dbikeman

This is my trail ride. I put time clipless pedals on it and go. Climbing can be a little tiring but the way this beast bombs downhill completely makes up for it. Its 47lbs too.

AUJWE

Damn, now that's a beast. That would be overkill for my type of riding. Fun, but overkill.

BTOWN4RUNNER

Yes, our cabin is in the center of PA. I was just curious. Thanks.

AUJWE, thanks as well...I'll check it out.

jacksonpt

Jesus man... that's a hellish trailbike. Have you thought about going with something a smidge lighter?

Regardless... Konas rock, and that's a sweet ride . I'm hoping to build up a Kona hardtail over the winter.

jacksonpt

MTBR.com has forums dedicated to each state for finding trails and meeting up with other riders. The rest of their forums are pretty much a waste, but the PA board might be a good spot for you to find some trails.

Outkast`

BTOWN4RUNNER,

Lastnight I went to the local Sun & Ski sport place here in town and was looking over the bike inventory trying to make sure I was getting the most bang for my buck. I was looking at the V3's and a sales guy walked up and asked me about my riding preferances.

Basically to make a REAL long story short, Haro makes a V4. I have looked on mtbr.com, harobikes.com, as well as their current catalogue, and can find no information on it. THe bike does exist, and supposedly it is spec'd out for Sun and Ski. Another good thing is that they are having a sale this w/e and it will be the same price as the V3. About the only thing that I remember about the bike right off hand is that it has a Rox Shox Judy TT fork, and a 9-speed crank. Look into it if you haven't bought yours already!


Just Some FYI,

Outkast`

BeaterToyota

My grandad used to be sheriff of Tioga County.

I don't really know that area very well, but I was in Wellsboro, the county seat, about 3 weeks ago and they had a whole bunch of visitor information at the motels and at the old jail building which is now sort of a visitor's center. If you head up there you could probably find a bunch of stuff.

Outkast`

Can anybody suggest a moderately prices aftermarket fork? The one on the bike that I plan to get is a Rock Shox Judt TT, and based on the reviews on mtbr.com it won't last very long.

SO any suggestions?

jacksonpt

How much travel do you want, and what's "moderately priced" mean to you?

Look at Manitou Blacks... kind of a trail bike fork, but still pretty good. They can be found really cheap when the end of the year sales come around. Also look at the Fox Vanilla line - probably a bit more expensive than the blacks, but Fox makes a hell of a fork. Regardless, it's easy to save money if you get a fork without all the adjustments. If you need the adjustments, get them as they do generally help with tuning the fork. But if you don't need them, you can save a lot of cash going with a Vanilla R as opposed to an RLC.

There are good deals to be had on used forks if you're patient.

Outkast`

That's kidna of the direction that I'm heading, and as a general rule I want to keep the price below $225.

As far as travel I have never had a suspension fork, so I guess the more travel the better?...right?

BTOWN4RUNNER

I already have mine and it has many many miles on it. I was originally look at the V1, but the sales dude at Weaver's Bikes turned me onto the V2. The basic difference is the V2 has double walled rims as opposed to the V1's single walls. I have never heard of the V4 either. The site doesn't have anything. Check it out and let me know. I am EXTREMEMLY happy with my Haro. Goodluck...

Beater... Wellsboro is about 15 min from my cabin. It is a beautiful town. The whole area up there is beautiful. I'll have to check out that info. , thanks.

jacksonpt

Well, sort of, but not necessarily. Forks with more travel are longer... so they will change the way the bike sits (the bike's geometry). Generally going from a 3" fork to a 4-5" fork isn't a huge deal... but it depends on the bike, the rider, and the trail. I would try to find one that was adjustable... somethign like a 100-125mm.

Outkast`

Thanks for all the info!!!

Is there a noticeable difference between oil damped and the air cartridges? all the technology is greek to me. Is there any singe feature that I need to keep an eye out for , or avoid altogether?

Outkast`

DANG! Now I can't wait to get mine! I'll keep ya posted as far as how my Haro turns out

jacksonpt

It's not air vs oil dampened... it's air versus coil-sprung. Air forks (and shocks for that matter) are generally lighter, but more expensive... some argue that coils are more durable. Some air forks have the ability to adjust compression... which allows you to adjust how much the fork compresses under a certain amount of stress. Coil sprung forks can't do this - you need to replace the coils.

One is not necessarily better than the other - it just depends on what you want/need. For someone relatively new to the sport, a coil sprung fork is a good way to save a few pennies, and will generally peform very well.

Aside from that, they are basically the same. Some forks allow you to adjust travel, some will lock out, most give you dampening adjustments. None are necessary, but all are nice once you understand what they do, how to use them, and ride hard enough to make them worth while. If you're just riding fire roads and such, most adjustments aren't a big deal. Rebound (or dampening) is the only one you'll want to make sure you have as it controls how fast the fork extends back after being compressed. It's very handy to help smooth out the trails.

If you're just starting out... a Fox Vanilla R would be a great fork for you. But keep this in mind... Rock Shox is one of the big 4 for a reason. Even though people bash them, they make good products. Ride yours until you don't like it or it breaks... there's no reason replacing a brand new fork until you know whether or not it needs to be replaced. Ride it till it dies, then swap it out.

The judy is not a bad entry level fork... I have one on my hardtail and it's OK - but I'm willing to be I ride a lot harder than you do, so I expect more out of my gear.

COYOTA $x$

A ballpoint pen is brought near the cylinder of Kryptonite bicycle lock in Boston Thursday, Sept. 16, 2004. Faster than a speeding bullet, word is spreading across the Internet, through cyclist hangouts and into bike shops that all it takes to open a circular-key lock, like the one on the famous U-shaped Kryptonite-brand lock, is a ballpoint pen. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)


http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp...ing_bike_locks

Outkast`

Now I'm glad that I gave that lock away, and the person that I gave it to dosen't ride a lick...