the good the bad and the ugly.

Felix-da-house-mouse

hi, i am looking at spending a bit of cash on a bike, want to take it all over the mountain and to commute to work and bomb around town on so i was thinking of these :-

http://www.paulscycles.co.uk/products.p ... m1b1s2p679


http://www.paulscycles.co.uk/products.p ... 1b4s1p1291


http://www.paulscycles.co.uk/products.p ... K_FUEL_80_


i may be willing to spend an extra £200 or spend on upgrades

zero303

Assuming it feels comfy and suits your riding style - being a roadie you'll probably like the head down racy feel of the zaskar - I'd say zaskar.

It's just going to so significantly lighter and faster, and again, being a roadie, those full bouncers are going to be a shock to the system as I imagine both will be a fair bit on the wrong side of 30lbs!!

Don't get me wrong, I'm not some full suss hating hippy - I ride full suss myself but I had to spend £2k to get one light enough and fast enough for it to feel worth while. There are cheaper ones that will do but IMO an '07/'08 for £1200 minimum is the point at where it becomes worth while.

Here's some context for with regard to weight. The Tora fork on the Trance is probably a good kilo heavier than the reba on the Zaskar, and the Reba is a better performing fork too. Imagine everytime you try to lift the front over a log, rock, kerb, etc. Mentally imagine having to pick up a kilo weight dangling from a handlbar - that's the difference between the two! This is just one component. Follow this through for wheels, frame, tyres and suddenly the weight difference is horrendous!

You think these two full suss bikes will help you ride faster over the terrain but in reality you'll be fed up heaving these solid lumps round whereas the zaskar will just be sprinting and skipping over everything.

zero303

Seeing as nothing really needs upgrading on the Zaskar either, splash out on some nice MTB clothing and some better cleaning gear - that roadbike is going to be a piece of cake maintenance wise compared to your soon-to-be bog encrusted MTB!!

supersonic

Zaskar frame = 3.5lbs
Trance frame = 7.5lbs

Reba =3.5lbs
Tora 289 = 5.3lbs

saying that, the Tora is bombproof, and very stiff! Lighter versions can be got.

Sikora

The '07 Zaskar in the link has a Recon 351 Air, not a Reba SL fork like the '08 model.

I'd still go for the Zaskar though> In fact its that very deal at Pauls Cycles thats tempting me at the moment. Rang them yesterday, but wouldn't say how many they had in stock though.

Felix-da-house-mouse

no takers on the trek and spend the saving on better sus or something else?

supersonic

How about this?

http://www.winstanleysbikes.co.uk/?acti ... 1&brandID=

Felix-da-house-mouse

do you think i'd be better with that?

supersonic

If you want a good value full susser, then maybe! Remeber the pitfalls - weight and spec. Zaskar will be faster over XC terrain.

Felix-da-house-mouse

plus i'd be heavier in the back pocket. arrrggghh decisions decisions.... plus stop me gettin an ear bashing from the folks. lol