MEC Lynx Mountain Bike - Is it any good?

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invictus43 said:
I hope Grip-Shift is buried forever...
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Haters gonna hate.

rmemedic said:
I HATED grip-shift, horrible. Could never get it adjusted so all the gears rode properly through the deraileur.
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You weren't doing it right. I used SRT-800s for DH + DS for years (one season on Precision Billet's machined Pro Shift system when I was mad at Sram), and in thousands of runs I never had a mis-shift that couldn't be attributed to operator error. It had to be CLEAN, you had to use Jonnisnot on it, and you had to use good cables. With it set up and working right, there is no trigger system made that can run through the block with the speed of a twist shift. When the clock's ticking, that can be a huge factor. Going for a ride in the woods I'm happy with either of the three systems. Of my 11 MTBs, 2 have Grip Shift (ironically, they're FS bikes, in contravention of MBA's ghost shifting dogma), 2 have Shimano triggers, and 7 have Shimano thumb shifters.
 
FullMotoJacket said:
Of my 11 MTBs, 2 have Grip Shift (ironically, they're FS bikes, in contravention of MBA's ghost shifting dogma), 2 have Shimano triggers, and 7 have Shimano thumb shifters.
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Wait, you have 11 MTB's? Avid cyclist? Collector? What do you do with them all?
 
Baggsy said:
Wait, you have 11 MTB's? Avid cyclist? Collector? What do you do with them all?
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Yes. Yes. Yes. I ride them.

Here's some of the steel ones..........well, the Xizang is Ti, but it's one of the ones with the glued 'n screwed steel rear triangles, and it insists on being in the pics with the other steel bikes. :icon_smile: And you don't want to know how much money is sitting there.

ir2.jpg


forgot the Catalyst is a single speed. That's 6 with thumbshifters.
 
O.k. where can I get this Devinci Cameleon 3?
 
Baggsy said:
O.k. where can I get this Devinci Cameleon 3?
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gonna have to disagree with full moto here. the cameleon is not a better bike than the mec. Just the fork alone on the Mec is far better than the pos dart on the cameleon. The difference in frames are negligible at this price point, so id go with the bike that has the better componentry--> the MEC.

But look used, there are some wicked deals to be had on Pinkbike and MTBR.
 
29er rims will take 700c tires (but some are very tight). I have a set of 700x28 that I put on if I am going for a road ride on crap pavement. It makes for an indestructible cross bike. As they are wider rims, going narrower than 28 is not advisable.



Baggsy said:
The problem with buying used is you have to know something about what you're buying. I don't think Marin was in business that long when I bought mine, before that I had 10 speeds that kept getting stolen, and before that a 28" balloon tire single speed, to which I added ape hangars, a banana seat and a 4' sissybar complete with headrest. For the 29'er I sort of realize the lack of tire issue. It's sort of like the presta vs schrader valves, years ago. Can 700's be put on the rims or is it a completely different size?





Drivetrain is what I usually beat the stuff out of first. I've read that about the brakes. Any thoughts on the Avalanche, or is it too inexpensive?
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GreyGhost said:
I have a 29'er, but if you plan on mountain biking much, I would recommend a normal 26" wheelset. I love my bike, but 29'ers are heavier (or way more expensive) and don't turn as quickly as the smaller bikes. Most of the trails I ride were built by people with smaller bikes and the switchbacks are a *****. Get it on a fireroad or terrible pavement and it will run away though, it all depends where you ride.
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Yeah, that's my opinion as well. I feel too on-top of the 29'er. Too high up and over the front. Much prefer the 26" bike for things like the tough trails at Kelso. On pavement or non-technical hard-pack, the 29'er rolls fast. If I have only one bike, I'm taking the 26".
 
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FullMotoJacket said:
You weren't doing it right. I used SRT-800s for DH + DS for years (one season on Precision Billet's machined Pro Shift system when I was mad at Sram), and in thousands of runs I never had a mis-shift that couldn't be attributed to operator error. It had to be CLEAN, you had to use Jonnisnot on it, and you had to use good cables. With it set up and working right, there is no trigger system made that can run through the block with the speed of a twist shift. When the clock's ticking, that can be a huge factor. Going for a ride in the woods I'm happy with either of the three systems. Of my 11 MTBs, 2 have Grip Shift (ironically, they're FS bikes, in contravention of MBA's ghost shifting dogma), 2 have Shimano triggers, and 7 have Shimano thumb shifters.
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The new SRAM rapid-fire style shifters only hit one gear change at a time when downshifting which actually is kinda cool. Shimano does the 2 or 3 gear thing but sometimes when you're a little delerious after 3 laps at Kelso being chased down by a 90lb kid who climbs like Pantani his-own-self, you can start missing gears when upshifting. The 1-click, 1-gear thing is nice..kinda like military gear that has things like "This End Toward Enemy" printed on them.. :-)
 
