ok, how about Merida Mag Pro or Kinesis Maxlight Pro?
Discussion
anyone any experience with these, by the Kinesis I mean the latest one with the carbon seat stays, rather than the nice Titanium one they used to do.
As for the Merida Magnesium pro, the model on the website seems to have been tested as long ago as 2 years ago, although to be fair it got a 9 and is very well specced (even going to an XTR rear mech). Does anyone know if magnesium bikes have a shorter life span than anything else, given that the material is very reactive - or could I expect welds etc to fail as it is a difficult material to weld?
Its a choice of a well specced Merida Magnesium, a reasonably specced Kinesis frame (which I'll have to get built up to my own spec) or a poorly specced Salsa Moto Rapido frame, (which again I'll have to get built up) which will mean a few more £00s over the next year or two as I upgrade the bits that break (although that is all good fun, and if it means I get the best frame of the 3, so be it.
The big problem with the Kinesis is it only has disc brake mounts, so the cost of speccing it up with disc brakes would probably put it in the same price bracket as the salsa, which I can spec with V-brakes, and I'd rather have V-brakes to be honest.
So unless anyone reckons I'd be a fool to miss out on the Merida or the Kinesis, its the Salsa all the way
As for the Merida Magnesium pro, the model on the website seems to have been tested as long ago as 2 years ago, although to be fair it got a 9 and is very well specced (even going to an XTR rear mech). Does anyone know if magnesium bikes have a shorter life span than anything else, given that the material is very reactive - or could I expect welds etc to fail as it is a difficult material to weld?
Its a choice of a well specced Merida Magnesium, a reasonably specced Kinesis frame (which I'll have to get built up to my own spec) or a poorly specced Salsa Moto Rapido frame, (which again I'll have to get built up) which will mean a few more £00s over the next year or two as I upgrade the bits that break (although that is all good fun, and if it means I get the best frame of the 3, so be it.
The big problem with the Kinesis is it only has disc brake mounts, so the cost of speccing it up with disc brakes would probably put it in the same price bracket as the salsa, which I can spec with V-brakes, and I'd rather have V-brakes to be honest.
So unless anyone reckons I'd be a fool to miss out on the Merida or the Kinesis, its the Salsa all the way
All I can advise is go with discs. I have recently fitted discs after 15 years of rim brakes and I am amazed how much better they are. I have Magura Julies which you can pick up for £120 ish on Ebay + disc spec wheel at about £100 a pair from Chain Reaction.
Edited by greatgranny on Friday 8th September 11:57
cheers, but ridden discs and yes, stopping power is excellent, but just not needed. I frequently downhill faster than people on much more sophisticated kit, probably because I can't stop, so just have to learn to pick the right line and stay on it, rather than point down the hill and squeeze the brakes every time it gets scary. V-brakes will be a step up for me, are easy to set up and maintain, pads are less costly and won't fall out every time I take the wheels off. I'd also imagine V brakes weigh less than a disc set up
Gassing Station | Pedal Powered | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff