What bike should I buy?

Ollie83

Hi there, I am new here and enjoying the forum a lot I live in the Orkney islands and am keen to get back into mountain biking to get fit!

I would like to get a bike that will suit me and as there is no DH tracks anywhere near me I fancy a kind of All Mountain design which will be able to get me into town and both climb and descend the local trails well. I have always hankered after a Santa Cruz Heckler as my friend had one when they first came out. But, I am no that up on what is available these days. The one I have seen is available from stif.co.uk and comes in at £2099 but is not specced that highly. This does not bother me too much as I am sure the components will last a good few years and will then upgrade to higher quality items as and when.

Any advice on this bike or and other recommendations would be great and I look forward to reading your suggestions

benpinnick

The Santa Cruz is a great bike, but like you say its also not cheap. I would recommend you seek out some pricing on the following:

Specialized FSR evo 2011 or 2012
Trek Fuel Ex
Lapierre Zesty
Giant Trance x

To start. They are all in the same kind of mould as the heckler, but being from bigger manufacturers tend to offer better component spec than SC builds. You should also take a look at Canyon (www.canyonbikes.com) who sell direct, and have a good reputation.

Ollie83

Thanks for your advice, I especially like the look of the canyon bikes as they are not something you see everyday and this is part of the reason for wanting a Santa Cruz. I just hope that getting a nice frame with lesser components wont ruin it for me! It is another £600 to upgrade the spec on the Santa Cruz and I'm not sure it's is totally justifiable.