new guy saying hello and some help please

jonebag

hi guys new to this site .i am looking at upgrading my bike to something a little better .i have a carrera am fury 2010 .the forks need some attention but i am getting a bonus from work at the end of the month .so my question is what would you guys buy hard tail wise for about £1000.i will be going to work on it and i am going to start going to leigh quarry .i want to get more into this sport and get fit at the same time .been looking at trek 6500 cannondale sl1 and the cube ltd sl .i am open to suggestion .thanks in advance for your help

DodgeT

Hi If your going to be using Lee as your local hunting ground, first thing i'd do is get up there on your current steed, have a play and a natter with the other riders, be cheeky and see if you can blag a quick spin on any and go from there - as you may find a FS would suit better. All depends what you want to do, as even at Lee, some stuff would suit a HT better than FS and vice versa.
If you spot me up there, as well as a few others on here, sure we'll help out where we can.

jonebag

hi dodge t was looking at a fs but what could i get for around the same money or is it worth putting the extra too what i will get and look at fs .what do you ride when you go up there ?

DodgeT

Quite a bit of choice for around the grand mark, boardman team FS, rockrider 9.1 £799, both some would class as budget, but get good reviews. Then you can look at older models at places like pauls cycles, lots of choice.
At Lee I usually ride my enduro (FS) as you can tackle allsorts on it. Saying that, just recently got myself a hardtail with only 110mm forks and do pretty much the same stuff on it.
Much easier/comfier on the FS though.

mcnultycop

I've recently started going to Lee and it has made me want to get a FS. Admittedly my current hardtail (Trek 4500) is a bit crap, in the overall scheme of things, with a rubbish fork, and I know I'd enjoy Lee more on a better hardtail, but the clattery rock bits have made me want a FS. I'm saving now - hopefully I'll have it by next year, unless the bonus fairy visits me.

delcol

there's nothing at lee quarry i would not hit on my hardtail,, only thing i am yet to crossoff is the big drop, but it's perfectly doable on a hardtail..
as for whats better then it's down to personal choice.. i have a choice of both fs and ht i always reach for the hardtail.
i would say you will get a better speced bike for your budget if you went hardtail.. but parts wear out and are easily replaced when they do with better ones..
IMO i think it's better to learn and hone the skills on a hardtail then switch to fullsuss it will make you a better rider. though i'm sure others will disagree...
have a look round see what you can find check what deals there are on last years bikes or even 2010 bikes. you may beable to find a semi decent full susser on offer.

jonebag

thanks for the replys guys i was thinking of getting a ht to do just what you said learning some skills first then maybe look at a fs

1mancity2

You will learn more on a H/T than a F/S as your starting out, I have both like delcol and dodget and everthing is doable on a h/t at Lee (I've done all the drops on a 100mm h/t).

A decent h/t is more responsive and usually more fun, by fun I mean flicking it around and the pumps tracks for your budget you could do a lot worse than a saracen zen x,(just over budget) outstanding bike and great up at Lee, I started on a Zen and wish I still had it.

http://www.saracen.co.uk/bikes/trail/zen-x

Or you could go the Jump bike route but that will limit you for blasting long trails.

jonebag

that looks like a nice bike mate .will check it out .might get some stick with this one but here goes .what are peoples opinions on 29ers

jonebag

found this http://www.paulscycles.co.uk/products.p ... b65s2p3696
seen one in the flesh so to speak looks like a good bike and spec any opinions please or even this
http://www.paulscycles.co.uk/products.p ... 1b4s1p3618

angry_bird

That anthem is a steal, and for the money the spec is respectable, if I had the money I'd buy one for the frame alone, sell off any unwanted parts, given that the frames (with a fox shock) retail at over £1k.

1mancity2

The Anthem is more race orientated and you may not want such a bike but its a cracking bike and very good value at that price, cannondale good price, decent spec, this may be more suited,

http://www.paulscycles.co.uk/products.p ... 1b0s1p3504

Longer travel more xc/trail than the Anthem.

jonebag

i like the look of the trance 4 .to be honest the new version is the one fs that i keep coming back to .but as a few have said maybe i will have more fun on a ht to start .not been to lee quarry yet seen some vids on youtube and it was a guy at my local halfords that said i should take my carrera there and give it a blast .i used to play football every weekend and i have now stopped .getting to old and fat lol so need something new to do plus also my daughter is at that age where she wants to go on her bike with me .not to the quarry of coarse lol .i get my bonus next friday so i will wait and see what i get first .got some bills to pay first and then i will see what i can afford .everytime i go to a different bike shop i see something else its a major mine field buying a new bike and i appreciate all your help guys thanks

jonebag

well after much thinking and help from you guys i have done the dirty deed .pick this up on friday with a little luck .
http://www.leisurelakesbikes.com/produc ... ?&id=17878 grey metal and green version .really looking forward to giving it a blast over the weekend weather permiting lol

Long_Time_Lurker

Nice choice (but I only say that because I have one!).
Light, fast responsive and chuckable on the trails. Takes a little getting used to - v.light front end which I wasn't used to after riding a heavy Felt.
And a great bike for long rides and xc.