commencal disc normal 09..newbie needs advice

mgmvegas

Hi There - i'm a complete newbie to MTB and my wife and I are in the process of purchasing 2 Commencal normal 09 bikes can anyone re-assure me that these are
a decent bike and we won't need to upgrade within 6 months if we get the bug ???

also we are based in Ibstock does anyone have any good ideas of where to start is cannock chase the ideal starting place and if so is there are a charge to ride ?

all feedback would be great

many thx

mgmvegas

sorry forgot to say our budget is around £450 per bike !!!

blablablacksheep

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/com ... e-ec017310

supersonic

Its a nice bike. Some good parts, maybe a bit low on fork travel, but many like the geometry and ride.

Can you try them, not at least for size? Plus your wife may need slightly different sadlle arrangements ;-).

mgmvegas

thx supersonic what does low on fork travel mean ??

also we have actually spotted the bike priced at £390 which my LBS will price match so i
think this represents a better bargain than the £499 RRP ...

Specialized27

Hi All,
Im in the same position, however I do have a slightly lower budget. Mgmvegas, may i suggest getting the v brake version of the commencal normal 09? The link below sells it for £250, and with the extra money, you can choose to speck up the bike in whatever area you require, e.g. forks,brakes or drivetrain. I am thinking of buying the commencal normal 09, and I have not had any experience of their bikes in the past, does any one hav any comments?

http://www.merlincycles.co.uk/?fn=produ ... goryId=129

Aswell as the Commencals, possibly try the specialized hardrock pro disc 09, or try a specialized rockhopper disc 08?

lovelybones

mgmvegas wrote:

we won't need to upgrade within 6 months if we get the bug ???

From my short experience...........impossible

I can't speak for the Commencal Normal but my friend has the Commencal Combi which is in the same price range. He loves his, that said he is now looking to upgrade his forks having 'caught the bug'. But there seems to be no winning as his brother has the Combi delux which already has better forks but he has now upgraded his rims and hubs having 'caught the bug'.

As a newbie myself I bought a bike that wasnt really worth upgrading so ended up buying a brand new bike. Most people I have spoken to told me to buy a bike that has a good frame and then as I got more experienced I could upgrade 'if I wanted too'

Moomin Papa

I just bought a Commencal Combi disc 09 and (although I haven't got it yet) from my couple of test rides I'm really happy with it. The geometry is pretty much the same so I'd say go for the Normal. Lovely bikes, Commencal. Something sooo continental about them. But jeez I would have loved the Deluxe. That is sex on wheels.

As everyone else says though - test first - see what feels right. Happy purchasing.

tom3

i have recently purchase an '08 commencal normal for £225 from Merlin as i preferred the colours compared to the '09 and the disc.

the v brakes do me fine while im getting back in to riding.

the frame, hubs and wheels are disc ready so i just need to upgrade the shifters when i upgrade to discs.

the fork is competent but i will be the first thing i change.

you defo need to try and get some sort of fitting. Take me for example, im 6 foot and 15 stone and had to go for a medium as i didnt realise i had such short legs!!!

wings988

If your new to MTB riding then I'd buy something cheap to start off with incase you do get the bug and also in case you don't. If you don't, as unlikely as it seems, then you've not got much money in abike that you never use. If you do get the bug, highly likely, I did, then you havent wasted too much and can upgrade to a much better bike. Forget adding bits to a cheapish <£400 bike, its folly IMO. I got a GT Avalanche for £300 and got the bug quickly, after 5 months I'd upgraded to the Trek and now I wouldnt look back. Just wish that I knew I'd have got the bug before and not wasted £300 on the GT. If you can borrow a bike from a friend or family and go try it at the Chase then I'm sure you'll love it and want something better. BTW the chase trail is excellent and its free to ride, just £2 to park the car.

KnightofCydonia

Moomin Papa wrote:

I just bought a Commencal Combi disc 09 and (although I haven't got it yet) from my couple of test rides I'm really happy with it. The geometry is pretty much the same so I'd say go for the Normal. Lovely bikes, Commencal. Something sooo continental about them. But jeez I would have loved the Deluxe. That is sex on wheels.

As everyone else says though - test first - see what feels right. Happy purchasing.

I tried the deluxe yesterday. Didn't plump for it in the end but the ride was lovely. The shifting on the sram stuff was smooth as hell but I wasn't as convinced by the forks compared to the 'zocchis on the Marin and the overall ride position felt more cramped than the Marin. If you don't mind that then it's one hell of a beautiful bike but it wasn't quite what I wanted so I had to force myself to say no.

Specialized27

Hmmm .... must have been quite hard to tear youself away Knight!!!! ..... Wings ....I dont really agree with you ..... I am def. going to use my bike every day for the next few months till winter to commute 5 miles each way, and even if i dont get into MTB as a sport, i will still hav a gr8 commuter bike, and i enjoy XC riding. Do you suggest I shouldnt spend £390 on a bike atm?

lovelybones

wings988 wrote:

I got a GT Avalanche for £300 and got the bug quickly, after 5 months I'd upgraded to the Trek and now I wouldnt look back. Just wish that I knew I'd have got the bug before and not wasted £300 on the GT.

Snap ! I had the womens GT Avalanche but now I have the womens Trek EX5.5 but I managed to trade in my bike so treated myself to some Fox Talas R's and now Im totally loving my bike. I'm glad I managed to trade in my bike or I too would have been a little gutted at wasting the money. Leisure Lakes gave me a pretty decent price for it too.