recommendation for first 29er?

[austinmark]

for the last 3 years, i've been doing a fair amount of singletrack riding on my converted SS giant rincon. my giant rincon was a cheap bike when i bought it in 1997, then it got worse when i let it sit outside, unloved for 3 years while in law school. anywho, i converted it to SS 3 years ago because it was cheaper than replacing all the rusted components. it's rough!

...so the point of my post is to ask which 29er you'd recommend for under $800ish and any worthwhile customizations to be done to your recommended bike? -- that's how much i imagine my wife will tolerate me spending without flipping out. i'll probably stay single-speed, so don't worry about recommending a geared 29er. i've ridden the kona unit, RL monocog, and the XXIX and have enjoyed them all. are any of those (or any other 29er) really good ones to consider? it's hard to get a shop to tell me about any bike they don't carry in stock, and i haven't read a really bad review of any 29er.

for background, i ride singletrack in austin, texas, am 6' tall and weigh 175ish. any help?

...oh, i also covet indy fabs and willits (but my $800 wouldn't get me close to even a frame).

[bdee]

If you like the RL go for it and upgrade to discs (Avid BB7s, not BB5s) and then upgrade as things break down the road. The bikes are pretty tough, the only thing I can think of that could pose problems sooner rather than later would be the BB wearing out. The wheels seem to hold up well from what I've seen (local hammers riding the p*ss out of them). Pricewise the RL is the best deal out of the bunch of lower priced 29er SSs (Raleigh, GT, Jamis, Haro, SE, Kona etc..). It's heavy, but for $500 who cares?

[MMcG]

Look also for 2007 Haro Mary bikes. Great value and they should be right around 800 now with discs. Other models to keep an eye out for would be the Redline XXiX (nonsuspension corrected if that floats your boat), and if you don't mind using V-brakes exclusively the GT Peace is a nice 29er SS. Might be hard, but it might be worth it to keep an eye out for 2007 Jamis exiles as well.

Then again - the Monocog ain't too bad either.

[austinmark]

what do y'all think of a new, '06 GF rig for $900? my LBS still has one it hasn't gotten rid of. it looks like a bit of a nicer bike -- nice aluminum with a reba sl to take out some of the vibration.

[MMcG]

Go in with $750.00 in cash and see if they'll take it. just watch out for the seat tube/top tube junction (make sure you have plenty of seatpost inserted in the frame.

I think the Rigs were about a grand brand new in 2006 and now that purple frame is 2 years old as 2008s are now coming out.

[bdee]

Go for that '06 for $750 and if it breaks your LBS should take care of you (most likely with a new frame). The downside will be being without a frame IF it breaks. Do a search on MTBR for broken Rigs - the early frames seem to break all over the place. Stays, TT/ST area and the BB area being the most common spots. The Rig will certainly be a lot lighter and come with much nicer parts. Make sure to get a 1/2 way decent test ride - Fisher Geometry is a little different - long TT short stem, short stays and usually a lower BB. They rail corners and climb nice but spedal strikes can be an issue on rocky trails (you could always get some 170mm cranks and take care of that if it's an issue).

The Jamis has been known to have some HT/DT and TT breaks as well - I'm sure they straightened this out and they do have awesome CS.