29er wanted - I think!
Discussion
Been hitting the trails a bit recently and thoroughly enjoying it, but a colleague has just gone and got a very nice carbon Canyon 29er which is really nice to ride over rough stuff compared to my bike.
I'm not willing to throw a grand at a bike that's going to get some serious abuse, so am looking for some ideas around the £500 mark if anyone can help?
Tempted to go second hand as prices aren't as bad as road bikes which hold value far better for some reason.
Any deals out there?
Welcome man maths stuff anyway x
I'm not willing to throw a grand at a bike that's going to get some serious abuse, so am looking for some ideas around the £500 mark if anyone can help?
Tempted to go second hand as prices aren't as bad as road bikes which hold value far better for some reason.
Any deals out there?
Welcome man maths stuff anyway x
Its a bit over budget but my brothers just purchased a Radon ZR 8.0 http://www.bike-discount.de/en/buy/radon-zr-team-2... - Excellent Spec for the money (under £700 delivered, prices change due to exchange rate) - I've not seen the bike in the flesh yet but it arrived last Friday (7 days after ordering)
When we were comparing spec it was equivalent (some cases better) to a circa £1500 bike in the uk.
When we were comparing spec it was equivalent (some cases better) to a circa £1500 bike in the uk.
Lots of last years bikes still available, a small selection here http://www.paulscycles.co.uk/offers.php?cat=1
With these feet said:
Lots of last years bikes still available, a small selection here http://www.paulscycles.co.uk/offers.php?cat=1
I keep looking at the Cannondale 'lefty'Is that wrong?
dirty boy said:
I keep looking at the Cannondale 'lefty'
Is that wrong?
They're not wrong, but they're definitely not 'right'...Is that wrong?
Seriously? Lefty forks are a bit Marmite. There seems to be a good following, all stating sound reasons why they work, but aesthetically you either love them or hate them. I'm not a fan on MTBs, but I saw the 'Dale Slate road bike with a lefty fork in another thread and I've taken a bit of a liking to it...
http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/latest-news/mo...
Do you put the bike in your car with any degree of frequency? If so, steer clear of the Lefty!
I go trails riding with a mate on a regular basis. I drop the front wheel out of my (traditional) fork and my bike then goes into the back of my S-Max upright along one side, with the middle and rear row seatbelts holding it perfectly in place.
My mate's Lefty-equipped 29er Hardtail takes up the entire of the rest of the back of the vehicle with both rows of seats folded flat!
I usually drive, because his bike won't fit at all in the back of his Golf!
The difference is that to take the front wheel off my bike, I just unbolt the thru-axle and it's done, whereas with his, we'd have to unbolt the brake caliper to swing it out of the way, then unbolt the hub to take that off. Not my idea of fun, and that's before contemplating how easy it's going to be to set it back up without the caliper rubbing every week!
It's all well and good being able to change a tyre without taking the wheel off the fork, but in the age of tubeless tyres, when did you last get a puncture anyway?
I go trails riding with a mate on a regular basis. I drop the front wheel out of my (traditional) fork and my bike then goes into the back of my S-Max upright along one side, with the middle and rear row seatbelts holding it perfectly in place.
My mate's Lefty-equipped 29er Hardtail takes up the entire of the rest of the back of the vehicle with both rows of seats folded flat!
I usually drive, because his bike won't fit at all in the back of his Golf!The difference is that to take the front wheel off my bike, I just unbolt the thru-axle and it's done, whereas with his, we'd have to unbolt the brake caliper to swing it out of the way, then unbolt the hub to take that off. Not my idea of fun, and that's before contemplating how easy it's going to be to set it back up without the caliper rubbing every week!
It's all well and good being able to change a tyre without taking the wheel off the fork, but in the age of tubeless tyres, when did you last get a puncture anyway?
If you can hold out to September then you'll probably be able to get 2015 model bike at a significant discount. This time last year I was in earnest dicussion with a LBS about buying custom-built Cotic Soul but the final price was just short of £2k and I was struggling to justify it.
Then in September up popped a 2014 Giant XTC composite 29'er for £800 (list was aroung £1400 I think)! That stopped the negotiations dead and a couple of weeks later I had myself a nice new bike. I still hanker after the Cotic though because it was so good on single-track but TBH for my kind of riding the Giant is just right.
Then in September up popped a 2014 Giant XTC composite 29'er for £800 (list was aroung £1400 I think)! That stopped the negotiations dead and a couple of weeks later I had myself a nice new bike. I still hanker after the Cotic though because it was so good on single-track but TBH for my kind of riding the Giant is just right.
I bought a Flash 29er from Pauls for £1200 a few years ago because I liked the lefty and read good reviews.
