Newbie hardtail - Cube 29er??

northywales

Hi

Background
I havent rode a bike in many many years - but looking for something to get fit on (when not surf / windsurfing), and enjoy a mix of rural roads, paths, and going off road where i live in SW Wales.

Ive been lurking on here for a while - and was thinking of getting a Carrera Fury or Boardman or the Decathalon rockrider 8.1.

Shopping today
HOWEVER - the nearest Decathalon to me is about 4hrs away (!), and the nearest Boardman Halfords about an hr away. I did get to my local Halfords today - and was amazed how little they knew their own bikes - truly amazing when i was asking basic questions. Not encouraging at all despite the bike specs and really difficult to justify buying from them to be honest.

So I then went to my local bike shop - and they clearly knew their stuff, and were very very open and interested. Amonst others (Giant, GT, Claude Butler etc) they talked and showed me Cube bikes - that i never heard of - and they look excellent!

26 or 29 cube?
So i was looking at a model called the Analogue, then saw the Acid.....Nice!
Then i asked about 29ers and explained my intended use - a mix of offroad and onroad (although very very poor road - never good tarmac - i live 1/2 mile from another house down a track!). And they suggested that maybe a 29er would be a good idea..as it should be better (quicker / smoother) on the road than a regular 26 er.

>>>Does this chime with your views?
>>>For a mix of off / on road does a 29 make more sense than a 26? I wont be doing anything too technical as im a newbie.
>>>Does my height make any difference....im 5'9 (and a 1/2!) inches tall - so not massive....would a 29er be too big??

29 cube - Acid or ltd pro?
Seems (to me - a novice) that its just the shocks that are different?
- Rock Shox Reba RL 29 100mm, Motion Control, PopLoc
Vs
- Rock Shox XC 32 29, 100mm, Poploc

Specs are here:
http://www.cube.eu/en/29er/ltd-pro-29/
http://www.cube.eu/en/29er/acid-29/

>>>Does the extra £££ for the ltd pro make sense?
>>>>Anyone give me any advice between these two?

PS
I appreciate that many of the Cubes are already sold out..so maybe hypothetical!


Apologies for the rambling post...was trying to be as helpful / explicit as possible :P

All feedback much appreciated,
Northy

northywales

PS
I sat on the Cube 26 Analogue today and the 18inch frame seemed to fit well (as said im 5'9.5 with 29-30 inch leg) good...what would this translate into for the 29er do you think...the smaller 17 or larger 19 inch??

NickintheLakes

Not understanding why this question has no informed replies.

I need to know similar things too re 26 vs 29 etc.

The Cubes are nicely specified - I am looking at a Rose at the moment - even better value for money IMO + very customisable.

Hope you get some answers!

northywales

bumpety bump - being a newcomer, id really appreciate some feedback folks if you can shed some insight?!

Rob801

I was very seriously considering a Cube 29er but ended up ordering a 26 instead. One of the things I was really unsure of and couldn't get out of my mind was how close the rear tire is to the seat post tube. Another thing was, since I was looking at a model or two above the LTD Pro in the 26 version, I would've had to buy a Reaction GTC SL 29er to get the same chain set that I got on the LTD CC. As much as I LOVE the look of the GTC SL 29er, I just couldn't justify the price difference... I could have lived with the lack of clearance if I had the money for the GTC SL 29;).

I'd still like to have a (Cube) 29er one day but for me there were too many if's (especially since I couldn't try one first and was buying on line).

That may not really answer your question so if I were to choose between the two bikes I would take the LTD PRO because of the shock and I prefer the black anodized.

VWsurfbum

First off dont worry about your height for a 29er, if you tried a 18" and it fitted then you know roughly it will be the same for a 29er.
I would agree that a 29er would suit your needs very well for the reason stated by the shop.
the forks, i would go with the rebas, very good forks.
as for cubes, never had one but they come well specced for the money, and they tend to look good (which is the most inportant thing)
as with all these new bike threads, the advice would be to try one back to back with the equivelant 26" model. see which one you prefer.

Jamieg285

I went for the Ltd Pro 29er. Clearance looked OK by the back wheel - about 3/4 of an inch. Most of the crud build up will be on the side edges of the tyres, not the top surface.

I've not ridden it to much yet, and all on road, but I am very happy with it. It handles slightly slower than my last bike, but that was very twitchy anyway.

Before you spend too much time deciding, make sure the shop can get one if you wanted it. There were stock problems back in Jan when I was looking, so is likely to be even worse now. Better to make sure you can get it before deciding, rather than getting settled on it and then finding you can't have it.

northywales

Thanks for all the response....spoken to quite a few shops and people and i think 29er will suit me well.

Now i just need to:

i) Determine whether Acid or ltd pro (will a beginner notice the difference really??)

ii) Determine size - as said the 18 inch acid was good....but the 29ers are 17 or 19! will try and sit on some next week if i can find one...in London for a few days so will hunt about

iii) Check for best prices and stock...my LBS cant get hold of them....i see http http://www.bike-discount.de do them cheapest....am i stupid going down this route for my first bike?!

Thanks again
Northy - Wales

Rob801

I bought mine from Bike-discount... It comes pretty much ready to go. If you can mount the seat and seat post, the front tire, and the handlebar then you're good to go (brake levers, gear shifters, and lockout if applicable are already mounted on the handlebars and tested so no worries there).

The only downside I can think of is if something (against expectations) goes wrong. Then you may end up having to take it to your LBS to get it checked and warranty issues could be a pain (and maybe expensive). But my bike was 300 euros cheaper so that can also buy some basic service if necessary (I'll probably take mine in for the "after break in service" if I'm not comfortable attempting it my self).

Long_Time_Lurker

I went the same as Rob - ended up with a 26" wheeled LTD, rather than a lower specced 29.
I took maintenance into consideration too - I have bikes that I can cannabalise if something breaks. I don't have that luxury with a 29.
When I took them out for tests, the 29s didn't give me that 'wow factor' that I was looking for.
Sure it was fun, but wasn't the vast difference I was hoping for. If I had a couple of good 26s in the garage I would buy a 29, but I wouldn't get one as my only bike.