Cannondale F4 or Trek 6500?? - Or Scott Scale??? :-?

terribleone

Hi people, i've just joined on here for some advice...I used to ride MTBs until I was 18 and then started riding BMX. Now, at the age of 25, my body can't take the abuse any more and i'd like to get back to MTB-ing. I haven't really touched the BMX much in the last year or two due to ankle injuries, so need a new form of exercise!!

When I used to ride 26", I kinda rode a mixed bag; XC, freeride and sometimes a little dirt jumping. I'm really looking to get a nice XC bike, i'd want it to be light, and preferably feel very responsive and mannouverable. I did get a GT Avalanche a few years back for riding to work, I hated the wide riser bars and it felt sloppy and heavy. That got stolen and I bought a £100 second-hand Marin, and put some older short travel RS forks on I had kickin around...it was light and everything felt tight and responsive, but it's falling to pieces now!

I've been browsing and i've got 2 favourites at the moment:

Trek 6500:



Only thing is I think this bike will be kinda heavy...and from riding BMX I find big travel forks feel kinda 'loose'.

Cannondale F4



I love this bike, the small size would suit me perfectly. I know the spec's not as good...but i'd imagine it'd be a great base to work from, upgrading parts as I go.

I'm just wondering if anyone has any experience of either bike, or can offer any alternatives for a similar price?? Any advice would be appreciated!!

forgotrafe

I have an '07 6500 disc and love it. Frame is meant to be an excellent upgrading point.

No expert though

Rafe

CanF4

I had the same problem - I preferred the Cannondale F4.

It has Sram gears and avid brakes while I think the Trek has Shimano. Rode both bikes in medium size - the Cannondale was a better fit for me. It also felt subjectively lighter.

In the end it was a choice between the F4 with the headshock or the F4 "Z" which has rockshox tora forks in its place. I went for the rockshox in the end - heavier but I figured it would be less hassle getting them serviced.

I ride the bike round Glentress and it has been a big improvement over my old Specialized Hardrock.

terribleone

Cool, cheers for the advice guys...I was guessing there wouldn't be an outright favourite, I think i'll pop along to Evans in Notts sometime this weekend to have a gander at them both!

terribleone

Found another possible contender...hadn't heard of Focus until last year, but the spec on this bike is pretty good for the price!



http://www.wiggle.co.uk/ProductDetail.a ... id=focusuk

teacherman

Focus are getting a really good rep. Killer Bee came close to winning 1 of the categories for WMB bike of the year. Worth seeing if its same frame 'cos it looks like a dedicatedXC machine - flat bars and all.

Problem is only Wiggle do them as far as i know so no test ride!

terribleone

Yeah, I wouldn't have minded a test ride before buying!

I think the Focus is also lighter than both the Trek and C'dale...hmm...decisions!!??

prophet_1000

Sometimes lighter build does not always mean better bike for you, i.e is it up to the kind of riding you like to do? a big weight saver is light weight tyres that have skinny rubber and if you do a lot of rocky rooty riding are they going to be up to the task? also the bar is a very narrow bar, another weight saver! will it feel ok when ridden, are the tyres going to be replaced in the future? if so will you end up with a bike the same or heavier weight than the bike you really wanted in the first place, just for the sake of saving a little weight now?

hope this helps?

terribleone

I'll probably only be doing XC riding for the first year until I can get back into it. If anything i'd rather err away from getting into the freeride/DH which I used to try when I was younger...then I was pulled in by the excitement of it and started wrecking bike parts quite fast. Now i've got my BMX if I need to have a quick adrennaline fix or break some bones!!

If I did get into any other disciplines, i'd look into getting a more suitable bike. The trails round this way are pretty tame anyway, so an XC bike will be ideal for them...especially as my main aim is improving my fitness.

I've spotted this little beauty from Scott...only £500, and will be more than enough for me to start getting back into things. I've read the Scale frame is very well rated, and will be an excellent platform for upgrading as I go.

Scale 70

supersonic

Scale 70 is one of the lightest bikes available at this money: one reason is the lack of disc brakes, but the hubs are disc ready so upgrading will be easy if you wish. If you want a classic XC bike, with the longer, lower and steeper geometry (say compared to a trail bike like the others you have mentioned) then this is worth a look at.

terribleone

Good to hear, I think I need something with more XC-orientated geometry to keep me using it as an XC bike...Essentially i'm after what most people would buy a road bike for, but riding on the roads is really not my idea of fun!!

I'm thinking i'll stick with the Vs until they wear out, then go for a disc upgrade...maybe upgrade the wheels at the same time anyway for some disc-only rims. Other than that i'll just lighten parts up as they wear out.

Nice selection of bikes you've got there supersonic!! :th:

supersonic

Ah yes, you'll be wanting a Zaskar ;-)

terribleone

Mmm...I used to love them 6 or 7 years ago! It was my ultimate dream to own one!!

And then my brother got one, but it was too big for me to ride!! (He's very lanky!!)

supersonic

CRC were doing a V brake equipped one for 600 quid...

supersonic

Take a look at this!!!!!!!!!!!

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... elID=17827

terribleone

Nice!! Good spec for that price too!

What does a Medium measure on a GT?? I had an Avalanche a while back and I think I ended up buying a size too large!!

Only thing with GTs, is that after riding BMX I think I prefer a much simpler frame. I used to be a big fan of the triple-triangle!!

supersonic

The Zaskar M is an 18 measured from BB axle to top of seat tube. As you know though, more to it than that, pays to sit on one. Frame is Kinesis Superlight, and unbeatable spec for that cash. Fork in a league of its own!

terribleone

Yeah, was just checking as that's the same height as the Avalanche I used to have...I'd assume the Zaskar geometry is totally different though, as the Avalanche felt really tall and upright for me!?

Mmm...I was all set on that Scott, now i'm all undecided!!

terribleone

Well, I managed to pop into Evans in Notts at the weekend...and don't like the look of the Cannondale F4!!

I was in a rush and the staff were really busy, so didn't get chance to ask if they had any Scotts or Treks out the back (the lack of bikes on display was a little disappointing!!).

Supersonic, that Zaskar's only available in XL now!! Rules that one out!!!

supersonic

Ah well, sods law!

Ruffy

I have had a '07 Trek 6500 15.5" for over a year now and love it. The forks could do with being upgraded at some point. The frame is great and is an excellent base for future upgrades.

Good luck in your search!

terribleone

Ruffy wrote:

I have had a '07 Trek 6500 15.5" for over a year now and love it. The forks could do with being upgraded at some point. The frame is great and is an excellent base for future upgrades.

Good luck in your search!

Cheers mate...think i'll be taking a trip to Rutland Water this weekend coming to scan round the two shops there.

Any pics of your Trek?? I'll be needing a smaller size too, being a short-arse an' all!!