Nothing wrong with them, in fact they are IMO better than many so called premium forks. For riding XC there is plenty of travel even though some would say 90mm is not much though the 29er tyres add an amount of damping to that.
Sadly that bike got stolen, though its replacement was an F29 carbon 2! Weighs a rather svelte 10.5 kgs and even with my ageing body rips up hills.
True looks wise they are marmite, but the later 2012-on are a major improvement. Simply the equivalent of a macpherson strut.
Ive recently bought a full susser to complement the HT, the forks lasted less than 2 hours before s
tting themselves and Im waiting for the call to collect the bike after nearly 3 weeks on a brand new bike....
Problem you have if you can go to £1200, is suddenly there are a lot of discounted bargains which then open into the FS bikes that are worth a look.
Stuff like the Camber is a great XC/trail bike
http://www.mcconveycycles.com/store/product/18896/...
Missus has the carbon version and its brilliant, was impressed with how it rode straight out the box.
Nothing wrong with them, in fact they are IMO better than many so called premium forks. For riding XC there is plenty of travel even though some would say 90mm is not much though the 29er tyres add an amount of damping to that.
Sadly that bike got stolen, though its replacement was an F29 carbon 2! Weighs a rather svelte 10.5 kgs and even with my ageing body rips up hills.
True looks wise they are marmite, but the later 2012-on are a major improvement. Simply the equivalent of a macpherson strut.
Ive recently bought a full susser to complement the HT, the forks lasted less than 2 hours before s
tting themselves and Im waiting for the call to collect the bike after nearly 3 weeks on a brand new bike....Problem you have if you can go to £1200, is suddenly there are a lot of discounted bargains which then open into the FS bikes that are worth a look.
Stuff like the Camber is a great XC/trail bike
http://www.mcconveycycles.com/store/product/18896/...
Missus has the carbon version and its brilliant, was impressed with how it rode straight out the box.
With these feet said:
I bought a Flash 29er from Pauls for £1200 a few years ago because I liked the lefty and read good reviews.
Nothing wrong with them, in fact they are IMO better than many so called premium forks. For riding XC there is plenty of travel even though some would say 90mm is not much though the 29er tyres add an amount of damping to that.
Sadly that bike got stolen, though its replacement was an F29 carbon 2! Weighs a rather svelte 10.5 kgs and even with my ageing body rips up hills.
True looks wise they are marmite, but the later 2012-on are a major improvement. Simply the equivalent of a macpherson strut.
Ive recently bought a full susser to complement the HT, the forks lasted less than 2 hours before stting themselves and Im waiting for the call to collect the bike after nearly 3 weeks on a brand new bike....
Problem you have if you can go to £1200, is suddenly there are a lot of discounted bargains which then open into the FS bikes that are worth a look.
Stuff like the Camber is a great XC/trail bike
http://www.mcconveycycles.com/store/product/18896/...
Missus has the carbon version and its brilliant, was impressed with how it rode straight out the box.
Without wishing to knock your F29, I think that actually says rather a lot about the weight of 29er wheels and tyres!Nothing wrong with them, in fact they are IMO better than many so called premium forks. For riding XC there is plenty of travel even though some would say 90mm is not much though the 29er tyres add an amount of damping to that.
Sadly that bike got stolen, though its replacement was an F29 carbon 2! Weighs a rather svelte 10.5 kgs and even with my ageing body rips up hills.
True looks wise they are marmite, but the later 2012-on are a major improvement. Simply the equivalent of a macpherson strut.
Ive recently bought a full susser to complement the HT, the forks lasted less than 2 hours before s
tting themselves and Im waiting for the call to collect the bike after nearly 3 weeks on a brand new bike....Problem you have if you can go to £1200, is suddenly there are a lot of discounted bargains which then open into the FS bikes that are worth a look.
Stuff like the Camber is a great XC/trail bike
http://www.mcconveycycles.com/store/product/18896/...
Missus has the carbon version and its brilliant, was impressed with how it rode straight out the box.
My hardtail weighs in at 12.3kg, and the frame (a 19" steel Cove Handjob) alone is 2.1kg of that. On top of that, the 2005 Rockshox Reba forks on it will way a fair bit more than a lefty fork, and the equally venerable Gravity Dropper seatpost adds a bit too...
On the flipside, 26" wheels weigh a fair bit less than 29s!
http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/...
Why risk used/thrashed/worn
The Voodoo Bizango is around the right price & is far superior to most 29ers under a grand!
Why risk used/thrashed/worn
The Voodoo Bizango is around the right price & is far superior to most 29ers under a grand!
Kermit power said:
Without wishing to knock your F29, I think that actually says rather a lot about the weight of 29er wheels and tyres!
