what type of bike shud i be using?

timmy898

hi all im after a bid of advice im not realy new to bikes at all,bmx for years and years,road motorcross etc had an orange gringo i always used a bit on canal etc,now a while ago i got a kona cindercone think its a 09 version,iv started goin to alot of forest trails gisburn,stainburn etc for a while now, i can do the black routes etc drop offs jumps etc from bmx riding for so long and i think this is mostly the riding im gunna be doing

im not at all up on bike models the latest gear etc etc i just ride the bike i have its just a bike.

but i cant help but feel its goin to break or im breaking it etc
so first question i see loads a peep on loads a bikes some doing more basic things on realy expensive bikes. mega money fox forks etc

now i have this kona but is it made for what im doin to it? its listed as a backcountry bike but whats back country?

most of the parts are still reasonably ok not sure the forks will last mutch longer.

so what bike do i need to stand up to what im doing to it and last a decent amount of time
iv never had ago on a full suss bike would i be better with one,i see most people are using them,no one i know has one so i cant have ago my friend has the same view wed have ago at owt on any old bike.

im not into having the latest gear etc or spending a fortune maybee i can just get a 2nd hand frame shud i need a full suss bike.

any advice on what i shud be using would be great or what you would use for this type of riding without goin with the best make,latest thing etc etc.

thanks

Anonymous

Kona cindercones, whilst not really designed specifically for freeriding - massive drops etc - are still pretty tough old dogs.
I'd imagine you'll be fine, unless you're going proper bonkers, casing big jumps, or doing big drops to flat all the time.

pte1643

I'd say stick with the Cinder Cone.
When the forks (Darts) do eventually die, then replace them with something like inexpensive Toras, and you'll have a pretty tough old rig for not a lot of money.

timmy898

cheers! i do like the bike and i bet id be too worried about damaging a 2k bike to do half the things i do with this one.

could someone just please tell me what the benifits of a full suss bike are,
do ya get better uphill drive traction over rough terrain?
guess they will be more forgiving on the bone shaking now and again the chain shakes off myn.
and a bit more forgiving if ya dont land right jumping easyer on wheels?

is that kind of it? or any other major benifits as aload of people have them.

i guess if ya dont know what frame and what forks are made for what job etc theres so many for sale ya dont know whats needed and whats just a fashion item if ya get me.

tora forks whay model any? are they pretty good at taking a bit of hammer i never mentiond but it gets this twice a week.

thanks again

smartbiker

A hardtail should be fine for general use and it doesn't seem like your moving towards full suss terrain anytime soon. You get a lot more value from a HT unless you have several thousand to look at entry level quality in FS.

Anonymous

smartbiker wrote:

A hardtail should be fine for general use and it doesn't seem like your moving towards full suss terrain anytime soon. You get a lot more value from a HT unless you have several thousand to look at entry level quality in FS.

several thousand? Exxxagerate, much?

Flenser

A Penny Farthing.

Th3 Firestarter

Full sussers aren't anywhere near as good for climbs as HT's, due to pedal bob and the fact that loads of your pedalling energy goes into the sus and not turning the rear wheel, but they do take out a lot of the sting of bigger bumps.
Your chain shaking off could be due to bad adjustment.
You do not need several thousand for an entry level FS, christ, that much would get you an MBUK super bike like the intense m6 they featured.
Depending on what sort of riding you are into, decent full sussers start around £900 for XC/AM models, and around £1400 for FR/DH.
As for tora forks, great budget XC/trail fork for the money, much better than any of the closest competitors.

Anonymous

Firestarter, full sussers can be as good, or better at climbing than hardtails.
Both my full suss bikes climb better than my hardtail, on anything that isn't tarmac.

mr_eddy

I would agree with the advice some have given. Your Kona is a tough old bird and should be ok however if you are particularly brutal in your style or heavy etc you may want to consider a steel frame HT bike. These in my opinion tend to be a little more sturdy (albeit slightly heavier on the whole)

Having said that I rekon your good with the Kona, I was in a similar position a few years ago when all my mates were in to freeride/dh and had specific bikes like Stinky's and Orange Patriots etc. All I had was a old Carrara Vulcan. All I did was bought a Freeride wheelset off ebay for £80 quid and put on some chunky tyres - Job Done.

Th3 Firestarter

yeehaamcgee wrote:

Firestarter, full sussers can be as good, or better at climbing than hardtails.
Both my full suss bikes climb better than my hardtail, on anything that isn't tarmac.

Ok, THEORETICALLY HT's are better. I haven't ridden HT for years so I have had plenty of time to forget how they feel to ride :oops:
My gambler climbs like a crippled donkey. Epic pedal bob + 43lb bike = get off and push

Anonymous

Actually, I'm not even sure that hardtails are theoretically better.
I honestly believe (perharps incorrectly) that the whole superior HT climbing comes from the days when full suss bikes were heavy and flexy (pro-flex, anyone?)
The original Mount Vision put an end to those days, in my opinion.

Yukon Lad

if you decide to go down the full-sus route then its easy to find a 7-inch freeride bike such as the kona stinky or iron horse yakuza ojiki for 1100 brand new or even sub-1000 at the end of the year. But if you want a full on dh bike then it isn't too hard to find a dh bike with a bit of use and some paint chips for under a grand.

Have a look on pinkbike if you decide to go down the second-hand route, but go and look at the bike before you buy it

Yukon Lad

MattC59

Th3 Firestarter wrote:

Full sussers aren't anywhere near as good for climbs as HT's, due to pedal bob and the fact that loads of your pedalling energy goes into the sus and not turning the rear wheel, but they do take out a lot of the sting of bigger bumps.

What a load of hump !!! Sorry Firestarter, but it is.......

What about the AnthemX ? It climbs like a rocket !! I'm not suprised your Gambler doesn't climb well, it's not designed to. It'll climb adequately, just.

A hardtail, ridden well, will climb well, but you'll still be prone to losing traction over roots/rocks etc. A decent sull suss will suck them up, keeping traction and taking the sting out. Modern frame designs and shock technology has all but negated the pedal induced bob.