Buying a new bike

J1S

Im going to buy a new bike, around the range of $1100 canadian ($885 US). I want it to be a hardtail cause im not getting any decent full suspension for under 2 grand. Im thinking about the 05' Norco Kompressor or the 05' Norco Bigfoot (Norco completely lies on the look of the frame on there web site its simular to the kompressor). Both are a dirt jumper/free ride/urban bike and thats my style. I was wondering if you know any other bikes that would be just as good or better then the ones i said, wich one you think is better, and if you think these are worth the buy or not.

*Last bike: Iron Horse Warrior Disk, DO NOT TAKE ANYTHING TO SPORTSCHECK TO BE SERVICED, I snapped my bottom bracket so i took it to them to repair cause i got a warrenty on it, it took them so long to fix it (month and a half) that they just gave me my money back cause they didnt know how much longer it would be.($500 canadian) which is sweet now cause I can buy a good bike that I hopefully wont slaughter. Basically I got a free bike to destroy over the summer while i saved up for a really good one. (Snapped the crank, bottom bracket, bent the rims, pinched the brake wire, yes i had one bad crash, lol)

J1S

Im now also seriously thinking of the 05' Norco 125 the only thing that turns me off about the bike is no hydrolic disc brakes.

jaz

When I bought my bike I was lucky enough to be able to get exactly what I wanted (I bought all the bits I wanted then built it myself) this however has the downside of costing that bit more than an off the shelf manufacturers bike but lets you fit the bike to your exact specification (& gives you that extra little exclusivity that an off the shelf cant touch)
If with a limited budget you cant do this then I think the next best thing is too look for something thats near what you want & then as you save money or wear parts out you can replace with what you want, for example if you want disks but have to drop the rest of the bike spec to acheive this then buy a bike with V brakes but one thats fitted with disk compatible hubs so its a small (ish) cost to upgrade when the time comes.
Its allways best to buy something that has a quality frame even if you drop a few other parts on the bike (eg you might find a bike with an ok frame & xt kit or for the same price another with a top quiality frame & deore parts) then you have the base to build/improve on as time goes by.
Take this into account when buying as a bike should last you quite a bit of time, if you want a good deal then look for places selling off last years stock (or even the year before for an even better deal) as you can save at least a third off the new models price..

J1S

I was thinking about about buying a frame and biulding it up over the winter (Bike shop has a good deal on a chromoly .243 racing frame, $290 Canadian), the only problem with this is I dont have the experiance or know how to put a whole bike together. And getting a bike shop to assemble a whole bike can get expensive.

Thanks for the reply, it gave me a better idea on my options.

J1S

I think im gonna biuld a bike, i can put together everything but the brakes and the gears probably (with my friends help) and ill just bring it into a shop to get those put on, that way I get exactly what I want. However ill probably end up spending at least 1500 by the time im done biulding... oh well.

vguy

Hey J,

I am about ready to slap a g note down as well, and All I can tell you is what I am going to do. Find something I like with most items I like and deal with the owner to switch up specific parts that I prefer. I have my eye on a devinci but I want to upgrade to hydraulic's, so I will go in there and work out a deal to swap brakes. I am totally new to this sport, but I am learning more with sites like this! I think if you are dealing with a professional shop, they should be able to work something out with you. Especially if you work with the top dog!!

funnyninja

I am also buying a bike for the same price and am seriously considering the kompressor



I would like to know what u guys think of it

vguy

Hey, this is in reply to anyone who's interested. I ended up getting an Oryx T-Line 250 with Hayes 9 Hydraulics. Race face crank and some decent tires as well as some needed accessories thrown in. All for $900(cad) I raced it at Albion Hills in June and I got quite a few compliments.