My hardtail weighs in at 12.3kg, and the frame (a 19" steel Cove Handjob) alone is 2.1kg of that. On top of that, the 2005 Rockshox Reba forks on it will way a fair bit more than a lefty fork, and the equally venerable Gravity Dropper seatpost adds a bit too...
On the flipside, 26" wheels weigh a fair bit less than 29s!
It's still got the "heavy" ally lefty on and not the carbon one. Plus it's a rought weight on the car scales at work that read in .5 kg increments. Various sites list them at 22lbs which for any bike is pretty light. The stock wheels are Mavic Crossmax which are 180g heavier than the 26" though I've no idea on the tyre weight.My hardtail weighs in at 12.3kg, and the frame (a 19" steel Cove Handjob) alone is 2.1kg of that. On top of that, the 2005 Rockshox Reba forks on it will way a fair bit more than a lefty fork, and the equally venerable Gravity Dropper seatpost adds a bit too...
On the flipside, 26" wheels weigh a fair bit less than 29s!
+1 for the 29ers here, I sold my Intense 5.5 at Xmas and went to a Zaskar 9er that was reduced in the end of season sales.
Its defo quicker, lighter, and my riding has come on leaps and bounds through not relying on the travel to compensate for poor line choice.
The wheel size does make a difference when slow cornering, but the compensation in rolling ability is massive.
I'd definitely recommend them.
Its defo quicker, lighter, and my riding has come on leaps and bounds through not relying on the travel to compensate for poor line choice.
The wheel size does make a difference when slow cornering, but the compensation in rolling ability is massive.
I'd definitely recommend them.
I love it where people give reviews on something they have never tried !! I have an F29 Dale and its a fantastic bit of kit. To the point that the fork actually blows any other fork I own ( Fox and Rockshox) ( 6 mtbs) into the weeds. Its fantastic, to the point of looking for leftys for other bikes to swop over. I am no flyweight, but last weekend it took me into the Chilterns for 50 miles offroad in just over 4 hrs and I felt great afterwards. No pains. As for being able to undo 3 bolts to take the front wheel out, is hardly a hardship, to put it in a car, now is it. Its in the manual !! . Don't listen to haters, they haven't ridden or owned one. Out of all the bikes at my disposal, it is the one I always ride at the moment. I bought mine from Pauls and arrived the next day , as I paid a few quid more. The only thing I have changed to make it better for me is a layback seatpost, as I was a bit cramped, but then I have longer arms that legs. Its a great bike and the frame rides over stuff with great absorbance, yet stomp the pedals and it does spring forward very well. I researched before I bought and there is always people who think they know everything in reviews but the majority all said it was , as I say.
dirty boy said:
I may just go the Canyon route. My road bike from them is superb vfm so think I may stick to what I know.
I bought the £900 Canyon 29er.Came within a week of order and took 5 mins to put together. (Make sure you add pedals.)
Can't fault it so far but my previous was a 9 year old spesh 26er that weighed more than I do, so hard to compare.
In the regular group I trail ride with, of 12 blokes 4 of us have Canyons now - use year-round in a LOT of mud (South Downs).
Justin S said:
As for being able to undo 3 bolts to take the front wheel out, is hardly a hardship, to put it in a car, now is it. Its in the manual !!
It's not the act of unbolting three bolts which is the hardship. Given the very fine clearances between pads and calipers, it's the time spend adjusting the caliper to avoid any rub each and every time you take the wheel off which a complete and utter ball ache!If you're only going to take the wheel off every now and again then I'm sure it's perfectly acceptable. If, on the other hand, it was my bike and I was doing it once or twice a week, I reckon I'd give it three months before I took a sledgehammer to it.
It may just be that I lack skills that others have in abundance, but I've found on a few recent bike builds that to get calipers running perfectly true takes me around 10 minutes per wheel, including popping out the pads (which makes it much easier to see the seam on the caliper body to line it up with the rotor), bolting it up, taking the wheel back out, putting the pads back in and then refitting the wheel. That's also in a workstand, which isn't exactly something you want to drag out to the trails with you!
Justin S said:
Don't listen to haters, they haven't ridden or owned one.
You're right. I haven't ridden or owned one. I have tried getting one into a car though, and have fitted and trued a reasonable number of brake calipers. That's why I limited myself to commenting on the ease (or otherwise) of taking the wheel off and putting it back on again on a regular basis.I have never had to realign the brakes when taking the wheels off to put it in the boot of my XC60, which fits perfectly well, leant against the back seat and the wheels stuck in front of it. Usually it gets put on a towbar mounted carrier or on my mates roof of his audi , so not been a problem. If you undo the brake caliper mount that bolts to the leg, you don't move caliper alignment bolts, so shouldn't need re adjusting, unless your mate knocks the brake lever when its in the car or getting it in, which would be no different to any bike with a wheel missing.
Gassing Station | Pedal Powered | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff