best full suspension mountain bike?

i am looking into getting a full suspension(front and rear)
bike
like to ride but the constant jarring is messing with my back.
about 6'2" 270 pounds.
want something durable that has capability to carry cargo.
any suggestions?

Might want to stay away from heavy and shoddy department store (Walmart, etc.) full suspensions. Build quality is poor, and the rear suspension often isn't very comfortable/adjustable. You could look into a suspension seatpost as a cheaper and lighter alternative, and you can find then at pretty much any bike store or online (nashbar.com, supergo.com...)
A hardtail with a suspension seatpost is very efficient when pedaling, since you don't lose any energy to pedal rotations. Just a thought!

go mtbreview.com

It all depends on what you want to do with it, how much you're willing to pay, etc.

Hey, almost like choosing a light! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

I agree with the previous posts.

In my experience there aren't good options for toting supplies on the FS bike because you don't have the ability to clamp between the rear hub and the seatpost.

There are seatpost-only attachments (such as from Delta named "Postporter" maybe?) but that puts more weight up above & behind the suspension. I wouldn't advocate hanging a bunch of groceries there or anything with weight to it.

The best-reviewed full-suspension-bike cargo solution is one of the B.O.B. trailers. It attaches to your rear hub, requiring only that you remove your skewer.

As for the bikes. It really really does depend on what yclo said. Plus ...

- what repair option you want to do. (mail-order & self-repair, or give to shop w/instock parts, for example)

- how often are you willing to have it that it needs to be maintained? (For example, usually the more complex the rear linkage, the more frequently it needs maintenance.)

- what's the application? Rocky trails? Hills? Mountains? Flatland typical of Dayton? Just mainly road riding but with lots of potholes?

- etc.

Also, at 270 I'm thinking you might want to look at the freeride bikes because they'll be less spindly and also offer adjustable and mucho travel to ease your back pain. Plus they tend to have metal-spring shocks. (Steel or Ti) I'll just be dogmatic and say you'll only be swearing at a blown air shock, front or rear. The air's would need more frequent maintenance too. Go for metal springs as the main shock components.

So we haven't heard any news yet snakebite -- have you talked yourself beyond even the $6500 production models? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

(I'm also looking for some vicarious pleasure in this. For some reason it's fun to follow someone's decision process.)

no way i will spend more for a bicycle than i paid for a 1500 cc goldwing.i do not need ultra light competition grade hardware.looking for durability and abuse tolerance.
i may even put a 24v dc motor on it and a 12v system for the yaesu ft90 mobile rig and 3 ls headlamp.

Snakebite,

Giant makes one of the more highly-touted full-sus mountain bikes for the money these days. I forget the exact model, but I do know that it is (or at least was) available with different components at different price points, but use the same frame setup.

Supposedly has that magic mix of geometry/design that offers outstanding suspension performance without the dreaded pedaling-induced bobbing associated with many lesser designs.

Truthfully, I'm not a MB technical guru - but I've seen the thing and talked frequently with guys I know that ride 'em. Many have sold other MB's to get one of these 'cuz they offer lots of bang for the buck.

Don't know if there's one in the shop right now, but I'd suggest you go see Ezio at Tipp Cyclery. He won't BS you-and wants customers to make informed purchases and not be disappointed in any way.

John

I have a pedaling-induced bobbing one, mainly because I bought it used for a steal but if the new ones are not better in which I'm sure they are, I would take a front only suspension hardtail over this bike anyday.

Well...i've been searching for a bike as well. I have stayed away from the full-suspension frame because my budget cannot exceed 600 dollars.

Pretty much, all the bike dealers in my area tell me that ANY full suspension bike under $1000 is CRAP. They sell 500 to 800 dollar full suspension bikes but they say that i'm better off getting a nice entry-level hard tail for that price range.

I've personally settled upon either the Giant Iguana Disc or the Specialized Hard Rock Pro. I pretty much have to ride them both and see which one feels the best on the road. I could spend 200 dollars less than this with other models, but i have found that the DISC BRAKES on these bikes are too sweet to pass up. So i've decided to spend the extra 200 dollars for this level of quality. I could always buy a bike not equiped with disc brakes and upgrade later....but i figure that it would cost more than 200 dollars to upgrade anyway.

