Trailish full-sus, £1200 - £1500

Slow Loris

I'm looking to get a short/medium travel full suspension bike, but so far I'm struggling to come up with a decent alternative to the Canyon Nerve XC 6.0 or 7.0, on price or spec. The others I've identified are:

Trek Fuel ex 6 http://www.pedalon.co.uk/acatalog/trek-fuel-ex-6.html

Scott Spark 60 http://www.pedalon.co.uk/acatalog/scott-spark-60.html

Rose Bikes Jabba Wood 1 http://www.rosebikes.co.uk/article/rose-jabba-wood-1-531182/aid:547735

Giant Trance X3 2011 http://www.ashcycles.com/site/giant-trance-x3-2011?zenid=05f3081313f4078eeaeef2ace1bfe21b

Sunn Kern S2 http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=58998

Even though the Scott seems to have the worst spec, I like the frame, as it is light and ripe for upgrading. It can also be got for £1400 from a German site with free delivery. But would I be foolish to get anything other than a Canyon at this price?

Busdriver Dave

Just been through this same decision. It came down to the Canyon Nerve vs the Trance X2 which I was offered at a discount. Went with the Tance in the end as I could try it and get sized on a real bike. So far very happy.

Slow Loris

Yeah, Trance always get good reviews abd I was almost settled until I saw the Scott, and remembered about Canyon. The Trances seem to be quite heavy though, is that the spec/finishing or the frame do you think?

mountaingoatimnot

Well i've looked at and sat on all sorts this week. The Trance is a great bike, with superb reviews - its a little more relaxed than the likes of Giant's Anthem range too which is no bad thing if you want occassional more leisurely riding with family/children/novices. There's also the Specialized Camber Comp which currently is on offer via dealers for £1300 (£200 off this month). Great spec bike for that money. Specialized carries a lifetime warranty on the rame.

snowjho

Compare the spec against these 2 bikes, decathlon rockrider 9.1 and 9.2 and it might not be such good value. I was well advised to stay away from budget specialized bikes. If i had the money i'd have gone trance x3, but i didnt so went rockrider 9.1 and whilst its half they money its certainly far from half as good.

Slow Loris

Was browsing in Evans earlier today (not the outsized ladies fashion store, the bikeshop) and saw the Camber, as well as the Norco Fluid LX and both were v good looking, but also rather heavy, at 14.7 kg a piece. That's about 2kg heavier than the Canyon. Now I'm not a weight weenie, but that is quite a difference!

And thanks snowjho, I will look at the Decathlons.

hainman

+1 for decathlon rockrider 9.1,i got mine for 600 quid and it very well kitted out for the money.most 600 hardtails arent even that well spec'd.the 9.2 looks great value for the money too

baser

I had a look at the same bike selection last week and decided to buy the Trance. I then had a last look on line and bought a Boardman FS Pro. Its £1399 if you buy it online, until Wednesday, with Quidco and another discount code it came in at about £1200. For the spec its well worth the money.

This is the Trance I had a look at http://www.paulscycles.co.uk/products.p ... 1b0s1p3506
Here is the Boardman http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stor ... yId_165499 [url][/url]

jairaj

Slow Loris wrote:

The Trances seem to be quite heavy though, is that the spec/finishing or the frame do you think?

It'll most likely be the components that are adding the weight. I think the Giant frames are supposed to have some competitive weights.

scarbs85

I believe the frame is the same throughout the Trance range, the only difference between the X4 and the X1 being the spec fitted to it. That's what I was told when buying my 2010 X4 anyway.

Slow Loris

I did a bit of google research and found a thread on another forum that reckoned the Trance X4 came in at 32lb, but the X3 was 28lb. So it appears the frame should be of a decent light weight.

I think I've narrowed it down to fuel ex 6, trance x3 or spark 60. Now to find one of these massively under rrp..

andy_welch

The Trance can look quite expensive when compared with the Canyon/Boardman offerings, but it's worth bearing in mind that there are opportunities to get discounts (which isn't generally the case with Canyon, for example). I got £300 off a 2012 Trance X2 through my LBS (who also arranged a 4 day demo so that I could be sure it was the right bike for me and who are just down the road should anything go wrong), which brought it much closer to the similar spec Canyon on price.

