full squish bike build, AM style.

[FyrFytrRyn]

[FONT=Arial,Helvetica,Geneva] ah wuz just wondering if ya pimpz can give me some ideas fo' uh all-mountain frame dat will match up wiff uh 180mm or 203mm triple clamp fork, I wants da bike ta be AM/trail bike status. thanks fo' da suggestions. peep this sh*t yo. [/FONT][FONT=Arial,Helvetica,Geneva]ah just wants uh mo' robust frame thats pedalable, da jekyll gets it flex on too much, an i wants to be usin this bling travis fork fo' sho. thank ya'll in advance, ya heard.
[/FONT]

 

[LBmtb]

Have you been hanging around jose and downhillross? :lol: jk

Don't think 180mm would still be classified as "AM." Maybe a kona coiler could work? I've read of some people using a Yeti asx as a trail bike.

 

[FyrFytrRyn]

i heard that, homeslice.

 

[spookydave]

All I know is I'd love to have that puppy on the front of my bullit.

 

[Flat Broke]

How much towards XC do you want to go on your AM bike? Since you've got the Cortina for full on Gnar DH stuff, you probably want something that pedals well and isn't quite as slack for your All mountain excursions? I know Turners get lots of play around these parts, but I'm going to say check out Transition Bikes. Yeah I ride one (when my fat ass actually gets out to ride) but they are genuinely well built and relatively affordable compared to many other mfgs. If you want more of an XCish AM look at the new Covert comming out in December. If you want more of a FR playbike (which would fit the Travis nicely), check out the Preston FR or the Bottlerocket. Adrenaline Bikes in Tustin carries Transition, but if you have any questions about their bikes, just call Transition direct. Cam and all the guys there are great to work with and were very helpfull when I bought my Vagrant.

Chris

 

[FyrFytrRyn]

well, i want to be able to pedal up and bomb down, i cant do that in the cannondale, everytime i hit a bump i feel the fuc***g frame flex, i can see the head tube stay while the rest of the frame and swingarm move, its really not soild for me. i mean i really like the cannondale because its light and super easy to climb on, but i cannot remember that its an XC bike, and to take it easy, i tend to push the envelope w/o realizing it. people have said "hey, the jekyll is a am kinda bike" i say "yeah, for some one who doesnt weigh 215 lbs!" hell, i may even sell the cannondale and the travis to get an ILL AM bike. coiler kinda deal. oh yeah, the covert looks delicious, but id really like an 2006 dirtbag if they made them larger than 18".. ill def. keep my eye on them, i really like what i see. ill check out the turners too. i guess. haha.

 

[Flat Broke]

Gotcha, With your size, I'd lean more towards the Preston FR. The dirtbag gets kinda slack and is closer to your DH bike in terms of weight and travel than the Preston. If it were for a smaller guy like me 5'11, I'd say bottlerocket for the fun factor. But the Preston has plenty of beef and it maintains it's warranty and lifetime crash replacement policy with up to a 8inch dual crown fork. There are tons of reviews on the Preston FR floating around and they are also carried at Jensons which means you might be able to get a leg over one.

Chris

 

[SAR_boats]

Why not take a look at a specialized enduro? 150mm front and rear

 

[CalEpic]

I would look at something in the 5" FS category and trade your Travis for a good 5" fork. Kona Dawg, Turner 5 Spot, Santa Cruz Heckler, Yeti 575, Specialized Enduro (later models), Giant Reign - If Wheel World still has that deal going I'd be all over that.

Build something around 30 lbs and it's much more enjoyable to climb with.

 

[Kid A]

[FONT=Arial,Helvetica,Geneva] ah wuz just wondering if ya pimpz can give me some ideas fo' uh all-mountain frame dat will match up wiff uh 180mm or 203mm triple clamp fork, I wants da bike ta be AM/trail bike status. thanks fo' da suggestions. peep this sh*t yo. [/FONT][FONT=Arial,Helvetica,Geneva]ah just wants uh mo' robust frame thats pedalable, da jekyll gets it flex on too much, an i wants to be usin this bling travis fork fo' sho. thank ya'll in advance, ya heard.[/FONT]

wow- think fork you suggest may be bigger than most AM's rigs. imagine will be way slack. may be a bit of a challenge on the steeps (climbs). only have ridden one once but Ells Moment seems like a great AM if you got the cabbage. also j-dirt's kid just got a fisher fat possum. he seems to really dig that bike

 

[Evel Knievel]

Evil Imperial.

