Best 'basic' bike for Vancouver/B.C?

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Best 'basic' bike for Vancouver/B.C?

32 posts & 21 voices | Started 5 months ago by 13thfloormonk | Latest reply from corroded

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13thfloormonk - Member

Now that my lovely lady has landed herself a job in Vancouver, I need to plan a few more holidays.

Most important question, naturally, is "What bike for..?" with the caveat that I don't want to spend much.

Is there a basic, 150mm travel single pivot/faux bar full sus that can be had for <£2000? I've got a couple of bikes I can sell and might be able to wrangle a discount (or even buy it out there) which would bring the price down a little more.

Or should I just MTFU etc and take my Whyte 905 hardtail? It is a lovely bike but I doubt Whyte designed it for gnar-phobic XCers to ride the North Shore on...

Posted 5 months ago #
wrecker - Member

Have a look at what the locals are riding first, then buy one in Canada.

Posted 5 months ago #
jedi - Member

You could have shed laods of fun on bottlerocket out there. I'll be riding mine there when I go again

Posted 5 months ago #
wl - Member

Alpine 160 would be good. Or, depending on whether you're after a bike that's better at the downs or ups, a Five with 36s or a Patriot. Whatever it is, for maximum fun it it needs to be as close as possible to a simple, robust and reliable all-rounder.

Posted 5 months ago #
Coyote - Member

My brother-in-law uses his Pitch for everything from X-country races (GearJammer etc) to North Shore Trails.

Posted 5 months ago #
13thfloormonk - Member

A bottlerocket would be lovely but thats out of my price bracket

Wouldn't mind a Five, it was a basic single pivot I was after, but £2200 was still more than I would be able to pay.

The Pitch is an ace suggestion, although Specialized don't seem to make them any more, its either an Enduro at £2500 or a Stumpjumper at £2300, shame...

Might be best building a hardtail tank or looking second hand, will log on to NSMB first, see what the locals ride.

Posted 5 months ago #
PaulGillespie - Member

You lucky bugger! Currently trying to get my other half to get a secondment out there

Posted 5 months ago #
jambon - Member

I have a 2005 medium Giant Reign with Wotan's on it that I want rid of. Old and looks it but ride's suprisingly well. Also has Air or Coil shock or both. Less that half your £2000.

Posted 5 months ago #
fasthaggis - Member

www.youtube.com/watch?v=wv7TyakE8qw

I did loads of stuff in BC/Canada on a hardtail ( I didn't die)

Posted 5 months ago #
13thfloormonk - Member

Fasthaggis, what was your set up? I did loads of hardtail DH in Scotland, but that was before 4 years in an office softened me up. Guess big forks/big tyres would make up for that though...

Jambon, cheers, it'll be a couple of months before I'm looking to buy, will trawl the classifieds nearer the time.

Posted 5 months ago #
BoardinBob - Member

Can strongly recommend a Reign X from a few years ago

http://www.paulscycles.co.uk/products.php?plid=m1b0s1p2817

I've stuck a Lyrik up front but sold the Marzocchi for the same price I paid for the Lyrik. Awesome bike and probably way too good for me.

Posted 5 months ago #
frepster - Member

When I was living over there, most people that didnt shuttle rode Enduros, Nomads or Slayers. I had a hardtail when I moved there which I had rode everything in Whistler on for 2 years and I could ride most things on the Shore with it, but I was forever fixing my back wheel and it just wasnt enjoyable like it should have been. Went and got a second hand 2010 Enduro and just loved it, made it so much more fun. Trails tend to be of the ride up Forest road and descend straight down type so 6 inch bikes make the most sense to me for that area.

I wouldnt buy over there personally, there is not a lot of choice second hand and you dont want to be waiting to ride because you are still waiting for the right bike to come along. As for new prices are about the same as here taking inti account the exchange rate and once they add the 12% tax then its not worth bothering.

good luck with the long distance releationship thing, I am currently going through it as my GF is still there. Finding it very difficult.

Posted 5 months ago #
jambon - Member

I'm in London and the Reign is in Spain (mostly on the plain)

If you're interested in a spec email me:

jamiearmstrongeditorATgmailDOTcom

I'm back to Spain at xmas then back in London early Jan so can bring it back o the plane.

Posted 5 months ago #
stevepitch - Member

+1 for the pitch I was selling mine but apparently I was asking to much so its no longer up for sale but if you hunt around you can probably find a secondhand comp for just under a grand. Use the remaining money on a new set of wheels, 36's and a coil shock and it'll storm anything!!!

Posted 5 months ago #
Militant_biker - Member

You could always try and get an ex-demo Kona when you're out there? A friend of mine used to work in Whistler - I'll ask him.

Posted 5 months ago #
freeridenick - Member

I bought a giant faith the day I got there and hammered it for a year on the shore and whistler

Hardtails have their place, but not there..unless your Jinya

You can climb any bike up Fromme (its only an hour to the top) and Seymour and Cypress are shuttles anyway.

