Time for a new MTB

I think there was a thread floating around on this but couldn't find it, may have been road cycles.

Anyway looking for full suspension trail bike under $3000

So far I have demoed a Trek Remedy 8, Giant Trance 2, Stumpjumper all 27.5. I liked the Trek best so far but only because it climbed a little better than the giant.

Considering a YT Jeffersy AL one 27, good reviews.

Kinda drooling over this but realistically out of my price range http://www.jensonusa.com/Yeti-Cycles/Yeti-SB5C-XT-Jenson-Bike-2016?cs=Black
Guessing it's only a Yeti frame and build is by Jenson

I live in East TN and climbing ability is as important as descending. Biggest jumps/air are probably 4-5' high and 20ish feet out. Look up Baker Creek Preserve and the trails Barn Burner and Cruze Valley and that's what I ride for "big stuff" and the rest is really good single track. May try yo get to Pisgah NF some too.

 

I got the new Scott Spark with 120mm travel, dropper post, and twin loc suspension lockout for the climbs. I can't describe how happy I am with it. It descends like a beast and still has the ability to climb well.

 

$3000?

I had no clue bikes were that expensive.

 

That's for a really basic bike.
It's not uncommon round our parts (Utah) to see bikes on bikes on bikes in the $10-13k range.

 

Yeah, it's crazy! $3000 is actually pretty entry level for a decent full suspension. I can't figure out how I can buy a motorcycle for $7000 and a MTB can cost $10,000!!!!

Jimmy V, what model Scott, 745?

 

What's a used Huffy with a banana seat and streamers on the handlebars fetch these days?

 

I actually shelled out the money and got the Spark 900 ultimate but the geometry of that bike is perfect for my riding. With all the different levels Scott has I'm sure you could get into a Spark 930 or 945 for around $3k. My first MTB was a Scott Genius 710 and after riding several different bikes I found the 29er to suit me better. I'm fairly new to cycling so the bigger wheels makes up for some* lack of skill.

 

Does one bike really climb better than another? once your in the same price point i would think its all rider. I ride a trek Superfly f/s and a farley and hopefully soon will have a cyclocross bike. Farley is slower but tons more fun and i ride it prob 75 percent of the time. If your out for fitness and fun get a big tire bike, if your out to race get a skinny. Just my 2 cents for what its worth.

 

Santa cruz 5010 aluminum or base build Carbon C

 

Giant Trance 2 is catching my eye. Factory dropper & 1x11 think it retails for $2800ish.
I really want to go with a carbon frame for my next new MTB.

 

Absolutely!

Back when we were all on hard-tails, or both hard front and rears, you could tell quite a difference in bike geometry and climbing versus descending handling characteristics. I worked at a bicycle shop in high school and early college and assembled, tested, road hundreds of different bikes. Certain brands, frame materials, geometry, etc. have a huge impact that can be picked up on very quickly. My old Specialized Hard Rock was an o.k. ascender, pretty solid descender, and great wheelie machine. My Voodoo Bizango was a fantastic ascender, marginal descender and just o.k. wheelie machine...

 

my wife and I just both picked up used 2016 Trek Fuel EX9's used for $1900 and $2100. I would keep an eye on pinkbike and even ebay for used bikes. The bike I picked up was all but new. My wife's bike she picked up on Ebay had 2 small scuffs on it. I would definitely look at the used market. If you have facebook look for a local bike swap on it. We have several good ones here in the northeast.
Different bikes will climb, descend in better / worse ways. I had a Specialized Epic S works prior to the fuel and its crazy how they are so opposite. The epic descended amazing but didnt climb that well. The fuel is does both really well. I rode my friends remedy as well and liked the way the fuel rode so I chose that.
If you have a local shop that has a demo ride I would recommend doing that as well.
Good luck in your decision.

 

How? Why? What the he'll makes a BICYCLE worth $10,000?

 

Hate to sayit but I wouldn't suggest a spark for the places he wants to ride. They're awesome bikes but 100% xc. Trail bikes are just about the minimum for the places he's talking about. Hell a lot of guys won't ride anything less than an enduro at those places.

 

Absolutely. Found that out with my last bike purchase. Took it out for a test ride before purchasing at a local trail. Absolutely obliterated every one of my pb segment times, especially the climbs. Oh and it's only a single speed compared to the 1x10 it replaced.

 

I have a Giant Anthem 26er, had it for a few years and have been very satisfied with it. It's my second Anthem, first one was a 29er. I didn't like the big wheels. Every jump felt like the wheels would fold up under me. I could of dropped a $1k on a good set of Mavic wheels but just went back to a 26er and never looked back. The bikes with 120mm of suspension are awesome on the downhills but unless you have big legs the climbs will suck.

 

More carbon than on any motorcycle you'll find at a wera race. Carbon frames with lifetime warranties, wheels that can handle a 20 foot drop with a 200 lb rider thousands of times without show of wear, suspension more sophisticated than what's on most of our motorcycles, drivetrains with insanely precise design and machining to handle tons of abuse while providing maximum range and shaving a ton of weight. I could go on. It seems silly that a bicycle could cost that much until you start riding a lot and see the difference it makes and see the R&D that goes into them.

 

I looked at the previous version of that Jenson/ Yeti (different suspension) and test rode one. I wanted it when I saw it and even though the shifting was bad, wanted it even more after riding it. It was heavy (for me) and I thought it was more of a down hill than an enduro but it was THE shit.

I wish I had bought it because it was a close out trade in and was like $3K.

 

My personal suggestion would be a stumpy or sc 5010. But for under $3k I'd buy one a year or two old with a pike fork and use the money I saved for i9 wheels and an eagle drivetrain. Just my .02.