I think a bit of caution is required when looking at weights online. Manufacturers seem to use different scales to the rest of us. Also, I don't think Giant publish weights, so the ones you see will be from users/shops. Edinburgh Bike Coop, for example, quote the Trance X2 as weighing 29 lbs, but that's "complete with pedals and EN / BS-approved reflectors and bell". So not sure how that would compare with the weights on the manufacturer's sites.

Cheers,

Andy

toasty

The vast majority of weights you see flying around forums are vastly optimistic. People seem to have got into the logic that their 5"-6" travel full susser should weigh 27lbs like everyone else. Realistically, to get to this you'll need to focus on pretty much light components across the board, expensive light wheels run tubeless or with light tubes, light tyres, carbon all over.

Trail bike frames seem to vary between 6lbs for a really light one, 7lbs for most standard aluminium ones, 8lbs for heavy ones. You have about 1lb of deviation from the norm either way.

If you have a fairly standard alloy frame, 1900-2100g stock wheels, tubes, own brand aluminium bars/seatpost, a normal saddle, SLX+ chainset, Revelation/Float type fork, you'll be sat at around 30lbs. The X4 has a couple of extra pounds in it's cheap fork + wheels + chainset. Crazy good value though!

arigold

I believe the new Rockrider models will be out soon

Btwin's website suggets 9.2 will have the following:

rear & front derailleur Sram X9/ shifter Sram X7 brakes Elixir 3 X-fusion O2 RLX - set-up X-fusion suspension O2 RLX Suspension Fork Rockshox Sektor

Any good? Not sure about the price, but speaking from experience decathlon is cheap!

arigold

Here is the PDF for the new range, with prices

http://is.gd/pQwmGe

Matutu

Hey Guys,

I am also looking at the same sort of bike in the region of 1400-1700 pounds, is the general consensus here that the Trance X2 is a good bet at this price range?

Or would you steer me another corse?

So ready to buy now, been waiting a while and change my mind every time i get close ha.

Many Thanks Guys.

andy_welch

The Trance is a great bike. I'm really enjoying my X2 and hardly anybody has a bad word to say about them. But lets be honest most people who have dropped the best part of £2K on a bike will probably be happy with it. There are very few (if any) bad bikes around at that price and trying to compare them is mostly splitting hairs. I'm sure that if I'd bought a Canyon XC or a Boardman FS for example (to take two bikes with a similar spec to the Trance) I'd have been just as happy. But the clincher, for me, was that I could get an extended test ride on the Trance and buy it from my LBS (and I'd kind of like it if they would stay in business).

Cheers,

Andy

rockmonkeysc

I had a Trance X3 & want another one (after I get a Glory first). They may seem like poor value compared to Canyon but you do get a better frame, I noticed a little flex in the Nerve XC8. Giant's suspension is extremely efficient, my reign has 170mm travel & doesn't need pro pedal at all when climbing.
I would also ignore claimed weights, they are usually for small frames with no pedals. My large Reign X weighs a genuine 36lb but is no heavier than my mates Enduro which had a claimed weight of 31lb.

Matutu

Thanks a lot Rockmonkey and Andy, think I have decided on a Trance X2 , found the 2011 model for £1600 at a local shop, think this is quite a good deal don't ya think?

andy_welch

Yes. I think RRP for the 2011 model was actually higher than the 2012 one (£2400 as opposed to £2000). So £1600 is a great price. Grab it, ride it and enjoy it.

Cheers

Andy

snowjho

hainman wrote:

+1 for decathlon rockrider 9.1,i got mine for 600 quid and it very well kitted out for the money.most 600 hardtails arent even that well spec'd.the 9.2 looks great value for the money too

Wow what a price how'd you manage that? Took mine to peaslake yesterday. Sensational riding!