How did you select your bike?

herzalot said:
Didn't the Superlight pre-date the Heckler?
If only there were a way to find out... :cautious:
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Where else would you see a Superlight, Blur, and Blur LT at the same place at the same time these days?

When the two on the right finally get on the XC 29er wagon, I might as well show up just for breakfast after the ride.
 
Brand reputation matters a lot.
Warranty matters a lot. Even the wording of the warranty...I've decided to ignore a couple brands that I was otherwise interested in based on what I'd call anti-customer wording in the warranty.
Even colors. I wouldn't buy a bike based on the color options, but I might NOT buy one based on the color options.

Personally, test-riding bikes is fun, but also essential to my decision-making process.
Yes, I read/watch all I can (specs, geo, reviews). But, I also generally distrust others' reviews/ride reports enough to not base a decision on them because there are too many variables and subjectivity.
Even across multiple rides on the same bike (not just the same model, but the exact same bike), there could be differences. Hell, I'm not the same rider from ride to ride, so multiple test rides is a good idea.
I gotta feel it.

With that said, the feel of the bike isn't the only factor that matters, of course. Especially when the one that feels right is the least budget-friendly on the list.
Budget may require a compromise on parts spec, which of course could affect how the bike rides to the point of too much trade-off.

Ultimately, within my budget, can I find a bike from a brand I trust, with a component spec I know will meet my needs, in a color that I like...and that I look forward to riding?
Without that last part, none of the rest really matters.
Gotta be stoked!
 
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redwoods said:
Brand reputation matters a lot.
Warranty matters a lot. Even the wording of the warranty...I've decided to ignore a couple brands that I was otherwise interested in based on what I'd call anti-customer wording in the warranty.
Even colors. I wouldn't buy a bike based on the color options, but I might NOT buy one based on the color options.

Personally, test-riding bikes is fun, but also essential to my decision-making process.
Yes, I read/watch all I can (specs, geo, reviews). But, I also generally distrust others' reviews/ride reports enough to not base a decision on them because there are too many variables and subjectivity.
Even across multiple rides on the same bike (not just the same model, but the exact same bike), there could be differences. Hell, I'm not the same rider from ride to ride, so multiple test rides is a good idea.
I gotta feel it.

With that said, the feel of the bike isn't the only factor that matters, of course. Especially when the one that feels right is the least budget-friendly on the list.
Budget may require a compromise on parts spec, which of course could affect how the bike rides to the point of too much trade-off.

Ultimately, within my budget, can I find a bike from a brand I trust, with a component spec I know will meet my needs, in a color that I like...and that I look forward to riding?
Without that last part, not of the rest really matters.
Gotta be stoked!
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I am 97.46% aligned to this decision making process! Especially the closing statement.
 
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I was looking to buy a new bike and was looking for something within my budget. I was at my local shop checking out some closeout deals with the owner. He says "why don't you buy the bike I have been riding". He quoted a price that matched my budget and was huge discount off the sticker. So - $$$ made the decision for me. I'm more than happy with it.
 
All my bikes were basically me wanting to experience as much as possible while stretching out my finances. I wanted to verify a lot of my theory crafting, which ended up opening me up to new things beyond that. I learned much of what I wanted to know about the bikes within 500 miles, but the bikes I enjoy most are the ones I repeatedly pick to ride. Generally, I enjoy learning about stuff that interests me, on a deeper level. I like to share all these findings, but I've come to accept that a majority of others find it to be way too deep. I get no responses to my walls of text that indicate that people read/comprehended it, so I am left asking what am I to do.

I don't post here cause I went ahead with an ebike purchase, which I had for 2 years now (since Dec '17), and wanted to avoid the conflict that the intolerance shown here would cause. I'm too sensitive to the jabs in what seems to be a cultural norm in cycling, some sort of warrior culture promoting spartan-like ideas. I've heard it called various things, from elitism to toxic masculinity. Makes me think back to that one guy I called a special snowflake, who gave me the guilt-trips by upvoting my Strava postings in which I had mechanical failures for a while. Went under the radar elsewhere too, but I suppose that'll change depending on the reaction to the upcoming Santa Cruz emtb.
 
