|
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
#1
|
|||
|
|||
Bike recommendations...
Hi All,
[Part one]: You may remember that I asked for some advice a while back in sorting out a new bike for my partner, Polly. I haven't yet fulfilled my promise to get her a new bike - redundancy delayed those plans - but I'm about to rectify that. Can anyone give me any recommendations? Budget is hopefully around £1000 but I won't rule out anything. It would be indelicate of me to say how much she weighs, so suffice to say she's pretty slight, about 1m62 tall (5'4") and the bike will get used for cross-country - her standard is up to Glentress Black Run (for those that know it), but taken pretty carefully with a fair bit of walking. [Part two]: It's also getting time for me to get a new bike. Originally, I was looking for a hardtail (probably Ti) - now I'm considering going full-suspension too. One of the reasons for choosing a hardtail was that I'm essentially quite luddite (although I haven't been bitten by the single-speed bug - I don't think my knees could take it). Budget is not yet a consideration. I ride cross country, often with more enthusiasm than skill (as witnessed by not one but two spectacular wipe-outs in one outing on Saturday). I like riding prepared trails like Glentress/Traquair/Coed-y-brenin (when I can get to the latter), but I also like just heading out with the bike, a compass and an OS map and seeing where that takes me. I don't do "freeriding" (I don't think), although the man-made courses I ride regularly are becoming increasingly agressive with big drops and more jumps. I'm still not sure what "hucking" is. I tend to try to ride, rather than fly, over drops, although I have been known to occasionally loft the front wheel a little! So, what do *you* think the right bike for me is? Thanks for the opinions. Adam... |
Ads |
#2
|
|||
|
|||
"Adam" wrote in message So, what do *you* think the right bike for me is? Thanks for the opinions. I'd like to help, but I don't know you from Adam. |
#3
|
|||
|
|||
"TM" wrote in message ...
"Adam" wrote in message So, what do *you* think the right bike for me is? Thanks for the opinions. I'd like to help, but I don't know you from Adam. Why thank you, TM, for taking the time to post that! I don't know why people say usenet is a low signal-to-noise-ratio medium... Adam... |
#4
|
|||
|
|||
"Adam" wrote in message om... You may remember that I asked for some advice a while back in sorting out a new bike for my partner, Polly. I haven't yet fulfilled my promise to get her a new bike - redundancy delayed those plans - but I'm about to rectify that. Can anyone give me any recommendations? Budget is hopefully around £1000 but I won't rule out anything. Giant full sussers are pretty good value and I certainly wouldn't want to go back to Glentress on my hardtail. I've ridden it a few times this year on a VT1 and enjoyed it so much more. The VT2 can be found at the moment for about a grand. Only gripes are crappy seat post shim (replace with correct size seat post or use a non-QR seat clamp to eliminate slip), oversized bars and stem restrict your replacement options, and a Variable Travel system which I never see fit to take out of long travel (not really a gripe at all). The Hutchinson UST stock tyres on the VT1 are fast, light and great for the hardpack and rocky sponsored trails in Scotland and Wales. Unfortunately they are too fragile for long term use and no good at all in mud. I ruptured the front quite quickly but Giant very kindly replaced it with a more mud-friendly tyre declaring my failure a manufacturing defect. I also upgraded the brakes to Hope monos although the Hayes really aren't that bad at all once bedded in. The NRS models are usually heavily discounted at this time of year too. See if you can get a demo ride from your LBS. Regards, Dave |
#5
|
|||
|
|||
"Adam" wrote in message om... Hi All, [Part one]: You may remember that I asked for some advice a while back in sorting out a new bike for my partner, Polly. I haven't yet fulfilled my promise to get her a new bike - redundancy delayed those plans - but I'm about to rectify that. Can anyone give me any recommendations? Budget is hopefully around £1000 but I won't rule out anything. It would be indelicate of me to say how much she weighs, so suffice to say she's pretty slight, about 1m62 tall (5'4") and the bike will get used for cross-country - her standard is up to Glentress Black Run (for those that know it), but taken pretty carefully with a fair bit of walking. [Part two]: It's also getting time for me to get a new bike. Originally, I was looking for a hardtail (probably Ti) - now I'm considering going full-suspension too. One of the reasons for choosing a hardtail was that I'm essentially quite luddite (although I haven't been bitten by the single-speed bug - I don't think my knees could take it). Budget is not yet a consideration. I ride cross country, often with more enthusiasm than skill (as witnessed by not one but two spectacular wipe-outs in one outing on Saturday). I like riding prepared trails like Glentress/Traquair/Coed-y-brenin (when I can get to the latter), but I also like just heading out with the bike, a compass and an OS map and seeing where that takes me. I don't do "freeriding" (I don't think), although the man-made courses I ride regularly are becoming increasingly agressive with big drops and more jumps. I'm still not sure what "hucking" is. I tend to try to ride, rather than fly, over drops, although I have been known to occasionally loft the front wheel a little! So, what do *you* think the right bike for me is? Thanks for the opinions. Adam... Too many choices really. If you want to try full suspension possibilities I would include would be a simple single pivot design like an Orange, one of the well-proven Marin full sus bikes or full more £££ a Turner 5 Spot. For hardtails I would be looking at a cotic frame which would take a 100mm+ travel fork and shine on the technical trails you have mentioned as well as standing up to repeated crashing better than an ali frame (Thicker tubing). Steve. |
#6
|
|||
|
|||
Fleagle wrote:
"Adam" wrote in message om... You may remember that I asked for some advice a while back in sorting out a new bike for my partner, Polly. I haven't yet fulfilled my promise to get her a new bike - redundancy delayed those plans - but I'm about to rectify that. Can anyone give me any recommendations? Budget is hopefully around £1000 but I won't rule out anything. Giant full sussers are pretty good value Sounds like the bike world is your oyster with the type of riding that you do and the budget that you have. I'll just throw a bit more in about the Giants and add to what Dave said because I've mostly ridden Giants myself. They are pretty good value and are readily available everywhere too. Looking at them would be a good starting point for you. If you want hardtail I'll let some of the other guys suggest something. Of course the BEST bike is the one that feels really good under you and handles the riding that you do regardless of the brand or model. For you the VT1 would probably be a pretty good bike. Strong enough to take a few knocks and drops but versatile enough to go everywhere. It is very good at soaking up the downhills too. The U turn feature on the Rockshox forks is novel but I only seem to use it in one setting or the other. There are plenty of forks out there that offer adjustable travel with two settings. Don't think that the infinitely variable ability of the Uturn is any great advantage. I tend to use either full-travel over the bumps or reduced travel for roads and nothing in between. The lockout is a nice feature for hill climbs or the road because it keeps the forks stiff and you don't loose energy to movement in the suspension. The VT2 is very good value at the moment too. Only negative about the VT1 that I have is that the Crossmax SL wheelset won't last long if you are a bigger guy doing drops. I think that the lastest model has the Crossmax XL's on it though. If you want something lighter that you won't be doing any great drops on - like larger than 18" or so, then the NRS series are pretty good. They are more of a lightweight full-suss cross country bike that is good for longer distances. You could look at one of those for your partner. The other Giant bikes like the AT are more heavily built and good for jumps and drops but they are heavy and not really a very versatile bike. Other brands? Specialized. One of the flavours of the Enduro would be good for you. Great little bike that one. The Epic might be one to consider but it's more like the NRS - good for long distances and smaller bumps but plenty of guys take some big hits on it too. Trek? Well. Several people here have an extreme dislike for Trek quoting low build quality and reliability. Your call. They have several models that would be suitable for you though. I could type more because there are hundreds of excellent bikes out there. Have a look and test ride some bikes and see how you feel about them and get back to us. -- Westie |
#7
|
|||
|
|||
"spademan o---[\) *" cc.gov.uk wrote in message ...
