5.5- 6" AM Bike Frame

[Rockinthecasbah]

Bought A 7 point 5 , support the horse , this threads dead

[Flat Broke]

At 5" I don't know if this is what you are looking for, but I REALLY like my Soul Cycles Matador. I run mine with a Van36RC2 up front and a 6way out back. For AM, maybe a Rocco R and Talas up front? With the 36, the HA works out to 67.5, and as long as you're not over 6' tall, you should be able to get full leg extension with a 410mm seat post. Full Easton front triangle, and Chad and the crew at Soul are nice to work with. Plus, if ya wanna run 4x, drop on a 6.5 eye to eye shock, and you're down to 4" in back. The bike has a relatively low leverage ratio, so you get the 5" feels pretty nice.

You have a nice list of frames you're looking at, but I'm stoked with my deal, so I figgured I'd toss it up there.

Chris

[Rockinthecasbah]

I'll check it out I'm 5'7" so I dotn really have a height issue, I would love to have somehting with 6-8" as long as I can pedal it on normal chino and fully rides

Wow thats an awsome frame for that price looks like something I could hop around on. Do you have any experince in bike parks on it? I'm interested in how it does off ramp drops and such a bike i could easily pedal and take to utah with me would be awsome

[stinkyrider]

Sounds like a Kona Coiler might be a good match for you too. If you get one with a DHX coil, it can be a really good pedaler. It's a tad on the heavy side though.

[Rockinthecasbah]

I still dont know where I stand on the Kona's it seems like they're all pretty over built but heavy, might be good for my style of riding
anyways I'm looking for a great deal on a uead or new bike.

[destroyer]

You might check into the Transition Covert. Looks like a sweet all mountain bike.

http://www.transitionbikes.com/2007/Covert.cfm

[Rockinthecasbah]

that looks like an awsome frame too many options

[DISCO]

Just get a firm number for your budget and go from there. I chose a Kona Dawg because it had the same geometry as a Nomad for a killer price. That soul is pretty cool but for the grand it would cost you could get a used/clearance coiler. Problem is that at the lower end of the spectrum wheels/forks/cranks/brakes are going to be shitty. Since you likely are less than 180 lbs geared up it would be overkill to ride a monster bike around the loop and chino. No doubt you will get buff pushing all that weight uphill, but good luck hopping up a 3 stair or loading dock. I'm going to unload the dawg in the near future but it is an 18", I've got a 15.5 giant with a through axle fork, hollowtech cranks, and rear fox air shock I'll sling for like $600. Let me know if you want to get it dirty, we can take a lap around the loop to see if you like it. What do you ride now/what are you looking for?

[Flat Broke]

If by bike park you mean Whistler, no. I did take it to Mammoth for it's maiden voyage, and I felt the bike was way more comfy with the terrain than I was I didn't do a lot of drops, but did hit some of the drops on lower velocity. The bike feels very comfortable in those encounters to me, but I also bought it based upon the geometry which was similar to other things I had ridden and knew I'd like. Weight wise, it's right around the same as the covert, but I'd venture to say that the rear end is probably stiffer. Having not put a leg over the covert, that's strictly based off appearances, so take that with a huge grain of salt.

I think Transition offers a great value in their bikes. But honestly, asside from the weight, I'd have a tough time choosing a Covert over the much burlier Bottlerocket. I had a Transition Vagrant and loved that bike and the service I received during my shopping. So from that aspect you would do fine with Cam, Kyle and the guys at Transition.

If you really want 6" and the ability to pedal, I might wait and see how the Rocky Mountain Slayer SS is reviewed. I know initial feedback was pretty good, but that was a pre-production run, so if it were me, I'd wait for more info. Soul is also going to be bringing a 6"/8" convertible (via shock swap) out. If you look under the "in development" page, there are some drawings etc. Last I heard they would be geting prototypes done late this year, but I don't know when production would take off. Another bike I would think of in that category would be a Banshee Wildcard. I think it will end up being a little on the expensive side, but should be over 6" depending on where you set the rockers. Last but not least Sinister has a 4.5/5.5 frame in prototype/testing right now. Looks like its going to be light, and the initial reviews from people with the prototypes seems to be good. You can find pics here and here.

