Which Full Sus bike?

Polf

Hi,
I am relatively new to the MTB world, taking it up 12 months ago. I have really caught the bug and have been riding a hardtail XC. I really want to try a Full sus bike but do not know much about them. I'm looking for something that will handle the trails, incuding the uphills, but will give me more confidence when hitting the downhills. I am looking to spend between £1500 and £2000. I know there is a lot to choose from, but if I go into a shop, they naturally only tell you about the bikes they stock and was hoping to get a broader prospective from people who have tried and tested. Any help would be appreciated.

supersonic

Depends how hard the downhills are really - what sort of terrain do you plan to hit?

Polf

Thanks for the reply. I know this is a very general question and was more looking for what type of bike to get rather than particular brands etc. (Although any suggestions would be welcome). I ride mainly at Swinley but try to travel to different areas. Have ridden Forest of Dean, Cleeve Hill and Whinlatter. (Also tried Aston Hill, but was far too technical for me). I guess i'm looking for a bike that is capable of a bit of everything. I'm not making this easy, am I?

supersonic

Sounds like you need the typical 'All Mountain' bike - this will have a bit more travel than say a trail or xc bike, and more stable geometry for the downs.

Polf

Many thanks. Will look into it.

BigColUK

I'm not the most experienced mountain biker but sounds like my requirements are similar to yours - good all rounder which isn't going to throw you off when you hit something a bit more technical.

I've just got a new Spesh Stumpjumper. It has 140mm at both ends but you can shorted the front forks to 120mm by spinning a dial.

This new rig has massively increased by confidence as it seems to eat up a lot of the technical stuff which I would have been weary of trying on my old bike. I absolutely love the bike and couldn't recommend it enough.

If you find a bike you like and order it online - make sure you set up your suspension properly. I think this is why my last bike didn't seem as good. Got my new bike from a LBS and they set everything up for me and showed me how to set it up in future.

When you get the new bike - see if you can get a dropper post thrown into the deal as this has helped me a lot when getting faster on the downhill stuff.

Polf

BigColUK wrote:

I'm not the most experienced mountain biker but sounds like my requirements are similar to yours - good all rounder which isn't going to throw you off when you hit something a bit more technical.

I've just got a new Spesh Stumpjumper. It has 140mm at both ends but you can shorted the front forks to 120mm by spinning a dial.

This new rig has massively increased by confidence as it seems to eat up a lot of the technical stuff which I would have been weary of trying on my old bike. I absolutely love the bike and couldn't recommend it enough.

If you find a bike you like and order it online - make sure you set up your suspension properly. I think this is why my last bike didn't seem as good. Got my new bike from a LBS and they set everything up for me and showed me how to set it up in future.

When you get the new bike - see if you can get a dropper post thrown into the deal as this has helped me a lot when getting faster on the downhill stuff.

Many thanks for the tip. Have a had a look and it does appear to tick all of the boxes. Will look at getting a test ride on one somewhere. Thanks again.

VWsurfbum

You wont be able to get a test ride but
http://www.yt-industries.com/shop/en/Bi ... 9lc47n53g8

$1899 Euro's = roughly £1525.76
I have the Ltd version, which worked out at £2000, with over £3000 worth of kit!

rockmonkeysc

Geometry counts for more than travel.
Have a look at the Giant Trance as well. Shorter (120mm) travel than the Stumpjumper but at least as capable and lighter

lawman

RockmonkeySC wrote:

Geometry counts for more than travel.
Have a look at the Giant Trance as well. Shorter (120mm) travel than the Stumpjumper but at least as capable and lighter

For all the talk of geometry unless fitted with a 140mm fork the trance is on the steep side of things, in which case you end up with a burlier fork and frame that might feel mismatched. May as well go the whole way and get a 140mm bike imo

rockmonkeysc

The Trance has a low BB and short rear end which helps make it good for aggressive riding. The higher spec model Trance comes with a 140mm fork.

jairaj

Polf wrote:

... . I ride mainly at Swinley but try to travel to different areas. Have ridden Forest of Dean, Cleeve Hill and Whinlatter. (Also tried Aston Hill, but was far too technical for me). I guess i'm looking for a bike that is capable of a bit of everything. I'm not making this easy, am I?

From the sounds of it I would think an all round trail bike would fit the bill fine. I don't think you need an All Mountain bike unless you have aspirations too really progress your riding.

Something like a Trek Fuel EX or Giant Trance should be about right. Roughly equal balance with going up and down the hill. Should be fine with smooth jumps into nice transitions and drops of a few feet high no problem.

If you would like to do 5 foot drops on a regular basis then maybe look at their bigger bothers Trek Remedy or Giant Reign.

But a some of what I say comes with personal preference. As you say you are new to MTB. The best advise I'd say is to demo as much as you can. Find out what YOU like and what you don't and then narrow the search options down a bit. Trouble with being a newbie is its too easy to get caught up in other peoples way of thinking rather than finding out what your way of thinking is and what would suit that.