2-2.5k What 2012 MTB?
Discussion
Ok so after the theft of my trusty Trek Fuel 80, I'm now lucky enough to have 2.5k to spend on a new bike or new bike + accessories.
It has to be brand new and supplied by wheelies.co.uk.
Riding style historically is more general xc, even some road commuting, however I've been riding less and less so I'm thinking something more fun/trail/park orientated would be a good move.
Looking for any other suggestions for an FS bike, 100-150mm travel. I'm only 10.5 stone and 5'10" so a lighter bike would suit me more than anything overbuilt/bomb proof.
Current shortlist is:
Giant Anthem X2 - having inspected one locally they're v.light and balanced. Only concern atm is I seem to be between a small and medium frame size. What would've the impact of a medium frame but adding a shorter stem?
Trek Fuel EX8
Lapierre Zesty 314
Any other suggestions? Shouldi really be looking at longer travel bikes than those above?
If it was your money what would you be looking at? Maybe a cheaper bike and some tasty accessories? (bare in mind this is from an insurance payout so there's no option for cash/2nd hand)
It has to be brand new and supplied by wheelies.co.uk.
Riding style historically is more general xc, even some road commuting, however I've been riding less and less so I'm thinking something more fun/trail/park orientated would be a good move.
Looking for any other suggestions for an FS bike, 100-150mm travel. I'm only 10.5 stone and 5'10" so a lighter bike would suit me more than anything overbuilt/bomb proof.
Current shortlist is:
Giant Anthem X2 - having inspected one locally they're v.light and balanced. Only concern atm is I seem to be between a small and medium frame size. What would've the impact of a medium frame but adding a shorter stem?
Trek Fuel EX8
Lapierre Zesty 314
Any other suggestions? Shouldi really be looking at longer travel bikes than those above?
If it was your money what would you be looking at? Maybe a cheaper bike and some tasty accessories? (bare in mind this is from an insurance payout so there's no option for cash/2nd hand)
Whyte T120.
Massively impressed. And in typical Whyte style it's species with just the right bits as you would on a custom - bolt through, good hubs/wheels, big brakes etc.
I work "in the trade" as it were and I honestly really like it.
The other obvious one is a specialised Camber, which also does short travel but good geometry well.
Massively impressed. And in typical Whyte style it's species with just the right bits as you would on a custom - bolt through, good hubs/wheels, big brakes etc.
I work "in the trade" as it were and I honestly really like it.
The other obvious one is a specialised Camber, which also does short travel but good geometry well.
I've got an X2 & love it. A really light and properly quick XC weapon. Mines a few years old now & is a little battle scarred but still rides great. I've seen the Anthem Advanced SL's for £3k...If you are stuck on the Anthem have a look at one of these, Pauls Cycles & Pedalon had a few left...might be worth a slight budget readjustment?
I have to say i see a lot of people riding bikes and getting "pulled" in by the long travel hype, even though they don't ride anything that needs long travel! Take a look, realistically at what you ride, but i'd hazard a guess that in reality you really don't need massive travel. I find that at a typical trail centre my 100mm forked light weight hardtail (it's circa 10kg, i'm circa 70kg, so all up 80kg, which is less than a lot of riders themselves!) is as quick as anything, certainly up the hills! The only time i ride my FS bike is really when we are doing a long day in the saddle and i want the comfort. I can't honestly think of more than two or three occasions where having the FS bike has actually allowed me to ride somewhere that my hardtail wouldn't have gone (but i admit, i don't really do the extreme stuff) I also find that the FS bike makes me quite lazy with regard to technique and picking a line, simply because it just swallows up any mistakes and just rolls over things. I'm certainly a much better rider after spending time on technical fast single track stuff on my HT ;-)
As an all rounder, the X2 is a great bike, and unless you are going to be doing large distances / times in the saddle, then a slighty small frame is no real disadvantage. In fact, with the 125mm travel dropping seat post that are now availible (but budget about £250 for one) you really can have an great allrounder.
As an all rounder, the X2 is a great bike, and unless you are going to be doing large distances / times in the saddle, then a slighty small frame is no real disadvantage. In fact, with the 125mm travel dropping seat post that are now availible (but budget about £250 for one) you really can have an great allrounder.
OP, my vote goes to the Anthem X2. I'm the same height / weight as you and ride a medium frame 2010 bike. Have used it on everything from XC races to 12 hr enduros to Days at Afan and other Welsh trail centres. The bike has never disappointed me, with the perfect balance of manouevrability, rigidity, lightness, but rugged enough when rough on the ground. The only shame is the price rise over the last couple of years, but still within your budget
Cheers for the replies.
The Whyte does look pretty good spec and seems to be well received so i'll add it to the list to see if I can find one to look at/test.
