**UPDATE**£1200 on a full suss - Giant Reign 2, Spec FSR XC

St4vr0s

Hi,
I've been reading the forums for some time to try and help decide on the best way to turn regarding a new bike.

I'm 35 and not been on the off roading scene for about 10 years.
My current ride is a 10+year old GT pantera with Rock Shox and SPD's etc.
I used to cycle a lot but due to work commitments meant i was unable too.

A work collegue of mine has recently taken up MB and is really into it and has fired up my passion for off roading again. Last week we went out around one of my old haunts at Rivington near Bolton-Lancashire for the first time in ages and I had a blast.

One thing I noticed was that my friend was leaving me for dead on the downhills when it was rocky and through technical areas such as steps. Upon noticing this I realised that it may well be the bike so i tried out his (Giant XTc 3.5 2007) what a difference!!
Compared to mine it was like riding on air! Rides sure have come on since my last bike

After getting back on my trusty steed and enjoying the evening so much I decided a new bike was in order

This is where I hope your judgement can help...

I live 10 mins away from Winter Hill / Rivington in Bolton where I enjoy riding. Certain areas around here are quite rocky.
My riding style will be mainly XC but I also enjoy coming down from the hills with haste and technical riding including steps etc, a bit of everything really.

The budget for my new ride is approx £1200. I have read various posts and seen a few bikes. One that I've been advised on was the Giant Reign 2 2008. It should be £1350 but was offered it for £1200 however it has 6 inches of travel and is marketed as a full mountain bike http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-GB/bikes/mountain/1404/29668/
I'm a little concerned it may be too much for my needs especially as there is also a Giant Trance (more XC) available but none in stock in the store.

I have also been advised at another store to look at the Specialized FSR XC Expert Bike £1099 or Specialized FSR XC Pro Bike £1300

I've rode the shop assistants Giant Trance £1700 model at the "Giant" shop and it seemed fine....but it wasn't a Reign and the geometry is different.

From what I've read it seems best to go and try the bike at the store. Does anyone have any further suggestions or comments?

Many thanks

Splasher

if I were looking for a 140mm general purpose bike under 1.5k, I'd have a serious look at the Prophet 2 http://www.leisurelakesbikes.com/product.aspx?id=866

Blundell

I Think the Reign is overkill, ya mate'll be leaving you for dead on the uphills as you'll have loads more mass to haul up the hill. Obviously you'll blitz him down hill with 6'' travel. I'd be more tempted for a smaller travel bike like the trance or even the anthem.

Have a look at other brands such as marin, trek, felt, gary fisher or GT

BlackSpur

I would say a Giant Trance X might me a good compromise, with travel/weight in between the Reign and Trance.

ride_whenever

marin east peak, or if you can stretch, then a rift zone, really nice

badblood

if you can find one at a good price, the trance x2 is a cracking looking bike. RRP is £1500 but you may find one discounted, try www.paulscycles.co.uk for a start

Andy B

Commencal Meta 5.5.3 £1299.

Just got my mate one, it's a very good bit of kit, you can get then from

Father Faff

Really it depends how technical you want to get. The Reign is really taking you into technical Alpine territory. The Trance sounds more than adequate for your needs - I tried a 4" travel one last year and it was very competent until it got to the bigger drops and very technical terrain. I went for the Commencal Meta 5 which is really good on very technical and rocky stuff but also fun on singletrack and less technical terrain (though it is a bit slower on smoother ground such as fire roads and smooth climbs). I tried an Giant Anthem 1 yesterday in search of speed on less technical singletrack and that can shift and remains remarkably stable on pretty rocky tracks and will cope with steps. I was quite surprised how fast and confidently it went downhill on pretty bumpy terrain considering it's steep geometry and short travel, It also goes uphill fast. Worth considering if you like to race! Of course you could go for a good hardtail with good forks and you'll find you can go at a fair lick downhill....

St4vr0s

What a weekend!
Spent a lot of time going to various local bike shops to check out their goodies
I'm still temped to go for the reign as I'm struggling to find anyone who has a Giant Trance X2 (£1500) in stock.
If I plumped for the Trance it would give me less travel but better groupset eg.

Shimano XT Shadow over SRAM X.7 Shimano Deore over Shimano LX Shimano Deore 27 speed RapidFire Plus over SRAM X.7 27 speed triggers Hayes Stroker Trail hydraulic disc, 178mm discs over Hayes Stroker Ryde hydraulic disc, 178mm rotors

One of the LBS tried to sell me a Large 2007 Specialized Stumpjumper Elite for £1350 reduced from £1800

FSR M5 manipulated alloy frame w/ Transform monocoque TT, Spinal Tech 1pc forged BB, seat tube, and seat bridge Fox Triad shock, custom on-the-fly 3-position switch Fox Talas RL fork Specialized adjustable rise stem Avid Juicy 7, hydraulic disc brakes New Shimano XTR rear derailleur Shimano M-760 XT Hollowtech II, 2pc crank/BB DT custom for Specialized X430 rims

What concerns me about this option is the fact that its a 2007 and the frame has changed compared to this year....is it because there is a problem with the 07 frame??

