Which 29er for a new MTB'er

drmbradley

Hi, I am after your collective wisdom please. I am a new MTB'er and have been considering the following the 2012 29er bikes as a first purchase.
Cannondale Trail SL 29er 3 - http://www.cannondale.com/gbr/catalog/product/view/id/25414/s/2012-trail-sl-29er-3/category/506/
Cube Acid 29 - http://www.cube.eu/en/29er/acid-29/
Giant Talon 29er 0 - http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-gb/bikes/model/talon.29.er.0/9345/49900/

They are all around the £750 price point, and I have read some of the reviews on here but can't seem to find much on the Cube, and the Cannondale and Giant get mixed praise. It all seems to be about the front fork :-)

So let me know what you think, thanks for the advice.

supersonic

I say the Cube and Cannodale offer the best spec - the Giant, whilst having a good frame, is let down by the fork.

WhipIt

The obligatory Canyon mention...

If I were you I'd beg/borrow/steal £250 more and get this:
http://www.canyon.com/_uk/mountainbikes ... tml?b=2750

Absolutely blows the others out of the water, especially the fork.

Long_Time_Lurker

Any reason you are choosing a 29er for a first bike?
I only ask, as I see them more as a N+1.
Personally, I would go for a good 26" as a first bike with a 29er as a second.
Having been test riding them for the last 6 months, I still ended up with a 26" as the ride wasn't any better than the conventional 26 on the stuff that I ride. A lot of the extra speed was down the the 'new bike thing' where you push it harder than normal to test the limits of the bike. After a week, the times levelled out.
And most importantly, the specs on the 29ers tend to be worse than the spec on the equivalently priced 26.

drmbradley

Hi LTL, I was going for the 29er as I will probably ride it a fair bit on road/tracks where the bigger wheels will make easier/quicker progress than a 26". I am not sure I will be going for the highly technical trails, so covering more distance is what I will be looking to do.

Long_Time_Lurker

That makes sense...
But they take a bit more effort to get going. Was a pain in the arse on my commute when I had lots of red lights.
And take into consideration that the better spec on the 26 normally relates to lighter kit, and a lighter bike may be faster than a heavier 29.

It's a complete ball-ache at your price range. There is so many factors to consider. It took me 6 months to decide.
The 29ers extended the time it tok me to make a final decision.
If you can, try the bikes out and see how they feel. At the end of the day, your should go for the one that feels right for you.