December 30, 2009

BIKE UPDATE '09

The last (I hope) bike of 2009 is a 2009 Gary Fisher Rig -- 19" with a Fox fork.

Niner MCR has been sold on Ebay. The poll is closed.

He chose this bike for the warranty, lack of corrosion of frame material, good engineering, ability to run single or geared, and the Fox fork and Bontrager wheels.

Photos soon with personalization of the stock bike.

December 17, 2009

Will the real Bill Richards please stand up, please stand up

Not the Bill Richards you were thinking...
Yes, he rides. Lots of different bikes he has owned. Haven't seen any bike messengers --yet. It can be awfully cold and quite snowy but a Surly Pugsly could take you where you need to go.
We regularly have conversations about Dicky, Big Worm, and Pisgah. Even had a moment of silence for Wally.

December 8, 2009

Gary Fisher Rig vs. Niner Something

SIR Nine - can be single speed or geared, steel (is real), 2 year warranty


MCR - set up to be geared only, steel, 2 year warranty, does not have horizontal dropouts


Fisher Rig - can be single speed or geared, aluminum, lifetime warranty
Was he really riding a Cobia this summer?!

Nice subtle color, beefy fork, would you ride it rigid?
Nice color, I like the brown wheels, would you keep the components?
I'm pleasantly surprised by the color/graphics. Most of the 2010 fisher graphics seem obnoxious. Looks like the same fork as '08 and '09.

What to think about:
Aluminum vs. steel
-(do you love Reynolds 853?)
-"It has soul."
-Will it rust? what does frame saver do to the paint job?
-how are the welds --does it matter?
-will you ride it in the rain? snow?
-steel is classic, timeless
-aluminum is cheaper, doesn't rust, but has a general life capacity before it just breaks --but if it does, GF has an amazing warranty.

Single speed vs. geared
-SS - always the wrong gear?
-SS - no muck in your derailleur
-SS - what ratio will you run it? will you be changing this often?
-Geared - 1 x 9?, heavy, ride anywhere
-If buying MCR, how difficult is it to run SS, can it be done?

Cost
- Niner EMD - why buy a Niner if you want an aluminum bike?
- is there a 2009 still in the shop? what upgrades to the RIG have they done since '08?

Graphics
- do you like the flecky, glittery paint of a Niner?
- do you want your bike to have the same graphics of one sold 3 years ago?
- do you want your bike to be identified as an '10 model?

Other thoughts...
Resale value?
Sizing - standover?, toe rub on the front wheel?, does the fork hit the frame when it is turned?
Component upgrade? - would you sell some of the components that are stock on the GF?
How difficult is it to get the fork that you want for the Niner? - what about color? Do you really want a hard tail bike?

Niner and GF have been making the 29er bikes for quite a while and seem to know the technology and what works -- rake?, frame geometry?, can you go wrong?

Didn't Gary Fisher sell a steel 29er a while back? Yep--Ferrous seen below.

What else?