29er recommendations

[atombessy]

Hi ladies! I'm in the market for a new FS mountain bike. Currently I'm riding a Julianna (2006) size medium (21.5" toptube).

I rode a fancy Niner at a demo this weekend, the Carbon Jet 9 RDO - why do they let people try out a crazy expensive bike! It was very very nice, and now I have a bike shopping bug, but that price point just ain't gonna happen. What I'm looking for:

29er
22" toptube (so somewhere in the xsmall/small department for non WSD bikes)
full suspension - the stiffer the better? I think Julianna's older suspension is losing me a LOT of energy on climbs, she's great on rock gardens and roots, but I think overall I want a much less squishy rear shock.
prefer Shimano parts to Sram
Price point: $3k give or take

So what do you think ladies? What the best bang for your buck in that price range?

EDIT: I'm totally expecting an aluminum frame in that price range, sorry for not being clear!

[TigerMom]

Hi ladies! I'm in the market for a new FS mountain bike. Currently I'm riding a Julianna (2006) size medium (21.5" toptube).

I rode a fancy Niner at a demo this weekend, the Carbon Jet 9 RDO - why do they let people try out a crazy expensive bike! It was very very nice, and now I have a bike shopping bug, but that price point just ain't gonna happen. What I'm looking for:

29er
22" toptube (so somewhere in the xsmall/small department for non WSD bikes)
full suspension - the stiffer the better? I think Julianna's older suspension is losing me a LOT of energy on climbs, she's great on rock gardens and roots, but I think overall I want a much less squishy rear shock.
prefer Shimano parts to Sram
Price point: $3k give or take

So what do you think ladies? What the best bang for your buck in that price range?

I could be wrong but I don't think that there are any brand new Carbon Full Suspension 29ers that are in that $3000 price range. I think that you have to aim more at the $4000 price range for a new carbon full suspension 29er unless someone is getting rid of prior year models. There are plenty of carbon hardtail 29ers and aluminum full suspension in your < $3000 price range. Maybe search for a used one?

Also, can you put in more air in your Juliana's rear suspension so that it is a "less squishy" rear shock or possibly buy a newer model rear shock?

[atombessy]

Hi TigerMom, you're right, I wasn't clear in my post! I totally don't need a carbon frame, haha. Aluminum with current generation suspension would be just fine. I don't know all the technical terms but while I can add air to my rear shock, it doesn't have the technology that allows bumps to effect it from below but not bumps to effect it from above. So I'd like a more current generation suspension design, preferably with the lock out option. Thanks for pointing that out :)

[Becky]

I demo'ed that same bike and ended up with an alloy Niner Jet 9. I've ridden it all season, including some fairly technical places, and been really happy with it. If I sold it today, I'd probably replace it with the new version they just released....air-formed and with 100 mm of travel, rather than 80 mm like mine.

Edit: I chose to buy a frame during their sale last December and pick my own parts rather than purchase something pre-built. I ended up with full XT, a SID XX fork (closeout cuz it's QR, not thru-axle), and I built up a set of wheels with some XTR hubs I had and a set of Stan's Crest rims. Pricewise, it was comparable to their 3-star build: http://www.ninerbikes.com/jet9. It was worth a little bit of extra work on my part to get exactly what I wanted and grab some stuff on closeout as well.

[TrekDianna]

This is a good time to be shopping so check around. The shops around here are closing out whatever they have left and the two FS we bought in the last week we got at 60-75% off.

[TigerMom]

Hi TigerMom, you're right, I wasn't clear in my post! I totally don't need a carbon frame, haha. Aluminum with current generation suspension would be just fine. I don't know all the technical terms but while I can add air to my rear shock, it doesn't have the technology that allows bumps to effect it from below but not bumps to effect it from above. So I'd like a more current generation suspension design, preferably with the lock out option. Thanks for pointing that out :)

I always like hearing about new bikes, so I am NOT trying to convince you to keep your Juliana. However, I also initially was going to pay extra to swap in a rear suspension with lock-out. However, my LBS actually talked me out of it because they said that they rarely bother locking out the rear suspension on climbs because they are so busy pedaling. Already, the rider has to remember to lock out the front suspension on the uphills (unless the front suspension has some type of brain that figures out the terrain on its own), so that they are too lazy to also lock out the rear suspension. They also said that the purpose of the full suspension is to also provide some comfort against the bumps/dips while pedaling uphill. Anyways, that is what my LBS had said so I just wanted to mention this to you as you are evaluating your purchases.