mail order mountain bike sales return to homepage mountain bike accessories bicycle frames built bikes mountain bike kits Frequently Asked Questions

Email us with any question you might have if you cannot find an answer here.

What is the deal with Rohloff hubs and HammerSchmidt cranksets?
How do I decide wheel size?
Why did you go with the combination of 26 and 29 inch wheels on the F-69 (also available in the Ventana El Chuco) and not a 650b or 29 front and rear?
How do I get permission or hide my purchase from my wife?
Just how high does high-end go? What about a full suspension with 2 wheel drive weighing 18lbs?
Which bike that you offer is best for me?
What do you recommend?
What do you think of the 29 inch wheel mountain bike?
How can I get the passwords to the DSE clients section of your website?
What are the best bikes you offer by category?
What bikes at Dreamride have become personal favorites to the owners and guides?
I only want one bike. Which bike does it all?
Where can I get the parts list for the complete bikes?
How do I order my bike?
I can get it cheaper at BIKEPOO.COM. Why buy my bike from Dreamride?
How can I go about having a custom bike built to my specs?
What's the deal with the Moab vacations as part of a bike purchase?


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What is the deal with Rohloff internal geared hubs and HammerSchmidt cranksets?

This is an old question that still pops up now and again. This applies to Gates Drive, as well, if you are interested. These systems are set up to eliminate external moving parts. The Rohloff rear hub gives you 14 useable gears enclosed within the hub body to insulate the system from mud, snow, rain and a certain amount of maintenance. It is a well-engineered example of the kind of system that made 3-speed English bikes so popular. The high end Rohloff system has been a popular subject in emails over the years at Dreamride due to the attention paid to it by bike magazines, and now that we are starting to hear more about HammerSchmidt (HS) cranksets, here is the jest of what we communicate to those who are thinking of the non-derailleur systems: If you are riding in mud constantly, commuting in rainy conditions for distances less than 20 miles a day, or snow is your favorite surface to ride a bike on, then the Rohloff should be a consideration. What the marketing of this product does not say is that it LITERALLY adds 3 pounds to a bike, requires a frame designed to accommodate the system, has substantial friction and drag within its cluster of gears, and costs $1000 more than an equivalent high-end derailleur drivetrain. The HS is in pretty much the same boat. We don't recommend Rohloff or HS to anyone who does not live in Alaska. The extra weight should be enough of a warning, but the sapping of watts of energy that happens within complex and overwhelmingly mechanical systems of internal cog wheels and spiral gears is the most troubling aspect of the performance of a Rohloff hub and the HS crankset. Frankly, these things slow you down, unless you are riding in mud or ice! In mud and snow these drivetrains operate smoothly, overcoming the detriment of mechanical drag. The $1000 extra for the Rohloff slows most folks down enough to say no, even if they are riding mud, but we still get the calls and the long email exchanges. Bottom line: Don't fall for the newest widget, the magazines' lies and paid-for reviews of products that you see advertised within the pages of the same magazine! Rohloff is a nice trick, but for 95% of those who show interest, it is a novelty item, same with HS. If you are desperate to be different, get some ink done on your face and leave the Rohloff for the muddies. MUD will make you pay more and carry more weight. Frozen mud sucks. The Rohloff overcomes mud and rain and frozen dog poo, always. The HS crankset is a good idea, but an XTR crankset and derailleur is going to make you happier. Rohloff shifts at a stand-still, which means you choose a gear anytime you like without the grinding or necessary skills to operate a derailleur system efficiently. Both these systems are cool, but their use is more specific than the marketing implies.

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How do I decide wheel size on a mountain bike?

In a perfect world, you would choose the size of the bike to fit your body and your riding style, but the new decree is that 650b is what is being sold to people who get bikes that come in boxes from a factory. If you are over 5'7" tall, you can ride any wheel size, but remember that rubber has more bearing on wheel size than you think. A 26 with a fat tire may work better for you than a 650b with a smaller tire. We like our 69er for the best of all worlds, but rejoice in the fact you have a choice at this point. If you want something that rolls fast, get the bigger rim and more modest tire. If you are freeriding, 26 works, 27.5 works, but the wheels are not as strong, and 29 is not so good because of the length of the spokes, as well (more leverage to taco your rim). Weight should not be an issue. The new carbon rims we are selling are incredibly strong and eliminate weight concerns for any wheel size.

