Whats the difference?? Confussed with some terminology!

Sodfoster

Sorry if im being simple here!

But im just getting back into MTB riding. I'm just on the verge of buying a new hard tail (more than likely a Cube LTD Comp or Cube Acid!).

But Im a little confused with some terminology! Whats the difference between XC, Trail and Race (plus others).

I enjoy riding up and down hills, through woods, over rocks etc.. I enjoy rides to be technical but also fast. Sometimes I go out all day other time for a couple of hours. I like to ride in places like 7 stanes and through my local forests and moors.

Which class does this put me in? What type of bike should I be looking at an XC, Trail? Obviously not a Race, although most Race spec bikes are lighter so is this not a good thing??

Am I better off with a hardtail of FS? If it helps my budget is £750

.blitz

For the type of riding you describe and for your budget, you will need a trail HT. Trail bikes are versatile, general-purpose MTBs whereas race/XC bikes are more thoroughbred with an emphasis on light weight and speed.

Someone else will be along shortly with a list of links to suitable bikes, none of which will be available from your lbs in the right size

Best thing you can do is get out there and try some for size. You will adapt to more or less any bike but one that feels right from the start will be the best.

What bike and what size?

Sodfoster

I really like the Acid and the LTD Comp both felt great an similarly spec'd. Although the LTD Comp is described as a race bike and the Acid Trail. This is whats confusing me!

There is also a £100 price difference between the two!

MrChuck

My take on it is that 'race' tends towards less suspension travel, less all-day comfort and steeper angles (so maybe not the best for, say, steep rocky descents) with a focus on low weight and efficiency.

'Trail' is burlier, longer travel, more relaxed geometry (maybe less 'stretched out' than a race bike and better for techy stuff) and more fun at trail centres at the expense of some weight and efficiency.

'XC' for me is somewhere between the two.

Of course this isn't to say you can't do trail centres on a 'race' bike or vice versa, it's just how I generalise what people are talking about when they talk about a trail bike or whatever.

I'm sure plenty will disagree!

dafoxster

With your budget I would definitely go for a hardtail. I like the Cube bikes but at that price the forks aren't great.

My Black Forest is XC race orientated and is not great for long rides. So probably a trail bike is best for you.

Just to confuse things here are some I would test ride for your budget:

http://www.merlincycles.co.uk/custom-mo ... lt-11.html
http://www.boardmanbikes.com/mtbht/ht_comp.html
http://www.madison.co.uk/productinfo.as ... ef=GN81919

Lots of others out there. If you could get a steel frame then that would be great for all day rides.

llamafarmer

Sodfoster wrote:

Although the LTD Comp is described as a race bike and the Acid Trail. This is whats confusing me!

They share the same frame I believe....

The Cube has a slightly old school 'racey' geometry, so some will find it a little skittish, some will just think it's fun, but it's by no means an out and out race machine. Don't get too hung up on the marketing guff about which brand of MTBing you fit into - you ride XC

Try a few bikes at your local shops in your price range and buy the one that you like most, the Cubes are nice bikes. But a good fork is the most important component to look for and, last year at least, Cube seemed to scrimp a bit on their forks lower down the range.

Sodfoster

I really like the Boardman unfortunately this is coming from my CTW scheme hence the budget, our scheme doesn't use Halfords. I also wanna use a LBD I lie in Edinburgh and my local dealer stocks Cubes, Orange, Genisis and Laperrie which is why I really like the look of the Cubes.

Sodfoster

llamafarmer wrote:

Sodfoster wrote:

:

Try a few bikes at your local shops in your price range and buy the one that you like most, the Cubes are nice bikes. But a good fork is the most important component to look for and, last year at least, Cube seemed to scrimp a bit on their forks lower down the range.

The current Cube Acid and LTD Comp come with Rock Shox Dart 3 100mm, PopLoc. I have been told elsewhere these are poor performers is this true?? The main difference between the two bikes is the LTD is lighter has a double butted frame (not to sure about this) and more race themed dérailleur and tyres (again not sure if this would make a difference to me).

any thoughts on the specs?

Rich9

i know the Cubes look good, but dont narrow your choices down too far. You say your LBS carries Genesis? Have a good look at them. Really tidy bits of kit IMO, and the spec aint half bad at all.

llamafarmer

Sodfoster wrote:

The current Cube Acid and LTD Comp come with Rock Shox Dart 3 100mm, PopLoc. I have been told elsewhere these are poor performers is this true?? The main difference between the two bikes is the LTD is lighter has a double butted frame (not to sure about this) and more race themed dérailleur and tyres (again not sure if this would make a difference to me).

any thoughts on the specs?

They've both got the same rear mech - Shimano XT Shadow, which is second only to XTR in the Shimano range, but bear in mind they're being controlled by basic Deore shifters - manufacturers often put a flashy rear mech on their bikes, presumably to try and bluff people into thinking it has an XT drivetrain. Nothing wrong with Deore though!

The tyres on the LTD are better, but 'race themed' is a bit misleading - a Racing Ralph/Nobby Nic is a good all round combon (they're £40 a tyre).

I think the only spec difference between the two is the frame and tyres.

The Dart 3 is a lot better than the Dart 1 and 2 I believe, but supersonic is the expert on forks, especially RS - Have a search for some of his threads, like this one:

http://www.bikeradar.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=12597039