Pick up the new Mountain Bike Action magazine, there is a nice Gary Fisher bike in it.
It states that you must use that fork, it is offset, and they say to switch to a different brand will degrade the ride like flash stated.

Page 38 of the Sept. issue.
The bike is called the Gary Fisher HiFi Pro, retails for $3230.
Here it is, you can see the off set shape of the fork.
Bob, is yours like this too?

Bontrager, Trek, and GF use some of the same stuff the article states.
Anyways, I am off to to read some more of the mag.
Lots of very cool articles, highly recommend the magazine.

http://fisherbikes.com/images/fisher.../hi_fi_pro.jpg

Another company that makes only 29ers I think is http://ninerbikes.com/

 

niner makes a cool single speed 29er frameset, my buddy has one built with the same components as my stumpy. Very light, very responsive. But I like my frame better, it has sliding dropouts vs. an eccentric bottom bracket which makes it lighter and less prone to creaking and stuff.

 

flashkl, I missed it, what model Specialized do you have?

Corey, I had a Fisher Ferrous 26" on hold at the bike dealership, they charged my credit card and pulled it off the floor. I learned this morning that someone "accidentally" sold it. The search starts over, but not with that dealer.

Hmm, I'm starting to think about a 29er more seriously. Flashkl, what's the best bang for the buck Specialized 29er out there? It looks like the M4 frame (Corey's) would be better suited to my noob MTB style than an M5 frame.

 

I have a stumjumper 29er hardtail frame built up as a fully rigid singlespeed. Great bike, with all top shelf components on it since I get evrything for cost. The frame is a really nice, light frame, but the current Rockhopper 29 frame is virtaully the same as a stumjumper from like three years ago. So bang for the buck, I would have to say the RH expert 29er. Not too keen on the 2009 colors and graphics, though. All the 2010 stuff is coming out soon, and some of the bikes they revamped quite a bit, so I would wait out for that.

 

 

Nice, very, very nice.

OK, I'll wait for the 2010's. The 2009's aren't on closeout around here yet anyway. They're currently asking $1,150 for the RH Expert 29er, not sure if that's a good deal.

http://rivercitybicycles.com/itemdet...fm?libid=48710

 

Flash, very nice ride.
I am really digging the Specialized bikes.
Company that has been around for a very long time.

Bob, found some info on a 29er GF
http://fisherbikes.com/bike/model/ferrous-29
Wait, the GF you posted last week, the orange one, is that the one they sold out from under you?
I thought you had that one home already.

Also saw the 2010 Specialized stuff online the other day.
http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=529123

You know that Rockhopper Comp 29er I looked at Thursday I bet it was a 2010 model, as the color is exactly like this one here, not like a pic I grabbed earlier in a post.

I really dig the green color on that, and they had it for around 7 bills at my shop.



Here is the Rockhopper Expert for comparison, also a 29er, but with better components.



Like I mentioned earlier, this is going to be an expensive hobby/sport

 

I had a deposit on it and was to pay the balance when my cc billing cycle flipped to play the float.

After reading flashkl's wisdom about Specialized, maybe it'll all work out for the best.

That RHE 29er looks sweet. The one I linked is an '09 that, except for paint, sure looks like a '10 but I can't find actual specs on it yet.

 

Specialized site is behind the times and messed up.
They do not even list my model the Rockhopper Pro under the Rockhopper area for 09s.

I think you will like Specialized after reading how they do business.

After my vacation I will stop in at the shop sometime and take a 29er for a spin.

To bad you were not closer Bob, this is a really huge shop that I deal with, and I am sure the one I saw the other day was a 2010 model.

 

Corey, yours is there, had to click on the Rockhopper image first:

http://www.specialized.com/us/en/bc/...hopper&eid=107

Just got off the phone with the Spec dealer. They cut the price on the '10 RHE to $940. That's over $200 less than an '09 but they didn't know component specs yet. The first ones arrive in a couple weeks.

 

Found '10 RHE specs. Pathetic. They dumbed down the fork and wheelset to lower the price. I'd have gladly paid the $200 for last year's components:

http://www.eriksbikeshop.com/ride/pr...ffset=1&s_id=0

 

Thanks Bob, I knew it was there somewhere, as I had posted it in this thread before.
Bummer, you can change out stuff later though.
I wish they offered the Pro in a 29er too.



PS, you will notice they have my tires listed as 29ers too in the specs.
http://www.specialized.com/us/en/bc/...hopper&eid=107
Wrong, 26ers.

 

OK, I get off work and I am about two blocks from the freeway, one block from the bike shop.
A Scion pulls up next to me and I hear "Corey, your vacation is starting right about now huh?"
I look over and it was the guy I bought my bike from, he was probably heading back after lunch.

Then in my town I stop off at the store to get a few last minute groceries for my camping trip for next Monday.
I check the magazine rack for a new bike mag, and I pick up Velo News.
I head towards the checkouts, and there were two with only one person in front of me, but I take the one with the fox running the till

She sees the bike mag and asks if I ride, and I say yes, I just am getting back into it, and picked up my bike from Center Cycle.
She knows them well there.
Told her I was heading up to Greenwater to camp and ride, and she said she was doing the same thing next week.
I asked her where, and she is going to the exact same spot I am to ride the same trails and camp.

She knows my camping spot very well, and I showed her a picture of my rig and tent on my cell phone.
Small world huh?

She says I made the right choice going with the Specialized bike too since the frame has a lifetime warranty, and she use to work on bikes too.
She is pretty much a biking gearhead from talking with her briefly.

Hope to see her up there, I am sure she knows some good trails since she is into mountain biking.

 

Well, you know the drill. Pictures! Too many other comments, but we're PG. Have fun!!!

 

He he he he, if I see her and she wants her picture taken...
I am sure she is heading up with a bunch of other people too though, but it would be cool to kick back with someone from my area.

 

Yeah Corey!

 

Hey, I had mentioned in this thread that down hill bike I almost bought years ago from the son of my X's husband.
I still do not know the name of it, but you can see how beefy it is in the pic.
The fork I was told was for downhill racing.

I had bought a Yakima Copperhead fork mount rack for it, as the Yakima Lockjaw seen with my old '88 Raleigh bike in the second pic would not work with this other bike in the first picture.

There is lettering on the frame, but I can not make it out, even blowing up the pic.

 

Looks like the fork off a Harley. Serious beef. Like the bike, looks like a steelie something or other.

About downhill racing:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nv87Rt_7JiI

 

Glad I passed on that bike Bob, as it was I am pretty sure for downhill racing.
That is one beefy fork.

That video was insane.
If I remember my Japanese, he asked for a Powerbar after the crash

 

Hahaha, gotta remember your sponsor!