If a hard tale is giving you back problems you might want to buy one of those seats with a suspension mechanism on them already. THey are kind of pricy, but a decent full-suspension mountain bike will cost you AT LEAST $1200 US.

I'm not a pro, but from a dozen trips to various bike shops, many opinions from bike vendors, and enthusiasts from MTBreview.com, i've pretty much narrowed down my choices and feel like i have covered most of my bases.

I hope that helps. Good luck on your search! Buying a nice bike isn't like what it use to be when we were kids. We would be TOTALLY happy with bikes from Target or Kmart in the 200 dollar range....not anymore.

After reviewing and thinking more about your requirements, i would also like to add that maybe a full suspension bike isn't for you...especially if you are planning on carrying cargo with you.

If you are looking for a FS bike primarily to alleviate your back problems while riding, i would say that you should look at some comfort bikes or recreational mountain bikes.

I was having some trouble deciding whether or not i should get a road bike, comfort bike, or a recreational mountain bike because i will be primarily using it for road travel, but i would also like a bike that can handle some occasianal trails in case i get board. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif I do not plan on extreme mountain biking...so a full suspension wasn't needed.

Besides, i believe that most of the new rear suspension technology was designed for "hard-tail like" performance. Older generation rear suspensions soaked up too much pedaling power, so now they are being designed for performance rather than for comfort. So, with the new designs, you will experience a stiff ride when pedaling and riding through light trails, but the suspension will kick in when you hit the harder stuff.

Besides, by the time you will actually use your rear-suspension capabilities, your butt won't be on that seat. You are usually off your seat when you start heading into harsher terrain. Also, if you have cargo, you'll probably lose it all on your first hit. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Maybe you should tell us what kind of rider you are? Do you usually bike around town or plan on using this bike on trails?

SOrry...if i keep buttin in...

After doing some research i found some nice comfort bikes that you might like. THey have a full suspension frame...though i don't know if they were designed to take the abuse of extreme off-road conditions.


2003 Giant Cypress ($300-600)



2003 Giant Revive Ultimate Comfort. ($800-1200)


2003 Giant Prodigy DX. ($1200+)

This is actually a cool lookin bike. I think they have disc breaks AND break lights too. If you look closely at the handle bars, you'll notive that it also has a built in headlight too! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

hadnt thought about the bobbing problem.kinda like the annoying problem the early shaft drive motorcycles have.
got a old 1100 suzuki to fix up and thought something was bad in the suspension.especially now that ive rebuilt the carbs and it now runs on all 4!
i will be paying a visit to a few local shops to see whats out there.

Brooklyn Machine Works TMX

10.5" of rear travel, equal or more in the front depending on choice of fork.

More than $6000USD.....

URL's of some bike companies, component mfr's.

snakebite, do you always get snakebites on your tubes? try panaracers they have anti snake-bite(asb) protection. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

You haven't list out the trails you take. Most bikes can carry cargo and most of them are durable unless you want to do stun or go extreame with your eletric/petrol powered mountain bike. I would suggest that you buy a copy of MountainBike, OR watch mountain bike competition such as downhills or dual slalom they have lots of tough, long travel suspension competition proven bikes there.

It all ends up how you tune your suspension system for comfort or performance. RockShox, Fox, Manitao, Mazorcchi, WhiteBros are the suspension brands to look out for.

Most bikes with full suspension have multiple moving links that you have to service once a while. If you want linkage free, service free, take a look at the Ibis Cycles - BowTi http://ibiscycles.consumedesign.com/products/bikes/mtb/bow_ti/

However, you still need to lube your shoxs once a while to get the old/dirty lube out to keep it smooth.

no snakebite problems on a bike.
got a thorn in a tire once.
this will be used mostly on the street.
some off road but not real rough stuff.

Heh. Hey nukiez that's $4000 for the frame only. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif
(You undoubtably knew that but I just had to elbow you about it.)

Snakebite doesn't want to pay more than for his fancy 1500cc motorcycle. (I once toured Europe in a car with less than 1/2 that displacement!)

But it is a cool bicycle. I've been on one. Rather flexy to say the least though and I'm only 170lbs. Oh yeah, and even though it hasn't changed since ~1998 when it was "only" $2500 as I recall.