So who here does any form of mountain biking or cycling? I know there has been a number of discussions in the past on this topic, but it seems as though it's been a while since we have had one. I've been biking to work for the past two and a half weeks. It's about 15 km each way. Unfortunately my bike (a 2006 GT Avalance 2.0 with disc brakes) has been taking quite a beating. I've replaced the chain just recently and am half-way through replacing the brake discs and pads. I figure I'm also going to need new bottom bracket bearings, a new rear cassette, a new chainring, and possibly a new front fork. I've got my eye on a few different ones, but am still debating on how much I want to spend ($250 for a Rock Shox Tora 308 vs. $490+ for a Rock Shox Recon Race or Reba Race). Anyone else here into mountain biking, or have any crazy stories about biking/cycling?

What the hell did you do to it to damage the fork?

It's not so much damaged as it is getting worn out. I suppose I could rebuild it, but for the time/effort of doing so (especially on a fairly low end fork - RST Omega T6) it'd probably be better to just replace it. I'm pretty sure the seals in the inside are shot, or close to it, and I'd be surprised if there is any oil left in it. I haven't been particularly rough on it or anything, but when I was going to University the only place I had to store my bike was outside, so it spent two winters (with some riding during them) locked to the gas meter in the back yard. I'm sure that wasn't good for it.

EDIT: That, and the sheer amount of riding I've done on it. I'm sure I've put in excess of 2000 km on it. In the past two or three weeks I've put over 400 km on it, just biking to/from work.

I picked up a 2008 Specialized Epic Marathon Carbon (lightly used) this year. It's been incredible around the trails up here. I keep looking down to see where they strapped on the rockets :-)

Unfortunately, it's rained basically every day for the last month (we're nearing the annual record for rainfall already), so I haven't gotten out nearly as much as I'd like to.

Here's what I was riding until some time ago. We've done quite some km together in forests. Then I changed house and, sadly, I abandoned her.

Used to do a lot of dirt jumping before I got a job in the games industry, used to ride an On One Gimp, then a DMR Sidekick. It's been almost 3 years since I went out, and tomorrow, my new bike, a Revell Clutch, arrives [smile] Been out of it so long that I barely know what's decent anymore, just hear that Marzocchi is, well, dead to most people these days due to build quality, and it's pretty much between Rock Shox and Manitou these days, personally, I have my eyes on the Rock Shox Argyles [grin], although the price puts me off!

I remember Rebas being pretty decent, although I could be wrong these days.

[Edited by - Richy2k on June 18, 2009 6:04:56 PM]

Interesting. From reviews I was looking at, I thought Marzhocchi still produced decent stuff as well as Fox (although Fox seems pretty pricey).

Quote: Original post by Moe
Interesting. From reviews I was looking at, I thought Marzhocchi still produced decent stuff as well as Fox (although Fox seems pretty pricey).

I've been told to avoid Marzocchi like the plague, as they do all their manufacturing in Thailand rather than Italy these days, and have just dropped in quality. Fox, from what I can remember, were always decent, but stupidly expensive. Of course, I haven't really kept track, so they may be better priced these days.

Well, I ended up replacing my entire crankset on the weekend. It turns out they don't make Truvativ sealed cartridge bearings like they used to, so for another $30 over what it would have cost to get a bearing ordered, I ended up with a whole new Deore setup. So far it has been as smooth as butter, although I might need to adjust my front shifter a tiny bit.

I also decided to settle for the Rock Shox Tora 308. I am not quite sure that I'm ready to pay $500+ just for a single component.

Quote: Original post by Moe
I also decided to settle for the Rock Shox Tora 308. I am not quite sure that I'm ready to pay $500+ just for a single component.

A single BIG component, like fork, frame or pair of wheels isn't so bad, but for a single brake, cranks...no.