Best mid-range trail bike?
Discussion
This is pure curiosity as I don't have the funds to invest in a new bike sadly, but what would you say is the best mid-range full suss 'aggressive XC' type bike?
It's about 10 years since I bought my Sub 5. At the time the big competitors were the Specialised Enduro and the Marin TARA bikes. What's good in the £1500ish bracket these days?
It's about 10 years since I bought my Sub 5. At the time the big competitors were the Specialised Enduro and the Marin TARA bikes. What's good in the £1500ish bracket these days?
Buying new, for £1.5k, you'd be hard pressed to find a better bike than a Canyon Nerve AL+
http://www.canyon.com/_en/mountainbikes/bike.html?...
Unless you go used then you're looking at adding a grand more for a Five, Zesty, Stumpy Evo or such like.
Oh and the kids call it "All-mountain" these days.
http://www.canyon.com/_en/mountainbikes/bike.html?...
Unless you go used then you're looking at adding a grand more for a Five, Zesty, Stumpy Evo or such like.
Oh and the kids call it "All-mountain" these days.
TheBaj said:
Buying new, for £1.5k, you'd be hard pressed to find a better bike than a Canyon Nerve AL+
http://www.canyon.com/_en/mountainbikes/bike.html?...
...Oh and the kids call it "All-mountain" these days.
I see rocking arm rear suspension is back in! I always fancied one of the big hit Konas back when I was one of those kids. http://www.canyon.com/_en/mountainbikes/bike.html?...
...Oh and the kids call it "All-mountain" these days.
The Trek Fuel used to be a big seller at that price point but the decline in spec and increase in price probably means its closer to £2k now for the £1.5k model of 2010/11. The Giant Anthem is also worth a look, from memory there have about 100-120mm travel which is enough for almost all UK trail centres but they ride so well on singletrack. Canyon are probably hard to beat however.
I'd still look for a custom hardtail at £1.5k though. CRC had some Cove frames for sale a while back and Cotic and Kenesis both do frames suitable for 140mm forks which are comfy enough to be all day bikes.
I'd still look for a custom hardtail at £1.5k though. CRC had some Cove frames for sale a while back and Cotic and Kenesis both do frames suitable for 140mm forks which are comfy enough to be all day bikes.
TheBaj said:
Samcat said:
Giant TranceX
Good bike, but I think at that budget wont it get you a Trance X3 with a coil fork?Nice bike though
pablo said:
The Trek Fuel used to be a big seller at that price point but the decline in spec and increase in price probably means its closer to £2k now for the £1.5k model of 2010/11. The Giant Anthem is also worth a look, from memory there have about 100-120mm travel which is enough for almost all UK trail centres but they ride so well on singletrack. Canyon are probably hard to beat however.
I'd still look for a custom hardtail at £1.5k though. CRC had some Cove frames for sale a while back and Cotic and Kenesis both do frames suitable for 140mm forks which are comfy enough to be all day bikes.
Indeed, I have Cotic Soul (a bit too XC but the BFe is more "hardcore") and it does almost everything - flies up hills, soaks up a lot of stuff back down again. Brilliant bikes and the service from Cy is top notch.I'd still look for a custom hardtail at £1.5k though. CRC had some Cove frames for sale a while back and Cotic and Kenesis both do frames suitable for 140mm forks which are comfy enough to be all day bikes.
Vladimir said:
pablo said:
The Trek Fuel used to be a big seller at that price point but the decline in spec and increase in price probably means its closer to £2k now for the £1.5k model of 2010/11. The Giant Anthem is also worth a look, from memory there have about 100-120mm travel which is enough for almost all UK trail centres but they ride so well on singletrack. Canyon are probably hard to beat however.
I'd still look for a custom hardtail at £1.5k though. CRC had some Cove frames for sale a while back and Cotic and Kenesis both do frames suitable for 140mm forks which are comfy enough to be all day bikes.