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Why did you go with the combination of 26 and 29 inch wheels on the F-69 (also available in the Ventana El Chuco) and not a 650b or 29 front and rear?

29ers accelerate slowly (650b also a bit sluggish but to a lesser degree) unless you put really light, narrow tires on the wheelset, and it will still feel a bit funky due to gearing that is meant for 26 inch wheels. Even with the correct gearing it is still hard to get the scoot to happen. When you add long travel suspension, the feeling gets worse because the extra ability for speed puts more stress on the wheelset, especially in the rear. You need fatter tires with larger knobs as the speeds increase. That means more rotational weight. The combination of heavy tires and larger hoops pretty much put you in a situation where you feel like you need a motor to get rolling, or you just have to be patient or only ride trails that allow you to gain momentum and keep it. To overcome these downsides of the 29 inch wheel, we use a 26 inch rear wheel on our F-69 and the hardtail White Rim. The smaller wheel in back works like a charm--better than a charm. The F-69 is the best performing bike we offer, especially in Moab. It is overbuilt for dirt roads or light cross country riding, but we can alter the tubeset if you are racing to make the package lighter. The 6-9 combo is extremely effective. You still feel the larger rolling mass of the front wheel on acceleration, but you get every advantage when it comes to rolling over debris. Compared to a 29er, the 69er is much more snappy, stronger where it counts, stiffer where it counts and therefore much more trustworthy at speed over rough terrain. It allows you to attack hills that tear muscles on a 29er. We like 29ers when riding fire roads and from-town rides, but once we are in the rough, the 69er is king.

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How do I get permission or hide my purchase from my spouse?

Men: Permission is out of the question. Ask forgiveness not permission. The best way to proceed is deception: Hide your purchase by using the same credit card you use for internet porn, then put the bike with your tools in the garage. One client (and this is true, not a joke like the rest of this answer) hides his one dozen Moots bikes in a shed and every single bike has the same color scheme; black parts and titanium frame. His wife thinks he has one bike. What a ploy!
Women: Do not ask permission. Get the damn bike. Use his money!
Gays and lesbians: Get TWO bikes. Give one to your partner.

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Just how high does high-end go? What about a full suspension with 2 wheel drive weighing 18lbs?

At Dreamride high end is reliable, rugged, efficient, low easy maintenance, appropriately performance oriented, a perfect fit and PROVEN. To us, high end is attainable and finite. You can go as high as $18,000 with a Pegoretti road bike (wheels alone can go for $20K in the sport of road racing). That said, please understand that price alone is not a concern for us as builders. We just want the bike to be the best, even if it costs LESS! If you are looking for a two-wheeled fad you saw in a magazine, the weirdest-looking, heavily-marketed, Specialized piece-o-crap, pie-in-the-sky, alphabet-soup-patent-pending, lightest-thing-you-can-get, then you are going to end up with a high-end price and not much to show for it down the road. You'll get ridiculously silly lines of water-jet aluminum or tooth paste-out-of-the-tube, wrapped, bagged and moulded carbon fiber that will be obsolete and/or broken within the year. If you have disposable money, you can even get a new environmental-disaster slave-labor mucky-jewel each and every year. But, those who buy a Dreamride Fully, a truly high end state-of-the-art cross country bike, don't get "purchase remorse" and don't buy a new bike in the yearly marketing cycle. Why? Because from the start and for a very, very long time, it gives you an obvious performance advantage. It is based on a solid, well-built frame and is a classic, not weird for the sake of weird. Triangles are strong! Of course, if you do not ride the crappy Specialized or the "Italian" bike made in China next to a chemical spill that looks like it belongs in a head shop, it will last until the seals and bearing dry out. Lots of people shop for the fad and end up with an expensive bike in the garage. Some guys get buy those funky roach clip bikes and cheap Chinese Gary Fishers on ebay for a song a couple of years down the line, ride it for a while and discover they want something else. If you do not have the experience and are not willing to trust those who do, it will be only after you buy that high end illusion masked as "high science" that you learn through experience just how thick the smoke is and how shiny the mirrors are in the realm of big company marketing. Our numbers are REAL. If a bike weighs 32 pounds, we tell you it is 32 pounds, not 28. If the best price we can offer on a bike is $8K, that is what is stated. And, our handmade bikes are really HANDMADE in American and Italy!

