DIRTY ATHLETE

Recently I went to A couple Giant Demo Day events, this is where I got to go on one of the funnest rides I have been on in Southern California.  While at the Demo one of the Giant guys offered to take me on a “good” ride. At first I was a little worried, because I was out of shape and wasn’t sure if I could keep up, but I thought, if this old (I’m 35 and he’s 49…not really old, to be fair) guy can do it, so can I. This was a great opportunity, because we didn’t know the area at all. Earlier, we had just stayed close to the demo tent and didn’t really do a proper test ride.

The P.K. RIpper
About ½ mile into the ride, our “guide” told us he used to be pro biker and I realized that “Perry” was the “P” in P.K. Ripper. Perry was a professional BMX rider and he must still ride a lot, because he was in pretty good shape. Needless to say, he easily made me look like the “old” man. He knew the trails very well and was able to tell us about every turn, climb, and downhill.

My Skills Level Rises Quickly
Let me start by saying, my riding and confidence improved drastically on this short 1 hour ride. Between Perry “coaching” me on the descents and riding a bike as forgiving as the Reign X2, I felt like I could do just about anything. In this one hour ride, I did more technical riding than I would normally do in month. And it was probably the most fun I’ve had mountain bike riding ever. When riding with someone who knows the trails and someone who can tell you how to ride them, you can quickly improve your skills.

The ride was over all types of terrain, with a couple small jumps, steep climbs, and great descents. It was the perfect place to test ride a new bike.

The Reign X1
The Reign X1 was a lot of fun to ride and besides the frame being too small for me, it’s only downside was it’s weight. But even weighing in at 40 lbs (this is a guess), this bike was fairly easy for me when climbing. The rear tire was firmly planted on the ground, even when I was standing. On my hardtail, the back tire spins when I stand and pedal and on the Reign X, it just kept driving me up the hill, without bouncing or spinning. I could definitely feel the extra weight, but I didn’t feel like I was losing any power due to the 6.7” of travel. I didn’t use the lockout either, or even touch the suspension settings. I never felt like it was necessary.

I have to say, that I really loved the Reign X1, despite it’s weight and frame that only came in a large. Even at the end of the ride, when my legs were burning and I didn’t feel like I could go another foot, (P.K. Ripper was riding a wheelie up the entire 1/8 mile climb, BTY) I was trying to convince myself that a large frame wouldn’t be that bad; maybe it just needed a larger stem.

Ultimately, Perry said that frame wouldn’t work for me, no matter what adjustments I made; it was just too small. I would have to find another bike, but at least now I knew that I was looking for an all mountain bike, rather than a XC bike. I loved having the extra travel, bigger tires, and a stronger frame between me and the dirt. I also knew that I loved Giant’s Maestro Suspension. Although I know nothing about full suspension bikes, other than what I’ve read and what I’ve experienced on my FSR, the Maestro worked flawlessly, even on a bike that was too heavy and a size too small. He recommended getting a Reign (non “X” version), but unfortunately they didn’t have any to demo.

Overall
Getting to ride with P.K. Ripper was amazing, even if I didn’t know who he was beforehand and testing a bike on a real trail lets you get a better feel for the bike. The guys were more than helpful and knew everything about the bikes. It’s also nice to test a bike and learn about the bike, without any pressure to buy it. But be careful though, because once you really ride one (parking lots and sidewalks don’t count), you’ll be hooked.

Mike W Is a Guest Writer for Dirty Athlete, you can find him fighting foreclosure and helping people out over at foreclosurefish.com.

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April brings more than just showers and May flowers, you also get Bike companies holding Demo Days.  This is way for you can test out all the sweet rides that are being pumped out by the bike companies this season.  The first one I decided to try out was The Giant Demo Days In Vista CA and all I have to say is:

Thank You Giant Demo Days!

At first, I was saying this very sarcastically, but now, seriously, thank you Gaint Demo Days!