 

[Flat Broke]

Evil Imperial.

That thought crossed my mind. Especially with the Travis fork already in hand. But the seat extension/position for a tall guy on a std imperial wouldn't be optimal for trail riding. Maybe if he went with an Imperial SL...:-k

Chris

 

[spookydave]

Well I have 3 bikes and I have a hard time going back to my Tracer. It's so different then the other 2. But I can go back and forth from the Brooklyn and Bullit no problem. From what it sound you are a pretty agro rider so I would look for something that is a little slacker than what an XC type of guy would ride.
The term All Mountain means different things to different people. I ride a 7" travel Bullit on all the mountain trails around here. So to me that's my all mountain bike. lol I'm sure that's very different then what LBmtb thinks All Mountain is.

Take a dog coller with you. Compress the fork and put that around the lower crown and arch before the long climbs.

 

[i am dino]

how tall are you again ryan? i have a heckler frame (medium) that might be for sale soon.

 

[TURNERob]

how tall are you again ryan? i have a heckler frame (medium) that might be for sale soon.

Uh huh, yeah.

 

[FyrFytrRyn]

im 6'1'', 215-220 lbs, yes im an aggressive rider. i think i might be better off sellin the fork and just out right buying a 7"ish trail bike. i really like the enduro's, but arent they quite pricey? i just want something i can pedal up hill and not have fears of snappin in half on the way down. thanks for all the replies guys, SUPER helpful, keep um comin.

 

[Flat Broke]

If you're looking in the 7" realm, I say build your own and test the Travis on your Cortina to see if it is something you would like to use on your build. If you wanted to do 7" on the cheap an Ironhorse Yakuza aniki would get you there. Buy the Aniki for under $800, then pick up a new rear shock to change it to 7" and use your Travis up front. If you're not picky about the rear shock, buy the Ojiki and just swap the Travis on there then replace stuff as it breaks/wears. My brother has one, weighs a good 20-30lbs more than you, and the thing is solid under him. It ain't light and doesn't have the most exotic suspension design, but you can pedal it and it isn't going to go noodle on you like the Crack'nfail. The Yakza Aniki and Ojiki use the same frame, just a different stroke shock to change the travel. As far as technology, they are pretty blatant rip offs of the Bullit, but at least they work.

I haven't had a Specialized, but they sure seem to think $highly$ of their bikes considering the number of units they sell. I've never felt comfortable paying a premium to ride the same bike as everyone else, so I've never really looked into them.

In the end, it's all going to come down to the benjamins. There are lots of 7" offerings, but I think that you shouldn't count out some fo the smaller travel bikes in the 5.5" + realm. Don't forget to check out the STR spreadsheet to see who has what so you might be able to arrange a test ride if someone has something you're interested in.

Chris

 

[SAR_boats]

Dunno how much you are looking to spend but 07 Enduros MSRP for $2000-$4400. However I have seen 2yr old (04-05) models on ebay that have a lot going for them for around $1000

eBay: 2006 Specialized Enduro Expert (item 220048488732 end time Nov-22-06 13:45:16 PST)
eBay: SPECIALIZED ENDURO PRO ALL MOUNTAIN BIKE DOWNHILL (item 300049874145 end time Nov-25-06 19:12:22 PST)
eBay: Specialized Enduro Elite 2006 NEW (item 230054834793 end time Nov-27-06 15:40:27 PST)

 

[spookydave]

buy the Ojiki and just swap the Travis on there then replace stuff as it breaks/wears. My brother has one, weighs a good 20-30lbs more than you, and the thing is solid under him.

Chris

And his is Tunnel tested too. It passed!

A 7 point 7 would be something to look into also.

 

[soul rider]

yo yo yo ...'07 banshee chapparal takes a 200milizzle in the head and 150 to 170 in da butt solid g solid
smack it up flip it rub it down oh noooooo