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Which bike is best for me?

People's needs differ. Overall, the choice depends on riding experience, terrain, riding style, body type, budget and just what you want from the bike. The bike you own currently has bearing on your desires at present, so figure out what your bike is lacking and/or good at and write it down. Many choices are cut and dried: How much suspension do you need? Are you looking to ride roads, mellow carriage paths, hardcore trails, or off the edge of your garage? How much money will the wife let you spend? It is best to be clear on your needs and abilities to buy. Read reviews and tests on this website for help in finding your way. Read reviews and tests elsewhere and get confused. As of 2007, when all other manufacturers are diversifying their product line into fifteen different models, Dreamride is focusing on simplifying choice by reducing the fog to two categories: "All Mountain" and "All Road and Trail." The real value at Dreamride comes from quality construction, advanced solid engineering and PERSONAL FIT!! We build bikes for one person at a time, so we guarantee the bike will fit you like an Italian glove. Dreamride is also well known for long travel XC bikes: If you want the perfect trail bike, the DREAMRIDE FULLY is still as good as it gets. Period. After reading up on what we offer, EMAIL DREAMRIDE with specific questions remaining. Do not call with questions. Our phone line is reserved for interviews during purchase and vacation booking.

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What do you recommend?

Read all the stupid bike magazines then realize that you cannot afford what you want, then get over it and use a credit care, borrow from a friend or steal the money to get a MOOTS or a PEGORETTI If you are someone who gets insulted when I insinuate that you cannot afford the pay retail for a bicycle frame, then you should have called me already. You are wasting time. If you really are working on a budget, you will not have to steal much to get a Dreamride POE titanium hardtail.

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How can I get the passwords to the secret section of your website?

Do not bother. Go to DREAMRIDE FACEBOOK PAGE.

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What are the overall best bikes you offer by category?

The DREAMRIDE F-69, if you are over 5'7" tall, is still the absolute best mountain bike we offer for anyone looking for an advantage, even if it is expensive and we do not spend a dime on marketing. The MOOTS MX DIVIDE is sometimes better, depending on your needs. MOOTS has the very best diversified line available anywhere, so you are going to find great choices with a bike based on one of their frames and maybe you will get the bug and own three or four like we do. As for road, PEGORETTI frames are best works of art on two wheels and the investment could prove to be wise. MOOTS ROAD FRAMES, especially the new RSL, is the best road bike we sell by virtue of performance and as an investment. Moots frames retain much of their value. You can see this if you just take a stroll thru eBay listings.

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What bikes at Dreamride have become personal favorites?

The bikes we design and build are inspired by Moab terrain and road conditions, and our own Dreamride brand bikes are designed and built specifically FOR Moab terrain, so we prefer the DREAMRIDE F-69 for riding around here and on any terrain that is truly challenging. The favored cross classic country rig, the perfect all around ride for folks in a moderate size and weight range, is the MOOTS MX DIVIDE. It is the best for just about everyone's location. It takes on Moab very well, while not quite as fast or as capable as the F-69 over very rough terrain. As company owner, I own five road bikes: a Moots Vamoots YBB, a Moots Vamoots RSL, a Pegoretti Marcelo and two Serottas. While I love the others and could settle for owning just one of these five customs, my favorites are the MOOTS RSL and the PEGORETTI MARCELO. The Marcelo wants feels best on smooth roads, but the roads I ride are nasty and if you are commuting, touring or doing a bit of skinny tired off-roading the MOOTS VAMOOTS OR PSYCHLO-X LA SAL LOOP is a tool I have designed around Moots road, gravel and cross frames.

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What do you think of the 29 inch wheeled mountain bike?

Done deal. We have choices now. Relish them. Get what fits. If you need a frame, call us. If you need help with a complete bike, call us. Serious inquiries only.

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I only want one bike. Of the bikes you offer, which bike does it all?

