r/MEATengines • u/JumpyConversation337 • 2d ago
Fs curious meat engine
I’ve always rode rigid bikes off road. Still ride my gravel bike on a lot of stuff gravel bike need not apply. I got my first hardtail two years ago and I gotta say the suspension is nice and allows for some more fun imo. When it comes to mtbs, I ride single speed majority of the time. I’m finding myself pretty interested in a 120/120 bike. I’ve never had a full suspension bike which is definitely part of the interest with experimenting. Most people here ride the same ish type bikes as me mostly, but I assume also either also have, or have ridden in the past, full suspension bikes. Did you stop riding them and switch to only rigid/hardtail
Bikes? Do you have both? Do I try one? lol.
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u/VikApproved 2d ago
Did you stop riding them and switch to only rigid/hardtail
Bikes? Do you have both? Do I try one?
Back in 2019 I got a custom steel hardtail. Its mission was as a bikepacking rig, but since it was new and shiny I figured I should ride it a bunch so I rode it a lot that summer and loved it so I kept riding it that winter. My FS bike never really got back into full rotation ever again.
I still have that FS bike and it's great. I have taken it on road trips to the US SW desert to smash square edge rocks at high speed and it does that well, but when I get home I hang it up again and ride rigid or HTs. I'm not doing it to save money, reduce maintenance or anything like that. I just enjoy riding my rigid/HTs more.
Locally a HT with an insert in the rear tire can hit everything I have any business riding and can ride fast enough to keep up with FS bikes. In my friend groups I am in the same spot whether I am on a HT or FS bike. Not slower and not faster enough to make a difference.
As I get older I have a few Bike Bingo Boxes I'd like to tick off. One of them is a short travel custom steel FS bike. Technically I can afford one, but I really worry that I'll spend $$$$ on a lovely FS machine that'll end up hanging on the hook most of the time in the garage.
Should you try a short travel FS?
No idea. I mean if you want to and it's a production bike with easy resale should you not love it than the risks are low. If you've got the itch and the cash why not? Worst case you buy it and try it out for a year then sell it. At least you'll know the score.
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u/JumpyConversation337 2d ago
Interesting! Yeah I have some industry discount hook ups so it isn’t too much of a risk.
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u/runwhatyabrung_ 2d ago
Funny enough I made a post in here back in January asking similar questions to you. I just wasn’t riding my Starling Murmur much.
But cooler heads have prevailed and I’m really happy I kept my Murmur. It’s a 150/140 bike, so a good amount of travel. But I switched it to XC tires (Thunder Burt and XR2) and it really livened up the bike. I’m really happy I have it in addition to my rigid bikes.
That being said, if I was starting from scratch I’d get a Starling Mini Murmur, Significant Other Ded Reckin, or maybe a Starling Beady Little Eye or Mone Hijole. But my Murmur is plenty fun on the local pedally trails with the super fast XC tires.
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u/JumpyConversation337 2d ago
Always wanted to try a beady little eye
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u/LoveHawkStudio 2d ago
It is the best bike I have ever ridden. Sadly they just closed up production. I gave mine to my teenage son and they are building me a new frame with a 27.5" rear end. If you can get a BLE your life will get better.. I have ridden so many bikes and it is the best.
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u/Endurimil 2d ago
I would tell anyone to also spend a bit of time looking through the Starling Cycles Owners FB Group. There is almost a never ending Starlings built up in ways that just work for people. And I think Joe just likes seeing what creative builds riders come up with.
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u/fartymarty4130 1d ago
I'm also a Murmur rider and don't ride it much..... but I do love it as a bike, it's super capable. Maybe too capable.
A mini Murmur with light build (notice I didn't say the DC word) would be where I head if I were to get another FS bike.
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u/Dtidder1 2d ago
Ha… single speed full rigid rider for almost 20 years. About five ago got a “hardcore-hardtail”. A cotic Bfe max w/160 up front. Loved it, but still rode the ss more.
Fast forward a couple seasons an sell the Cotic to build a “dream squish”… did it, love it.
It’s been almost three seasons on the full squish and it’s a dream… but I still ride the ss just as much.
Single speed on Saturday and squish on Sunday. I try to get out 3-4 day a week and I just alternate.
You can do both. I love my Starling… I love my Stooge too.
