# 2012 Trek Rumblefish Elite Vs What???



## Element36 (Nov 18, 2009)

So I have been riding seriously for 3 years 46yrs old 236lbs. (6ft)
Ride alteast 4 time a week - 2-4hrs
First hardtail - 2009 GT Agressor - $200 of Kijiji.(New May 2009)
2nd Hardtail - 2009 Kona Caldera - $1000.00 (New April 2010)
Kone - on the 4th complete drivetrain. Kept busting the freehub so bought a NovaTech sealed bearing hub with 3 pawl freehub....have not looked back.

So now I am tired of getting caught on trail features and sailing gracefully over the bars.
I want a 29er...and DSUS (for my back after 3+hrs).
The 2012 trek Rumblefish seems to fit the bill... or is there something better...
at $2850.00 (pre-ordered) it is a decent price too.

I am pretty agressive, love hills (up/down) and the twisty arm numbing singletrack.

So on the off chance anyone else has an opinion I really could use the help..


----------



## snipes1 (Aug 13, 2011)

*rumblefish*

I have the 2011 rumblefish XL, and absolutely love it. I looked at the epic 29 but felt that the extra travel of the rumblefish was well needed. Norco makes the shanobi 130/120 of travel and heard its a pretty nice bike. I might be lookng to sale my rumblefish 1 in anticipation of the roscoe


----------



## mtnbiker72 (Jan 22, 2007)

I looked at the 2011 Rumblefish, but I ended up with the Stumpjumper FSR 29 Comp...I liked the component spec better and the ride is just astonishing...lots of positive reviews on the 29er forum of the Stumpy FSR.


----------



## Element36 (Nov 18, 2009)

Thanks guys I am looking at comparing the specs on both..


----------



## snipes1 (Aug 13, 2011)

Want to buy my 2011 XL rumblefish 1 for 2400.00


----------



## texasnavy05 (Sep 9, 2010)

I would go with the niner rip but it will most likely be a bit more than the rumblefish


----------



## megafrenzy (Apr 4, 2005)

I rode a bunch of 29ers at Outerbike, not all of them, but close. I wasn't asking about price, so I don't know where these fall in costwise with the elite. 

Top 3
Rumblefish pro
Santa Cruz Tallboy
Pivot 429

The ones I liked (as far as ride) 
Epic 29
Turner Sultan 
Intense Spyder 29
Rocky Mountain Altitude 29

Not so much 
StumpJumper 29
Rocky Mountain Element 29 (XL tested)
DeVinci Atlas (medium tested)
Niner Jet9
GT Sensor 29 (XL tested)

Unable to test:
Niner Rip9
Kona 29
Giant 29

Now I'm not a pro bike tester, just someone who went to Outerbike to the hunt for a 29er - looking for the best ride. I rode these bikes for at least a half mile on the trail, up to a full 3 miles on the test loop over the course of 3 days. My feelings about the bike could have been affected by time of day, how well the bike was setup, how tired I was, size of bike (I always asked for large, I'm 6'2" 220 lbs.)

We will see which bike I end up getting, but I fell in love with the Ibis HD. 

But for 29er, I'll have to test the top 3 on my local trails.


----------



## edubfromktown (Sep 7, 2010)

megafrenzy said:


> I rode a bunch of 29ers at Outerbike, not all of them, but close. I wasn't asking about price, so I don't know where these fall in costwise with the elite.
> 
> Top 3
> Rumblefish pro
> ...


I was there too... checking out a rumblefish on Phil's World trail system in Cortez, CO today.

I did the Lazy-EZ and Bar-m loops a lot and all of the shuttle rides (plus UPS / PorcupineRim on Thursday) with all sorts of 26er's and 29er's. My top two 29er's were the Turner Sultan and Pivot 429 <rode XL in both- I'm 6'2" with a long torso>. Best 26er I rode was the Cannondale Jekyll (Thursday ride from local bike shop). I rode an XL Ibis HD at Amasa Back and though it performed well on the very challenging terrain, I wasn't totally impressed. The setup was a good bit of the reason I guess. For very rocky terrain, it is a great ride but for the variety of trails I ride at home, it is way too limited. A 29er would be my preference on Amasa Back.


----------