Sure, there are a number of bikes that specialize in certain chores and are perfect for specific terrains and uses, but a lot of folks are looking for one bike that will do the most for them in any situation, sort of an all-around ride that they can take anywhere and expect it to perform well enough to get the job done. We have a couple of choices in this regard. The single bike that we recommend to a mountain biker who wants JUST ONE BIKE FOR TRAIL RIDING that you can ride to the store, something to last a lifetime, that will take on all sorts of terrain, check out the MOOTS MOOTO X YBB. It does everything equally well. It is light. It is rugged. It is beautiful, amazingly versatile and capable. If you want something that is quicker, lighter and cheaper, but still constructed from titanium, we offer our own DREAMRIDE POE. Both these bikes will increase your abilities in relationship to the terrain mentioned. For those leaning toward road biking, a LA SAL MOUNTAIN LOOP ROAD BUILD OF THE MOOTS PSYCHLO-X can take on roads AND trails very effectively, and it is made out of titanium for long life and comfort. It will take you to get groceries and get you to San Francisco from New York. It can be your commuter bike during the week and a trail bike on weekends.

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Where can I get the parts list for the complete bikes?

We don’t have set parts lists for our bikes. Each is different and custom and we will mix and match to get to a price point. But, we do insist on good parts. We do not offer SRAM disc brakes for example because we don’t let friends ride with DOT fluid. We use Magura when we can and use Shimano discs only on road bikes. People come to us because we know what is reliable, light and strong.

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How do I order my bike?

Find the bike you want by reading the answers to questions here, shop the site, and call 425-259-6419. Measure yourself and your current bike. We need your inseam (barefoot to the floor, do not press in on the taint), height (barefoot), armpit to end of fist, and wingspan (fingertip to fingertip) and measurements of our current ride. Have these size numbers handy, along with your credit card number. We take Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover, as well as cashier's checks, money orders and personal checks with time to clear. Payment by wire transfer is preferred! We charge a fee for reward cards, business cards and international cards. A 50% downpayment is generally required with the balance charged when we ship the product. We generally ship built bikes in a hardshell flight case and cover all shipping charges. No tax out of Utah!

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I can get it cheaper at BIKEPOO.COM. Why buy my bike from Dreamride?

BIKEPOO doesn’t sell Pegoretti or Moots. Cheap is cheap, but cheap is not always inexpensive. The value of our products is not only in the machinery, but services based on real experience and knowledge. If you are looking for "new technology," we sell proven technology. We are not interested in offering untested components, though we are forced to on occassion at the beginning of a product year (it cannot be avoided sometimes). We actually TEST our equipment on the roughest terrain imaginable. We don't pay for advertising, so you don't pay for it as part of your purchase. We do not print a catalog, because things change rapidly and we don't want to have to make you pay for dead trees and old info. Folks recognize our bikes on the trail, even without our stickers on them. Others try, but no one can copy our product testing or hidden modifications to achieve balance and perfect function. No one has our eye for cosmetics, color balance and detail. All of our bikes are built by one mechanic, Lee Bridgers, a man with a Masters in Fine Art who has been riding bicycles on and off road since 1957. Most bike purchases include a hardshell flight case, shipping in the continental United States and invitations to Moab vacations. If you are looking for the best "deal," we sell the best bikes and our prices are equal to or on a par with other companies with larger stores in more populated areas. To us, value is the best deal. Value-added services make a deal even better, and we are the only tour company that offers its own line of bikes, so if you like or want to experience Moab, you might consider inititating a relationship with Dreamride. Those who purchase Moots bikes from us can stay in our Moab guesthouse for free if they come to get fitted or pick up their bike. We understand your needs mostly because we've been riding and riding with other people for a living.

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How can I go about having a custom bike built to my specs?

Pick a frame, call and initiate the order. We will send you a fit form and ask questions about your skills and fitness and certain measurements from your current bike. We require a $500 deposit to order the frame. Trust us. We will custom modify the build to suit as long as your wants are up to your means. Dreamride oversees fabrication of frames built by the manufacturers we carry. This is why we chose Moots, Ventana, Pegoretti, and offer our own Dreamride line that includes full suspension by Ventana and titanium hardtails we have fabricated to our specs.

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What's the deal with Moab vacations as part of a bike purchase, or vice versa?

Dreamride Tours of Moab, UtahDreamride is a mountain bike fantasy vacation provider in Moab, Utah. We combine perfect bikes that stand out in a crowd and exotic rides where you get away from that crowd. The combination of a Moab vacation and custom bike allows us to tweak the bike while you break it in. It also allows us to get to know you before you get here or before you buy your bike. This certainly helps us serve you far into the future.

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