IGX

A month or two ago I started going on the "shop rides" with Topanga Creek Outpost in the Santa Monica mountains. I demo'd two Niners, Jet 9 and an Air 9, and a BMC Trailfox. It was a ton of fun, lots of fire road climbs with a decent amount of singletrack stuff coming back down. Perfect for a beginner and I got hooked.

I bit the bullet a few weeks ago and picked up a Salsa El Mariachi. I was between that and a Karate Monkey but they cut a pretty sweet deal on the Salsa so I could upgrade to a better build kit. I love the bike, climbs like a motherfucker without that rear suspension squish and descends well enough for anything my balls are big enough to attempt.

I know a bunch of you guys are really into this shit, interested to see your rigs. Get some tips, whatever. As an aside... I can't say enough good things about that bike shop, if anyone in the LA area is looking for real local bike shop, this is a great place for xc/trail/mountain/dropbar cross bikes.

I think I'm going fat tire next for sand/beach riding.

I'm getting ready to buy mountain bike. Why did you go hard tail? The bike looks great-what did it run you? It looks like a minimum of $2,500 to begin to get anything decent.

I'm a hardtail guy myself. I don't ride crazy enough trails to warrant a full suspension bike, and the extra complexity and maintenance are just a hassle. You can get carbon XC full suspension bikes that are incredibly light weight now, but IME they're basically disposable and only last a couple seasons of regular use before they fall apart.

A good steel hardtail 29'er is my favorite combo. Compliant, climbs, and handles. The Salsa is a good one. Karate Monkey is another solid choice for not much $$. If I had the scratch, I'd get an Indy Fab Deluxe or Fat Chance Yo Eddie.

I get the love of a hardtail due to less maintenance, cheaper, etc., but I'll never go back after getting a full suspension.

Here is my love.

I love my Salsa Vaya, which is not a mountain bike, but is billed as a 'go anywhere' bike. Very comfortable and feels utterly bombproof. Both Salsa and Surly are Minnesota companies, but I recently learned that both are now owned by some big ass bike company (also Minnesota based) that holds multiple brands. I seem to see more and more Salsa bikes, but Surly is definitely more popular here.

Thought I'd mention for those who have their eyes on a Surly, be sure to checkout the Salsa's too. I was hellbent on getting a Surly Macho Man and the Vaya was just a better ride (for me).

The Venerable Bogatir X wrote:I love my Salsa Vaya, which is not a mountain bike, but is billed as a 'go anywhere' bike. Very comfortable and feels utterly bombproof. Both Salsa and Surly are Minnesota companies, but I recently learned that both are now owned by some big ass bike company (also Minnesota based) that holds multiple brands. I seem to see more and more Salsa bikes, but Surly is definitely more popular here.

Thought I'd mention for those who have their eyes on a Surly, be sure to checkout the Salsa's too. I was hellbent on getting a Surly Macho Man and the Vaya was just a better ride (for me).

Lately I've been having a hankering for a "go anywhere" bike that that pic is amazingly close to the pic I had in my head.

lasalle wrote:I'm getting ready to buy mountain bike. Why did you go hard tail? The bike looks great-what did it run you? It looks like a minimum of $2,500 to begin to get anything decent.

I didn't like climbing in the full suspension BMC or Niner I tried.the BMC was 150mm of travel front and back and was like riding a cloud downhill though. I was around 2k for the mariachi and it's their mid tier build. The low end retails for 1750, could prob get it for 1500, salsa was having a huge sale through June.There is plenty available under 2k, even some aluminum Niners and BMCs. I think Kona is prob similar as well.i had never been in a mtn bike before I demo'd. id suggest that route to see what you like if possible.

Steal is durable and I weigh 200+ lbs so saving 3 or 4 lbs on a carbon or aluminum frame didn't seem like a huge deal given the price difference. I'm not good enough to notice a ride difference.

Shafpocalypse Now wrote:I think I'm going fat tire next for sand/beach riding.

One of the guys on the shop rides I went on has a Krampus fully rigid. He tears shit up with it, but is probably about 160 lbs. I've seen some sweet ass karate monkeys online with rigid front forks and fat front tires.

You people are nuts.

Mickey O'neil wrote:I get the love of a hardtail due to less maintenance, cheaper, etc., but I'll never go back after getting a full suspension.

Here is my love.

This looks sweet, they didn't carry giant where I bought and I really wanted to support the shop so I didn't even look at them but I see a ton out and about. Maybe I need to convert the EM to a ss and put the gears on a FS! My wife definitely wants another bike around the house anyway.

Anyone have one of these wacky ass lefty forks? Seen a few SSers with those as well.

Cannondale's higher end Lefty forks are THE SHIT. Most responsive, stiffest torsionally, lightest, and easiest to service fork I've ever been around. And they are crazy durable. Their maintenance intervals are double any other fork on the market. Only downside is needing to run their headset adapter to fit it to a normal bike. Cannondale's built for a lefty have a proprietary head tube/headset arrangement that works well, but is proprietary so I hate it.

