New bike for about 1500€ budget

Siim_S

Hi! Looking for a new mountain bike for my OH. For the background, she currently has slightly pimped up Kona Lisa HT (2008, 16" frame size), but with the time needs have grown. She is 159 cm and about 50kg, does some racing, not much hills around and races are not too technical, but aspirations are also to spend more time on singletracks and more demanding trails. So far she has tried friend's Specialized Fate that she kind of liked, but it's a tad bit too expensive and also 17" felt a bit longish for her, though that could probably be sorted by moving the saddle and/or changing to shorter stem. Most probably she would have to order the bike online as local bike shops have very limited selection, especially on smaller sizes/women specific bikes. She's also open to trying 29er, 650b or full-suspension.

Some of the decent options that I've found, include:
1) Trek X-Caliber (WSD) - http://www.trekbikes.com/int/en/collect ... iber_wsd/#
2) Trek 8000 WSD - http://www.trekbikes.com/int/en/collect ... 8000_wsd/#
3) Cube Access WLS GTC - http://www.cube.eu/en/wls/access-wls-gtc/
4) Canyon Nerve XC 7.0 W - http://www.canyon.com/_en/mountainbikes ... tml?b=2557
5) Radon ZR Lady 7.0 - http://www.bike-discount.de/shop/k1283/ ... y-7-0.html

As you can see, I'd like her to have at least RS Reba level forks, slx-xt or sram x7-x9 gearing. Are there any other good bikes that you could recommend in this range? Any experience with the above bikes you'd like to share?

Thanks in advance!

Levi_501

My OH rides a Trek 8000 with Rebas, but not the WSD version; she loves it.

Funny enough, when we were looking, one of the main things I was looking for was a set of Rebas!

Dubdemand

I just bought the Cube Access GTC for my wife from bike-discount.de and she's over the moon with it. We ordered her a 16" frame and I still had to chop a couple of inches off the seat post!

I've posted pics in the readers rides section if you want a look!?!

Lastly, if you plan to order from the above mentioned website, give them a buzz first as they will probably do a bit more discount for you! We paid a lot less!

Siim_S

Some time has passed and now that the 2013 models are appearing, there are some more options to choose from. All the bikes in the table are 2013 models. Most of them I could easily order through LBS with friendly price. However, in most cases, there is no option to try the bike before making commitment so any recommendation to test ride and then decide, is not doable unfortunately.

Here is the table with bikes and most important information (geo/spec): http://bit.ly/On52no

First five bikes are 29ers, next two 650b and the last option is to buy the bike (29er) with a bit weaker spec, but upgrade wheels and fork because it's damn beautiful frame. Diamondbacks would be most difficult to buy since they are not being sold in Europe, i think?

What would you buy if you were my girlfriend?

lm_trek

My OH got the Canyon Nerve 8.0 w she loves it, was out yesterday on the Minortaur trail at CYB and she really enjoyed it, previously she had a Giant XTC ex funnily enough with Reba's and she was deadset on getting a bike with the same forks just bigger travel, i convinced her the Fox Forks would be up to the job and offered to swap my reba's over if she really wanted.

The raw alu takes some getting used to but the bike is a great piece of kit, my next bike will be a canyon can't fault them.

poppit

Siim_S wrote:

Some time has passed and now that the 2013 models are appearing, there are some more options to choose from. All the bikes in the table are 2013 models. Most of them I could easily order through LBS with friendly price. However, in most cases, there is no option to try the bike before making commitment so any recommendation to test ride and then decide, is not doable unfortunately.

Here is the table with bikes and most important information (geo/spec): http://bit.ly/On52no

First five bikes are 29ers, next two 650b and the last option is to buy the bike (29er) with a bit weaker spec, but upgrade wheels and fork because it's damn beautiful frame. Diamondbacks would be most difficult to buy since they are not being sold in Europe, i think?

What would you buy if you were my girlfriend?

Do you work in accountancy?

Siim_S

Here is the final result:







Frame: Niner E.M.D. 9, XS
Forks: RockShox Reba XX
Hubs: Stan's 3.30
Rims: Stan's ZTR Crest 29er
Tires: Specialized Fast Trak LK Control 29" x 2.0 (will be soon replaced by Racing Ralphs (2.10 width)
Crankset: Sram S1400
Cassette: Sram PG-1030
Chain: Sram PC-1031
Rear der: Sram X7
Front der: Sram X7
Shifters: Sram X.7
Cables: Gore Ride-On
Brakes: Formula RX, 160mm
Handlebar: Niner Flat Top Alloy
Stem: Niner Alloy 90mm
Seatpost: Controltech TNA 31.6
Saddle: Selle Italia Trans AM Lady
Pedals: Shimano M530
Grips: ESI Silicone

Total weight: 10.47 kg (without pedals)