flash, my FJ Cruiser is meant to be driven off-road, but I wouldn't accept paint damage from any dealer after a routine maintenance job. I'd expect a repair to new condition, what I asked for here, but they said it couldn't be done.

I don't care what they think about me. They should care what I think about them for damaging a three week old bike and where I eventually post about it.

I'm inclined to take the cash and buy another from them if they can come up with a good deal on a Gary Fisher Paragon.

 

http://www.fisherbikes.com/bike/model/paragon
http://www.fisherbikes.com/images/fi...00/Paragon.jpg

Very nice looking Bob.
I have to side with Bob on this.
Bikes, cars, trucks, you go to a shop to get work done, you should get it back in the same body shape you took it in.

These things (bikes or trucks) are not cheap.

 

Do what you gotta do... and if you really want a paragon, then getting cash back makes a lot of sense. I just think that fifty bucks and a free tuneup are a fair trade for moderate cosmetic damage. Plus, I'd rather ride a bike thats marked up already so I dont get all devastated when that first pebble puts a ding in my downtube. And again, I come from a shop background where we are always getting nagged by people about the most ridiculous stuff and sometimes I have a hard time taking the side of the consumer...

 

I've no problem with cosmetic damage resulting from my negligence. A stranger's negligence who is in a trusted position of responsibility is another story.

I've come to an agreement with megadealer GM about a potential swap for a Fisher bike that would resolve the problem they created. It'll take the owner's signoff that could happen Monday.

I may soon have my third new MTB (counting the first Ferrous that was "lost") in 30 days.

 

New and improved bike=excellent disposition

 

Things worked out better than hoped for. More later, leaving on a 20 mile break-in ride mostly Springwater Trail mixed gravel/pavement.

 

what what what?? tell me more, tell me more!

 

Nice Bob!
Hard to tell, but is it a 29er?

My lights will be here tomorrow, so I will be doing some Friday night riding after dark.

 

yep, thats a 29. Damn nice looking bike...and youre gonna LOVE that fork!

 

Thanks guys.

Rolling out the door now, can't wait.

It's a Gary Fisher X-Caliber 2009. The Ferrari red has some metallic in it and just yells "GO".

Interesting doing the prelimary tape measure setup. I think this frame may get the CG lower yet has a higher BB.

Ciao.

 

A big thank you to the owner and staff of my new bike shop for life, River City Bicycles of Portland, OR.

http://rivercitybicycles.com/

The hardest choice I had to make was which coffee drink to order from their little stand in the showroom. Resititution was generous to say the least and never did I sense anything but their sincere efforts to make things right. They exceeded expectations.

Tonight was bedding in brakes, about 20-25 stops from speed. They feel balanced with the different sized rotors, have a soft lever feel and are quiet.

Using the same wheelset, tires, tubes and pressures from the Rockhopper gave a good baseline from my recent experience.

The GF has a more compact cockpit. The RH felt more like a motorcycle. The GF is supposed to have quicker steering. What I felt was better stability both in a straight line and slow technical lines. It made me more confinent right away.

The SRAM shifters are more intuitive to me even though the rear derailleur isn't up to Shimano accuracy or maybe it's the modified Shimano cassette. There must be some combination of SRAM shifters and Shimano derailleurs out there.

The fork. flash, it's an epiphany. The Fox glided over small imperfections that vibrated all the way up the Rockshox. The lockout is so efficient that it felt like shifting to a higher gear. Soooo smooth, I'm a Fox convert.

I used an old Dean Ti seatpost for pics and today's ride. It felt like a rear suspension. Too bad I can't use it. The X-C frame is designed for a setback post so I'm looking for a 27.2 Ti post & saddle to tame the aluminum frame.

Once I get this dialed in it'll be an easier bike to take up the trails. The lower weight is noticeable and appreciated. The 1" lower top tube makes on/off easier than the Rockhopper. The build quality is very good for this price point, clearly a better package than Rockhopper for less than a Stumpjumper.

Lemonade is served.

 

Bob, this is the one right?
http://www.mtbr.com/cat/bikes/29er/g...2_1548crx.aspx

I will be looking at 29ers after the beginning of the new year.
Have a nice bonus coming in from work on December the 1st.

Not sure which brand I will go with yet.
Maybe Specialized or maybe another.

Want to stick with my LBS or maybe try Black Diamond bikes which is at the front of that 55 mile singletack trial system I want to ride soon.
They carry Giant, Specialized, and Niner.
http://bdbikes.com/page.cfm?pageID=81

Which Fox shock do you have?
There are so many on the market it is confusing.

This looks like the 2010?
http://www.fisherbikes.com/bike/model/x-caliber
Huge picture
http://www.fisherbikes.com/images/fi...0/XCaliber.jpg

Looks like it has the same brakes I do, the Avid Juicy 3 hydraulic discs with the 185 cm up front, and the standard 160 cm back aft.