Indeed, I have Cotic Soul (a bit too XC but the BFe is more "hardcore") and it does almost everything - flies up hills, soaks up a lot of stuff back down again. Brilliant bikes and the service from Cy is top notch.I'd still look for a custom hardtail at £1.5k though. CRC had some Cove frames for sale a while back and Cotic and Kenesis both do frames suitable for 140mm forks which are comfy enough to be all day bikes.
pablo said:
I'd still look for a custom hardtail at £1.5k though. CRC had some Cove frames for sale a while back and Cotic and Kenesis both do frames suitable for 140mm forks which are comfy enough to be all day bikes.
It's ages since I've ridden a decent hard tail. Back in the day I had a Giant XTC with a somewhat excessive Marzocchi fork on the front and that was brilliant. On the whole, though, I just feel happier chucking around a full susser. I've always felt that hardtails were stable providing only one wheel loses grip; full sussers seem to be more forgiving if, say, one wheel is sliding and the other goes over a ridge. Makes sense, I guess...
Canyon Nerve XC9 here : 120mm at both ends - more than enough for most stuff you'll ever find in this country. Came in an £1800 and is light as a feather and stuffed to the gills with decent kit - carbon all over (apart from the frame), full X0 gears/brakes and Fox suspension. No real weak link.
If you don't mind going direct then you'll find Canyon difficult to beat for value.
If you don't mind going direct then you'll find Canyon difficult to beat for value.
Their website seems to be down ATM but YT are also worth looking into, they work in the same way as Canyon do where you have to deal direct.
http://www.yt-industries.com/
http://www.yt-industries.com/
Thought I'd give this thread a bump. I'm going to be losing my rideable commute soon, which should mean most of my riding will go back to off road stuff.
Random question - my current bike is a 2004 Orange Sub 5 with a (recent) RockShox Revelation 140mm fork. Where do you reckon I would notice the benefits of upgrading to a modern design? Any idea if my old bike would still be worth anything?
Random question - my current bike is a 2004 Orange Sub 5 with a (recent) RockShox Revelation 140mm fork. Where do you reckon I would notice the benefits of upgrading to a modern design? Any idea if my old bike would still be worth anything?
Chris71 said:
Thought I'd give this thread a bump. I'm going to be losing my rideable commute soon, which should mean most of my riding will go back to off road stuff.
Random question - my current bike is a 2004 Orange Sub 5 with a (recent) RockShox Revelation 140mm fork. Where do you reckon I would notice the benefits of upgrading to a modern design? Any idea if my old bike would still be worth anything?
Main advantage will be increased efficiency on hills, the sub5 is a great design - but not great for climbing! Over the past few years trail bike head angles have been slackening out, and bottom brackets have been getting lower, which make them more stable when throwing it down steep rocky hills. Random question - my current bike is a 2004 Orange Sub 5 with a (recent) RockShox Revelation 140mm fork. Where do you reckon I would notice the benefits of upgrading to a modern design? Any idea if my old bike would still be worth anything?
To be honest you'd probably be quite happy with the sub5, or you could just upgrade the shock to one with platform damping (Something like an Fox RP23 or CTD - CRC had some offers on, not sure about size). The platform damping is just low speed compression damping that minimises pedal bob. Not exactly an elegant solution, but works well on my 2005 Orange five (which I'm changing for a more stable, efficient bike!).
I recently got a Merida 140 900d and having twice taken it round some of Dalbys Red route it easily make the switch from XC to aggresive trails and climbs with no problem:
http://www.merida-bikes.com/en_gb/bike/2013/9/Full...
Prior to that I had a Trance X3 which was stolen from my back shed, and the Merida is the bike I chose as its replacement and its a much better bike IMO.
http://www.merida-bikes.com/en_gb/bike/2013/9/Full...
Prior to that I had a Trance X3 which was stolen from my back shed, and the Merida is the bike I chose as its replacement and its a much better bike IMO.
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