Good mountain bike - Downhill/freeride/not so heavy?

Question

I was looking for a mountain bike for downhill/freeride that is not so heavy so I can use it for cross country (Full supension bike). Just wondering what a GOOD bike would be (price needs to be $1000-$1300. Thanks everyone!

Answer 1

Unfortunately, you really can't get one bike to cross those lines between vastly different kinds of riding. If you want to mix it up, then accept the limitations of frames and bike parts, and see if an all-mountain type will work for ya.

The Santa Cruz Heckler might be exactly what you want and it starts out around your max price range. Seriously....check out those Konas that I mentioned. Awesome company! Iron Horse is definitely worth your time, too. I keep forgetting about Haro, but their new bikes have been getting great reviews for the past couple years.

Look for a 5" or 6" trailbike instead of a freeride/downhill frame.....sounds like that's where you want to be. Still won't do dirt jumps worth a crap, but hey. :o)

Answer 2

You will likely not find anything on your budget. Freeride and downhill bikes tend to be heavy because they're made to take some abuse. The only way to make them lighter is sometimes to compromise on the durability of the components and get some pretty expensive stuff.

Probably some bikes to look for are Santa Cruz Heckler, Specialized Big Hit (I don't know if they still make it), and others.

You could probably search for an used one, but if it was ridden like it was designed for, I would reallly think two times before paying for a used bike.

Answer 3

I agree with the above. You really can't cross between downhilling and freeriding without compromising both.

Perhaps you should look for a good all-mountain model with about 6" of travel.... but something like this will certainly set you back $2000 or more.

Answer 4

Really good full suspension bikes are fairly light, but also very expensive. On smoother trails a hardtail will be faster, but the bumpier it gets the bigger the advantage for the full suspension bike, the rear wheel will stay on the ground better and the rider will be able to pedal through tough sections that would have the hardtail rider getting off the saddle unable to keep turning the pedals. If we knew what bike you have we could possibly tell you if there is a reason why your bike feels slow. If you paid less than $1000 on a full suspension bike, you would have been better off with front suspension only

Answer 5

You should custom build it 2 suit your needs using eBay, Ive just built myself a lovely little custom kona stinky deluxe & paid way less that id pay new.
Ebay is the don!

Answer 6

buy one of mine- triax pk7. it cost 100 dollars