Posted 5 months ago #
plumber - Member

I rode my 853 inbred out there and I didn't die

I did look a proper pansy around that whistler village though

Plum

Posted 5 months ago #
frepster - Member

North Shore trails are a lot more HT unfriendly than what are frankly groomers in Whistler. the ammount of rock armouring that goes into Shore trails to combat the rain make a HT not a wise choice

Posted 5 months ago #
13thfloormonk - Member

Actually maybe I'm coming at this from the wrong direction. Maybe I should be asking how much of the riding out there is enjoyable on a 120mm lightweight-ish XC hardtail. Edit: Frepster's just answered that to a degree...

Frepster, thanks, sorry to hear you're finding it difficult, we've currently spent more time apart than we have together, but it still seems to be working, if I get my ass in gear and get a computer that can run Skype then the weeks should fly by until I can afford flights out again.

Posted 5 months ago #
frepster - Member

Skype helps man, but if you both work 9-5, with the 8 hour delay, it pretty much means you can only talk at weekends.

Sqaumish would be fun terrain for your bike or the LCSR area at the bottom of Seymour. I use to ride my HT their with my girlfriend until her bike got nicked.

Posted 5 months ago #
freeridenick - Member

surely marry the girl - then you can get live there.

Posted 5 months ago #
13thfloormonk - Member

Shhh! She'll feel a tremor in the force at the mere mention of the word, then she'll find this thread and think I'm only coming out for the riding, then that'll be the end of my B.C. dream.

Last time I was there she took me out to visit friends, one of whom had already borrowed a spare Giant Faith for me and drove me up to the trails in the back of his massive 4x4. Long story short, now she knows that I know about the biking scene out there.

Must. Pretend. I don't care about the riding...

Posted 5 months ago #
rs - Member

Don't bring a hartail and especially not a 120mm XC one if you want to ride any of the good stuff, I rode most on a dialled alpine for a year, it was doable but so much more fun on the full suss, I swapped to a bullit initially which was so much better and I just picked up a Giant Faith end of season for $2000, there are deals to be had if you get out here in the winter.

Posted 5 months ago #
thisisnotaspoon - Member

+1 for a pitch, ace bikes

As for gettign a comp second hand for a grand, you should easily get a pro for that money! Got mine for £1400 new a few months back.

Pitch frame/bike, some 2nd hand 36's or lyrics (I'd budget for a full service on the basis they'll have a hard time out there and the last thing you want is them breaking). A tough wheelset and the rest you can comprimise on.

Posted 5 months ago #
jedi - Member

new bottlerocket completes are 2500. maybe get a deal?

Posted 5 months ago #
Burts - Member

Another vote here for "hardtails will work, but FS is better".

I arrived in Vancouver with a 100mm XC hardtail and survived, but would never go back. Now have a Heckler with Lyriks and coil shock and would happily get a bigger bike if I could afford it.

For an idea of used prices, take a look at Pinkbike. There are also some end-of-season shop deals on there, I saw a new 2011 Norco Range for less than $2000 last week. (just remember that shop sales will have 12% tax added)

LSCR, lower Seymour and SFU (in Burnaby) are the best places for XC-type trails.

Posted 5 months ago #
_tom_ - Member

I enjoyed riding my Bullit in Whistler this summer. Survived 2 months and nothing broke on it. The higher bb stopped it getting caught up on the techier trails. Shorter wheelbase and a relatively steep (about 68 degrees I think) head angle made it fun for all the jumps there. Not the best climber but it worked. Single pivot coil shock. No messing about!

Oh and the frame/fork may be for sale at a very cheap price if you're at all interested I'm downsizing I think.

Posted 5 months ago #
walleater - Member

There are also some end-of-season shop deals on there, I saw a new 2011 Norco Range for less than $2000 last week

Yes, look at this fine steed:

http://www.pinkbike.com/buysell/973435/

I've no idea who the shop is but they are clearly awesome

Most people here who just have one bike tend to have a 6+6 weighing from late 20 to mid 30Lb depending on build so it's not toooo much of a pain getting up hill, and nice slack angles for getting down the steep fall line trails that the area is famous for. If you are going to bring a spindly Whyte hardtail, then there's plenty of bike lanes you can ride on, or maybe the Sea Wall around Stanley Park!

When are you coming over next? If it's during the winter then bike shops are dead and you'll get a much better deal than in the UK.

Posted 5 months ago #
5lab - Member

The new specialised status is a bit bigger than you're after but a great buy for the terrain out there. If you want something smaller and you're not a bike snob, the 2nd hand ex-demo bikes are a steal. Well under half rrp. Make sure you get something with a granny ring if you want to ride to the top of places like mt cyprus, otherwise you can just hitch up

Posted 5 months ago #
13thfloormonk - Member

If you are going to bring a spindly Whyte hardtail, then there's plenty of bike lanes you can ride on, or maybe the Sea Wall around Stanley Park!
What?? But, but, I've ridden round Glentress on my Whyte, surely it would be OK?

I'd be coming over march/april for a week, but that time I might just take the Whyte and stick to the easy stuff. If I come back again it would probably be for longer than a holiday, and that would probably be August time, so almost in time to start catching end of season deals, might work out quite nicely!

Posted 5 months ago #
5lab - Member

in march/april a lot of the good stuff will still be under a couple of foot of snow. There's probably some low-altitude xc you could pootle round

Posted 5 months ago #
corroded - Member

My advice: marry her. Buy skis for winter, a Slayer for summer. Enjoy your new life.

Posted 5 months ago #