The other thing was my arms were out straight when i had hold of the bars. I thought it would be best to have a little bend at the elbow?

Regarding other brands my local bike shops seem to be Giant, Scott, Specialized, Cannondale & (Felt which I haven't seen yet)

Some of the shops estimate up to 8 weeks for a Trance X2, summer will be well in the throws by then

I've really got the bug for a new bike but dont want to rush into a decision and buy the wrong thing.

BTW the guy in the shop where I last bought my bike reckons the Medium Giant Reign thats on the shop floor is the right size for me (I'm in between 5.11"- 6.0") explaining about top tube lengths and leg measurements etc.

Any further advice?

Thanks

BlackSpur

St4vr0s wrote:

What a weekend!
Spent a lot of time going to various local bike shops to check out their goodies
I'm still temped to go for the reign as I'm struggling to find anyone who has a Giant Trance X2 (£1500) in stock.
If I plumped for the Trance it would give me less travel but better groupset eg.

Shimano XT Shadow over SRAM X.7 Shimano Deore over Shimano LX Shimano Deore 27 speed RapidFire Plus over SRAM X.7 27 speed triggers Hayes Stroker Trail hydraulic disc, 178mm discs over Hayes Stroker Ryde hydraulic disc, 178mm rotors

Deore is actually worse than LX - LX is the next level up in Shimano Components. I would also say that SRAM X7 is peopbably better than Deore too.

Andy B

X7 is comparable with XT (IMHO)

Looks like you have your groupsets mixed up a bit St4vr0s!

Shimano goes Deore>LX>XT>XTR

Sram: X5>X7>X9>X0

(low end) X5>Deore>LX>X7~XT>X9>XTR>X0 (top end)

St4vr0s

Andy_B wrote:

X7 is comparable with XT (IMHO)

Looks like you have your groupsets mixed up a bit St4vr0s!

Shimano goes Deore>LX>XT>XTR

Sram: X5>X7>X9>X0

(low end) X5>Deore>LX>X7~XT>X9>XTR>X0 (top end)

Looks like i have :oops: When you've looked at as many bikes as I have this weekend things get muddled up

(low end) X5>Deore>LX>X7~XT>X9>XTR>X0 (top end) certainly helps to put things into perspective.

Thanks Andy

St4vr0s

So far it looks like these are my choices so far

Giant Reign 2 Medium in stock for £1200

Spec
Giant Trance X2 (Not in stock maybe 8 weeks leadtime £1350-£1500) Spec
Specialized Stumpjumper Elite 2007 £1350 Spec
Maybe I should try another local shop that I've not been in for ages to look at some Felts?

Out of the top 3 which would you guys recommend? Tried to search the forum for some Spec stumpy elite users to no avail.(Should I be worried about change in frame design compared to this year?)

Comments more than welcome.

Thanks

Father Faff

My comment would be that you need to listen to what people are telling you. First you've got to decide how much travel you need and what weight of bike. Then I suggest you test ride properly any bikes that fit the bill. You are obsessed with the spec of the bike not how it rides.

St4vr0s

Father Faff wrote:

My comment would be that you need to listen to what people are telling you. First you've got to decide how much travel you need and what weight of bike. Then I suggest you test ride properly any bikes that fit the bill. You are obsessed with the spec of the bike not how it rides.

Travel - I've sort of decided on travel, needs to be at least 4 inch. From what I've been reading it seems as though 4 is a good number for XC and mild downhill and anything on top is a bonus. This is where its a little grey..."on top is a bonus" but i suppose only if its a quality fork. This is where Specs come in. EG. The fork on the spec is a much higher standard than the reign?

Weight - well i'd of thought the lighter the better, unless taking part in heavy duty downhills?

Ride the bikes properly - This seems rather difficult. The Spec is at my nearest Leisurelakes but is the only one left and is last years model therefore I doubt they'd let me take it out for the day. I've been out in the car park with it. This is how i got to find out ... "The other thing was my arms were out straight when i had hold of the bars. I thought it would be best to have a little bend at the elbow? Seemed ok but not had the chance to use it on a "Proper" ride.
The Giant Reign 2 is at my local bike shop and they are only a small independant dealer and I dont think they lend bikes out for test drives. I had a do outside the shop on the shop assistants Giant Trance X? £1700 and that also seemed fine but it wasnt the reign.

If I only get chance to use them outside the shop premises whats the best thing to look out for?

Dont think I'm not listening to what you guys have to say, I really do listen appreciate what you have to say.

Cheers

mudslinger

I was in a similar position about 4 weeks ago. My LBS were offering me an 07 Reign 1 for £999 - amazing price but I felt it was too much travel & weight for what I wanted.

Ideally I would have gone for a Trance X3 but they couldn't get them for 9 weeks. In the end I got this years Trance 2 for £1150. I'm really pleased with it, it's pretty light so goes uphill well & can handle some reasonably rocky stuff. For what I do it's perfect for me.

I'm 5'11" & got the 18" frame which is perfect for me.

omegas

As the post above you need to decide what frame, fork travel you really require then you can start looking at what group set you are getting.