Mountain bike recommendations

Blake.PLooking to get back into mountain biking and need a new bike. I used to do it a ton quite a few years back, but it's been a while. Planning on doing downhill/freeride/xc on this, but don't care too much about weight, I can definitely work with what I get. My budget is around 800 or so for the bike, maybe more if I really have to though

I was planning on going used, and I've seen a few kona stinkys on pink bike/craigslist in the 7-8 range, from around 2010. Would this be a good option? Or what other ones should I look for?

Also sizing... I'm 5'10. Medium or large. I talked to a guy at a shop briefly and he said I could probably go either, so which would be better (or bring them a 6er and get actually sized)

A stinky will absolutely suck to pedal anywhere. I would recommend something in the 150-160mm travel range, as new mountain bikes are becoming way more capable on the descent while maintaining decency while climbing. I would probably lean large for you, but that's pretty personal and I would try a few to see how they feel.

Yeah, get an old Reign. I was on one last year, I used to race DH and I rallied gnarly DH tracks on that thing but it was also good for all day epics.

cydwhitYeah, get an old Reign. I was on one last year, I used to race DH and I rallied gnarly DH tracks on that thing but it was also good for all day epics.

i have an 07 reign right now, that i really enjoy. i love the geometry on giants. ive always heard to size down if youre in between sizes. my bike is a medium, im 5'10" 180 lbs, and it feels great. only thing i would do right now is switch the dhx 5 air with like a float ctd to make climbs easier

cydwhitYeah, get an old Reign. I was on one last year, I used to race DH and I rallied gnarly DH tracks on that thing but it was also good for all day epics.

i have an 07 reign right now, that i really enjoy. i love the geometry on giants. ive always heard to size down if youre in between sizes. my bike is a medium, im 5'10" 180 lbs, and it feels great. only thing i would do right now is switch the dhx 5 air with like a float ctd to make climbs easier

Didn't read what you said but I have a Transition Bottlerocket and I love it on the jumps and its a blast taking it up to Stevens Pass Bike Park. And with going up hill its meh but I'm lazy and I would hate the uphill on a uphill only bike but thats just me.

you should get the medium. If you are going to ride more downhillish stuff you should definitely get the medium. If youre going to do more xc stuff maybe think about the large. Im about your size and I have a medium which I think is a good fit for my style of riding.

not familiar with the stinky but you're probably going to want a full suspension bike with 140-150mm travel. head tube angle around 67ish degrees.

in all honestly those three disciplines are all pretty different so finding a good bike to fit all those categories will be difficult.

didn't ream but i ride a kona hei eh and absolutely love it like i cant complain about a thing, also its a 29er if your into that

Tingain all honestly those three disciplines are all pretty different so finding a good bike to fit all those categories will be difficult.

Less focused on freeride, I want something that can handle it if I do end up doing any, but it's not important. Basically something that is an all around decent bike, can handle downhill riding but can also handle xc stuff if I end up doing it. Basically riding whatever I can find in the Colorado front range

Im about 5'11" and would definitely not want to be on a medium for most bikes. If you plan on plenty of freeride/dh and go pretty big/fast i would get a large, but its all personal preference. with a budget of $800 you will seldom find a decent used bike that was produced within the last 5 years, so dont oogle over the most recent bike tech on all the manufacturers pages. i would not get a stinky unless you like pushing your bike up hills. pb and craigslist are good places to start, but you should ask around at local bike shops and see if they know of any people selling or have consigned bikes. look for facebook mtb buy/sell groups as well, theres one here in the pnw with a couple thousand members. ideally it sounds like you want a bike with 160-180mm of travel, so search for older specialized sx trails, trek remedy, santa cruz bullit (on the heavier side), etc.

Blake.Pdownhill/freeride/xc

this is going to be an extremely tough constraint to meet. A bike that does all three of these things well simply doesn't exist. DH bikes are designed to... go down hill. not climb. at all. If you are truly going to be doing any heavy stuff on it, i would recommend either a giant reign or a giant trance. The trance would be my pick, but if you want the extra travel, go with the reign. Also, go 27.5

Op i was in a similar situation than you. I mainly ride freeride/downhill but I also wanted something that I could pedal uphill with. I ended up getting a specialized Eduardo. SO far I love it for xc and freeride its a little sketchy tho getting into downhill. That being said I have brought it to whistler many times and had a blast. It all depends on which aspect of biking your willing to not exceed in.

get a specialized enduro evo if you're more into the dh or if you want to climb faster get the regular enduro comp or if your budget can do the expert do that..it is a bike that kills it everywhere,regardless if the set up has coil or air suspension..i personally have the carbon expert from 2014 and love it...i like the eve with the new ohlins to as a mini dh but i already have a demo 8 so the lock out features of the air suspension is key for me and it still can jump and go over rough stuff fast as a baby on mamas tit