Mountain Bikes

Looking at getting a new mountain bike after having mine stolen a couple of years ago. Looking at bikes in the 6 inch range. I had a Giant and really like it so considering the Reign. Budget is under 3k ideally closer to 2k. Also considering finding a nice used Yeti 575. Anyone have and experience on a Giant Reign 1, 2, or Yeti 575 Enduro. Any advice is much appreciated and any other bike suggestions are welcomed! About me, 6'2" 210 lb like to go up hill but love to fly down.

Intense tracer! I have had four of there bikes over the years and between there bikes performance and awesome warranty they are hands down the best bikes on the market!
I have also had good luck with santa cruz. take a look at the nomad.

Whatever you do, don't get a 29er. The speed and smooth ride will almost make you feel young again.

From what I learned and what I want to do I don't think a 29er is in the cards. I want a bike that I can put fatter tires on and go do downhill laps on. From what I have been able to find 29ers are not at durable. If anything I would upgrade to 27.5". Maybe I am wrong about the 29er only going by what I have read online.

If your looking to spend 2-3k look into the Reign X. It's a great bike and you won't need to upgrade anything.

Try a 29er! If all you've done is read about them without jumping on one, you really ought to do yourself a favor and ride one. Especially if you've ever found yourself hitting the ground with your crank while pedaling. I've had my Salsa Big Mama 29er (recommend!) for a couple years and find it to be a fantastic ride, even CC. You're a bigger guy that prefers downhill... so, I don't understand what it is about a 29er that doesn't seem to fit for you? As a matter of fact, I thought 29ers were becoming much more common making the tires less expensive, which is what I find to be their only downfall. Yeah, they take a little more umph to get the tires rolling, but you ain't not wimp, right?

I think you are spot on about the 29er. If you were riding more rolling terrain then they are amazing, but it's hard to beat a 26 for the down. I do agree that the 650b(27.5) could be the golden bullet but I still haven't ridden one yet.

Email me if you have Qs about the PM I sent you: brandongroza(at)gmail(dot)com.

I don't ride children's wheels any longer but I also don't ride like a child. My friends that do all went back to 26" after breaking too many frames and wheels. So, yeah, if you ride up, ride down, and don't huck stuff bigger than an ice chest 29ers are the shit. But if you rip down gromet terrain at over two bills go small or things will get expensive real quick. Bikes are insane these days. You can go 7 and 6 at under 30lbs. Crazy. End of season demos in places like Moab are great for deals. I'm a big fan of your LBS but if you're strapped you can always save cash at places like bikesdirect and spend the money you save on mechanics.

btw, Yeti 575 might be a little light for your purposes. Great bike though. Everybody, really, makes great bikes now. If you buy anything released in the last couple of years you won't go too wrong.

Giant has a definite advantage with the Maestro suspension. If you are looking for a six incher I assume you will be pedaling the thing at least a bit and the Maestro will climb like a champ and going down will be buttery smooth as well. For around 2700 you can get into the Reign 1 which is spec'd out with Rock Shox all around and the new SLX. It is a dope setup.

Santa Cruz makes nice stuff from what I have seen but I have admittedly not ridden the VPP system, although it is a slightly older design.

As far as Yeti goes, they make nice stuff but it is overpriced for what you get (the SB 66 is another story). Suspensionwise it is not the most technologically advanced thing in the world, however my buddy did sell his Pivot (DW Link...drool) and pick up the 575 and loves it. It is almost an XC rig, though, coming in at something like 25 pounds.

If you want an all mountain rig you should steer clear of the 29r. If you want big wheels and an all mountain rig wait til the 650b thing catches on.

If I had the cash I would go Pivot Mach 5.7 (the only awesome thing they have put out), Yeti Sb 66, or Giant Reign. Ride on!