I'll need to see if the shop can supply them though as unfortunately it's a condition of the payout that I order through wheelies. I can take a cash alternative but it's a fair bit less.
Took an opportunity in the crappy weather to pop out to Evans to see a few more bikes. The Fuel EX8 looks stunning, but was slightly heavier than I remember the Giant. I also had a good look over a couple of BMC models, looked really good value and very very light, but I think Evans are the sole distributors so they're out.
Appreciate the comments about getting anything "long travel". Coming from an 80mm bike I'm pretty sure even a 100mm bike will feel good. I do have several reservations about getting anything over 120mm but it would be good to see how they ride just so I can have a reference point. I guess it may be that a new 140mm bike would still out perform my old Trek in all conditions.
The Whyte does look pretty good spec and seems to be well received so i'll add it to the list to see if I can find one to look at/test.
I'll need to see if the shop can supply them though as unfortunately it's a condition of the payout that I order through wheelies. I can take a cash alternative but it's a fair bit less.
Took an opportunity in the crappy weather to pop out to Evans to see a few more bikes. The Fuel EX8 looks stunning, but was slightly heavier than I remember the Giant. I also had a good look over a couple of BMC models, looked really good value and very very light, but I think Evans are the sole distributors so they're out.
Appreciate the comments about getting anything "long travel". Coming from an 80mm bike I'm pretty sure even a 100mm bike will feel good. I do have several reservations about getting anything over 120mm but it would be good to see how they ride just so I can have a reference point. I guess it may be that a new 140mm bike would still out perform my old Trek in all conditions.
build your own... i did the same this year... had a £2-2.5k budget and ended up with a totally custom turner flux build with top-drawer kit (rs revs rlt's with 20mm maxle, ztr crests on hope pro ii evos, full 30-speed xt, hope headset, thomson stem and seatpost, easton monkeybars, xt-spds etc etc etc)... retail on the build was over £4k, but through 'negotiation' with Merlin on the parts, i ended up with a very trick bike for the price of a bog-standard production bike.
Unfortunately the Whyte is a no-goer as they can't supply it. Same as a proper custom build as it's being paid for by the insurance company so effectively it has to be whatever the full rrp would be.
I've lined up a short test ride on Monday of an Anthem, Fuel EX and a Scott Spark. The Carbon framed Spark 35 is within reach although it seems to have mixed reviews, i'd like to try a carbon bike to see if the weight saving is noticeable. I'm not overly convinced about the whole suspension lockout but it's worth being on the shortlist.
I have a suspiscion i'll end up with whichever of the 3 is the best fit and lowest weight.
The Lapierre looks great too, although I can't find anything about the weight of it. It'd be nice to try the Zesty 314 and also an XFlow, although the pedal pivot link on the XFlow looks a bit exposed to potential crud/grit etc.
Anyone know a good shop in/near Berkshire that would do a test ride on the Lapierre's?
Cheers
Mr Chips
I've lined up a short test ride on Monday of an Anthem, Fuel EX and a Scott Spark. The Carbon framed Spark 35 is within reach although it seems to have mixed reviews, i'd like to try a carbon bike to see if the weight saving is noticeable. I'm not overly convinced about the whole suspension lockout but it's worth being on the shortlist.
I have a suspiscion i'll end up with whichever of the 3 is the best fit and lowest weight.
The Lapierre looks great too, although I can't find anything about the weight of it. It'd be nice to try the Zesty 314 and also an XFlow, although the pedal pivot link on the XFlow looks a bit exposed to potential crud/grit etc.
Anyone know a good shop in/near Berkshire that would do a test ride on the Lapierre's?
Cheers
Mr Chips
I'm not overly convinced about the whole suspension lockout but it's worth being on the shortlist.
What troubles me about the Spark - and similar bikes - is the whole proprietary rear shock thing. What happens when it breaks? How easy will be be getting it serviced/repaired/replaced both now and in four years time? I bet it'll be a complete arse ache!
What troubles me about the Spark - and similar bikes - is the whole proprietary rear shock thing. What happens when it breaks? How easy will be be getting it serviced/repaired/replaced both now and in four years time? I bet it'll be a complete arse ache!
http://www.ridebike.co.uk/products/special-offers/
Bottom of the page - Ex demo bikes!
Its a deal,
Its a steal,
Its sale of the century!
Bottom of the page - Ex demo bikes!
Its a deal,
Its a steal,
Its sale of the century!
I'm in this boat at the moment, very nice it is to.
Don't really need a full suspension bike, but like the idea to go with the hardtail and rigid in the garage at the moment.
I am currently swayed by the Specialized Stumpjumper comp evo in ally, I am sure it is more bike than I need but then isn't that with most mountain bikes.
