Welcome to the Official SoCal BS/ Shenanigans, Tundras and What’s Happening Thread

alright guys, I found my new money pit..haha..mountain bikes !...man they came a long way since I used to XC.
Anyways, going full suspension as I have never had one before. After charging downhill in Mammoth, I need to upgrade from a hardtail..lol..

thinking Santa Cruz TallBoy or Hightower. Carbon, 29" wheels, FOX or ROCKSHOX suspension. what say you ? Trying to keep it below 5K.

I do like their Bronson too but 27.5" wheels.

 

I believe @osidepunker is/was into bikes he might be able to help

 

here’s my sweet set up

 

Yeah.... for 5k I'd get one with a motor.

 

my friend swears by the electric ones too..lol..I like the work though so not for me right now

 

Intense or GTFO https://intensecycles.com/

I have a carbine, its dope AF

 

I meant....

 

Have you ridden many ‘9rs? Personally I’d stick to 27.5. Perfect combo of 26 playfulness and 29 plow over traits.

Also, check out Banshee bikes. I have a Spitfire, one buddy has a Rune and another a Titan. Needless to say, we are all Banshee fan-boys. F carbon... aluminum lasts way longer.

 

never heard of her but let me check them out

 

nope. I think best would be to demo one but seems like all manufacturers are moving to 29"s

 

I rode a 29r hard tail for a few years. Then I moved to a 27.5 full suspension for 4 years. Then went back to a 29r full suspension 3 years ago and I'll never look back. The new geometry on 29rs blows everything out the door. I can climb, do all day rides, or do black diamond downhill runs at the bike park.

 

those Intense Carbine look nice @osidepunker , which model do you have ? Elite, pro, expert ?

 

I have a pro, 2018. modded the brakes and added a chain guard from msr

 

got pics ? now you peaked my interest..haha..

 

I'm a complete nerd, and have worked at a Santa Cruz and Trek dealer for 13 years. What kind of riding are you looking to do? Trail mostly? Or bike parks/jumps?

Fox and Rockshox are totally equal, it's a Ford vs Chevy thing, both make a premium pro level product, and a mid grade product. I rode exclusively Rockshox for 5 years, but am back on Fox now for this year. Who knows for next year.

 

trails and downhill. Think Mammoth trails.

 

heres my old 27.5:



I dont seem to have pics of the chain guard but its a MRP SXg carbon. I highly recommend getting one: https://mrpbike.com/products/sxg-carbon

 

did you keep both or sold the 27.5 ?
reading on Intense, they are based in Temecula..now I understand

 

I sold it. Used bikes at this level sell fast and you can get over half what you paid depending on the age

yeah intense is local and its super cool being able to support a local US company, but thats not why I buy their bikes. I had a santa cruz bronson and sold it for the intense tracer. Intense geometry is pretty much as good as it gets. and tracer vs bronson wasnt even close. Intense just has it dialed. They know how to make the bike fun and stable on the big stuff and still nimble on climbs. When I decided to go back to 29r, I didnt even shop sant cruz or any one else, I just went straight to intense.

 

Anyone have a good hookup or know where I can get a deal on some firewood in SoCal?

 

So 29 vs 27.5 is a preference. 29 is going to be faster, 27.5 is more fun. I think you are looking at the right bikes, Bronson, Hightower, etc... You should also throw the Trek Remedy and Trek Slash in that mix as well. The 27.5 bike lean more towards a playful ride and jumping around. 29rs are faster up and down and tend to carry speed better but are harder to toss around.

I did 5 years in 29r's exclusively, and then switched to a 27.5 Remedy 3 years ago, and have had a 2018 Remedy 9.8, 2019 9.8+, and now a 2020 Remedy 9.9. And it's the best bike ever. I ride mostly trail, and bike park stuff, and it does everything I need.

 

so many bikes running the same components, it's tough to make a choice. They all around the same price too.

 

That's not true anymore. The new geometry on 29rs is amazing. Go ride a carbine and let me know what you think

 

So how are my fellow Kommifornians buying their intakes when most places aren't legally allowed to ship here? Trying to scoop up the K&N intake.

 

Not to argue, but I ride a slew of brand new $9K+ mountain bikes fairly regularly, working in the industry and all. And while I do totally agree that the geometry of 29rs has come a long way, the 27.5 counter part is going to be more playful and jump oriented compared to the same travel 29r. This is why Santa Cruz makes a Bronson and a Hightower LT, and Trek makes a Slash and a Remedy. Same vs Same, the 29r is faster, the 27.5 is more playful.

I'm not saying one is better than the other, it's about personal preference. I've ridden all those bikes back to back, and fairly often, and that is my experience and the others I ride with.

 

thanks for your input

 

FWIW...... I find that your individual height plays into how a 29 vs a 27.5 “feels”. I’m 5’8 and a 29 felt like I was sitting between 2 giant wheels..... 27.5 just felt better. Go test ride a bunch..... it’s damn fun!!!!!

 

@TheBeast

I ride a SantaCruz HighTower C 27.5+

I’ve riden 29”, and the new ones are a lot better, but for me it feels like I’m sitting too high up. I’m really happy with 27.5, and the + size makes for a lot of fun downhill! Feels like I’m riding a moto without the motor haha.

See what you can get your hands on to demo ride, there are so many great bikes these days.

Mine is the orange bike. The blue is my buddies SC Tallboy 29”

 

thanks @eccracer104 ..looks good. + size means you running wider tires right ? 2.5 ish ?
how you like your buddy tallboy ?