Which XC bike best fits this kit list?

[viper_larry]

I've been test riding a few bikes over the last few weeks:

Rocky Mountain ESX30 (£2095) - too expensive
Specialized Rockhopper Disc (£649) - too slow (no, I don't know why, just felt slow)
Kona Cinder Cone (£650) - brakes no good

Each has its merits and downfalls, but I've particularly comes to want the following items:

Hard tail
Shimano Deore shifters
Shimano XT derailleurs
Hayes HFX-9 or preferably Avid Juicy 3 hydraulic disc brakes
Lock out front forks (no particular prefence on make)

So which bike in the £700 - £999 range would fit this best? This bike is for mainly receational riding on roads/tracks/trails and bridle paths

[ChrisRS]

I've just bought a Scott Scale 50, £750, spec seems to match up.

Here's mine:





Web link: www.jdcycles.co.uk/bikes/mtb-front-sus/07-scott-scale-50

Fantastic bike for the money, also recommend JD Cycle's enough.

ChrisRS

Edited by ChrisRS on Sunday 29th April 21:04

[viper_larry]

Interesting choice, Mrs VL has decided on a Scott Contessa 10 - will have to have a go on this one you recommend.

[gazzab]

Trek 6700 SLR ?

[wobert]

Orange P7 in S (£799) or Pro (£1195)

[HCMH]

Have you completely dismissed Full Suspension? If no then I highly recommend the Giant NRS1 - it is a couple of years old but I have one and it is a fantastic XC bike. Climbs very well, does not bob and is fast and fluid on the downhill sections. I bought mine from here and the deal seems pretty good to me.

www.paulscycles.co.uk/products.php?plid=m1b4s1p30

[gazzab]

HCMH said:

Have you completely dismissed Full Suspension? If no then I highly recommend the Giant NRS1 - it is a couple of years old but I have one and it is a fantastic XC bike. Climbs very well, does not bob and is fast and fluid on the downhill sections. I bought mine from here and the deal seems pretty good to me.

www.paulscycles.co.uk/products.php?plid=m1b4s1p30

Only avail in Small?

[viper_larry]

I've seen lots of good deals on Pauls Cycles, but they do tend to be on the smallest frame.

[Carolanne]

Hi, the scott looks lovely. I've been looking for a hardtail with those specs. Is the women's version as good as the mens? How much does your bike weigh?

[ChrisRS]

Carolanne said:

Hi, the scott looks lovely. I've been looking for a hardtail with those specs. Is the women's version as good as the mens? How much does your bike weigh?

Hi, don't know about the womens version but mine weights 12.4 kg/27.3 lbs according to the sales stuff.

I'm really pleased with it, definelty made the right choice.

ChrisRS

[viper_larry]

Carolanne said:

Hi, the scott looks lovely. I've been looking for a hardtail with those specs. Is the women's version as good as the mens? How much does your bike weigh?

My wife rode the Scott Contessa 10 (women's bike) and loved it - we'll be getting that one for here when I choose mine.

[thewave]

viper_larry said:

Specialized Rockhopper Disc (£649) - too slow (no, I don't know why, just felt slow)

I've just bought one of these. The standard provided tyres are very excessive, in fact way ott, and this is why I too thought it was slow. I've already changed them for some continentals with less obtrusive grip (I expect you noticed the road noise was horrendous on the others!) . The frame is nice and light, and the juicy brakes work much much better than I thought and very comparable to the Hope mini pro's i'm used to. The front is a bit heavy, which also proves the brakes are better than I expected. The frame is much stiffer than my Kinesis Maxlight, and therefore I'm inclined to give it a bit more 'stick' rather than treat it like a lady. The front end is a bit heavy for me. Not too sure why, I may change the rims and shocks at a later date, but for what I use it for it will suffice for the moment. The shocks are lockable, and are not bad at all really, but like I said earlier, there's some weight saving to be had.

In all I think it's a superb bike, and once it's had a bit more running in (the gears are a bit clunky, but are fast getting smoother) it'll be a smashing bike. I'm sure you can get it cheaper (£565 for me) and that will cover the cost of the small changes that I feel are needed.

It's a lot of bike for the money, and the frame itself feels a lot better than bikes much more expensive.

[westy04]

Why not try a Rockhopper Pro. Great frame and fork for starters on that bike. No problem getting the bike for less than £900. Use the spare extra cash to upgrade the crankset and shifters to XT.

[gazzab]

I paid £400 for my 6700 slr from ebay, it was new but from a private seller. Hadnt been ridden and he had even upgraded parts but was leaving the country and so was selling up. HAd it for a year and has done much better than my friends specialised and scott bikes eg I have ridden twice a week in all weathers for 2 - 3 hrs each time with lots of ricks, roots, jumps etc and have only changed rear mech, chain and shifters in that time. My friends bikes have changed much more, in particular bearings.

[jshell]

Giant Trance 2 from: www.pedalon.co.uk/acatalog/giant_trance_2.html

Bought my Trance 1 from them last year for a £800 discount from RRP.

Edited by jshell on Saturday 5th May 11:12

[viper_larry]

ChrisRS said:

I've just bought a Scott Scale 50, £750, spec seems to match up.

Fantastic bike for the money, also recommend JD Cycle's enough.

ChrisRS

Ordered the Scott Scale 50 in the end today after a 9 mile test ride - thanks for the recommendation. Pick it up tomorrow along with the Scott Contessa 20 for the Mrs. Got 10% too so for £675 it's a good deal

[ChrisRS]

viper_larry said:

ChrisRS said:

I've just bought a Scott Scale 50, £750, spec seems to match up.

Fantastic bike for the money, also recommend JD Cycle's enough.

ChrisRS

Ordered the Scott Scale 50 in the end today after a 9 mile test ride - thanks for the recommendation. Pick it up tomorrow along with the Scott Contessa 20 for the Mrs. Got 10% too so for £675 it's a good deal

Good choice, you wont regret it!

[gbbird]

Why not try a Merlin Malt - http://www.merlincycles.co.uk/acatalog/Merlin_Bike... - comes with all Deore stuff as standard, but you can customise it how you want. I have just ordered one, but not received it yet.