I haven't ridden in Washington but I've been all over Oregon's and their loamy trails are pure heaven. I find something to love about everywhere I ride but Oakridge, Hood River and the North Umpqua in Oregon are pretty hard to beat. Anyway...going off what I know about Oregon and how *I* ride, I think 140mm is the sweet spot. heck, that's my sweet spot pretty much everywhere I ride. I pull out the Mach 6 only when I know there's going to be some extended DH action...like next week when we shuttle the entire SART trail from Big Bear down to Mentone

If you're sticking with those two rides, I'd go with the Sight all day long. I constantly hear great stuff about that bike but haven't ridden one. I had a Rune but pawned that off on my son so that I could get something else w/o the wife going ballistic. I currently ride a Santa Cruz 5010 and it does everything well in my opinion. I don't like it as much as my Yeti SB5 I sold (that was dumb, dumb, dumb) and what I think was the best bike I've ever had. I don't want to get Avidest mad at me but definitely ride an Evil before jumping in. The bikes get stellar magazine reviews and I know most owners are probably happy but I spend a plethora of my free time on MTBR and Evil's also seem to get sold faster by unhappy owners than any other bike on the planet. It must be a love/hate thing, usually related to the feeling of sitting so far back from what I gather.

Rocky Mountain Thunderbolt is another badass bike. Santa Cruz Hightower is another bike people seem to be overwhelmingly happy with is you're game for a 29er and I hear they have a cheaper aluminum version now.

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If you don't go this year, you'll only be a year older when you do - Warren Miller

Chuck,

I got a Bronson a year ago.
Coming from old school, 5 year old
Nomad. The new geometry is a
game changer for me!
Long, low and slack, 800 bars.
It's amazing.

Good luck and enjoy the new ride.

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I never would have thought that Harley would end up being my inspiration. (well..maybe a little).

avidtest


"it makes mountain biking fun again"

Ozzer

As I got a chance to do some riding in the Seattle area last fall, I'll through my $.02 in. I took my Santa Cruz TallBoy LT (old Geometry) I rode 3 different parks and all varied a little, but what I felt was you want something that will do a bit of everything. You've got some pretty good climbs with a mix of roots, rocks, and nice soil. Downs are similar, and one park I road was relatively flat, but short sharp ups/downs and lots of twists and turns. So it kinda puts you into needing something that can do a bit of everything.

That said, I did a fair bit of testing last summer on various bikes as I was helping my 69 year old father (Phil) find a replacement for his ancient Pro-Flex. The first thing I tried was the Rocky Mtn Pipeline with 27.5+ and from there was convinced he needed to be on a + bike. It provided so much stability and inspired confidence to ride almost anything.

We tested the Ellsworth Epiphany 27.5+, but it didn't feel right, felt to small and to short of reach
Tested the Commencal Meta (they are in Carlsbad), it wasn't bad, but wasn't +, so it kinda felt small and almost BMXish, coming from my 29er and the other + bikes.
Intense Tracer, I like, but my Dad felt that the steering was to unstable at the slow speeds he rides at. Almost like the tire would fall over in a tight corner at slow speed.
Haro 27.5 (They are local and were at a Quick and Dirty Race), I thought it rode well for the price, but was very heavy, Dad liked it quite a bit, but also felt it was heavy and slow.

Then we tested the Santa Cruz Hightower 27.5 and within 10 feet in the parking lot felt it was the right bike. He was comfortable, it was stable, with the + tires and 135mm rear travel 150 front is was a very plush ride.

If I were shopping today, it would definitely be a + bike, with the Hightower at the top, but I would like to test the Pipeline and Intense ACV back to back. They climb quite well, have traction for days and descend like a freight train because it goes over everything.

I've been hearing very good stuff about Rocky Mountain. Should probably be on my short list. And the Hightower is just plain intriguing. I want to ride one.. bad.

As for Evil, I was skeptical going in. They had a rotten reputation years ago when they sold bikes with carbon flaws and did not take care of the customers. That situation has changed. I haven't seen any negative stuff on the new bikes other than Europeans that are forced to deal with warranty issues through shitty distributors over there. In the US, Evil is offering good service from what I hear. A year and a half of regular riding and I've not had a single issue. Couldn't say that about my old Ibis.

The published seat tube angle does not look steep enough, but the 'effective' seat tube angle is on par with all the other new school bikes. So many other good options beyond Evil though. It's a wonderful time to be buying a mountain bike. And I ain't mad at ya k2rider.