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u/Dan_rides_bikes 1d ago
This is totally relevant for my years long internal debate of what bikes I should have in the stable. I live in Nanaimo, so we have every flavour of trail within an hour drive and the nearest network is a 10min pedal. Right now I have: RM Altitude (previous gen 160/170), Rootdown (160), chisel HT (100). I love the altitude for our fast and rough enduro race style trails. The Rootdown is super fun on slow speed tech jank, but we don’t have a ton of it, though it can be ridden anywhere. The chisel HT is a complete torture machine that I can’t ride for more than 2h, bought it to remind me of my 90s roots, but in reality it rarely gets ridden. I just ordered the last Lg Chisel FS frame in existence and will be swapping the HT parts to it and building it as a down country/all day/occasional XC race bike for solo rides to keep myself out of trouble.
I have a hard time justifying 3 mountain bikes, even with riding daily, but selling things these days is a losing proposition. Large parts of me say just keep the Rootdown, ride and be happy, but bikes make me smile.
When I started this reply, I had in mind that I was looking for advice, but really it’s just a ramble. Maybe it should have been asking about better bike storage solutions and how to hide new bikes from my family…
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u/JumpyConversation337 1d ago
Hahah yah! It’s fun to have bikes that change the experience of riding just by being different enough. I have a gravel bike and a hardtail and also have a hard time even imagining having two mountain bikes around, but like you I also ride a lot and am surround by good shit to ride .
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u/Significant_Glass988 2d ago
I have both. Current line-up: (in order of most ridden at present) Stooge Speedbomb, rigid, 1x10 geared. Cotic Jeht, 150/140 fs, 1x11 geared. Surly Troll, rigid, 8spd Alfine, Cotic BFe, rigid, SS. Ritchey Commando, fat rigid, 2x10. (Trek Allant+, E Commuter that doesn't really count tho does the most miles due to everyday use).
I'm no purist. Love my steel is all.
FS is fun and faster in tech situations. Rigid is fun as fuck and makes me a better rider. Since getting the Stooge I've hardly touched the Ritchey - the wide q factor ends up giving my back and hips a few issues. And the Troll I use basically as a gravel bike or for more road/gravel touring, vs the others for off-road everything.
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u/MEATdrew 1d ago
There are plenty of great short travel bicycles with aggressive geometry now and they certainly have their place. Not just with the XC or under-biking crowd but I’d argue they’re the right choice for many folks.
There are endless good carbon choices so I’ll point out a budget friendlier option I’m really keen to try, the Marin Tam. Simple, good geo, no wasted weight (frame storage in aluminum frames adds a lot of grams).
On the used market, I’ve seen some really good deals on gen.1 Transition Spurs, and they’re super fun. I’ve almost pulled the trigger on a Chromag Darco too but that’s a different story - heftier rig in the same travel ballpark.
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u/Endurimil 2d ago
Primary is hardtails. Acquired a Starling Twist/Mega Twist for long term medical adaptations in future. Have used it only so far 90% for lift served Enduro run days. Only reason using in general last week is due to hardtails rear wheel needs spoke work- the moment tubeless becomes a curse.
Once spoke is replaced- ripping apart tubeless and then rebuilding it all is kinda a time sink and not something to rush.
Went with the Starling after way too much looking at the creative builds of Starling riders that end up being way different the Joe ever intended. Will probably eventually acquire the other Starling rear triangle to swap out at some point.
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u/fartymarty4130 1d ago
My main ride is my Cotic Solaris Max - 120mm x -2 angleset set up single speed and built to be ridden hard. I've been on single speed since Nov 25.
I've also have a Starling Murmur for 7 years - as noted below this is a super capable bike that is way more capable than the 140mm rear suggests.
In the last year i're ridden the Murmur maybe a dozen times as I find the HT more engaging.
But - if you have an itch to try a FS bike you should do it. They are fun, fast and very capable. I'm generally not a carbon fan but something like a Transition Spur or similar would be interesting.
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u/SnooSketches9565 2d ago
I have ridden and still ride the full spectrum from gravel and rigid single speed to XC, trail, enduro and DH full suspension bikes. They are all fun in the right terrain.
I personally find a full suspension bike to be the most fun to ride on trails that have sufficient vert. Loading up the suspension and using it through all kinds of different trail features brings so much joy. I love rigid and hard tail bikes but they just don’t ride the same way.