Ok when we get our Ridgeline I have decided I need a new mountainbike. I curretly have a Giant full suspension. Maybe a Gt or a Gary Fisher. Im kinda thinking Cannodale but I just dont know. Maybe i will just go to wal mart and get me a Mongoose :eek:

Ok when we get our Ridgeline I have decided I need a new mountainbike. I curretly have a Giant full suspension. Maybe a Gt or a Gary Fisher. Im kinda thinking Cannodale but I just dont know. Maybe i will just go to wal mart and get me a Mongoose :eek:

Walmart...? You're killin' me!

I was in the bike biz for 15 years. I just got a Giant NRS C1 and it's a very sweet ride. Looks like you've got an NRS already. The new design is far superior. Fisher makes a good product. Not a big fan of Cannondale. They bit it when their motorcycle division when belly-up. If you have specific questions, I'd be happy to offer any info I can. Bottom line, use a bike shop to purchase. It will pay off in a month after you need something done on your new rig.

Bike? That's an easy one .. CR 250R :D


And above all ... they are HONDA'S !! :cool:

I suppose it depends are you out for the long rides where you have to ride up hills (XC) or do you prefer grabbing a chairlift and bombing down (DH)?

If DH is your game then I recommmend the Specialized Bit Hit or Demo series. I have the '03 Bit Hit but it has been tricked out with wider tires and more suspension. One of my buddies also loves his Rocky Mountain.

Specialized also make a nice XC (Epic) ride. It has a smart shock on the back end that auto-locks on climbs and releases on the bumps.

The other huge factor is how much ca$h do you want to spend. If brand new isn't a huge thing for you you might check out http://classifieds.mtbr.com/cgi-bin/classifieds/classifieds.pl?db=MtbReview&website=MtbReview you can usually find a smokin deal on bikes and get more for your money.

I agree with Mayfelh, it realy depends on the type of ridding you do. I just purchased a new Santa Cruz Blur, I was initialy a little disapoited that it was not a great deal lighter tham my old Proflex. Then I rode it, I was amazed at how much more efficient it is. My old Proflex was great down hill, it had long plush travel that would soak up about any thing you come accross. What was less obvious is how much energy it soaked up peddeling. I thought it was a pretty efficient peddeler, it was state of the art five or six years ago.

The Santa Cruz feels like a rocket by comparison, I go on longer rides and use less energy.

I am frugal and it hurt to spend the $900. I spent on my Proflex on a close out special. But I put sevral thousand miles on the bike and I soom realized it was a cheap investment, per mile it was a great value and the fact that I am in better shape at 57 than I was at 37 is no small plus. It made spending $2500 on my Santa Cruz nearly painless

You did not cheap out when you bought a Ridgeline, don't do it when you buy your bike. Get something worth riding, you will ride it more and get more value out it.

Again you need to figure out what kind of ridding you are going to do but the VPP suspension on the Santa Cruz is amazing, other top cross country picks would be Yeti 575, Specialized Epic, Jamis, or K2. The Jamis Dakar gets great reviews and has a neat color that is close to Honda's steel blue.

Honda also makes a downhill bike but it is not widely known, it is full of technology just like our trucks, I am note sure if it has VSA but I would not be surprized.

Steve

I was only kidding about the mongoose. I used to be hardcore mongoose till they sold out to wal mart.I will prolly get me a specalized full susp this time.It would look cool in the bed of a ridgeline too!

So, what flavor Specialized, FSR, Big hit or Epic?

Just trying to figure out whether you are a type A or type D rider (Ascending or Descending). I guess if you live in the prarie states you may be verticly exempt.

Steve

If you want to see what a Honda down hill bike looks like, you can see pictures if you search Team G Cross or 23 degrees. There was also a write up about it in Mountain Bike Action about a year ago, Google Honda develops new down hill bike.

Honda started out with a joint venture with Intense, and the next year came up with their own design. Not sure if they are getting into the market or just dabbling in the race area for name recognition. The bike is under the oversite of their motorcycle division.

Steve

Honda started out with a joint venture with Intense, and the next year came up with their own design. Not sure if they are getting into the market or just dabbling in the race area for name recognition. The bike is under the oversite of their motorcycle division.

I'm with Bellteck. I'll take the CR any day. Make mine a 125, as I'm too old to handle a 250.

I live just below the northeast georgia mountains so theres lots of uphill and downhill.I will prolly get the fsr.It seems to fit my needs. Maybe the comp model with the discs. Never had a bike with them but I have wanted one to see what its like.

Take it from A Cat 1 road racer,
and Expert MTN bike racer,

Do yourself a favor and get the Blur from Santa Cruz, you
wont be sorry.

As for Road Bikes my Silver and Black Orbea Onix looks like it was
painted with the same paint as my RTL Silver Nav ,,

Its a killer combination to show up with at the races and
then go home with the Medals.....

BAJA

Maybe the comp model with the discs. Never had a bike with them but I have wanted one to see what its like.

Once you go disc you'll never go back. I have the Hayes DH series 8" brakes and let me tell you they stop on a dime wet or dry. Two pieces of advice DON'T touch them after you been bombing down a hill (they get HOT!!!) and don't get any lubes on the pads (if you do toss them and buy a new set).

I will look into the santa cruz. There is a local bike shop here that carries them. I may just pay them a visit after I "window shop" ridgelines again.

A good alternative is to check the Rocky Mountain Bike page out of Vancouver.

http://www.bikes.com/bikes/2005/index.aspx

I bought an older model full suspension "Instinct" last year (equivalent to the Element 70) and it has been great. It just fits in the rear seating area of my Ridge to boot without removing the front wheel.

WM23N1

I sure could not recomend the Blur any higher, you should go to Santa Cruz Bikes web site and have a look.

They are also just introducing a Blur LT long travel bike and also a new model the Nomad it has the long travel of their VPFree at the weight of the Blur. It is disigned to be their all ride bike, up hill down hill and cross country.
It looks really cool as well. I would have ordered one but they won't be out for a month or so.

Be prepared the Santa Cruz line is not inexpensive, but they are worth it. You should be able to get $500. or more off of list if you check around. Just stay away from the Ebay out of country deals as you will never see your money or a bike again.

Steve

Here's what rides in the back of my RL.

Mayfielh

Whats that hanging in the backgroud? Looks to be a hardtail to me. Does that mean that you sometimes ride up hill, or do you have your wife pull you up the hills with the hard tail.

Steve

That's my wife's hard tail. I tried to get her to get a full suspension but she didn't want the extra weight :rolleyes:

It works better this way... She can pull our daughter in the trailer. ;)

Seems to me that the best mountain bike to haul in a Honda, would be a Honda!
Honda MTB (http://www.mbaction.com/detail.asp?id=655)

Down Hill is a breeze untill you crash.....

Try racing XC then you will see the Santa Cruz Shine...

I am a cross country rider, I am a geezer, I don't heal as quick as I used to. I must force my self to try and go down hills slower and up hill faster.
My wife still hates to ride with me because of my competitive nature. It some one passes me on a down hill the tetesterone side of my brain takes over, I must pursue.
I wonder if my eyes dialate like my labs when they see a tennis ball.

As for the Santa Cruz bike shinning on X/C that is true of the Blur and Superlight, but their V10 and VPFree rule on down hill courses

The Blur goes real well with my Ridge!!! :D

Damn I like that santa cruz! Its the right color too!

I believe that Blur would go better with black, wanna trade for an old school Klien? :D Pick a color it has three.

Nice bike Biker!