This is what I have. A Stumpjumper FSR 29. I ride platform pedals and added a dropper seatpost to it. Otherwise stock. I also have a Stumpie 26, and hard tail 26, and an old rigid framed MTB, but this is what I ride. The full squish is easier on the back. Lots of folks ride rigid frame single speeds around here, so it's just a preference thing.

I like platforms because I like not falling over, and I also like the ability to move my feet around while climbing. Again, a back thing.

The dropper seat post is The Bomb.



Some guy made a video of one of the popular descents around here, I've ridden probably 100 times. Twenty minutes of downhill goodness. The trail starts around 7:00, with about 3 minutes of riding over baby heads before it hits the high speed section. At 16:30 he gets to the final descent, which includes super steep trail that has been armored with rock by the local MTB club. There are miles and miles of stuff like this around here.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMps80d2WoI[/youtube]

Fuzzy Dunlop wrote:

lasalle wrote:I'm getting ready to buy mountain bike. Why did you go hard tail? The bike looks great-what did it run you? It looks like a minimum of $2,500 to begin to get anything decent.

I didn't like climbing in the full suspension BMC or Niner I tried.the BMC was 150mm of travel front and back and was like riding a cloud downhill though. I was around 2k for the mariachi and it's their mid tier build. The low end retails for 1750, could prob get it for 1500, salsa was having a huge sale through June.There is plenty available under 2k, even some aluminum Niners and BMCs. I think Kona is prob similar as well.i had never been in a mtn bike before I demo'd. id suggest that route to see what you like if possible.

Steal is durable and I weigh 200+ lbs so saving 3 or 4 lbs on a carbon or aluminum frame didn't seem like a huge deal given the price difference. I'm not good enough to notice a ride difference.

I'm in the same boat-I'm 6'2/225 (which I realize is "extra medium" around here). Anyway-carbon fiber seems sort of lost on me. I could just eat fewer white carbs and accomplish the same thing.

I'm fortunate enough to live in mountain biking country, so no shortage of bike shops and places enough to demo.

Have fun.

nafod wrote:This is what I have. A Stumpjumper FSR 29. I ride platform pedals and added a dropper seatpost to it. Otherwise stock. I also have a Stumpie 26, and hard tail 26, and an old rigid framed MTB, but this is what I ride. The full squish is easier on the back. Lots of folks ride rigid frame single speeds around here, so it's just a preference thing.

I like platforms because I like not falling over, and I also like the ability to move my feet around while climbing. Again, a back thing.

The dropper seat post is The Bomb.

Stumpjumper is the bike of preference around here. What do you mean by "platforms"?

Thanks.

WildGorillaMan wrote:

The Venerable Bogatir X wrote:I love my Salsa Vaya, which is not a mountain bike, but is billed as a 'go anywhere' bike. Very comfortable and feels utterly bombproof. Both Salsa and Surly are Minnesota companies, but I recently learned that both are now owned by some big ass bike company (also Minnesota based) that holds multiple brands. I seem to see more and more Salsa bikes, but Surly is definitely more popular here.

Thought I'd mention for those who have their eyes on a Surly, be sure to checkout the Salsa's too. I was hellbent on getting a Surly Macho Man and the Vaya was just a better ride (for me).

Lately I've been having a hankering for a "go anywhere" bike that that pic is amazingly close to the pic I had in my head.

A bike for the classic, Bogatyr build, no question.

lasalle wrote:

nafod wrote:This is what I have. A Stumpjumper FSR 29. I ride platform pedals and added a dropper seatpost to it. Otherwise stock. I also have a Stumpie 26, and hard tail 26, and an old rigid framed MTB, but this is what I ride. The full squish is easier on the back. Lots of folks ride rigid frame single speeds around here, so it's just a preference thing.

I like platforms because I like not falling over, and I also like the ability to move my feet around while climbing. Again, a back thing.

The dropper seat post is The Bomb.

Stumpjumper is the bike of preference around here. What do you mean by "platforms"?

Thanks.

Platforms = flat pedals. Pedals that you don't clip into. I ride flats as well. I keep saying that I am going to give clipless another go but haven't gotten around to it.

The Venerable Bogatir X wrote:

WildGorillaMan wrote:

The Venerable Bogatir X wrote:I love my Salsa Vaya, which is not a mountain bike, but is billed as a 'go anywhere' bike. Very comfortable and feels utterly bombproof. Both Salsa and Surly are Minnesota companies, but I recently learned that both are now owned by some big ass bike company (also Minnesota based) that holds multiple brands. I seem to see more and more Salsa bikes, but Surly is definitely more popular here.

Thought I'd mention for those who have their eyes on a Surly, be sure to checkout the Salsa's too. I was hellbent on getting a Surly Macho Man and the Vaya was just a better ride (for me).

Lately I've been having a hankering for a "go anywhere" bike that that pic is amazingly close to the pic I had in my head.

A bike for the classic, Bogatyr build, no question.

That's the type of bike I try to convince 99% of people to get. A classic steel bike that's easy to maintain and isn't going to fall apart in two years.