Varaxis said:
All my bikes were basically me wanting to experience as much as possible while stretching out my finances. I wanted to verify a lot of my theory crafting, which ended up opening me up to new things beyond that. I learned much of what I wanted to know about the bikes within 500 miles, but the bikes I enjoy most are the ones I repeatedly pick to ride. Generally, I enjoy learning about stuff that interests me, on a deeper level. I like to share all these findings, but I've come to accept that a majority of others find it to be way too deep. I get no responses to my walls of text that indicate that people read/comprehended it, so I am left asking what am I to do.

I don't post here cause I went ahead with an ebike purchase, which I had for 2 years now (since Dec '17), and wanted to avoid the conflict that the intolerance shown here would cause. I'm too sensitive to the jabs in what seems to be a cultural norm in cycling, some sort of warrior culture promoting spartan-like ideas. I've heard it called various things, from elitism to toxic masculinity. Makes me think back to that one guy I called a special snowflake, who gave me the guilt-trips by upvoting my Strava postings in which I had mechanical failures for a while. Went under the radar elsewhere too, but I suppose that'll change depending on the reaction to the upcoming Santa Cruz emtb.
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Glad to hear from you. Sad to see you going the way of the motor. To each his own, unless it gets parks/trails closed to bikes (which I believe is likely where I ride).
 
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Varaxis said:
All my bikes were basically me wanting to experience as much as possible while stretching out my finances. I wanted to verify a lot of my theory crafting, which ended up opening me up to new things beyond that. I learned much of what I wanted to know about the bikes within 500 miles, but the bikes I enjoy most are the ones I repeatedly pick to ride. Generally, I enjoy learning about stuff that interests me, on a deeper level. I like to share all these findings, but I've come to accept that a majority of others find it to be way too deep. I get no responses to my walls of text that indicate that people read/comprehended it, so I am left asking what am I to do.

I don't post here cause I went ahead with an ebike purchase, which I had for 2 years now (since Dec '17), and wanted to avoid the conflict that the intolerance shown here would cause. I'm too sensitive to the jabs in what seems to be a cultural norm in cycling, some sort of warrior culture promoting spartan-like ideas. I've heard it called various things, from elitism to toxic masculinity. Makes me think back to that one guy I called a special snowflake, who gave me the guilt-trips by upvoting my Strava postings in which I had mechanical failures for a while. Went under the radar elsewhere too, but I suppose that'll change depending on the reaction to the upcoming Santa Cruz emtb.
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Dan! Yay! I miss you Froind!
 
Varaxis said:
All my bikes were basically me wanting to experience as much as possible while stretching out my finances. I wanted to verify a lot of my theory crafting, which ended up opening me up to new things beyond that. I learned much of what I wanted to know about the bikes within 500 miles, but the bikes I enjoy most are the ones I repeatedly pick to ride. Generally, I enjoy learning about stuff that interests me, on a deeper level. I like to share all these findings, but I've come to accept that a majority of others find it to be way too deep. I get no responses to my walls of text that indicate that people read/comprehended it, so I am left asking what am I to do.

I don't post here cause I went ahead with an ebike purchase, which I had for 2 years now (since Dec '17), and wanted to avoid the conflict that the intolerance shown here would cause. I'm too sensitive to the jabs in what seems to be a cultural norm in cycling, some sort of warrior culture promoting spartan-like ideas. I've heard it called various things, from elitism to toxic masculinity. Makes me think back to that one guy I called a special snowflake, who gave me the guilt-trips by upvoting my Strava postings in which I had mechanical failures for a while. Went under the radar elsewhere too, but I suppose that'll change depending on the reaction to the upcoming Santa Cruz emtb.
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So you’ve switched hobbies from suspension design to critical bike theory?

If you ebike is for commuting to work or riding Skypark, you do you, it’s all good.

but yeah, I tend to not tolerate selfish behavior from children or adults. Riding an ebike in an OC Park is selfish and you should be ashamed of yourself if you do so.
 
herzalot said:
Before I throw verbal stones at e-bikers in the parks, I read the posted speed limit signs and wonder if I ever violate those laws in a selfish way...
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That’s reasonable. But someone just dropped in after three years away and called everyone here immoral. Intolerance being the only modern immorality. I just thought I’d let him know that I noticed the insult.
 
herzalot said:
No - I'm optimistic, hopeful and above all grateful for what we have today. Will these trails and current levels of "tolerance" survive the current and future levels of use, especially if motor-bikes are allowed? Probably not.
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What’s the line on how long until access gets yanked after the e-pocalypse? I’m gonna say 8.5 months for Laguna. 17.5 months for the rest of the county.