Comes down to a splitting of hairs at the difference of the bikes at this level if it is comfy to ride for you most of them are pretty amazing.
Don't really need a full suspension bike, but like the idea to go with the hardtail and rigid in the garage at the moment.
I am currently swayed by the Specialized Stumpjumper comp evo in ally, I am sure it is more bike than I need but then isn't that with most mountain bikes.
Comes down to a splitting of hairs at the difference of the bikes at this level if it is comfy to ride for you most of them are pretty amazing.
G0ldfysh said:
Comes down to a splitting of hairs at the difference of the bikes at this level if it is comfy to ride for you most of them are pretty amazing.
Agree with this: a lot of the time I feel the reviewers in MBR etc are really struggling to objectively differentiate bikes in group tests, and why they only ever give marks from 7/10 upwards.Time for a quick update!
I had a short test ride (unfortunately mostly on road) of the Giant, Trek and a Scott Spark on Monday, although it helped my narrow down the choices, it’s now getting confusing.
Giant Anthem X2: Felt very light and nimble. Pedals very well with little or no noticeable bobbing. However the steering was much more direct/quick than I’m used to, and it put me a bit on edge. It’s already got a long stem so I can only presume it’s the actual geometry being more XC/Race orientated. I don’t think it suited me that well so I’ve discounted this one.
Trek Fuel EX. I rode an EX9 model which is slightly lighter than the EX8 that I’d be looking at. Even then, the EX9 felt fairly heavy overall. The geometry however felt very much similar to my old bike, and I immediately felt at home. The suspension felt like there was much more travel than the 120mm spec suggests, and the new double chamber fork was odd in that it was almost linear in movement/resistance. It made it feel very plush, almost like a longer travel bike. The brakes were awesome. The big negative for me is the weight.
Scott Spark. I test rode a Spark 40, however if I went for the Spark, then it’d be the carbon framed 35 that I’d be after. The 40 felt very stiff without much noticeable suspension travel. Maybe it was a setup issue and the shock needed to be a bit softer than the recommended settings. Geometry was pretty good. Pro’s would be the carbon bike would be very light compared to the Trek, however I’ve never had a carbon bike, nor is it likely to be possible to test ride the carbon model itself.
So the dilemma (if you can call it that!)
- The “Safe” Bet: Trek Fuel EX8: Feels familiar, good quality components, however it is heavier than I’d like, plus part of me doesn’t want to just get a new version of my old bike.
- The “Outsider”: Scott Spark 35: Very lightweight yet decent travel, something “different” to what I’ve had before. Negatives are that I probably would never use the shock lockout, and it’s £200 more.
Anyone on here had experience of the Spark 35 or a carbon frame Scott? Anything to consider about getting a carbon frame bike in general?
I had a short test ride (unfortunately mostly on road) of the Giant, Trek and a Scott Spark on Monday, although it helped my narrow down the choices, it’s now getting confusing.
Giant Anthem X2: Felt very light and nimble. Pedals very well with little or no noticeable bobbing. However the steering was much more direct/quick than I’m used to, and it put me a bit on edge. It’s already got a long stem so I can only presume it’s the actual geometry being more XC/Race orientated. I don’t think it suited me that well so I’ve discounted this one.
Trek Fuel EX. I rode an EX9 model which is slightly lighter than the EX8 that I’d be looking at. Even then, the EX9 felt fairly heavy overall. The geometry however felt very much similar to my old bike, and I immediately felt at home. The suspension felt like there was much more travel than the 120mm spec suggests, and the new double chamber fork was odd in that it was almost linear in movement/resistance. It made it feel very plush, almost like a longer travel bike. The brakes were awesome. The big negative for me is the weight.
Scott Spark. I test rode a Spark 40, however if I went for the Spark, then it’d be the carbon framed 35 that I’d be after. The 40 felt very stiff without much noticeable suspension travel. Maybe it was a setup issue and the shock needed to be a bit softer than the recommended settings. Geometry was pretty good. Pro’s would be the carbon bike would be very light compared to the Trek, however I’ve never had a carbon bike, nor is it likely to be possible to test ride the carbon model itself.
So the dilemma (if you can call it that!)
- The “Safe” Bet: Trek Fuel EX8: Feels familiar, good quality components, however it is heavier than I’d like, plus part of me doesn’t want to just get a new version of my old bike.
- The “Outsider”: Scott Spark 35: Very lightweight yet decent travel, something “different” to what I’ve had before. Negatives are that I probably would never use the shock lockout, and it’s £200 more.
Anyone on here had experience of the Spark 35 or a carbon frame Scott? Anything to consider about getting a carbon frame bike in general?
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