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"it can go full porno alley"

- Kimba - One love, many bikes - 2020

Well, here's another one: a '16 Transition Patrol just came up after I increased my search radius to 100 miles. Looks like another worthy contender at my price point.
https://www.pinkbike.com/buysell/2102168/

I should probably check out the 27.5+ "plus" bikes like the Hightower. They must be a new enough breed that there aren't many on the used market yet. Or people love them so much that they don't ever want to sell them.

I need to get going on this soon, though. Until I get used to the idea of riding in the cold and rain, the riding season up here is only about 7 months (April-Oct). I can handle cold down to the low 40's but I'm too spoiled by SoCal weather to want to ride in the rain. And, I need to keep my price reasonable since I'm also going to pick up a commuter bike of some sort - hoping to keep that in the sub-$800 range but I haven't even started looking.

I know not everybody can do this but you'll have better luck if you're willing to buy a bike from father away, site unseen other than the ad. If you can demo a similar bike locally so you know you like the ride, buying a bike off Pinkbike from far away can save you alot of money. I've bought (2) bikes off PB from out of state and both deals worked out perfect, no issues whatsoever. It was hard sending $5K via Paypal the 1st time but the 2nd bike I bought was easier. I've also sold (3) bikes on there to guys in PA, UT and IN with no issues.

There's tons of great deals out there is you're willing to accept a little risk.

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If you don't go this year, you'll only be a year older when you do - Warren Miller

Thanks, k2rider

Yeah that's a big leap of faith sending a big lump of dough for a sight-unseen out-of-state bike, but I guess PayPal gives you some recourse for deals gone bad. I'll have to give that some thought.

I did see a Yeti SB5C on PB up in my area - a little out of my budget at $3400 - and not sure I love the color personally but everything else sounds good: https://www.pinkbike.com/buysell/2127606

You mentioned your Mach 6 (and it's listed in your profile) - do you think it's too burly for all-around use? I've possibly got a line on one (but maybe too expensive) and my friend who told me about it thinks it'd be a perfect all-rounder - what's your experience with it been?

Drive up to Bellingham and ride a Canfield Bros bike. I would suggest the Riot but 29ers seem to not be on anyone's approval list here. Don't buy into the 27.5+ trend unless you want to have two wheel sets or one with rims wide enough to dabble in the 2.8" range.i think for an experienced rider the pros of more rubber are outweighed by the cons.

I don't really have any bike recommendations for you (other than a Pivot 429T). I purchased my ride with a 29" wheelset and wanted to try out a set in 27.5+ so I picked up a used set at a great price. After riding this setup for a couple of months now I don't think I'll ever run the 29" wheels any time soon. If I moved to AZ I might toss them on but I'm really liking the plus wheels.

Chuck- have fun checking out the bikes and ride all that you can. You'll probably find after swinging a leg over one (whatever that might be) that it will just feel great to YOU.
Can I get a receipt for my $.02?

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You never know what tomorrow will bring so go ride your EBike today or walk your pooch
Fear the Yeti
"Go ride your bike today, don't let the old man in.."

Mike

I think you'd really like a 2008 Mongoose Canaan Comp - apart from being nine years old, having 26" wheels, XC geometry, and 4" of travel front and rear, it's exactly what you're looking for.

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A bicycle is a splendid thing.
~Ernest Hemingway

I absolutely love my Mach 6. I get all excited looking at shiny new bikes as my Mach 6 is over 4 years old but every time O ride it, I'm smiling the entire ride. I demoed the Ibis HD3 and Yeti SB6 and liked neither 1/2 as much as my Mach 6. It climbs well with the DW Link and descending is pure heaven. That being said, that's definitely a bike you need to try before buying as the cockpit/reach is tighter than most bikes of the same size.

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If you don't go this year, you'll only be a year older when you do - Warren Miller

That was initially one of my top choices, but they're pretty hard to find.

Of course, my real dream bike would be a sweet Mantis Ghost 26 Men's Full-Suspension Mountain Bike, but I'm not sure I'm man enough to handle a machine like that.

. . . then it's your lucky day, because I have a gently used 'goose and I should be able to work with you on your $3,000 budget.

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A bicycle is a splendid thing.
~Ernest Hemingway

Coherence, Chuck, is ALWAYS the most you can hope for. And you know what a natural optimist I am.

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Scum on a Bike

I've continued to tinker with my 05 Joker until now I have a 7 inch rear travel bike with a 170mm Lyrik fork and a 750 mm Haven bar with a 70 mm stem. It's terrifying now. Kinda like riding a barcalounger off a cliff....

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Scum on a Bike