New bike

id avoid the GT (not great spec) and the kona 29er (its a bit of a niche / fad that I wouldnt recommend for everyones first bike)

if you could stretch just a £129 more then this is the best value bike you will find
full xt and proper fox fork and shock

the parts would add up to the total price before you even think about the frame cost

http://www.canyon.com/_uk/mountainbikes/bike.html?b=2558

think you have to pay something for delivery too but still a bargain

http://www.canyon.com/_uk/mountainbikes/bike.html?b=2556

if not drop down to the 7.0 for £1299 and you still get a good frame forks shock and good xt / slx mix of gears
 
the canyons are from germany i think - dont worry though google it and you will find many many people have ordered and get them in a pretty quick time, also they seem to be pretty good at sorting out problems when they arise

all the magazines rave about them too so cant go wrong really, like i said you get parts worth as much as the value of the bike before the frame cost comes in -

the 29" wheel thing is a newish fad id say, sort of thing that real enthusiasts would have as a second bike, not something id advise for you simply because you are getting back into riding, the bigger wheels are great for going fast over less technical long distance sort of riding rather than what i would class "the fun bits"
(although watch kye forte ripping on a 29" charge hardtail online somewhere to completely disprove my point)
 
Last edited:
I'd recommend against a 29" bike for a few reasons:

1) As you're not up to speed with modern bikes and will lack the tools to do a lot of jobs, you may need little bits of help here and there from a local bike shop, who probably wont stock much 29" stuff, possibly not even spare tubes, so you may end up unable to ride certain days if the bike needs a simple fix - which wouldn't occur on a 26" wheel bike.

2) If you ride with any friends, colleagues, or anyone better on a bike than you, they'll be much more likely to be able to give you tips on riding that are relevant to a 26" wheel bike, which might not apply so much to a 29" wheel.
 
matt_fsr said:
1) As you're not up to speed with modern bikes and will lack the tools to do a lot of jobs, you may need little bits of help here and there from a local bike shop, who probably wont stock much 29" stuff, possibly not even spare tubes
Click to expand...

Other than tubes + tyres, everything is the same on a 29er, so it's easy enough to stock your own spares.

(obviously assuming that nobody buys forks on a spur-of-the-moment decision in an lbs)
 
Mr-White said:
My brothers got a 29, I blew 2 innertubes at the weekend and had to bodge the hole until I could find somewhere to replace it. The bike shop we found stocked both 26 and 29

MW
Click to expand...

Grabbed a quick cheap replacement tube from Cycle King but the chap gave me the wrong sized tube. Even after telling him it looked too small through the packaging and him even seeing my bike outside :mad: I've since had to buy one online.
 
borich_planner said:
That was the one ***** bike shop!
Click to expand...

It was but a life saver when you've biked 7 miles on a bodge innertube lol

Beerbaron said:
Grabbed a quick cheap replacement tube from Cycle King but the chap gave me the wrong sized tube. Even after telling him it looked too small through the packaging and him even seeing my bike outside :mad: I've since had to buy one online.
Click to expand...

Didn't it have the size on the box ?

MW
 
gettothechopper said:
id avoid the GT (not great spec) and the kona 29er (its a bit of a niche / fad that I wouldnt recommend for everyones first bike)

if you could stretch just a £129 more then this is the best value bike you will find
full xt and proper fox fork and shock

the parts would add up to the total price before you even think about the frame cost

http://www.canyon.com/_uk/mountainbikes/bike.html?b=2558

think you have to pay something for delivery too but still a bargain
Click to expand...

This is what I have just ordered, quoted 10 weeks for delivery though :(
 
I ordered a nerve xc 8 last week in forest green after the little price drop - think there must be waves of people ordering them.

Mine should come week 24 fingers crossed!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom