What kind of bike for the Seattle area?

[squatch]

So I just moved to Seattle, and I was thinking of consolidating my bike stable (My GF doesn't understand why I have four mountain bikes.) I really only LOVE one of them, and it's a full bore DH sled, and really only suitable for lifts or shuttles, and isn't really a freeride type bike in the sense that it's good at jumps really.

That leaves me with a dirtjump bike that doesn't fit, an older enduro that doesn't fit and is built up heavy, and a 29er FS that almost fits but not quite.

I'm debating getting a 29er custom hardtail, poaching the parts off the existing 29er. However -- I know nothing of the riding in Seattle. Right now my legs are so long that most normal bikes leave me in a really weird position on the bike, putting my center of gravity outside, rather than inside, the bike. This shitty pedalling position has been discouraging me from riding non-gravity-fed rides, and I'm getting slower and fatter. I'm thinking I need to get a bike that encourages me to pedal, not discourages. I was thinking it might be easiest to design a custom HT frame. In CO there are lots of buff trails that work well for hardtails, but should I get a FS bike for Seattle?

Also, if there are some good areas to check out or ride I'd love to know. Also if anyone is looking for riding partners that'd be great too, just be aware of the fact that I suck unless I'm descending.

[regct]

I just moved here too. Totally ironic, but among the worlds best trails I felt like I was always lugging around too much bike. With the exception of Whistler and soon to be Stevens Pass, there isn't any lift access around here. So it seems most of the good freeride/downhill areas are hike up or ride up or between, etc...and don't seem to require a full blown DH bike like the boulder garden trails of the east coast.

So I sold my DH bike and am building a bottlerocket into a freeride/all mtn bike. No more dual crown for me...at least for a while.

Seems most of us gather here:
http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/s...k-riders/page3

[Dromond]

From one newcomer to another: get a FS, not a HT. While plenty of trails are rideable and/or fun on a HT, a ton of them are gnarly. Aside from that, anything from a racy 4" 29er xc bike to a 6.5" slack shred bike is a viable do-all bike depending on how and where you want to ride, how often to want to get off the ground, have fast you want to ride uphill, etc. etc.

I've got a Giant Anthem X xc bike and Spec Enduro SL that I switch between depending on the ride. If I had to bike one it would be reasonably slack 5" bike or unusually light and efficient 5.5-6" bike. But that's me. I like to ride uphill not-slow for a long time, sometimes.

Edit: If you want to pedal up stuff not insanely slow but also shred and/or chuck on the way down the Transition Covert or similar is extremely popular around these parts. Enduro SL is also in that range of bikes.

[BeardedClam]

My everything bike is an Ironhorse 7.3, which I ride to and from galbraith about 3 or 4 times a week in the late spring, summer, and fall which ends up being about a 7 mile - 2k vert day before I start any downhill. I also take it shuttle and hike a bike dh around the area and while it would be nice to have a dedicated session 88 for that, the bike handles well. I also take it on St. Helens trips, to Duthie where it slays, and to the greenlake dirtjumps at work.

When I was looking for a bike my options were limited to one key factor: price. I bought a heap of shit bike knowing I could piece together a halfway decent bike by buying parts from the guys I work with or ordering them from QBP for cost+10% This summer I'm going to be rebuilding the wheels with better hubs and rims now that I can afford it. That and the seams are starting to split, the pawls are starting to give, it eats a spoke every couple weeks due to the horrible hop and maltensioning of the spokes, so its time.

Even though my bike weighs within a couple lbs of the 40 mark, I know that pedaling the beast to my destination means that I'll have one less ski day to get back in top shape at the start of next ski season. If I could have a bike of my choice, I'd go with a tr-450, session 88, or an old sunday for the stuff around bellingham, snoqualmie, and other areas in the mountains. Maybe a covert or santa cruz for when I don't feel like punishing myself on the uphill

It makes no sense to not have a capable dh bike around here

[regct]

It makes no sense to not have a capable dh bike around here

I disagree dude. Granted I haven't ridden every trail around here, but I am starting to wonder if there are any downhill trails where an 8 inch dual crown bike is an absolute necessity. I mean real downhill...flying through boulder gardens, large root sections. The rocks aren't nearly as gnarly out here as they are in the east and I can't think of any reason other than that, that a long travel DH rig is needed.

