full sus xc bike......choices!

[Josh Smith]

Hi all,


Need some ideas or maybe a small shortlist!

Currently have a gt avalanche 2.0 fitted with rebas....nothing special but has done me well.

The chaps I ride with have gone out and bought a couple of trek fuels (6&8 I think).

We do a mix of road, uphill, flat and downhill xc stuff and I'm now hanging onto their coat-tails on both up and downhill with the amount of grip etc they now have.

I'm looking for a light full sus bike, ideally with the following: shimano xt gear 3x10, fox shocks or at least rebas. Large frame.

Ive looked on paulscycles and found two nice giants but not sure what else I should be looking at/for!

Help is appreciated.


Cheers.

[tuffer]

Canyon, plenty of choice and the spec's are excellent.

[Josh Smith]

I have looked at their nerve range and they looked nice.

budget is 1500-2000 max

[tuffer]

I got a Nerve XC 9.0 for just about £2k, very happy with it apart from the Schwalbe tires which seem to puncture if you look at them the wrong way.

[james239]

Another vote for Canyon. Fantastic value for money.

I've got the Nerve AM but also had problems with the tyres. More punctures in the two months I've owned it than I ever had in the two years of my previous bike! So budget some new tyres or extra kevlar lining (not that it will add much when you're spending up to £2k on the bike...)

[nammynake]

Another vote for Canyon Nerve XC. I have last year's XC7 model. X9 groupset, Fox FIT 120 forks, DTSwiss X1700 wheelset. Incredible value for money. A great all-rounder that copes with local trails, big mountain days in the Lakes, 24hr races and even a week in Morzine.

[996 sps]

I bought a Giant Anthem X3 2011 model brand new a couple of months ago for £1295, really pleased with it.

[jshell]

The Giant Maestro suspension system takes some beating... On my second Trance now, the first was just so very good. Also bought from Pauls.

[anonymous-user]

i would stop obsessing about groupsets, yes XT is nice and I treated my BFe to 2x10 but its not what makes a bike, i'd say try some 29ers and see if you get on with one. loads of trail centres have some for you to test.
Cube AMS 110 is worth a look as it has an XC bias http://www.tredz.co.uk/.Cube-AMS-110-Pro-Mountain-... but i think you are mad to not have a Giant Anthem on top if the list...

[Josh Smith]

I like these so far

http://www.paulscycles.co.uk/products.php?plid=m1b...
http://www.paulscycles.co.uk/products.php?plid=m1b...

And the canyon nerve xc

Haven't thought about a cube, will take a look

[anonymous-user]

the anthem is better suited to the riding you describe, it might not be quite as fast downhill as a trance but you will be killing your mates on the climbs, the flat and the singletrack....
http://www.paulscycles.co.uk/products.php?plid=m1b...

[mmcd87]

I looked at the options around this price range and went for a Boardman FS Pro.

[SlimJ]

My brother has a Canyon Nerve XC 9 and loves it, he took it to Wales a week ago and said it dealt with everything thrown at it.

I shall be trying it out this coming weekend with a view to ordering myself one. Pretty damn excited actually!

[Fluffsri]

Norco Strike 2 had a smashing write up in What Bike. Could go for the lower spec for your budget

[rhinochopig]

Do a demo day and see what works for you. 2k is a lot of money if you don't gel with the bike and you won't get a feel for how the bikes round the bike-shop car-park or if you buy online. This IMO is especially important if you're a taller rider as some sizes that get excellent reviews are dreadful in their larger frame sizes.

[mikee boy]

What type of riding are you planning?

[Josh Smith]

mikee boy said:

What type of riding are you planning?

We normally do approx 3.5 hours and around 20 miles or so.

2.5 are off road as an hour is used to get there and back.

We don't do any real serious downhill or jumps etc, its purely XC stuff that includes a few rocky decents and smooth single track routes along with some horrible climbs where I struggle with a lack of gears and rear traction/constant pedal rotation!

[996 sps]

pablo said:

the anthem is better suited to the riding you describe, it might not be quite as fast downhill as a trance but you will be killing your mates on the climbs, the flat and the singletrack....
http://www.paulscycles.co.uk/products.php?plid=m1b...

Thats what i've got! Really pleased with it, Straphpuffer 2013 on that number.

[Josh Smith]

I like the look of the anthem, will save me some money and I can try a frame locally at a bike shop which will save making a mistake on frame size.

[Josh Smith]

Plan to order the Anthem this weekend, think it has everything I need. Thanks for all the help/advice/ideas