There has to be some time for the traffic to build up, I don’t think we’ll all rush out and get electric but dealing with Lizard climbers and folks lining up behind me on Chutes will get old, (I’m not pulling over...) and we’ll all end up considering it just to stay sane.

On-topic: I choose a bike that I think will improve my sanity.
 
tick said:
So you’ve switched hobbies from suspension design to critical bike theory?

If you ebike is for commuting to work or riding Skypark, you do you, it’s all good.

but yeah, I tend to not tolerate selfish behavior from children or adults. Riding an ebike in an OC Park is selfish and you should be ashamed of yourself if you do so.
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No. That's kind of a rude oversimplification. I think I simplified it well enough by just saying that I enjoy learning about my interests deeper. I'm told that I'm a very detail-oriented person.

Highlight if you want to read the personal message, else ignore since it's off-topic. tick doesn't allow conversation from me, and I don't know how to PM otherwise:

This is what I wanted to avoid in the first place. By "fighting back", I make the fight real, rather than a delusional fight based on principles, as you can make things personal with me acting as an opponent. Conflict doesn't solve ignorance and intolerance. Arguing doesn't work either; I can lay down evidence, facts, etc. and they'd likely make one's beliefs stronger due to the phenomenon called the backfire effect. I know that people can't simply tolerate everything; one must at least be intolerant of intolerance, for tolerant society to survive. Can't just simply kill Nazis or terrorists and expect there to be fewer; more will rise in their place and all you have done is disrupt stability. The best method I know of is to convince people personally, about why their reasoning is flawed. The story that inspired me to change how I deal with prejudiced intolerance, is NPR's story on Daryl Davis, if you want to look it up. The difference is how the two people are invited to talk openly, and listen, rather than just each laying out their perspective/side and arguing which is better.

You're declaring what should be the norm to conform to, that fits a personally acceptable level of tolerance. Shame and guilt-tripping works against me, but not when I'm ignorant of the relative damage I am causing. Convince me of damage that can be done by my behavior, and I'd reflect. I used to be one to argue semantics, like wondering what your definition of selfish behavior is, to wonder if you're not being a hypocrite or being contradictory, or something else like lacking vocabulary, but I'll ignore that for now.

I see your post as one in which you want validation for you beliefs. It's as if you want some compromise between my habits and your beliefs. You don't want to personally come off as hating me personally, but you have a thing against ebikes, and want me to respect that by staying out of your world and triggering you. I like to build more trust with people before agreeing to any deals, so forgive me for not agreeing to anything that requires blind trust.

I measure things in time investment, since I consider life to be short. There's so much I have to learn, that I don't want to waste time with such drudgery. Please excuse my "psycho-analysis". It's just how my mind works. I lack the ability to empathize with feelings (AKA mind read), something related to alexithymia I was told.

If spirit of that one story: tell me, why do you have such prejudice against ebikes? I have 2 years of experience riding one, as someone who previously rode normal MTB and rode OC parks such as Whiting, Santiago, Bommer & Irvine Ranch Conservancy, and seen some of the crowds. I should be able to offer some perspective.
 
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I only did one demo ride. No brand loyalty. I asked a bunch of questions, I rode a few models, the price was very important, I read a ton of reviews, and I wanted a white-colored bike. I did not find the bike I wanted in white.

After all my research, the 2019 Salsa Timberjack in Anaheim Ducks orange hit the spot. The discount from the lbs was nice too. It felt light enough for me to work with and had a solid backing on here from other riders.

That is all.
 
Demetrio GQ said:
I only did one demo ride. No brand loyalty. I asked a bunch of questions, I rode a few models, the price was very important, I read a ton of reviews, and I wanted a white-colored bike. I did not find the bike I wanted in white.

After all my research, the 2019 Salsa Timberjack in Anaheim Ducks orange hit the spot. The discount from the lbs was nice too. It felt light enough for me to work with and had a solid backing on here from other riders.

