Mountain Biking

[Begbie]

I'm halfways through a 2 year injury timeout from the bike. I go from being too depressed about it to go anywhere near MTB sites and discussion to wanting to hoover up loads of info and chat so I somehow hit the ground running (err, not like that, that's what got me in this mess already) when I finally get to ride again. Between that and not wanting to upgrade my PC kit much lately I'm not around here much myself.

Rampage was nice in that it ran smoothly with no huge weather delays or terrible injuries. I think the latter may be partly why we don't see so much in the way of insane canyon gaps now, and maybe the new site just doesn't have them on good lines?

What have you injured? 2 years, I feel for you.

 

[steve45]

First ride in a couple of months... **** its good to get back out, a mixture of being too busy and being bored by the local riding. Got three weeks off in December and cant wait to get back north of the border and throw myself down some proper hills, the North East is frustrating me with lack of DH at the moment, only so many times you can ride Descend before it becomes repetitive, dont get me wrong, Descend is great but theres only so many time you can ride the same few tracks before you are want a change, my Scotland roadtrip in August really put in perspective what i'm missing back home.

 

[neil_g]

Think that's my problem recently being bored of the local stuff. Need to plan some trips out..

 

[Begbie]

First ride in a couple of months... **** its good to get back out, a mixture of being too busy and being bored by the local riding. Got three weeks off in December and cant wait to get back north of the border and throw myself down some proper hills, the North East is frustrating me with lack of DH at the moment, only so many times you can ride Descend before it becomes repetitive, dont get me wrong, Descend is great but theres only so many time you can ride the same few tracks before you are want a change, my Scotland roadtrip in August really put in perspective what i'm missing back home.

Know the feeling, my local trail is an hour away and while good it gets repetitive.

The other 'trails' are nearly two hours away and without an uplift, your road climbing for 2 hours which isn't my idea of fun. I can't bring myself to get out and do some xc local as it's just farmers tracks as I just find it tedious.

 

[tef]

Tempted to get a bike in the new year, been a whilst since riding a bike at all! Looking at about £1200 on finance , last bike i had was a santa cruz heckler which i enjoyed riding although it was a little heavy up hills. I get for the money i won't get too much. Full suspension was nice so probs like another. Any ideas?

if it's not too late, worth have a look at Go-Outdoor's own brand. got some decent reviews. the Bossnut got updated to v2 recently:

http://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/calibre-bossnut-v2-mountain-bike-p403001

note: video review is auto-play on MBR website:
http://www.mbr.co.uk/news/calibre-beastnut-357764

http://www.bikeradar.com/mtb/gear/c...pension/product/review-calibre-bossnut-50185/

 

[Mark A]

I'm after replacing my 100mm front Hardtail with something to make riding on rocky moorland a bit more comfortable. I find at the moment i'm having to stand 90% of the time as its just too bumpy to sit, plus on the downhill the forks don't seem to have enough travel to cope. I'd also like to start going to some trails etc, so thinking its about time to get a full suspension.

Is there anything decent brand new for £1000-£1500 or would I be better off going second hand? Is it enduro bikes I should be looking at? I'm thinking 140mm travel should be ideal and as light as possible.

 

[TallPaul_S]

I'm after replacing my 100mm front Hardtail with something to make riding on rocky moorland a bit more comfortable. I find at the moment i'm having to stand 90% of the time as its just too bumpy to sit, plus on the downhill the forks don't seem to have enough travel to cope. I'd also like to start going to some trails etc, so thinking its about time to get a full suspension.

Is there anything decent brand new for £1000-£1500 or would I be better off going second hand? Is it enduro bikes I should be looking at? I'm thinking 140mm travel should be ideal and as light as possible.

£1500 will get you something decent, especially if you can pick up a 2017 bike.

An enduro bike will be 150-170mm travel, you'll probably want a 'trail' FS bike, not as slack HA (66-67 vs 65 degrees), 130-150mm travel, and a bit more suited to going up, also should be a bit lighter.

 

[gettothechopper]

I'm after replacing my 100mm front Hardtail with something to make riding on rocky moorland a bit more comfortable. I find at the moment i'm having to stand 90% of the time as its just too bumpy to sit, plus on the downhill the forks don't seem to have enough travel to cope. I'd also like to start going to some trails etc, so thinking its about time to get a full suspension.

Is there anything decent brand new for £1000-£1500 or would I be better off going second hand? Is it enduro bikes I should be looking at? I'm thinking 140mm travel should be ideal and as light as possible.

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/...r-suspension-bike-slx-1x11-2017/rp-prod146555 (only got 17" or 20.5" though)

seems to be the best deal i can find ?

 

[Mark A]

Thanks that looks good, but according to the chart i'd need a size L being 6'1". It gives me something to go on though, i'll have a look at some similar bikes. Also like the look of the VRX version but they have none in stock.

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/ghost-sl-amr-4-suspension-bike-2017/rp-prod148538 - This looks awesome.

 

[TallPaul_S]

If you buy from CRC don't forget the 10% discount from the £22 British cycling membership.

I'll have a look for some other deals, at 6ft 1in you'll definitely need a large, I'm XL in size at 6ft 3in.



Edit: that Ghost only has Fox 32's, you might find them a bit flexy for rough terrain, they're more of an XC race fork. You'll want fox 34's really. I can see some budget creep already starting to form £1000-1500 to £1800...

You've missed a lot of the end of season deals on 2017 bikes, a lot of stuff is out of stock now.
£1500 is a bit of a difficult price, you're beyond the budget full sussers (bossnut) but not into the 'proper' spec FS bikes at £2000-2500, and a few extra hundred quid gets you a lot more.

I would stick to the direct brands unless you can find a stonking deal on a '17 bike:

YT jeffsey AL two - For that you get pike RC's and a Deluxe R, DT swiss wheels, reverb stealth dropper, sram GX (11sp) and Guide R brakes. Much, much better specced than the Ghost you linked: £1699 https://www.yt-industries.com/uk/detail/index/sArticle/1364/sCategory/508


Or, if you want to say "sod the budget" there's this rather nice carbon Cannondale Bad Habit in a striking purple for £2k - Carbon frame, Pike RC's, Fox float DPS, X1 11sp, and Guide R brakes. Wheels aren't quite as good but then you get the carbon frame to offset that!! https://www.rutlandcycling.com/bike...7boAN9kjwGsWTpSrTy6K6bn5LqMphZjBoC2hgQAvD_BwE


At the other end of the budget this can be had for £900, Vitus Escarpe with deore groupset, that's a dirt cheap FS bike and the frame is the same as on the £2200 model: http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/...scarpe&icb=bspot2-c2-week47_2017_vitusescarpe


Otherwise you're looking at a 2018 model Vitus Escarpe for £1665 - Mostly SLX with revalations and a deluxe RT: http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/...r-suspension-bike-slx-1x11-2018/rp-prod159743

 

[Mark A]

Yeah my budget always ends up creeping up . Thanks for the help, i'll have a good look through your suggestions. Really liking the look of the YT jeffsey AL two you linked.

Edit: Is there any rush to buy now to try and get a 2017 model, or will there be any deals on the 2018 range down the line? I have seen a few I like, but feel i need to do a bit of research before buying and worried they will all sell out.

This one caught my eye, seems to be pretty good spec and carbon http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/...s-bike-carbon-sram-x1-1x11-2017/rp-prod146566. I like the look of the black stealthy looking frames rather than bright colours with big logos, so it kind of limits my options a bit. Also budget has crept up again lol, I think i'd be willing to stretch to £2000 for the right bike.

I do also have a few decent parts on my current hardtail which I could sell off. I bought some parts for it a couple of years ago which made a massive difference, but the forks I chose were far too stiff for the terrain. A Rockshox reba 120mm front fork, Shimano XT crankset, deore brakes and zee rotors, Mavic 317 wheels with brand new continental mountain king tyres. Could maybe get a couple of hundred to put towards the new bike.

 

[gettothechopper]

yeah that carbon vitus is a good deal (you wont find anything with that spec any cheaper)

the "end of year" is around sept / october, anything 2017 will go into sale until its gone
anything branded 2017 could be gone at anytime so dont wait if you want a deal

2018 stuff is appearing now and will usually stay at full rrp until the end of the summer next year

 

[TallPaul_S]

As above, a lot depends when the manufacturers release the new bikes, Trek launch theirs pretty early, same for Cube. The Vitus 2018 bikes have only just come into stock at CRC but the 2017 ones have been on sale since September at least.

YT haven't even launched their 2018 bikes yet, but Cube launched their 2018 bikes in September.

If you're looking at 2018 bikes the Commencal meta 4.2 TR is an award winning bike https://www.commencal-store.co.uk/Mobile/meta-trail-v42-origin-650b-black-2018-c2x22592789

I would look at it logically, has there been a major change for 2018, like a frame redesign? Like the cube Stereo 140, the 2017 model has slightly dated geometry, the 2018 frame has been completely redesigned, I wouldn't have looked twice at the 2017 model but the 2018 one is top of my list at the moment.

Them compare specs, and see if you need/want Boost dropouts/forks. I think all bikes will be going boost, and rockshox are now only doing boost forks. The 2017 Vitus bikes aren't boost, the 2018 ones are.

 

[Mark A]

Seems I have some reading to do as I only understood some of those words . Basically I just want a good looking bike that will handle rough terrain and remain as light as possible so it doesn't struggle to go uphill too much. If i can completely replace my hardtail with a good all rounder so I can break it for parts it would be ideal. Me and my brother keep saying we will visit a trail at some point, so hopefully getting a new bike will make it happen.

Edit: nvm the vitus is out of stock in L now . I think i entered the market at the wrong time. The Commencal apparently isnt good if you have size 10+ feet as your heels hit the stays according to a review i just watched.

 

[TallPaul_S]

Seems I have some reading to do as I only understood some of those words . Basically I just want a good looking bike that will handle rough terrain and remain as light as possible so it doesn't struggle to go uphill too much. If i can completely replace my hardtail with a good all rounder so I can break it for parts it would be ideal. Me and my brother keep saying we will visit a trail at some point, so hopefully getting a new bike will make it happen.

Edit: nvm the vitus is out of stock in L now . I think i entered the market at the wrong time. The Commencal apparently isnt good if you have size 10+ feet as your heels hit the stays according to a review i just watched.

TBH I've only come back to MTB after a 15 year gap a few months ago, EVERYTHING has changed! FS bikes have moved on immensely too, tbh I don't think there are many bad ones, just varying degrees of good to bloody awesome. Even the burly 170mm travel enduro bikes will climb pretty well, not as good as a hardtail but enough to get you to the top.

'Boost' is one of the standards for hub width - if you ignore the quick release hubs and only look at through axles, there's 142x12mm rear and 100x15mm front, that's 'normal' size through axles. Boost (as the name suggests) boosts the width of the hub, and therefore the frame/fork to 148mm rear and 110mm front (same diameter as non-boost). This should make a stiffer wheel, which is useful for 29ers especially. Obviously the wheels (without some swapping of spacers etc. etc.) aren't compatible. I reckon boost will be pretty standard across the board in a year or 2, it's hard to find a non-boost 2018 bike. Just something to consider if you want old bits to fit your new bike, or you buy another bike in a couple of years and want to swap wheels.

Then of course there's dropper posts, 'long, low, slack™' geometry, 27.5+, trail, all mountain, enduro.... gah!!!

 

[PinkFloyd]

The Commencal apparently isnt good if you have size 10+ feet as your heels hit the stays according to a review i just watched.

I've seen that in a review too, I'm not sure how much I beleive it. I find it difficult to grasp that a company could release bikes for men where they're problematic to ride for anyone with even average sized feet for a bloke? It's definitely put me off the Commencals until I see something counter it though, which is a huge shame as they're lovely looking bikes

 

[Mark A]

Yeah its the only thing that put me off as well as I have size 11 feet and also use flat pedals. From what i have read in comments sections on forums is its a bit mixed, some say its not an issue and others say they have rub marks on the frame but it doesn't bother them. I'm not sure if the 2018 models are the same as I think the review model was a 2017, so it might have been fixed now?

It seems like every review i read/watch makes the bike sound amazing, then at the very end there's always a "but" that then puts me off. I guess at this price range you're never going to get something that is perfect though. I'm tempted to save a few more pennies and maybe look again in the spring as the weather will be better by then as well.

 

[steve45]

Yeah its the only thing that put me off as well as I have size 11 feet and also use flat pedals. From what i have read in comments sections on forums is its a bit mixed, some say its not an issue and others say they have rub marks on the frame but it doesn't bother them. I'm not sure if the 2018 models are the same as I think the review model was a 2017, so it might have been fixed now?

It seems like every review i read/watch makes the bike sound amazing, then at the very end there's always a "but" that then puts me off. I guess at this price range you're never going to get something that is perfect though. I'm tempted to save a few more pennies and maybe look again in the spring as the weather will be better by then as well.

I really wouldnt worry about it. I think riding stance and pedals used is going to factor into it also.
I've got rub marks on my Gambler from heels, but i dont ever remember catching on it. not that i actually give a ****, its a mountain bike its going to get scuffs/scratchs etc its the nature of the game.

 

[Mark A]

I'm more worried it'll become annoying having to re position my feet all the time if my heels keep catching.

 

[PinkFloyd]

Yeh same. My Boardman's chain stays are covered in various marks... Paint has worn off, chips in a few places etc etc. Not worried about cosmetic stuff like that, but if I find I'm consciously clipping it with my wheels whilst peddling that would completely put me off a bike!