First Full Sus on the Horizon

Meatfox

I've been riding hardtails up till now, but find that I am pushing it more in the riding i am doing

I think it's getting a bit much for a hardtail (2007 Kona Caldera), and its rattling my bones!

I have narrowed it down to 3 FS bikes...
Commencal meta 5.5 Pro
Kona Cadabra
Specialized Pitch Pro.

I KNOW there are always "which bike should i get" messages posted, but out of these three, which would you full-sus rider recommend?

I'm doing "all mountain" trails. Ups, downs, all day kinda thing. Want to have the confidence in my bike to push things further.

Cheers
Meat

idiotdogbrain

Out of those three I'd have the Pitch Pro, mainly because Specialized geometry suits me really well.

Beardface

Your best bet buddy, is to try and test ride each one, to see which one you prefer.

Otherwise, you'll get the Kona fanboys saying buy the Kona, Commies saying buy the Commie, and Spesh saying buy the Spesh.

They all have good reviews etc, but trying the bikes is the only way you'll end up with the one you feel most happy with.

I've heard the Commie can suffer with pedal bob (correct me if wrong), but is great fun when pointed downwards, the Kona can be adjusted travel-wise, which could be a good thing for your needs, and the Pitch in general, does get good write ups and the FSR suspension does work very well.

Muttly1981

I recently went down the full suss route and had narrowed my choice down to Commencal 5.5 pro, Zesty 214 and the Specialized Pitch pro and after riding each the Meta 5.5 came out on top and i've not regretted it one bit. The meta is great at climbing but really comes into it's own on the decents super fast and a very easy bike to throw around corners, tight sections etc i've taken a good 10-12 minutes off my best time at Llandegla compared to my hardtail.

Zziplex

Test & test again, make sure you get the right size too.

Don't be rushed by sales people, it may save you frustration & money at a later date.

If that fails, pick the one that looks the best. ;-)

paulbox

If you can get along to one of the demo days do so, they are a great opportunity to try out as many bikes as you can. Failing that arrange demo's for yourself with local shops.

The Specialised & Giant dedicated stores are pretty good.

Meatfox

I was going to go to the Demo Series in Kent but they weren't demoing the Pitch Pro and Im finding it hard to get somewhere that's gona let me take these bikes into "real life" situations....rather than "hey cycle it to the corner of the street and back"
Commencal are at the Evans Ride It show this weekend...but no Meta...

The Commencal caught my eye cos it's on sale at Evans which is good...IF it's a good machine.

Im a fan of Kona, having owned 3 and like this magic link business, although I'm not product-snobby.

The Pitch Pro...well, recommended by a few people, but the comm and kona have the Fox fork, the pitch doesnt and doesnt seem to have a granny ring either.

They are all well specced, but more interested in how the frame works with my style.
My current bike is 18" so plenty of clearance but im a touch under 6'2"...should i be getting a large? like 19" or more?

cheers for the comments so far.

DirtMonkee

Agree with the above, I got a new bike last summer and had a similar dilema.

I went on a few demo days and is well worth it! I I had my heart set one one but ended up changing my mind completely after trying a few others.

Plus you get a free session on a sweet bike and the demo team know their stuff and give good advice.

DirtMonkee

Just saw your post, the demo days usually take you out on a proper ride, e.g. orange demo day went round a quarry in yorkshire for example. Granted it wasnt very long but still gave a good feel for the bike. probably a 45 minute session if i remember correctly

paulbox

DirtMonkee wrote:

I went on a few demo days and is well worth it! I I had my heart set one one but ended up changing my mind completely after trying a few others.

Me too!

I was dead set on getting a Specialized but fell in love with the Anthem at the demo... And at the demo day I did I was comparing the Anthem X2 with much higher specced and more expensive models from other manufacturers.

It's what suits you best, not what other people on a forum enjoy riding.

Meatfox

cheers chaps/chapettes

anything else i should be aware of when buying this?
Secrets? things to avoid or look out for?

DirtMonkee

One of the toughest decisions to make was choosing the size. Again demo days give you a good feel. I'm inbetween a 16" and 18" and found it very difficult to decide. Ended up goin for 16 and not looked back since.

Depends on what bike and what your riding really.

paulbox

Concentrate your money on the frame, fork & shock, all the other bits can be upgraded as and when they wear out.