A lot of folks would say that most of the stuff I listed isn't really AM. My preference is to have a "fun" bike that jumps, rails corners, and handles well, then climbs decent. There are lighter duty/more traditional AM offerings like a Yeti 575, Ironhorse MKIII, Giant trance X or Reign, and of course a Specialized Enduro that would probably work real well too. My focus just shifts to more of a FR/Slopestyle geometry for a do it all bike cause that's what I'm comfy on. In any event, there are TONS of options so get to know what geo you like, then start whitiling down the list from there.

Good luck,
Chris

[Rockinthecasbah]

I'm seem to lean towards your riding style I dont really care to ride supe fast Xc style , I like to be able to hit switchbacks on singletrack fast and jump everything I can find the madador looks like an awsome frame to start a build on my longest ride I really ever want to ride is SART and thats only a few times a year. I think I might be able to build up madador with decent compinents and just switch out pedals to go from FR stuff to Trails. I have a jamis komodo that I use for my urban dj stuff so I'm not worried about hopping stairs and that kind of thing I just want to upgrade from my low end IH Warrior. I was planing on building a trailbike and a freeride bike but it would be better if i could put the funds in one bike and slopestyle type bike would be a good build I remeber seeing a few people on am built slopestyle frames on some of the STR rides.

[destroyer]

If you like to jump I would look into the Transition Preston and Bottlerocket instead of the covert.

http://www.transitionbikes.com/2007/PrestonFR.cfm

http://www.transitionbikes.com/2007/BottleRocket.cfm

And the Soul Cycles matador looks like a fun bike too.

[Rockinthecasbah]

the matador looks like something I could ride in Chino and then take to Southridge and still have fun.

[freekengo]

Hey there Rockin', here's the run down on the Bullit we talked about last night.
05' med frame, blue w/ dhx air and 5th coil. King head set, azonic double wall bar, azonic stem, lx shifter with saint rear deraileur, xt front, 06' pike dual air(426 or 429 can't remember), saint triple crank, saint hubs mounted on mavic 325, saint calipers w/xt levers(6" and 8" rotors w/adapters), titec berserker saddle, thompson post, new cables and housings, crankbrothers candy pedals, oury lock-ons. 140mm front, 180mm rear travel. I know it's a little strange build, but the bike has morphed from DH to all mountain geo' now. Let me know if your interested, we'll set up a ride and you can try it out.
PS. for the coil springs I've got 400 and 450#, you get them both. burly overall build. The paint is pretty flawless other than the usual cable rub. Sorry, no pics as the digi cam is dead!

[Dino Brown]

Originally Posted by Rockinthecasbah

Complete bike for a deal would be good too.Something like a MKIII, Chumba Evo, Intense 5.5 etc , i'm not dedicated to one brand or another and Dino bought an Uzzi so he cant say anything. Oh yea I forgot your name on here but I'd like some info on that santa cruz bullit we talked about on Holloween.

Careful Young Skywalker! It would NOT be wise to turn your back on THE FORCE!



Check your PM. It will have info on the bike you WILL be riding!

[Evil Chocula]

I'm picking up my newly built, Chumba XCL (5.5 inch travel) tomorrow. I'll let you know how it rides .

[ODB]

Another vote for the Transition Covert (will probably be my next frame). The 2008 Banshee Rune (6 inches, DW-esque suspension) also looks pretty sweet:
http://content.mtbr.com/TRP_14_348_7crx.aspx

[cjwally]

Used or New? If used, I have a 2006 Mongoose Teocali Super with 500 miles on the frame. It has 5.75" of travel. Let me know if interested, here are some photos....

2006 Mongoose Teocali Super

[Dino Brown]

Any luck on a bike?

Curious what you thought of my PM... PM me!

[Rockinthecasbah]

Ok after talking it over with my significant other and trying to not get bob-i-tised in my sleep I'm looking at around 1000-1600 as for new bikes iron horse 6 point 4 , 7 point 3

[roadkillross]

i gotta chumba evo with an older obxxer on it. pm sent