Full sus required- give me some advice
Discussion
Ive nearlly always had hardtails, but my mates have started to go to bike parks and the ones who have hardtails have all been to buy a full sus.
Apparently a hardtail is out of its depth quickly. And my argument that i always used to do any type of riding on a rigid bike in my teens is falling on deaf ears. I plan to go with them one day on one of my hardtails just to see, but im half planning already which bike to buy. (N+1)
Ive only had 1 proper Dh bike which i sold quickly (stab Deluxe) as it was useless, so looking to keep it 140-160mm. Id be keeping my current cannondale flash carbon as its nearly new , but feel i need a full bouncer for these days out.
Ive looked at zesty, spicy, five, and whyte 146. Is there anything else i need to look at? Id be buyng a used example as cant justify another new bike this soon.
Thanks
Apparently a hardtail is out of its depth quickly. And my argument that i always used to do any type of riding on a rigid bike in my teens is falling on deaf ears. I plan to go with them one day on one of my hardtails just to see, but im half planning already which bike to buy. (N+1)
Ive only had 1 proper Dh bike which i sold quickly (stab Deluxe) as it was useless, so looking to keep it 140-160mm. Id be keeping my current cannondale flash carbon as its nearly new , but feel i need a full bouncer for these days out.
Ive looked at zesty, spicy, five, and whyte 146. Is there anything else i need to look at? Id be buyng a used example as cant justify another new bike this soon.
Thanks
We went up to bike park wales yesterday. Four of us were running 140-160mm bikes, the fifth was on a rigid single speed 
. He was not the slowest down either, so it's not all about the bike. That said he was done after four runs down the blues with hands that were struggling to grip the bars, and is now looking for some front bounce.
FS is not the be all and end all, try your hardtail, it'll be fine, but you may get the bug for gravity and want to move into FS later.
. He was not the slowest down either, so it's not all about the bike. That said he was done after four runs down the blues with hands that were struggling to grip the bars, and is now looking for some front bounce. FS is not the be all and end all, try your hardtail, it'll be fine, but you may get the bug for gravity and want to move into FS later.
New or Second-hand?
If you want a fast FS for Bike Parks that will also pedal to some degree I'd stick to the 6" bikes.
The Spesh Enduro is pretty much the defacto privateer bike of choice for Enduro races, they come in 26" and 29" wheels and have loads of spec levels - typically with Spesh the spec can look quite good, but they really cut back on less obvious things like hubs.
I've had two Spicy's and they've both been great, current one is 650b only, I haven't tried one.
SC Nomad Carbon looks amazing, but expect a 5-6k bill for a well specced one, if you want 650b you'll need a Bronson for the same money.
If you want to go custom the Evil Uprising frame at £2k in carbon is where I'd go.
If you want a fast FS for Bike Parks that will also pedal to some degree I'd stick to the 6" bikes.
The Spesh Enduro is pretty much the defacto privateer bike of choice for Enduro races, they come in 26" and 29" wheels and have loads of spec levels - typically with Spesh the spec can look quite good, but they really cut back on less obvious things like hubs.
I've had two Spicy's and they've both been great, current one is 650b only, I haven't tried one.
SC Nomad Carbon looks amazing, but expect a 5-6k bill for a well specced one, if you want 650b you'll need a Bronson for the same money.
If you want to go custom the Evil Uprising frame at £2k in carbon is where I'd go.
Thanks for the replies guys.
I should also mention that i dont want to wreck my new flash carbon 1. Its looks far too delicate to throw at rocks, and i shudder at the thought of replacing some of the expensive bits if the worse happens.
My plan is to use my hardtail for fitness , singletrack and xc days out and have something that can take some punishment too. Budget is £1- 2K i guess. If i go more than this id just get a new five if im honest. I also prfer 26" wheels and alloy frame as feel they take abuse better from rocks etc.
I should also mention that i dont want to wreck my new flash carbon 1. Its looks far too delicate to throw at rocks, and i shudder at the thought of replacing some of the expensive bits if the worse happens.
My plan is to use my hardtail for fitness , singletrack and xc days out and have something that can take some punishment too. Budget is £1- 2K i guess. If i go more than this id just get a new five if im honest. I also prfer 26" wheels and alloy frame as feel they take abuse better from rocks etc.
I appreciate that if you are planning uplift days at places like BPW then you may think you need a big FS bike but I still think that people use FS as something of a skills/technique compensator and I wouldnt discount a long travel HT like a Cotic, Ragley or a Cove as they often come up cheap secondhand. Look for something like a Canyon Nerve, Giant Trance/Anthem, Lapierre Zesty, Commencal Meta, Trek Fuel. I'd be wary of going to big on the travel because it will limit your options and be a pig to ride anywhere other than down but if you have the cahoonies to really push it....
Take a look at Canyon. Their Nerve and Spectral look to be good setups for the money, although you will have to wait for one. I have recently ordered a Spectral and been given a due date towards the end of April based on the colour, size and spec I ordered. Your £1-2k budget would get you a decent brand new bike from them.
Does feel like a bit of a punt in my eyes but they have a 30day free return policy so not too much of a risk.
Does feel like a bit of a punt in my eyes but they have a 30day free return policy so not too much of a risk.
This is what I bought.