Baggsy said:
What's your pick for a bike in the $600-$1000 range? Second shop wants me on a Kona Mahuna 29'er - told me it was $850, but says $750 on the web site. Third shop is small, most expensive bike I think is a GT Avalanche 3.0 with a hydralic disk - I think it was between $600-$700.
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Personally, I think there is a "top tier" of bikes that are affordable..for me..Trek, Giant, Specialized, Rocky Mountain, Kona..I rate them all pretty much the same. Giant used to make a huge amount of frames and bikes for world markets sold under various brands. They still have pretty good bikes for a fair price..although they look gash at times. I try to find the things that are important to me and see which of the brands works for me. Geometry is important, reliability, then light weight. I hate to name specific bikes for people in case they don't like them and blame me!! :-)
 
knowledge said:
are there any fixie riders on here?
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They're all out training for the next Hipster Olympics.

[video=youtube;kAO4EVMlpwM]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAO4EVMlpwM&feature=related[/video]
 
caboose483 said:
i really don't get the appeal of a fixie..:confused:
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Back in the day... :-) We rode them to improve our pedalling technique..and for fun. Nowadays it's a fashion statement. I like their simplicity..but they really aren't as efficient. They work in Toronto because it's mostly flat here. Horses for courses..if it works for you, have at it.
 
A neighbour had a bike with no gears and no brakes if that's what a fixie is, back in the day i.e. late 60's, early 70's. He wore one of those tiny peaked caps on the bike.
 
FullMotoJacket said:
They're all out training for the next Hipster Olympics.

[/video=youtube;kAO4EVMlpwM]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAO4EVMlpwM&feature=related[/video]
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lmao

caboose483 said:
i really don't get the appeal of a fixie..:confused:
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I asked the same question a couple of months ago. I couldn't figure out why you'd want to give up coasting (and for a lot of people, brakes).

They strengthen my knees (which also helps with working out/lifting), they're a lot smoother 'cause there's no dead stroke when you pedal, and they make you more strategic about riding (so it's a lot more fun for me). I also don't change gears on my road bike (I climb hills on the highest one), so the other gears go unused, anyway. And stopping is just as much of a workout as pedaling when you're going fast and trying to slow down.

The other half of the fun for me is in trying to learn to wheelie, track-standing (when you pedal back and forth so you don't have to put your feet down), riding backwards, and trying to learn other tricks. It's actually such a workout 'cause the bike I've been using to practice on isn't geared for tricking. I can practice for hours in a small enclosed space aka a dead day at work.

It's funny 'cause I make fun of my hipster friends all the time, and here I am looking to get a fixie...
 
knowledge said:
lmao


I asked the same question a couple of months ago. I couldn't figure out why you'd want to give up coasting (and for a lot of people, brakes).

They strengthen my knees (which also helps with working out/lifting), they're a lot smoother 'cause there's no dead stroke when you pedal, and they make you more strategic about riding (so it's a lot more fun for me). I also don't change gears on my road bike (I climb hills on the highest one), so the other gears go unused, anyway. And stopping is just as much of a workout as pedaling when you're going fast and trying to slow down.

The other half of the fun for me is in trying to learn to wheelie, track-standing (when you pedal back and forth so you don't have to put your feet down), riding backwards, and trying to learn other tricks. It's actually such a workout 'cause the bike I've been using to practice on isn't geared for tricking. I can practice for hours in a small enclosed space aka a dead day at work.

It's funny 'cause I make fun of my hipster friends all the time, and here I am looking to get a fixie...
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Interesting. If you do have a dead stroke then you're in the wrong gear.

I don't think a fixie would be ideal for what I require from a bicycle. I do a lot of training on my tri-bike and i've seen 67kph on it before, I don't think I'd want to do that without brakes. I also like be able to ajdust my cadence for various exercises. I do spend about 95% of my time, or more, on the large chain ring on the front.

With my mountain bike i've found that I change gears too much in the effort to maintain my preferred cadence, this leads to a hand cramp after about an hour of riding. Im shifting less now and letting my cadence wander a bit outside of my preference zone, I don't mind it that much and it helps me work on some power training.
 
If your going down to MEC you should stop in at Duke's Cycle on Queen east of Bathurst. Not the cheapest shop in town but I'm sure they could find you a comparable bike for under a grand. I know they have a few Treks less than that and a few other brands in that range too. The guys working there have all been there for years - they'll find you a ride.
 
Well, looks like I'm going to find out.
I went down and test rode it last week and it seemed like a good ride.
Had them put a rack and change the stem on in for free, so I'm ready to pedal with the family.
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