I typically ride a Trek 520 touring bike around here. Similar to the Salsa above, just a little slacker geometry to be stable with a load. But it's still a steel bike with room for bigger tires. Have it set up for a rear rack and bags. Even for a Sunday morning easy fitness ride with the wife, it's perfect. I figure as long as I'm not racing other people or trying to keep up with the racer crowd, a little extra weight on the bike is just more calories burned.

Mickey O'neil wrote:

lasalle wrote:

nafod wrote:This is what I have. A Stumpjumper FSR 29. I ride platform pedals and added a dropper seatpost to it. Otherwise stock. I also have a Stumpie 26, and hard tail 26, and an old rigid framed MTB, but this is what I ride. The full squish is easier on the back. Lots of folks ride rigid frame single speeds around here, so it's just a preference thing.

I like platforms because I like not falling over, and I also like the ability to move my feet around while climbing. Again, a back thing.

The dropper seat post is The Bomb.

Stumpjumper is the bike of preference around here. What do you mean by "platforms"?

Thanks.

Platforms = flat pedals. Pedals that you don't clip into. I ride flats as well. I keep saying that I am going to give clipless another go but haven't gotten around to it.

If you have a pair of barefoot shoes like the Minimus, try riding with them one time. Just enough padding to keep the pins from hurting, and it feels like you are curling your toes around the pedals.

nafod wrote:

Mickey O'neil wrote:

lasalle wrote:

nafod wrote:This is what I have. A Stumpjumper FSR 29. I ride platform pedals and added a dropper seatpost to it. Otherwise stock. I also have a Stumpie 26, and hard tail 26, and an old rigid framed MTB, but this is what I ride. The full squish is easier on the back. Lots of folks ride rigid frame single speeds around here, so it's just a preference thing.

I like platforms because I like not falling over, and I also like the ability to move my feet around while climbing. Again, a back thing.

The dropper seat post is The Bomb.

Stumpjumper is the bike of preference around here. What do you mean by "platforms"?

Thanks.

Platforms = flat pedals. Pedals that you don't clip into. I ride flats as well. I keep saying that I am going to give clipless another go but haven't gotten around to it.

If you have a pair of barefoot shoes like the Minimus, try riding with them one time. Just enough padding to keep the pins from hurting, and it feels like you are curling your toes around the pedals.

Personally, I like true mtb shoes made for flat pedals, with hard, grippy soles, like Five Tens or the ones I have, Teva the Links.

I think people should learn to use clip in pedals the same way everyone should learn to use a belt squatting. It's instructive and will teach you a lot about the right way to pedal without the clips.


Here are my current MTB shoes. I no longer care how fast I am.

Taking my bikes in this week for maintenance. Can't wait to get back on the trail.

Total build cost on this was a little under 750. Used some old parts and a bunch of new. Currently set up for local road and trail...dry -as-hell.

Blaidd Drwg wrote:I think people should learn to use clip in pedals the same way everyone should learn to use a belt squatting. It's instructive and will teach you a lot about the right way to pedal without the clips.

Spot on, but one caveat (based on advice you gave me)-- if you can't ride decent hills relatively easily, you aren't ready for clipless. Sweet bike.

Alfred_E._Neuman wrote:

The Venerable Bogatir X wrote:

WildGorillaMan wrote:

The Venerable Bogatir X wrote:I love my Salsa Vaya, which is not a mountain bike, but is billed as a 'go anywhere' bike. Very comfortable and feels utterly bombproof. Both Salsa and Surly are Minnesota companies, but I recently learned that both are now owned by some big ass bike company (also Minnesota based) that holds multiple brands. I seem to see more and more Salsa bikes, but Surly is definitely more popular here.

Thought I'd mention for those who have their eyes on a Surly, be sure to checkout the Salsa's too. I was hellbent on getting a Surly Macho Man and the Vaya was just a better ride (for me).

Lately I've been having a hankering for a "go anywhere" bike that that pic is amazingly close to the pic I had in my head.

A bike for the classic, Bogatyr build, no question.

That's the type of bike I try to convince 99% of people to get. A classic steel bike that's easy to maintain and isn't going to fall apart in two years.

I typically ride a Trek 520 touring bike around here. Similar to the Salsa above, just a little slacker geometry to be stable with a load. But it's still a steel bike with room for bigger tires. Have it set up for a rear rack and bags. Even for a Sunday morning easy fitness ride with the wife, it's perfect. I figure as long as I'm not racing other people or trying to keep up with the racer crowd, a little extra weight on the bike is just more calories burned.

Honestly, if I were a lighter man, I would have probably gone with the Surly Macho Man. The Salsa is just incredibly sturdy and while this is highly subjective, it just *feels* like it can handle me better than other bikes I've tried. In any event, yes, MSRP for this bike is only $1500, my pedals were another $90 and the rack storage thingy on the back was another $50. Also, I bought 3 bikes that day, so they shaved 15% off the total cost of everything. I'd like broader handle bars at some point......