Thread: k2 bikes

Looking for opinions on the lithium 3.0/4.0 and the t-nine ridgeline. I have no experience with k2 products except for their ski's/snowboards that IMHO are only made to a midgrade standard.

I can't give any opinions on those specific bikes, but my wife rides a ZED hardtail from a couple of years ago. One of the higher end models and excpet for the crappy Noleen shock it has been great.

I also work with an athlete that rides for K2 bikes and he loves 'em. He races XC and short track. He rides a ZED for short track and an Apache for XC. He has had nothing but good things to say.

Originally Posted by Bluebird

I also work with an athlete that rides for K2 bikes and he loves 'em. He races XC and short track. He rides a ZED for short track and an Apache for XC. He has had nothing but good things to say.

Like he's going to badmouth his spancer

True, but he had the option of riding for Ironhorse and chose to stick with K2. Its a product sponsorship so money would not have played a part. As always, take it for what its worth.

Originally Posted by shmoesmith

Looking for opinions on the lithium 3.0/4.0 and the t-nine ridgeline. I have no experience with k2 products except for their ski's/snowboards that IMHO are only made to a midgrade standard.

I actually have the Lithium 4.0 - well, at the moment it's in the shop (not a big deal). but anyway...

Is this for you or your wife? (can't tell, but i assume your wife, cause the t-nine is the women's line)

Ok, so that's my first full suspension bike. I bought it mainly cause i got a pretty sweet deal on it. and I just needed something to ride.

It fit ok, but not great, and i hadn't ridden a lot of other bikes for fit. Now it's pretty much bugging me - it's very 'short' from saddle to stem. and i'm a
a farily long torso'd girl, about 5'7".. i think the frame is 'medium' or about 16?

That said, it's taken A LOT of abuse from me learning and stuff... so i'd say its holding up well.. AND, i probably should mention in the interest of full disclosure,
my bike is THE ACTUAL bike from this review: http://mountainbike.about.com/od/com...lithium_4x.htm - the thing has seen a lot of action in its short lifetime.

Bottomline, get out and try a lot of different bikes to find the best one for you/your wife.

Originally Posted by skiguide

I actually have the Lithium 4.0 - well, at the moment it's in the shop (not a big deal). but anyway...

Is this for you or your wife? (can't tell, but i assume your wife, cause the t-nine is the women's line)

Actually it would be for my wife. The reason I mentioned both was because they use two different types of suspension. The lithium appears to use a 4bar setup and the t-nine uses something else. Not sure which one is best. Sometimes to get the performance you want, you cant go women specific (which is why I brought up the lithium). She may be able to get a pro-deal on them as apposed to most other bike brands, that siad....dont want to buy a piece of junk.

Originally Posted by shmoesmith

Actually it would be for my wife. The reason I mentioned both was because they use two different types of suspension. The lithium appears to use a 4bar setup and the t-nine uses something else. Not sure which one is best. Sometimes to get the performance you want, you cant go women specific (which is why I brought up the lithium). She may be able to get a pro-deal on them as apposed to most other bike brands, that siad....dont want to buy a piece of junk.

k. well, like i said, i wouldn't have bought this is if it wasn't for the crazy good price, so if your wife can get the pro-deal, AND it fits her well, it probably won't be a bad bike for her..

They've got them at REI on 3300S, so she should go try it out for fit.

Hmm... maybe she should just buy mine..... yeah, that's the ticket... then i can get a bigger bike.. yea, good plan..

Just a heads up - women specific bikes are often just a gimmick.

Take a non-women-specific bike:
Saw the bars to make them narrower, or replace with shorter. Replace seat with a women-specific seat. Shorten the stem to shorten the reach. Viola, a women's specific bike.

Just sayin is all, don't limit your options by looking too much into just women specific bikes. Sometimes they cost more and give you less travel / cheaper components than an equivalent non-specific bike.

Well, she tried both the lithium 3.0 in a womens small and she didnt like the way it fit her. She also rode the womens t-nine ridgeline in a size small at sundance and really liked the way it fit. Since the ridgeline is all pretty low end components and the suspension isnt that great, I think we will see how the t-nine summit would fit her (it has a bit better setup)

Originally Posted by shmoesmith

Well, she tried both the lithium 3.0 in a womens small and she didnt like the way it fit her. She also rode the womens t-nine ridgeline in a size small at sundance and really liked the way it fit. Since the ridgeline is all pretty low end components and the suspension isnt that great, I think we will see how the t-nine summit would fit her (it has a bit better setup)

how tall is your wife anyway? I didn't think she'd be in a SM frame anyway for some reason. and then you said Stump's small would be too small for her?
i'm confused.

(edit: btw, mine is the lithium 4.0 with pretty decent components)

Originally Posted by skiguide

how tall is your wife anyway? I didn't think she'd be in a SM frame anyway for some reason. and then you said Stump's small would be too small for her?
i'm confused.

(edit: btw, mine is the lithium 4.0 with pretty decent components)

I guess what lead me to believe it would be too small was the 23x13 rim size...is that a 23" rim? I've never heard of a 23" rim before. Also of concern is the 3.5" of suspension travel. As it is, I'm leary of only 4" if we are hitting things like porcupine in moab. That said, I dont know jack about GT bikes, and have only heard that they are lower end build bicycles (although the compontents on that bike seem solid)oh, BTW she is 5'4"

At 5'4" I'd put her on a small. I'm 5'7" and ride a medium for XC, small for DH.

Also, pretty sure they don't make 23" rims, since I've never seen a 23" tire or tube....probably a 26" since it's an adult bike and is a typo. Seeing the bike before, it's a 26". At a stretch, it could be a 24" rim, but that's usually only seen on a kids bike or special purpose ride.