girl rider, looking for 6 & 6 bike, slack headtube, climbable bike, upgrade from dawg...

PB Forum :: All Mountain, Enduro & Cross-Country
girl rider, looking for 6 & 6 bike, slack headtube, climbable bike, upgrade from dawg...
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Posted: Jun 1, 2008 at 11:16 Quote
I am looking at upgrading from my Kona Dawg to a bike with 6 inches of travel and a slacker headtube. I ride 80% galbraith trails (ride up, fly down), and some shuttling. North shore as well. I am finding my dawg a little too xcish for the steep trails that I like and jumps and drops over 2-3 feet. I need a bike I can ride uphill. I am not looking to huck myself, but I like fast, steep, and some air...and I weigh 130 pounds, so I am not going to break a bike.
I have been looking at the norco six (200Cool , trek remedy (200Cool , and think I have excluded the RM slayer (too xc?). My budget is $2500 (USD).
Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I have talked to all the local bike shops, and am finding lots of opinions and biases based on the particular brands they carry, so any outside point of view is welcome.
p.s. I am in Bellingham, WA!

Posted: Jun 1, 2008 at 13:00 Quote
remedy or nomad Smile
i ride a blurLC, but that's 5.5/5.5

Posted: Jun 1, 2008 at 13:04 Quote
Mongoose. Definately a Mongoose. Check out the Black Diamond series, but you may even find the Khyber much more to your liking. Sprints like a hardtail(NO BS), climbs like a champ thanks to the incredible Freedrive system, and is super simple to work on. It's also a low-ratio suspension, meaning you can actually FEEL every little bit of tuning you do, it's not oversprung with a 800 pound spring to compensate for a poor design(cough*Kona*cough)...

Posted: Jun 1, 2008 at 13:09 Quote
You should look at the Transition Syren

Posted: Jun 1, 2008 at 13:11 Quote
heres a web link to it
http://www.transitionbikes.com/2007/Syren.cfm

Posted: Jun 1, 2008 at 13:12 Quote
Orange 5 Diva. Like the Syren specifically made for women. 5,5" rear travel.


Unsecure image, only https images allowed: http://www.orangebikes.co.uk/2008bikes/710px/Five_Pro_Diva.jpg


http://www.orangebikes.co.uk/2008bikes/five-diva.php

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Posted: Jun 1, 2008 at 13:17 Quote
I'd take a look at Specialized's new bikes. If you're looking for a female-specific model (not trying to judge here), Specialized has them up to 120mm, which should be plenty for a 130-lb rider (just like me). They are, however, sort of XC-oriented, so maybe they're not right for you. If you're looking for more travel, I'm not sure what to suggest.

Posted: Jun 1, 2008 at 18:36 Quote
Hmm...mongoose, didn't even think of that, but there aren't any dealers here...I am sure I could seek one out, they look good, and are reasonably $$$.
Syren, I have looked at that bike, have a friend that is going to have one to test out, so i will try it. I am not necessarily looking for a women's bike, being 5'8", I haven't had a problem with bike fitting.
Orange bikes-looks like a sweet bike, but where can you buy them, or look at them? I searched!
Specialized, I have looked at them, and I think the SX is the kind of bike I am looking for, but it is too expensive.
thanks for the ideas...no props for the new norco six?

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Posted: Jun 1, 2008 at 19:05 Quote
I have not tried a Norco Six. I have an SX and it is awesome to DH with and it is good on the jumps and drops. My other choices for bikes when I was shopping were the Giant Reign X1 (I couldn't find a single one in Canada in my size at the time) and the Marin Quake.

Posted: Jun 1, 2008 at 19:07 Quote
screw it and get yourself a big bike!

Posted: Jun 1, 2008 at 19:08 Quote
winterbottom wrote:
Hmm...mongoose, didn't even think of that, but there aren't any dealers here...I am sure I could seek one out, they look good, and are reasonably $$$.
Syren, I have looked at that bike, have a friend that is going to have one to test out, so i will try it. I am not necessarily looking for a women's bike, being 5'8", I haven't had a problem with bike fitting.
Orange bikes-looks like a sweet bike, but where can you buy them, or look at them? I searched!
Specialized, I have looked at them, and I think the SX is the kind of bike I am looking for, but it is too expensive.
thanks for the ideas...no props for the new norco six?

Yeah, I dont know where you live, but there are no dealers in Canada (Im not sure about the US) so if your around here youll be out of luck... How about a used Enduro Sl? Ive heard of guys using them for about XC racing and DH racing... looks pretty good...

Posted: Jun 1, 2008 at 19:14 Quote
tbc syren would be pimp

Posted: Jun 1, 2008 at 19:22 Quote
winterbottom wrote:
Hmm...mongoose, didn't even think of that, but there aren't any dealers here...I am sure I could seek one out, they look good, and are reasonably $$$.
Syren, I have looked at that bike, have a friend that is going to have one to test out, so i will try it. I am not necessarily looking for a women's bike, being 5'8", I haven't had a problem with bike fitting.
Orange bikes-looks like a sweet bike, but where can you buy them, or look at them? I searched!
Specialized, I have looked at them, and I think the SX is the kind of bike I am looking for, but it is too expensive.
thanks for the ideas...no props for the new norco six?
tonnes of props for the six! its a sick bike. nice and light,, but obviously good enough for slopestyle a la ben boyko. they're low 30's in that price range i do believe. dont quote me on that tho. and they have that sick fsr linkage and low top tube. its a great line of bikes and norco is awesome for warranty as well. go n ride it. and if it feels good it'll be good for u. IMO!!! hope this helps. oh and mint green that they have is a good looking colour for that bike.

Posted: Jun 1, 2008 at 20:13 Quote
The six 2 is an excellent bike for what youre looking for. However one area to look might be in the area of Giant Reign. These bikes are really good XC bikes cos theyre a bit lighter than the six2 and have good geometry, but can still take a lot of abuse on the slopes. There is a limit to how much you can thrash them, travel wise, even though they are 6 inch models. But i must say that i also enjoy hammering the downhill bits, and ive never once bottomed one out. can i ask which country you come from? cos $2500 dont mean a lot without a currency sticker.

Consider the Reign, the other issue is there may/may not be a dealer near you, but ohterwise the Six 2 would be my choice.

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Posted: Jun 1, 2008 at 20:42 Quote
I saw that you were excluding the RM Slayer. RM actually has a women's specific Slayer model, and I can tell you that those bikes are fully capable in the areas you have described. I am a lighter weight rider, at 150 lbs, and my Slayer rips uphills, downhills, and everything in between. Sometimes it is nicer to have a bigger bike for the big stuff, but for the most part, the newer Slayers can take what you throw at them. I would say it is more of an all mountain bike than a XC bike.

http://bikes.com/main+en+01_102+bikes.html?BIKE=168&name=Slayer%20SXC#2

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