focus superbud 08 vs merlin malt 4
lordmerchant
Posts: 378
some of you may have noticed some posts by me lately saying I am awaiting a 2008 superbud, I emailed their customer services a fortnight ago and they expected delivery more than a week ago, then I got on to reading some merlin malt 4 reviews. All of the reviews seem very positive, I picked out a malt 4 with xt 2008 groupset, a rockshox reba team fork XC717 rims @ £1,043.00
of course the BIG difference is the merlin is not a full-susser, which got me wondering that eternal question do I need a full susser or will a hardtail be the best choice for me. I must admit I spend a lot of miles riding on roads and by-ways/cycle paths, but I also like to ride harder trail routes too (hamsterley forest for example) when it comes to cross country I have little experience, although this is due to the constraints of my current bike ( a juggernaut saracen mantra) but it is something which I would be very interested in doing, I would love to heard your thoughts/pearls of wisdom, cheers again!
of course the BIG difference is the merlin is not a full-susser, which got me wondering that eternal question do I need a full susser or will a hardtail be the best choice for me. I must admit I spend a lot of miles riding on roads and by-ways/cycle paths, but I also like to ride harder trail routes too (hamsterley forest for example) when it comes to cross country I have little experience, although this is due to the constraints of my current bike ( a juggernaut saracen mantra) but it is something which I would be very interested in doing, I would love to heard your thoughts/pearls of wisdom, cheers again!
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Comments
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go for the malt4, it doesn't sound if you need a FS bike.
I'd be tempted be the rock lobster from merlin, get the 853 one, steel is so much nicer to ride than alloy. After riding my new steel hardtail my alloy frame just feels dead.0 -
MALT4 frames are supposed to be quite zingy for alu! Will be lighter than the Focus tot.0
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yep zingy sums it up, faster you go the more it zings
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dunker wrote:yep zingy sums it up, faster you go the more it zings
lol zingy good or zingy bad?0 -
zingy: the bike makes you go faster, or zing... Imagine every single bump forcing you onwards, and as the ground get rough the bike urges you to ride faster and faster.
The very best zingy bikes will have you puking as you arrive home...0 -
zingy good, stiff with a hint of springyness which feels like it's helping it go faster, hard to explain as it can only be felt really going faster than you think you should be
only recently started to notice it as my confidence has grown and why i've put xm719 rims on it and they feel a little more "zingy" too hehe 0 -
thanks for all your help, this is quite tough for me, I'm not exactly an expert, but on contemplation I dont think I really need he full sus, and that would be one more part I need to service/maintain, for the malt 4 I think I'm gonna go with the Reba Team fork, sounds like the sid team fork is for more of a race rider... just noticed too the merlin site is giving me a 10% discount, thats the full thing @ 938.70 which leaves me £60 to spend on accessories. I'm sure I wont regret this, no matter what I get it's a big step up from my saracen mantra!
It's done then, focus is cancelled and malt 4 is ordered :twisted:0 -
now you need to buy a camera and take photos of it at every oppurtunity 0
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just out of interest dunker, how long did the delivery of your bike take?0
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just over a week i think, not long though it felt it!0
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dunker wrote:zingy good, stiff with a hint of springyness which feels like it's helping it go faster, hard to explain as it can only be felt really going faster than you think you should be only recently started to notice it as my confidence has grown and why i've put xm719 rims on it and they feel a little more "zingy" too hehe
I`d personally upgrade to the 719`s. Although the 717`s are an excellent lightweight wheel they are easy to "ding". 719`s much more robust and not a great deal heavier. Should only cost about £20 or so extra, i think :roll:0 -
Love 719, tough as anything, I've done 12' drops on them and it've been fine...0
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another question for dunker, I noticed in your pics you got a lizardskinz chanstay guard, just wondering - does this bike come with a chainstay guard or am i gonna have to order one (wana keep my bike lookin pretty) also what size lizard skin does this need, I've heard the sizings can be tricky
edit: just noticed the photo states the chainstay size, cheers these photos have bene useful to me0 -
mine did'nt come with one a year ago, dunno if they do or not this year but i'd guess they don't.0
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i'd also buy 2m of helicopter tape, that's enough to cocoon an entire frame with!
I've just done my 456 and it stops stones chipping the paint and cable rub...0 -
i like seeing mine with the odd stone chip here n there, it's not like its gonna rust or need to protect the laminate on carbon fibre, i keep it clean, oiled and polished but it is a mountain bike.0
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it's an old'ish point and shoot camera which is pretty good as long as it gets lots of light good job my bike is white 0
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even more reason to go for the malt 4, I hear the original bike I ordered, and waited a long time for have arrived - all damaged, good job I opted for the merlin!!0
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Ive had the malt 4 for a few weeks now and I think I'm in love, bludyd thing takes some keeping clean though!!0
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easier than the bud though, only one shock to maintain hehe0
