£1400 'What Bike?' Question!

lankyman01

Hey guys,

I recently had an old bike of mine stolen, a Planet X, fortunately insured on a 'new for old' policy. Hence, my insurance company has given me a budget of £1400 to spend on the replacement. Unfortunately, they only work through a bike company called www.wheelies.co.uk, so im limited to their stock range. Any suggestions as to what to get? I ride mostly XC and Trail nowadays, and dont know whether to make the hop to a full sus or stick with the hardtail. By the way, im 6 foot 3, and weigh in approx 15 stone. Im eyeing up the Trek 8500, but dont know if a Specialized Enduro FSR full sus would be better suited. Any other suggestions would be much appreciated though, or any cheaper bikes with reccomended upgrades totalling £1400 would be very helpful too! Thanks!

Andy

Andy B

Full Sussers:

The Spesh enduro has Hayes Sole brakes, possibly one of the worst brakes out there!

The Giant Trance 2 is a pretty good xc machine.

The Trek Fuel EX7 is also good if you want a little more travel than a xc rig.

Hardtails:

The Trek 8500 looks pretty good for the money, it seems to stand out in the Hardtail range on Wheelies

The Spiderman

The Spesh Enduro might be a bit much unless you regularly ride in the Lake District.

Basically your choice is between top end hardtails or mid range full sus bikes.
You really need to try a few bikes to determine what works for you,

If you ride predominanlty off road,you might decide that full suss is worth the compromise in kit specification to warrant the extra comfort and traction,when riding off road.

If you regulary ride on road,aswell as off you might feel the extra weight penalty and slightly disconnected feeel of a full suss bike,is not what you want.

Think carefully about where,you are going to ride now and in the future,and then find a good local shop that stocks a variety of bikes you might like,and test,test,test!