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
Frankly it's brilliant - does everything from slogging up climbs to full on DH tracks. Admittedly it's not a whippet up the hills but it really does seem to be the Swiss Army knife of bikes - and astonishingly cheap for the spec
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
Frankly it's brilliant - does everything from slogging up climbs to full on DH tracks. Admittedly it's not a whippet up the hills but it really does seem to be the Swiss Army knife of bikes - and astonishingly cheap for the spec
TBH, BPW is pretty smooth in most places, yes there are short sections of rocks and roots, but the vast majority of it is smooth tracks. I'd certainly take my c456 with 140mm fork down the blacks no issues at all.
A quality FS bike will allow you to go faster, not get battered around as much, and probably "swallow" up minor mistakes and poor line choices. It will also be more puncture resistant at the back (as unweighting over really rough/square stuff is less timing critical)
I mainly use my FS bike for long day, cross country riding across rocky stuff (peaks, mid/north wales etc) where the comfort factor really helps, and in the Alps, where i need all the skills compensation i can get...... ;-)
A quality FS bike will allow you to go faster, not get battered around as much, and probably "swallow" up minor mistakes and poor line choices. It will also be more puncture resistant at the back (as unweighting over really rough/square stuff is less timing critical)
I mainly use my FS bike for long day, cross country riding across rocky stuff (peaks, mid/north wales etc) where the comfort factor really helps, and in the Alps, where i need all the skills compensation i can get...... ;-)
Going to BPW or similar for an uplift day and using any for. Of hard tail bike is just making life hard for yourself
As people on here will tell you, there's not many spots in the uk where you need a full on 200mm downhill rig
Have you considered something like this : http://www.yt-industries.com/shop/index.php?page=p...
It's not going to be super efficient for pedalling around like some of the lower travel bikes, but as an all rounder/enduro bike, they're hard to beat for the money
As people on here will tell you, there's not many spots in the uk where you need a full on 200mm downhill rig
Have you considered something like this : http://www.yt-industries.com/shop/index.php?page=p...
It's not going to be super efficient for pedalling around like some of the lower travel bikes, but as an all rounder/enduro bike, they're hard to beat for the money
Bit of an update.
Went to sherwood pines yesterday and really enjoyed myself. My hardtail never held me back but obvously pines is quite easy. What it did do was highlight is how tiring it is having to pick the line carefully , and i got numb hands a few times. Plus my back aches today. The next place to visit is cannock and i hope by then i have a full sus. if not ill go on my flash.
Anyone had any experience of Canyon spectral Al? The 6.0 at £1700 is great value inc a dropper post. And would be perfect i feel
Went to sherwood pines yesterday and really enjoyed myself. My hardtail never held me back but obvously pines is quite easy. What it did do was highlight is how tiring it is having to pick the line carefully , and i got numb hands a few times. Plus my back aches today. The next place to visit is cannock and i hope by then i have a full sus. if not ill go on my flash.
Anyone had any experience of Canyon spectral Al? The 6.0 at £1700 is great value inc a dropper post. And would be perfect i feel
I'd highly recommend looking at nukeproof or even vitus on crc. They have some great deals on last season's bikes.
Personally I've been riding a Cove G-spot for 9 years now and I still love it. I've done everything from huge xc loops to dh and 4cross events and is been great, although it is a little heavy compared to modern bikes.
And for what is worth, I wouldn't waste the fuel money driving to sherwood pines. Cannock has much better riding for both xc and dh.
Personally I've been riding a Cove G-spot for 9 years now and I still love it. I've done everything from huge xc loops to dh and 4cross events and is been great, although it is a little heavy compared to modern bikes.
And for what is worth, I wouldn't waste the fuel money driving to sherwood pines. Cannock has much better riding for both xc and dh.
Ill have a look on crc now , thanks.
Sherwood pines is fairly local and i needed to be within 5 miles of there anyway yesterday so thought it was a good oportunity. £4 for parking was the killer.
Edited to ask- When do canyon take payment for a bike which you order? The one i like has shipping date of last week of march.
Sherwood pines is fairly local and i needed to be within 5 miles of there anyway yesterday so thought it was a good oportunity. £4 for parking was the killer.
Edited to ask- When do canyon take payment for a bike which you order? The one i like has shipping date of last week of march.
Edited by d8mok on Saturday 8th March 12:27
d8mok said:
Bit of an update.
Went to sherwood pines yesterday and really enjoyed myself. My hardtail never held me back but obvously pines is quite easy. What it did do was highlight is how tiring it is having to pick the line carefully , and i got numb hands a few times. Plus my back aches today. The next place to visit is cannock and i hope by then i have a full sus. if not ill go on my flash.
Anyone had any experience of Canyon spectral Al? The 6.0 at £1700 is great value inc a dropper post. And would be perfect i feel
I rode a mates one and was very impressed, I have one on order should arrive towards the end of April. I spoke to their UK sales office and they have a good 30day returns policy so that was re-assuring. Spec wise I couldnt fault it for the price, but the delivery time is a bit of a downside.Went to sherwood pines yesterday and really enjoyed myself. My hardtail never held me back but obvously pines is quite easy. What it did do was highlight is how tiring it is having to pick the line carefully , and i got numb hands a few times. Plus my back aches today. The next place to visit is cannock and i hope by then i have a full sus. if not ill go on my flash.
Anyone had any experience of Canyon spectral Al? The 6.0 at £1700 is great value inc a dropper post. And would be perfect i feel
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