|   TI soft tails | E2cflyr
Jul 12, 2002 2:49 PM | | here's the predicament, and I aplogise for spellink ahead of time:
looking to get a soft tail in a few months to replace my aging aluminum Klein Mantra (yes, aluminum). My options are:
Airborne Pakka-Wallup
Dean Duke ST
Litespeed Unicoi
I can get each of them for about the same price, possibly lower on the airborne. what have you heard about these bikes?
suggestions? comments? insults?
E2 |
| re: TI soft tails | Endo
Jul 12, 2002 2:54 PM | | How much are they asking for all of them about? It would help a little. |
| about $1800.00 (NM) | E2cflyr
Jul 12, 2002 2:58 PM | | |
| Ionicbikes.com has a frame on sale for $1250. | J-bay
Jul 12, 2002 4:24 PM | | It looks just like the dean. |
| Go FS | EnduroProCT
Jul 12, 2002 6:37 PM | | I know im gonna get burned for this but i just have to say that i would just get a full suspension bike. TO me (please dont hate me or nething) buying a softail is like buying a three-legged dog, its a bit better than 2 legs, but it still doesnt do the job of a full four legged dog. you wont get a lot of travel at all, and no pivot which doesnt give u a lot of help on the bumps. but good luck either way. |
| What do you want it for? | Braids
Jul 14, 2002 9:39 AM | | A soft tail is not a full suspension bike. If you want a full suspension bike get one. I bought a soft tail fully aware of what it was capable of and what it would do. I was actually in the market for a ti hard tail but tried a Silk Ti and loved it.
Out of the bikes listed I would probably get the Dean. |
| Call Dean... | woe
Jul 12, 2002 11:23 PM | | they seem to be pretty good about giving people a price break. |
| re: TI soft tails | DurtGurl
Jul 13, 2002 3:55 AM | | I love my DeKerf softtail, but I mostly ride my Titus Switchblade on these rocky Phoenix trails. The softail certainly takes the edge off the big hits, but it is far from "comfortable" when compared to my FS. Honestly though, a soft-tail will ride very similar to a hardtail with a good suspension seatpost. You can get the 2nd one for a whole lot cheaper!!
Kathleen
*YAWN* It's 5 AM now and time to meet my riding buddies (including Gnarly1) at South Mountain for our Crack-o-Dawn ride..... It will be on the Switchblade, of course. |
| You're pretty together for 5 a.m. | AK Ken
Jul 13, 2002 8:16 AM | | Operating the computer, maybe taking a photo (?), offering lucid advice on bikes...I'm impressed.
Hope you'll be posting the ride photos shortly.
Ken |
| You're pretty together for 5 a.m. | e2cflyr
Jul 13, 2002 12:52 PM | | thanks for all the info/advice. Will have to post pics of my final decision!
E2 |
| Sorry, no ride pics today | DurtGurl
Jul 13, 2002 4:53 PM | | Too darn hot this morning to stop for pics! Oh my, the heat was intense, and Dale was setting an unforgiving pace. The last climbs in the searing heat sucked the life right out of me. After a gathering at my house for breakfast burritos and a pool dip, I proceeded to take a long nap. I'm sure my friends did the same once home. Since I have no ride pics from today, I will supply another dog shot. This was taken in March on the way to a mtb race...
Tomorrow is hike day with the pups, again starting at 5:30 AM.
btw, the bike shot was taken this spring after a new CK wheelset for the DeKerf. I was NOT taking pictures before the ride today!
Kathleen |
| Excellent photo, D.G. | AK Ken
Jul 13, 2002 7:40 PM | | It was hot here today, too. Musta been 65 F!! The trail hounds took every opportunity to cool their feet.
It was a nice adventure. Not too hot, not too cold, enough breeze to keep the bugs down.
Ken |
| re: TI soft tails | Puzman
Jul 15, 2002 5:47 AM | | Seeing as you're coming from a Mantra, I guess you've figured that you don't need 5" of travel for the kind of terrain/riding you do. A softail will weigh about 1 lb less than the lightest XC-FS frame and will require less pivot maintenance. Except for the Paka Wallup, of course. Weighs about 4.5 lbs in Medium, and has pivots and 2" of travel. So what's the advantage over, say, a Sugar? (except the obvious Ti lust factor). I wonder about the lateral stiffness of that frame as well. I'd probably wait for reviews before taking the Paka plunge (unless you want to be the beta tester). |
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