Confused by what to do

[black5]

I have posted in a couple of threads problems I am having with my Cannondale Delta V900.

I love the bike. I know it's old and outdated, but it is also light and easy to throw around. Uphill I can out drag most of my mates without issue, but downhill I always wait & leave last to avoid holding 'em up. I don't know if this has anything to do with the bike or if I'm just a wuss!

I was thinking of getting another bike. Particularly as I have been going through brake blocks quicker than Pete Dockerty gets through drugs charges. So hydraulic discs are top of the list.

Now I have a few problems:
Do I keep my bike? - it's not exactly going to fetch a lot on a trade in.
Do I get another hardtail? - can't help thinking that all I'm upgrading is the brakes and there is little point in keeping the Delta V.
Do I get a full suspension? - Then I have the Delta V for road work and light trails.

I need to use a bike (new or Delta V) to do a 22km road trial as part of a triathlon I'm doing in August. I'm happy the Delta V will be suitable for this with narrow road tyres. The gearing is quite high too.

So what do I do?

Currently I have been offered:
Cannondale Prophet SL (06 - ex-demo) for £799
Specialized Rockhopper disc for £649
Kona Hoss / Caldera for £649
Trek 6000 for £550

Then I started looking through some of the adverts in certain magazines and thought about these:
Kona Kikapu Dee-Lux for £699 (? yr) or £649 (06)
Trek Fuel 80 (06) for £625

I'm very drawn to the Cannondale Prophet SL, having owned a Cannondale, with the rather large saving from new and I will be supporting a local shop.
However the Trek 6000, Kona (not the same one) and Specialised have done very well in recent mag tests I've read.
And the 2 old model full suspension bikes would save me some money.

I ride 1-2 times a week, mostly hilly XC.
Would anyone like to offer a little advice?

[ysnnim]

I've just moved from a rockhopper - which was a great hardtail - to an Epic. Full suspension on downhills is a revelation! The difference in control, speed, etc has to be ridden to be believed. However I also have to go up hills - so again the Epic is great as it has that brain suspension thing. My buddies who ride full sus bikes can't get on with the Epic, but if you are used to a hardtail, and like the benefits it gives on the flat and uphills, then the Epic gives you all that, and great downhill improvement. I just got an Epic frame, and took all the bits off the rockhopper (plus a few upgrades) onto the Epic frame. Might be worth considering...?

Cheers.

[mat205125]

Not quite spending the same budget as ysnnim, but I upgraded from my Specialized hard tail to a full sus XC last year. I kept the hard tail for "road and whatever use", and haven't picked it up since.

Get a good full sus with rear shock and fork lock out and you've got a real jack of all trades .... Some may argue a master of none, but for general trail / fun / weekend use by Joe Public, that's fine.

[snotrag]

Is your main desire to go faster downhill?

If so, a suspension frame is the way to go.

[abarthchris]

i went from a hardtail kona with 110mm travel forks to a 6inch freeride craftwork and i love it! you can ride harder, faster and for longer than any hardtail. Yes its heavy, but thats due to the build spec i went for.

I would go for the fuel or a spesh fsr and go for last years models to save you some money. Keep the cannondale as its virtually worthless to a bike shop. you could always stick it on ebay to see if you get any interest...

oh and ive not touched my hardtail since the day i built the full susser!

[Roman]

If you wanted to upgrade, Cannondale have an offer on at the mo for Cannondale owners to upgrade to their latest 'fatty' or 'lefty' forks at a big discount apparently. try: http://gb.cannondale.com/upgrade/

Merlin cycles do good disc brake kits too.

Having said that I'd still be tempted by an FSR or Fuel...

[black5]

It's very tempting to go for the biggest, best, expensive kit, but I do need to keep below £800.

Not bad considering the other half was against £500 to start with.

Looking at the replies, it does look like the full sus is the way to go.

Snotrag - I would say I would like to feel more comfortable & more in control going down hill, which should (hopefully) in turn make me quicker.

I have mentioned 3 within my price range. Is there any others I should be considering and which would you recommend (or at least recommend I try)?

Edited by black5 on Friday 18th May 16:50

[black5]

Well
I've done it.

Tried 2 Specialized FSR bikes today.

The XC was very good and a lot of fun. The bike fitted well and felt comfortable from the off. Liked the fact you can lock out both front and rear suspension.

The XC Comp however was all of the above, but the brakes were an absolute revelation. Using the front, I was able to lift the rear at slow speed while seated. I didn't need to buy SPD's and both ends have more adjustment. I tried it on an off road downhill section and was going sooo much faster than I would have done before, without any concern.

Sold!

Now I'm the proud owner of a Specialised FSR XC Comp.