That is all.
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Your process evolved right before our eyes - and it was cool to see. Looks like a great result too (and I like the orange frame). :thumbsup:
 
The geometry numbers have come into scrutiny much more than before for me. A little while ago I got pretty close to perfect bikes for my needs, so from that point, comparing numbers and features is the only realistic way to fine tune it. A replacement bike has to fix a shortcoming of the previous.

But I will buy a bike for one ride if it's a badass enough ride. And sell it right afterward.
 
Dan (@Varaxis ) routinely rides his eBike with my group and is a welcome and respected rider, without question. He is the PERFECT example of what an eBike rider SHOULD be. He is welcome to ride with me anytime, anywhere.

Yeah...I have an issue with eBikes due to the behavior I have witnessed with eBike riders. I personally don't have an interest in riding one myself, for specific reasons that most people don't understand.


I had saved some money for a bike, and my LBS had an entry level version of the Specialized Enduro on the showroom floor. I had special pricing back then. I just looked at it, and had to have it. I absolutely loved it. So when they started to clearance the high spec version a year later, the Enduro Ohlins coil model, I picked that up. It had everything I wanted in a bike. Slack enough to destroy downhills, still a great trail bike (if you don't mind the weight), the SWAT box, lifetime frame warranty, coil suspension, etc. NO REGRETS on that bike. I plan to ride that bike for years to come.
 
Sidewalk said:
Dan (@Varaxis ) routinely rides his eBike with my group and is a welcome and respected rider, without question. He is the PERFECT example of what an eBike rider SHOULD be. He is welcome to ride with me anytime, anywhere.

Yeah...I have an issue with eBikes due to the behavior I have witnessed with eBike riders. I personally don't have an interest in riding one myself, for specific reasons that most people don't understand.


I had saved some money for a bike, and my LBS had an entry level version of the Specialized Enduro on the showroom floor. I had special pricing back then. I just looked at it, and had to have it. I absolutely loved it. So when they started to clearance the high spec version a year later, the Enduro Ohlins coil model, I picked that up. It had everything I wanted in a bike. Slack enough to destroy downhills, still a great trail bike (if you don't mind the weight), the SWAT box, lifetime frame warranty, coil suspension, etc. NO REGRETS on that bike. I plan to ride that bike for years to come.
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Just need to get that fork going!!!
 
tick said:
That’s reasonable. But someone just dropped in after three years away and called everyone here immoral. Intolerance being the only modern immorality. I just thought I’d let him know that I noticed the insult.
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It's a shame that you judged me in such a negative way, as a person that would come to simply shame.

I openly invite you, and any others, to have an open discussion with me about how you feel about ebikes or any other topic.

I've done this for types who some would call anti-vacc, flat Earthers, addict, climate change denier, etc. These are subjects that fascinate me lately. I'll give you the short of it: these people are sensitive to security and trust. They're not insane. They are ironically more cognitive, admirably so, than more common people. Their reasoning is off, and they don't know why, and want to honestly know the absolute answer, but are reluctant to make irreversible decisions, so they remain defensive (some would say closed-minded or conservative, but defensive is more accurate). Emphasis on "absolute"... I don't offer such, since I'm much more of a "relative" thinker. The ones offering absolute answers are ones who can claim certainty and have some sort of authority, like being a doctor, billionaire, or popular celebrity, which demands some level of respect and trust.

I consider myself more of a learner, than lecturer. I simply love learning so much that I get excited to share such love. With bikes, I did the Grim Donut before pinkbike did it, although with a more usable head angle, and have gone well beyond that in theorycrafting (you heard it here first: fixing drone rotor array to axles of emtb, utilizing the space above/beside the wheel, that can "lighten its feel" and act to stabilize the bike, so you don't go over the bars, like a hybrid hoverbike). I'm not fun to talk to about bikes, because I think 99.9% of them are bad (Sturgeon's Law taken to 3rd degree), with the amount of detailed knowledge I have. I just point out the least sucky ones in whatever category now, happy when people acknowledge the amount of science and technology that goes into stuff in general and choose based on it. I also acknowledge personal choice too, that overbiking is a real thing, just not in the way people think it is.
 
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