoc
There's something to be said for a 2x drivetrain if you're keeping a specific cadence and are training for keeping that cadence. The gaps between gears get patched a bit with a 2x but takes a lot more managing. That's only really useful on flat or gradual terrain where you're fine-tuning to your cadence.

1x is (for MTB, in my opinion) so much nicer. Less to break, less to go wrong, less to maintain, and since MTB is a lot of up/down, it can take a bit of abuse without adding a misalignment under torque due to messing a front derailleur + the clutch keeps things a bit more tidy.

This explains it a bit better, from the perspective of touring/bikepacking.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ec03K4MriMY

It's better for those who are maintaining high cadence and managing their gears closely vs resistance. That's less finite when mountain biking as there's much punchier work being done and your cadence tends to be a bit more all over the place.


You planning on selling the Talon 3? If not, then you could modify that one for comfortable road/trail + have the gearing options you enjoy now, then take the other hardtail 1x11 for some proper dirty fun.

vikingstrike
Sep 23, 2007

whats happening, captain
Out of those 2 bikes, I only did a quick skim, but the Polygon looks to be a better build and have what would be considered more modern XC non-race geometry. It would be “more aggressive” than your current bike. Assuming you mean geometry that is a bit better going downhill.

As for 1x for 2x: in 2021 there are no circumstances where I would run 2x on a MTB.

spwrozek
Sep 4, 2006

Sail when it's windy

neato burrito posted:

Hello, newish mountain biker here. Picked up a Giant Talon 3 back in November 19 after going to my LBS and saying "hey I'm new what do I get?" I am very happy with the bike (the price especially) but it is time to upgrade. I want to stay in the All-Mountain hardtail world, but with upgraded components and a little more aggressive geometry. I've been practicing bunny hops the last week and while I don't have the height I want yet I am consistently able to get both wheels off the ground at the same time.

Been looking at $1000ish bikes like Giant Talon 1 and Polygon Extrada 7; does anyone have opinions on either one for someone like me? 1x11 seems to be very popular, would I miss the gears the my current 2x8 uses? I still ride on the streets and on paved park trails.

Get a 1x11/12 drive train. Get a dropper imo (this can be after the fact but I would put some money aside). I don't think the Talon 1 is worth it as an upgrade. The Polygon looks better.

E: Where are you riding and what is your proposed budget?

spwrozek fucked around with this message at 15:22 on Apr 14, 2021

n8r
Jul 3, 2003

I helped Lowtax become a cyborg and all I got was this lousy avatar
Unless you have very mild terrain you really should look at full suspension. It’s a game changer. You can get new very good bikes in the 2k range. Good luck in the used market...

Sadi
Jan 18, 2005
SC - Where there are more rednecks than people
So here’s my views on new bikes, especially if you’ve had one MTB and know you like riding.
Must haves:
Air fork or quality coil fork.
Hydro brakes.
Taper fork.
Thru axles, and really boost should be a requirement.
Dropper seat post.
Nice to have:
New enough geo to be considered upgradable.
A 34mm or bigger fork (at least at my weight, 32mm forks feel really bad in rock gardens).

Opinion: if you live somewhere with rocks and roots and significant down hill, I really would shoot for a cheap FS bike over a baller hard tail. For my at least, I ride a ton more when I am on a FS bike out in Pisgah. I love my HT but for me it’s a bike to ride gravel when it’s raining and to make the more boring flat trails fun.

n8r
Jul 3, 2003

I helped Lowtax become a cyborg and all I got was this lousy avatar
Anyone have a recommendation for Chinese/EBay wheelsets? 30mm internal with a dt350. My LBS does a house brand wheel which I’ll consider but I’d like to have a price on an alternative option.

neato burrito
Aug 25, 2002

bitch better have my chex mix

Cannon_Fodder posted:


You planning on selling the Talon 3? If not, then you could modify that one for comfortable road/trail + have the gearing options you enjoy now, then take the other hardtail 1x11 for some proper dirty fun.

TBH I never considered selling it, I didn't think that was an option. I'm probably not ready to start making those kinds of mods yet, so selling sounds good.

vikingstrike posted:

Out of those 2 bikes, I only did a quick skim, but the Polygon looks to be a better build and have what would be considered more modern XC non-race geometry. It would be “more aggressive” than your current bike. Assuming you mean geometry that is a bit better going downhill.

As for 1x for 2x: in 2021 there are no circumstances where I would run 2x on a MTB.

Thanks for the input! I'll admit that I'm not 100% sure what "more aggressive" really means other than the angle of the top tube is greater than my current bike. A "how to bunnyhop" video said it would be easier when that angle goes further down the seat tube. Of course I would like anything that helps me go up and downhill faster, I really enjoy doing both.

Cannon_Fodder
Jul 17, 2007

"Hey, where did Steve go?"
Design by Kamoc

neato burrito posted:

TBH I never considered selling it, I didn't think that was an option. I'm probably not ready to start making those kinds of mods yet, so selling sounds good.


Oh it doesn't have to be anything wild.

Slap on less-aggressive tires on there like some gravelkings and this would ride much better than the knobbies it probably has now. Or setting up lights/bags for longer rides. Spit-balling here, since you can do a ton of stuff without breaking bank or needing a wrench.