Before riding at the Giant demo days, I was perfectly content with my Giant Iguana Disc hardtail ($500) bike. I knew I eventually wanted to get a full suspension bike, but I wasn’t in a hurry and had decided that paying off credit cards with any extra cash was better spent than on a new bike. Besides, when I started pricing bikes, somehow the price for a full suspension bike got to $3,000!

Since when does it cost $3,000 to build a good bike? This is about twice the price I paid for my first car. It’s also about the value of my motorcycle that is only 2 years old. And, at $3,000, I was only speaking about the mid range bikes. If I wanted to get a high end, or race ready bike, I could spend $6,000 or even $12,000. Now, obviously, there are many bikes for less than $3,000 and certainly, I would be happy with any number of those bikes, but after attending the demo days and riding a few new bikes, I realized that maybe I wouldn’t be happy with just any full suspension bike.

In the past, I’ve always purchased a bike based on it’s components and fit. I’ve never had the opportunity to actually ride (and thoroughly abuse) a bike before purchasing it. Sure most bike shops have a return policy that allows you to exchange the bike for another if you’re not happy. They will also let you ride on the streets, but few will let you demo on an actual trail for as long as you like, with climbs, drops, jumps, rocks, and mud. Unless you go to a dealer demo day!

Nearly every bike company has a demo day somewhere. I was lucky enough to have one in my own back yard in San Diego and it was on one of the better trails in the area. My girlfriend and I were both interested in bikes, but she has never liked Giant. I thought this would be a good opportunity for her to give them a fair shot.

After riding their full suspension bikes, we both realized that having better bikes would open up a whole new world of riding. We were both able to do downhills and hop over rocks and logs that seemed impossible on our hardtails. We were both better riders on our new bikes and it was like mountain biking gained a whole new dimension.

Once we got back to the Giant tent, completely impressed with our new rides, we asked about pricing. Now, keep in mind, these are not people trying to sell you a bike, they work for Giant and are promoting their brand, so there is no obligation or pressure to buy anything. That’s when I was sarcastically thanking them for getting me hooked on their $3,000 bike. The price on the bike I was riding was $2,900. So I had just fallen in love with a $2,900 bike that I could never afford; GREAT!

This was not a big deal, because the bike I rode wasn’t made in an XL and a L was too small for me. So I wouldn’t have purchased the bike anyway, but I knew I wanted something of that same type and quality. Since Giant is know for offering some of the most affordable bikes on the market (for the components you get), I was worried about what I would need to spend to get that same quality elsewhere. The guys at the demo recommended that I check out a Giant Reign, rather than the Reign X, which is what I rode. They didn’t have any to test, so I would have to go to a store to check them out. But they told me the price, and again I was disappointed. But $2,800 was better than $3,000 at least!

I left the demo thinking I was going to have to make a sacrifice on my next bike and most likely be disappointed with anything I could get on my $1500 budget. (BTY, $1500 is the entry level price point for almost any big brand, new, full suspension bike these days..small brand bikes start well over twice that amount!)

So for the next few days I decided I was going to try and find the best bike I could for $1500. I compared almost everything and rode a ton of bikes, but most were still not comparable to the $3,000 bike I loved. This is when I came across a store selling a 2008 model giant Trance X2 for about ½ the retail price of a 2009 model. This wasn’t the model I was looking for, but I had never thought of looking for a 2008 model before.

After several days of looking and calling/visiting my local giant dealers, I found the Giant Reign 1 and it was well over $1000 off the retail price of a 2009. I actually got the bike for about $1650, which I think was a great deal. I’ll do a review on the bike later, after I’ve ridden a few hundred miles.

Ultimately, I would have purchased a full suspension bike either way, but without attending the Giant demo, I may not have realized the huge differences between one brand to the next. I would have just purchased the best components I could for $1500. By actually riding on a trail and then comparing other bikes under similar circumstances, I was able to determine the exact bike I wanted find the best possible price.

In the end, I got the bike I wanted at an affordable price. And, as always, credit cards will have to wait to get paid down next month!

Mike W Is a Guest Writer for Dirty Athlete, you can find him fighting foreclosure and helping people out over at foreclosurefish.com.

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