Which 29er

bg13

Hello all,

I will soon be in the market for a 29er, i will have around £1500 to spend, i had it narrowed down to an On-One scandal, it fitted the bill perfectly but has disappeared from their web site! So am back to the drawing board!

Every manufacturer seems to be doing them in various builds so wondered what opinions were out there.

I want a light-ish hardtail, 20 gears ideally, an 853 frame and that is about it really. My type of riding is trail centres, the odd peaks trek and an occasional enduro type event.

Any advice will be greatfully received.

C0LL0

I'll keep an eye on this post as I'm also in the market for this type of bike, although if the bike is right I will stretch out a little further and go carbon framed if I have to.

Long_Time_Lurker

Already given the Trek Xcaliber a trial run - very nice ride, feels suprisingly light and responsive.
Tried a Scandal and it didn't work for me - very nice though! No problem with the bike - just didn't feel right for me.
Still waiting for my lbs to get the latest Specialized 29ers before I put my money down.

bg13

have been looking at the specialized on the web only, they look good, have a good rep but you don't seem to get that good a groupset for the money. IMO.

IShaggy

BG, I'm in the same boat as you. Wanting to get a 29er and wanting to get one soon as the winter season's on it's way and there's some off-road duathlons with my name on.

Unfortunately it's not a good time of year to buy a bike. Yes, there are a few good bargains out there, but generally everything's out of stock as the shops are transitioning between the 2011 and 2012 bikes.

The Scandals top of my list, and I sent On-One an email the other day asking when it's going to be back in stock. Towards the end of October was the reply. Hopefully they'll do something similar to the current builds - the XT build with 2x20 would be my choice. But I'm not sure I can wait that long - I'm banking on the bikes being available early Nov. There will be some slight updates to the frame - here's a pic of a prototype -



Another good choice is the Scott Scale. Get's some cracking reviews, and seems to be well specced for the price. The 2012 version is going to hit the shops very soon. Not sure of the prices, but the Elite model should be about 1500. Here's a sneak pic -



Also Cube are extending their range for 2012 - with a number of new 29ers. Cost and spec will be good.

bg13

Ishaggy that is good news about the scandal and am liking the pictures, after some more research (geeking) I am wondering if on one would do a version of the scandal with an alfine 11 speed hub? Will bell them next week to ask. Thanks for the info.

pilch

I got a Scandal 29er, have to say i'm very impressed for a frame that cost £240, I added Superstar wheels Formula K18's, SRAM X9/X0, RS Rebas - it's light and rides superbly.

agg25

I sent On-One a msg about the On-One Carbon 29er Race Frame model asking if they were going to bring out anything other than an 18" frame and they said "We are currently only stocking 18in at the present time. As we are soon going to be stocking the lurcher frame (end of November)".
I would wait till then!

Waynenio

Get the Giant XTC 29er £1299 from Pedalon! It's lovely and I am promoting it for free for Giant! Or, the Specialized Carve Pro - push out a few hundred extra for the better groupset - nice bike also!

I am a fan of the giant over it though. Although I have nit ridden the carve, so cannot really comment.

ollie51

Cube are releasing A Reaction 29er starting at £1499, decent spec and carbon frame!

VWsurfbum

As already mentioned a lot of 2012 bikes coming out but realistically your not going to get on before next year, I looked at the Scott (i love my scotts) but cant get one before march. I had the scandal through the winter last year, awesomely light but by eck its a stiff frame
If you can get a scandal in november great but i recon anything else is next year now?

C0LL0

I enquired about the GT 29er carbon framed (Zasker i think it's called) it's £2499 though so may be out of my budget.

Burggraaf82

Looking for same thing, same budget. Considering these:

Cube 2012 Reaction GTC Pro 29er
Specialized Carve Pro 29 Mountain Bike 2012
Giant XtC 29'ER 1 2012

Thoughts?

armymankin

i remember Charge Cooker is recently on bike radar. worth taking a look?? its pricy though... :?

Long_Time_Lurker

Been out on the Carve Pro recently. Nice feel, but quite 'compact'.
The 19" frame didn't feel that it would be comfortable for a long XC ride. Not as responsive as I would of liked either for such a compact frame. Will suit many, but not what I am looking for - I want something a little more stretched.

Also been out on the Scotts - the spec this year has been downgraded by the looks of things. I've completely dismissed them as an option now, which is a shame as the 2010 and 2011 bikes were pretty good.

I'm holding out for a Cube 29er. The specs are very good and the recorded weights look spot on.

VWsurfbum

I like the look of the full sus cube 29er and its very reasonably priced, but then so is the Scott spark, which im waiting on the lbs to get back to me on availability.

Burggraaf82

I think the cube will first be available January..

Burggraaf82

And see this 2012 Trek: Trek SuperFly AL 2012 29er

explosifpete

I borrowed a Merida Twenty-Nine and I have to say is is brilliant, so much so that i'm going to sell the 26" bike and get one.

It is the same as this one
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Merida-Twenty ... 500wt_1202

But has a dt swiss rigid fork and some crossmax wheels, really good value as well with a full XT group with nothing downgraded like specialized bikes

I've seen a few onone scandals about and to me they do look cheap, not sure how they ride.
Also one of my friends rides a trek superfly 29er and that is brilliant, but then it is a £4000 bike

blablablacksheep

http://www.canyon.com/_uk/mountainbikes ... tml?b=2546

slightly over budget, but a interesting set-up to consider.

explosifpete

That Canyon look amazing (if you over look the sram crap )

Why do people run a top gear of 36/ 11 on 29ers? I very rarely get out of my 42 ring

C0LL0

I put my hard earned down on a Trek Al Elite superfly, after riding a slightly odler, Gary Fisher 29er, but will be next year before I get it now

VWsurfbum

I run a 32t Pete, but I ride up hills! Lol

explosifpete

I also ride up hills, just a bit faster than you

VWsurfbum

blablablacksheep

just to confirm the canyon 29er wont be avalible untill March next year, so thats worth considering

korongman

Have a look at Norco nitro 9. The top model will be 1399 at evans cycles. The spec looks very good! I am cosidering to buying one. The only problem is, I don't know much about norco bikes! But it looks a good buy!

Steve_b77

How's about building one up yourself, that way you can pic the bits you want and get the exact spec.

Thats what I did, I built up a Chumba HX2, got the RS Reba RL forks from on-one, Hope Hoops with Stans Crests from my LBS, picked up finishing kit (Thomson Elite & Easton EA70) off classifieds & eBay and swapped the drivertrain & brakes over from my old 26" HT.

The frame, forks & wheels cost under £900 all in so that leaves plenty of money in your budget for some very good quality finishing kit & drivetrain/brakes.

It looks like this, rides superbly, climbs very well and weighs 26lbs all in (without the saddle pack & water bottle), it's got a 2x9 XT drive train with 22/32 up front & 11-32 out back & Avid Elixir brakes.