 

Corey, it's this one, from the archives:

http://www.fisherbikes.com/bike/archivemodel/471

And the fork, from Fox archives:

http://www.foxracingshox.com/bike/09/forks/32%20F29

I prefer the '09 model year for the color (except the white saddle that was replaced).

I'll say this GF feels easier to control going fast or slow, is more comfortable and think it will climb better with it's lower weight and better lockout.

Plus the stock Cane Creek headset feels smoother and better than even the $$$ Chris King headset.

Nice upgrade from the RH in most areas. Fitting will take awhile, but it's an impressive package everything considered.

Oh, and the dealer is top notch!

 

Glad you like the bike... I dont have much experience with Fishers but from everything Ive heard theyre a great bike. As for the shifting, it should be perfect, so if anything is off, it's an adjustment issue. Shimano and SRAM cassettes are interchangeable, so no sweat there. However, a shimano rear derailleur is incompatible with a sram rear shifter, and visa versa, so watch out there.

 

Here is a GF carbon 29er vid I spotted on the front page of MTBR.

[YOUTUBE]aGG10_XIEAM[/YOUTUBE]

I do not think I have a dealer close to me that has GFs, so for my 29er I will be looking at Specialized again and maybe Santa Cruz, not sure yet.
Dealer carries the Santa Cruz and also Giant, and a few others besides Specialized.
The latter seems to be the ones they stock the most of though.

 

flash, thanks for the tip. Shifting became better after yesterday's ride. The one main problem is the 9-8 downshift. The chain won't pick up #8, skipping over it for #7. Otherwise it shifts well and the SRAM shifters rock.

Corey, cool video. Of course that one is many steps above m X-Cal that is a keeper. If I start asking about FS bikes remind me that I once said HT's are more than I'll ever need.

Interesting hanging around the bike shop for an hour and seeing people shelling out $4,000+ for exotic looking road and MTB's. The shop sells 75-80 bikes PER DAY and the average price is over $1,500 with accessories. Not a bad business to be in these days.

 

hot damn... the average price we sell is about 500 with accessories, mostly comfort/hybrids and we sell 20 bikes on a good day...

 

Shoot, I think I have already spent more on accessories than the bike.
Tools, clothes, stand, lights, ect, adds up pretty fast.

Bob, if you ever have to replace your chain for some reason, this is the one I have.
http://reviews.mtbr.com/blog/kmc-x9sl-x10sl-review/
The gold one

It was also reviewed in Mountain Bike Action magazine, and they do not often give out a five star rating on items, but this chain got it.
They claimed it smoothed shifts and no skipping of gears, even when having the cogs front/rear opposite side of each other.

 

Corey, I coveted your chain on first sight. It may be a bad chain skipping over the 8th cog on the custom cassette that picked up fine with the former Shimano Deore setup on the RH.

So true about accessory cost. It's even worse for the gram counters. Luckily all of my bits from the Rockhopper switched over to the X-Cal except for the seatpost. Fortunately I'm within the 30 day exchange window for my Thompson post so swapped it for a setback post and mounted the new saddle. I rummaged through the dealer's orphan saddle bin until finding one shaped like my Brooks. It's a Bontrager Rhythm Elite and felt alright on tonight's 18 mile ride.



Now that the cockpit is getting dialed in the bike feels fast and stable on pavement locked out, fast and lively on dirt and gravel unlocked. Where the RH seemed to be affected by deeper gravel moving the wheels off line, the XC dances over it. Maybe part of that is perceived higher speeds over the same trails.

The top tube is very long and takes some getting used to. Also the rider is moved back for better rear wheel traction (from Fisher's site) so it takes different technique than the RH. It's more of a road bike position than a traditional MTB upright position. Suits me fine, but I didn't lift the FJ either!

Oh yeah, I'm going to polish and wax this one using some leftover P21S products made for hand application. Gotta keep that Monza Red paint pretty!

 

Looks good Bob.
What is the advantage of the seatpost bending back.
I am a newb to all of this.

My bike is totally stock with the exception of the Kenda "John Tomac" Nevegal stickee tires on it.

All of the bike builds I see in the magazines are using the same tires I have.
It is funny, you open up to a bike review, and there is the bold white letters Kenda on them.

That other bike shop I mentioned that is by the 55 mile singletrack trail system carries Niner brand too.
I think I will check them out Sunday if I get out there to ride some of that.

We have a storm system moving in here Saturday that should keep us soaked, so I do not know how Sunday is looking yet.

I have not checked into frame wax yet.
I read somewhere to not really wax them, but to just wipe them down or wash, but do not spray water forcefully on the gears, ect.
I do not see how a good wax would hurt though, I think it would protect it better.