Mountain Biking

[Scout734]

A longer travel 29er like the Niner RIP is super stable for some of the more fast and technical descents... My Niner Jet is a nimble cross country bike and climbs like a goat but the rocky and rooty downhills and drops are where it underperforms a bit. I rented the RIP in Sedona where the rocks rule the trails compared to where I live and was handling longer and steeper drops with much more confidence and finesse. I liked it so much I left a deposit on it and they shipped it to me at a huge discount off retail. It's a 1x11 setup and I just had them switch out the front chainring to a 30 instead of the 32 so it'll climb more like my Jet. If I was serious about going wide open on the downhills I'd get the Niner WFO...

 

[TenSpeed]

Terrain and amount of riding will really play a factor here, along with how hard of a rider OP is.

 

[psfracer]

Got a new 2015 Fox Float 36 front fork, Hope hub with 20mm axle, new rear shock Fox Float X with trail adjust and CTD. Rear shock much better vs what I had on there. Same with the front fork.

Tires and pedals also different from the last pic but I have had those on for a year or so.

 

[TenSpeed]

^ love the sound of the Hope hubs. Had a Pro II on my last ride and it sounded amazing and that engagement!!!! Definitely worth the money.

 

[Scout734]

Got a new 2015 Fox Float 36 front fork, Hope hub with 20mm axle, new rear shock Fox Float X with trail adjust and CTD. Rear shock much better vs what I had on there. Same with the front fork.

Tires and pedals also different from the last pic but I have had those on for a year or so.

You will like the new Fox Floats with CTD... that's what's on my Niner RIP. I like the progressive feel to them. The first couple inches is pretty cushy and lively, but the deeper you get into the travel, the stiffer the shock performs. It responds well to smooth out small hits at speed, while absorbing big hits very well too.

 

[BleedinBlue]

Thinking about getting into mountain biking on the weekends as an occasional break away from the gym routine for staying in shape. We've got some really good trails here in TN and I'd like to have a fairly decent bike to start out with and 1000.00 bucks is my limit. I don't see myself getting crazy into the sport right now so I don't want to spend much. Just want the best bike in the 1000.00 or less price bracket.

This Diamondback seems to get good reviews. I'd appreciate any other suggestions as I know zilch about mountain bike quality.

You may take a look at Airborne, too. They're not very well known but are well reviewed over at MTBR. I bought one a couple years ago as a straight up starter bike (looks like it's discontinued now, I don't see it on their site) It's a bit too small for me but it is a solid bike for the price I paid. I guess now they've eliminated their bottom tier bikes.