EDIT: these guys like going whole-hog on stuff, but I'm closer to where you are. I only started MTB a few years ago. That said, I've got a hardtail that I love but wouldn't do road miles on. I have a gravel bike I wouldn't want to do long road rides on. There's something about bikes that makes 'em a lot more fun when modified for purpose, rather than trying to swiss-army 'em.

I want road? I take my roadie
I want to tour distance and hit some bars? I take my steel roadie
I want to MTB some single track? My 1x11 hardtail
I want to do some gravel/dirt road cruising? something with cushy tires and comfortable positioning - This seems like a nice sweet spot for the Talon 3 if you've got a more robust hardtail for the rougher stuff.

Cannon_Fodder fucked around with this message at 17:00 on Apr 14, 2021

neato burrito
Aug 25, 2002

bitch better have my chex mix

spwrozek posted:

Get a 1x11/12 drive train. Get a dropper imo (this can be after the fact but I would put some money aside). I don't think the Talon 1 is worth it as an upgrade. The Polygon looks better.

E: Where are you riding and what is your proposed budget?

My city (San Antonio) has a couple of very long greenway trails that have dirt paths that parallel the paved paths with lots of roots and rocks. There are a few areas that have some pretty steep downhills and there are areas that have much more technical terrain (both using natural terrain and jumps/rollers /ramps that have been built). I also have a state park called Government Canyon nearby that has some amazingly tough terrain, I've barely began to explore the area though.

I'd really like to keep it around $1000-$1500, I'm not looking for a baller hardtail but I definitely want a substantial upgrade from what I'm on now.

Bud Manstrong
Dec 11, 2003

The Curse of the Flying Criosphinx

n8r posted:

Anyone have a recommendation for Chinese/EBay wheelsets? 30mm internal with a dt350. My LBS does a house brand wheel which I’ll consider but I’d like to have a price on an alternative option.

Assuming you mean carbon, Light Bicycle is probably the safest bet. There are a lot of good options a little bit up the price range from companies like Nobl, We Are One, Bontrager, or Reynolds. I’d rather pay a little more for QA/QC and a good warranty.

spwrozek
Sep 4, 2006

Sail when it's windy

neato burrito posted:

My city (San Antonio) has a couple of very long greenway trails that have dirt paths that parallel the paved paths with lots of roots and rocks. There are a few areas that have some pretty steep downhills and there are areas that have much more technical terrain (both using natural terrain and jumps/rollers /ramps that have been built). I also have a state park called Government Canyon nearby that has some amazingly tough terrain, I've barely began to explore the area though.

I'd really like to keep it around $1000-$1500, I'm not looking for a baller hardtail but I definitely want a substantial upgrade from what I'm on now.

Top end of your range but I would probably try to go sit on a Cannondale Trail SE3. A Trek Roscoe 7 is another option but I am not as big of a fan of the components. Some other brands come in over the budget.

Boogalo
Jul 8, 2012

Meep Meep




I'll 2nd avoiding the roscoe. Bargain bin parts, they extra cheap out in pretty meaningful places like the rear QR axle and race bearing headset unless they've updated those pieces for 2021. It took one very muddy ride to contaminate the headset on my 2020 8 with grit requiring a teardown and I upgraded to sealed bearings at that time, but I shouldn't had had to.

At least they're 1x and a dropper so not the end of the world if they're your absolutely only option. All that said I do like riding it.

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EvilJoven
Mar 18, 2005

NOBODY,IN THE HISTORY OF EVER, HAS ASKED OR CARED WHAT CANADA THINKS. YOU ARE NOT A COUNTRY. YOUR MONEY HAS THE QUEEN OF ENGLAND ON IT. IF YOU DIG AROUND IN YOUR BACKYARD, NATIVE SKELETONS WOULD EXPLODE OUT OF YOUR LAWN LIKE THE END OF POLTERGEIST. CANADA IS SO POLITE, EH?
Fun Shoe

neato burrito posted:

Hello, newish mountain biker here. Picked up a Giant Talon 3 back in November 19 after going to my LBS and saying "hey I'm new what do I get?" I am very happy with the bike (the price especially) but it is time to upgrade. I want to stay in the All-Mountain hardtail world, but with upgraded components and a little more aggressive geometry. I've been practicing bunny hops the last week and while I don't have the height I want yet I am consistently able to get both wheels off the ground at the same time.

Been looking at $1000ish bikes like Giant Talon 1 and Polygon Extrada 7; does anyone have opinions on either one for someone like me? 1x11 seems to be very popular, would I miss the gears the my current 2x8 uses? I still ride on the streets and on paved park trails.

If you go with a Talon 0 you're going from a quick release MTB with a straight steerer to another quick release MTB with a straight steerer. Even with the air fork and 1x making that move seems a bit wasteful.

For the Extrada... That fork isn't really good. I've dealt with them before and they don't ride very well and that janky thru axle sucks really hard. It breaks often and the last time I tried Suntour told us to go pound sand when we tried to warranty it for a customer.

Imo budget a bit more than 1k and find something better. I know it's a stretch but can you swing an extra $469? The Team Marin 1 is $1469 and you'll get a Judy air fork, boost thru axle frame and 12s Deore, along with tubeless compatible wheels.

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