"Adam" wrote in message om... -8- snip -8- So, what do *you* think the right bike for me is? Thanks for the opinions. Adam... Too many choices really. If you want to try full suspension possibilities I would include would be a simple single pivot design like an Orange, one of the well-proven Marin full sus bikes or full more £££ a Turner 5 Spot. For hardtails I would be looking at a cotic frame which would take a 100mm+ travel fork and shine on the technical trails you have mentioned as well as standing up to repeated crashing better than an ali frame (Thicker tubing). Hi Steve, I know there are loads of choices, I was just hoping to narrow the field a little based on personal experience of folks on AMB. As you may remember, I was considering the On-one inbred Ti - I'm still thinking about it, and I'll add the Cotic soul to the hardtail list. I'm just starting to think that a full-susser might extend my skills on stuff like Traquair (which, if you haven't visited it recently, is superb) while still satisfying my need to find less-trodden Highland trails. Thanks for the suggestions. Lots of people seem to be inpressed with the 5-spot, so I'll definitely give it a try. Will look closely at your other suggestions, too... Cheers - Adam... |
#8
|
|||
|
|||
Westie wrote in message ...
-8- snip -8- I could type more because there are hundreds of excellent bikes out there. Have a look and test ride some bikes and see how you feel about them and get back to us. Thanks Westie. It is precisely because there seems to be such a huge market that I was hoping to enlist the help of the good people on AMB to narrow the field a little. I will, of course, be test riding everything I consider - to be honest, I was looking as much for "Don't go anywhere near bike_x.." advice as raves. I'll certainly look at those Giants, and I suspect the NRS might be a very good choice for my partner. Cheers - Adam... |
#9
|
|||
|
|||
"Adam" wrote in message om... Hi Steve, I know there are loads of choices, I was just hoping to narrow the field a little based on personal experience of folks on AMB. As you may remember, I was considering the On-one inbred Ti - I'm still thinking about it, and I'll add the Cotic soul to the hardtail list. I'm just starting to think that a full-susser might extend my skills on stuff like Traquair (which, if you haven't visited it recently, is superb) while still satisfying my need to find less-trodden Highland trails. Thanks for the suggestions. Lots of people seem to be inpressed with the 5-spot, so I'll definitely give it a try. Will look closely at your other suggestions, too... Cheers - Adam... Personal experience - Turners are great, can't fault the handling or build quality of mine at all. I haven't ridden a 5-spot but I would have no trouble recommending Turner as a 'brand'. The Inbred is also a very nice frame, I owned one for a short while and found it to be a good frame but a bit too long for my riding style. Again I could not fault the build quality etc. Cheers, Steve. |
#10
|
|||
|
|||
"Adam" wrote in message om... Thanks Dave. I hadn't yet considered the VT1/VT2, but I'll give them a test ride after this. The thing that worries me about the NRS (and other multi-pivot designs) is resistance to the abuse I'll give it. I'm not into huge, sick drops or anything like that but I have just trashed my second mavic 618 (on a hand-built wheel, too) in a year. Out of interest, why wouldn't you back to Glentress on a hardtail? Comfort! In particular, I think it's the Shane McGowan section that really shakes you to bits. Even on a full susser it's hard work, but a hardtail is just painful! I'm no regular, but I've ridden Glentress several times on both hardtail and full suss. First time on a full suss I thought the climbs would be hard work, particularly the long drag to the hut. The VT isn't a particularly light bike, but you really don't notice any significant weight penalty over a hardtail when pedalling uphill. So, plenty of good points with none of the bad. In terms of durability, the cheap RaceFace bottom bracket didn't last long and the headset is starting to go. However, the essentials are holding up surprisingly well (I'm 6`2" 14+ stone) - even the wheels. I've also got a great Giant dealer locally who so far hasn't failed to sneak all repairs through FOC. I've not tried the NRS. It's not the best looking bike out there, but for the cash you really can't go far wrong. Hope that helps, Dave |
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
Trips for Kids 13th Annual Bike Swap & Sale | Marilyn Price | Techniques | 0 | June 1st 04 04:54 AM |
Trips for Kids 13th Annual Bike Swap & Sale | Marilyn Price | Racing | 0 | June 1st 04 04:53 AM |
FAQ? | Just zis Guy, you know? | UK | 18 | October 1st 03 01:02 PM |
New Bike Recommendations Needed | James Howe | General | 7 | August 8th 03 05:48 AM |
Bike recommendations | thomas_delaney | General | 1 | July 29th 03 04:27 AM |