BUT I'd love to be proven wrong!

[shirk]

XXXXXXL Stumpy FSR 29er.

Bump the 130mm fork up to 140mm and ride it like you stole it.

Maybe two sets of wheels. One super burly and one set nice and light.

Keep the DJ for Duthie.

[Rontele]

We miss our mondo giganto friend here

[ShoNuff]

keep the dh-sled for sure, unless you just don't like it. it is paid for and it's nice to have a beater shuttle/lift machine hanging on the wall for whistler/cypress days. there is some srsly steep tech in the bham area that doesn't mandate an 8" rig, but it is more phun.

consolidate the other 3 into a proper pnw trail-bike (like your enduro, but it sounds like you're not too stoked on it). 5 to 6 inches travel, good standover, 67ish hta with a smart build kit. pedalable, shreddable. it'll kill duthie, galby, shore xc, squampton to pemby xc.

just my .02 i've lived in the area for a long time and have had all sorts of bikes.
my covert rips everything. i usually have a beater sled hanging around as well...

[Z]

Squatch did you ever ride my XL Reign? It's huge. 25.6 inch toptube or something ridiculous like that. Too big for me for my preference on downhills. Put a 36 talas on it and it weighs about 32.5 lbs with xc minions. Would probably be killer for that type of riding, and it may even fit you decently well.

[PeachesN'Cream]

Yeppers.

If it's possible to keep the Sled I would. You may not use it a ton locally but it's nice to have with Whistler, North Fork, Cypress and even a couple local spots that can warrant a big bike should you have one.

For everything else you'll do well with a solid trail bike with a sturdy build.

I know you are an uber big dude and if 20Giners tend to provide you with a better fit I think you would be fine going that route if you built it solid and were aiming to shred trail most of the time. You may be bummed on the 29er on the big jump lines at Duthie but it'll be awesome for basically everything else there and in the area. Hell you may even be fine on the jump lines. WTF do I know about 29ers.

Similar to ShoNuff, I get it all done round here on a Nomad with a smart build. If you can find a good fit on something similar it covers 90% of the riding around Seattle. I typically want a DH bike about 5 days a year which is far to little to justify owning one. If I already had one, that would be different.

Trails.
Duthie is really fun. It's popular for a reason. Some of everything all kept in good condition.
Tokul East is awesome for fire road ups and multiple trails to shred down. I think it's the most fun local trail riding. Get it while you can, looks like there is logging planned that will take out a couple of the prime trails.
Tiger is increasingly fun when you get to know everything there is to be had.
Grand Ridge is a sneaky tough ride where riding back down is actually what crushes you, but it's really good trail.
Colonnade is fun if you need a fix but after Duthie got going everyone decided that real dirt, trees and trails is way better than moon dust laced with old meth cook operations and hypos. It is right in the city tho, which is worth something if you are short on time.

There is my 2¢.

[squatch]

Lots of good advice here. Right now I have a 120mm Reba (2010 model, don't know if it can be upped at all) on a XXL Stumpy FSR 29er. It's decent, and by far the best of the three bikes I need to fix. The only downsides is the HA is steep (68ish degrees sagged is my rough guess) and the seat post is still in Ron Jeremy mode, even with the giant frame. It climbs fine but I feel like I could go to a 66 degree HTA and feel more comfortable.

And on a related note, I have a singlespeed dirt jump frame that's too small. I'm thinking about swapping everything to a transition banks frame to gain some comfort. Any reason that's a bad idea?

(And D, I miss you guys too)

[shirk]

Local Super D here on the Shore was won by a fast rider on a Tallboy.

100mm of travel and steep "xc" angles.

Get Walt works to make you a custom 29'er 130mm travel FS. The 29'er is what you need at your size. It's also the right bike for the highest percentage of available riding.

Ventana rear triangle on a custom steel front. Supertherm downtube. Proper 67 head angle for a 140mm fork with a 74 seat angle. Short stem, wide bars, and aggressive tires.

[chmnyboy]

Definitely in the minority, but I think you need a hardtail. I've had a bike quiver for a while, and even though new xc full suspension bikes pedal great, I can't find one that feels nearly as fast as a hardtail, and for the riding around the northwest a hardtail is definitely enough 95% of the time. If you can only have 2 bikes, sell your full on DH bike and get a 6" bike that pedals well but still can handle the handfull of shuttle days that you might put on it per year. If you can swing 3 bikes, I'd say hardtail, DH bike, and a 5 inch trail bike.

[kidwoo]

There is no way in fucking hell you could convince me to sell my dh bike if I lived between seattle and bellingham. Anyone who tells you differently doesn't know what's in their own backyard....or they just don't really like riding that stuff.


And squatch, you're the only person I'd ever say this to but there are some good suspension 29er trails bikes out there now. A feller can't exist sanely without a good trailbike. TONS of good riding up where you are. Are there any with 1.5 headtubes you could play with angles that you know of?

[PeachesN'Cream]

You are special.

[kidwoo]

moon dust laced with old meth cook operations and hypos.

You say that like it's a bad thing.

You are special.

My mom was right!!

[ACH]

I have a Giant Reign X with a Fox 36 on it, in two decades of riding out here I've never been happier. It's heavyish for some of the PNW epics but covers a lot of ground well in the Puget Sound. I also had more of an XC set up as well however it collects dust and will end up going away.

[Greydon Clark]

Right now I am imagining a grown man riding a kid’s BMX bike.

[BushwackerinPA]

Definitely in the minority, but I think you need a hardtail. I've had a bike quiver for a while, and even though new xc full suspension bikes pedal great, I can't find one that feels nearly as fast as a hardtail, and for the riding around the northwest a hardtail is definitely enough 95% of the time. If you can only have 2 bikes, sell your full on DH bike and get a 6" bike that pedals well but still can handle the handfull of shuttle days that you might put on it per year. If you can swing 3 bikes, I'd say hardtail, DH bike, and a 5 inch trail bike.

feeling fast and being fast are 2 totally different things.

[kidwoo]

Right now I am imagining a grown man riding a kid’s BMX bike.

It's even worse than that. Picture shaq riding a bike you'd find in a happy meal.

[regct]

There is no way in fucking hell you could convince me to sell my dh bike if I lived between seattle and bellingham. Anyone who tells you differently doesn't know what's in their own backyard....or they just don't really like riding that stuff.

I sold mine and I don't appreciate you making me second guess my decision.

For realz though, in my situation I can't afford more than ONE bike. So I offe'd my 8" bike for a BR. Doesn't mean I don't like gnarly DH trails, I just haven't been on one out here yet that I know a BR with a big fork can't handle.

As for a HT, no way...

I hope I made the right decision...

Squatch, sounds like you should keep your DH rig, and supplement your quiver with a medium travel trail bike. My buddy rides a Scratch 8 and it shreds almost everything...but I smoke him on the rough DH's...I dunno.

[kidwoo]

Just ignore me. I've always said if I could only own one bike it would be my trail bike.

Plus a dirt jumper just because those are cheap.

Plus I'd need a dh bike just because it's a safety concern on the super gnarly stuff and you know, safety first.

[squatch]

Right now I am imagining a grown man riding a kid’s BMX bike.

This is essentially correct.

Just ignore me. I've always said if I could only own one bike it would be my trail bike.

Plus a dirt jumper just because those are cheap.

Plus I'd need a dh bike just because it's a safety concern on the super gnarly stuff and you know, safety first.

Don't worry. I'm keeping the DH bike because I love it. And riding downhill on a bike built for exactly that will always have a special place in my heart.

Also if I buy a size large "aggressive hardtail" style frame, that's actually a pretty solid dj bike for me. Thanks for the help, yo.

[ShoNuff]

I hope I made the right decision...

you made the right call. if you can only have one, the br will handle it all from seattle to pemby.

i gotta agree with kidwoo on the safety thing though. even though you can make it down something, you can't fade those world cup angles on the steep-gnar (and there is plenty-o-that to be had...

[Rontele]

Since we have already been through this 1,000,000,000,000 times before. Just buy a custom bike that will actually fit you. Nothing off the shelf comes remote close to fitting without some sort of horrific pedaling position that makes you not want to ride uphill.