Which full suspension bike should I buy for £1.5-3k?

Turbo124

I'm looking to buy a new bike and have £1.5k-£3k to spend. I've decided to go for full suspension (will be using it for off road only - mainly trails but some downhill too) and wondered if anyone has any strong views on which model to go for. I'd like a 2013 bike and amongst the shortlist I've come up with (though feel free to add to this) are:

Cube AMS 100 Super HPC Pro 29
Cube AMS 100 Super HPC Race 29
Lapierre XR 529
Orange Gyro S
Scott Genius 940
Scott Spark 930
Scott Spark 940
Scott Spark 950
Specialized Stumpjumper FSR Comp Carbon 29
Whyte T129 S

Is it worth spending the extra money to get a carbon frame or will it make little difference in practice?

Many thanks for any advice....

rockmonkeysc

29ers are no good if you want to do any downhill. Wheels flex too much and the chain stays are too long.

cooldad

I have my doubts whether downhill is Downhill.

andy_welch

I have my doubts whether any of the labels used in mountain biking are of any use.

I'm still trying to work out whether I am an XC rider, a Trail rider or an All Mountain rider. Pretty sure I'm not a Downhill rider even though I usually ride my bike down the hill as well.

Back to the OP: based purely on what I've read (i.e. pretty much useless) I quite fancy the Gyro.

njee20

Have you eliminated any bikes in that price range? The Genius and the Spark are totally different bikes. Ride a few and narrow down your criteria a bit - race bike or trail is a good start!

russyh

I can try and fill in some of the blanks here the OP is my mate. We are both looking to get into MTB cycling as a new hobby, we are based around Cheltenham and the cotswolds and by the looks of it have some decent routes near by. We will, i guess be mainly cycling around places like Leckhampton hill, XC routs etc. We wont be doing full on Downhilling, more cross country routes which will include some downhills. So i guess the OP wants something that is a good alround bike. I think the most confussion is around what wheel size. The fashion seems to be around 29er wheels at the moment, but i think he wants to make sure they are right for him and if h does go 26" will the bike be obsolute as more and more bikes seem to be 29ers?

I think he should opt for the Cube AMS.

lostboysaint

andy_welch wrote:

I have my doubts whether any of the labels used in mountain biking are of any use.

I'm still trying to work out whether I am an XC rider, a Trail rider or an All Mountain rider. Pretty sure I'm not a Downhill rider even though I usually ride my bike down the hill as well.

Back to the OP: based purely on what I've read (i.e. pretty much useless) I quite fancy the Gyro.

I can help you with that, I reckon pretty much most UK riders would call themselves AM whereas most are XC. I am one of the first to admit I'd have thought the same but would definitely say that having experienced what the Canadians call All Mountain riding I am an XC rider!! :shock:

rockmonkeysc

26" wheels won't become obsolete. There are too many people using them for wheel & fork manufacturers to stop making components to suit them within the next 10 years.

supersonic

Sounds like you need a typical 'trail' bike ie about 120mm of travel both ends. As above, can you see any of the bikes in the flesh? I'd probably discount the Genius, and the Gyro S (as the latter is horrific value).

rockmonkeysc

A poor value Orange??? It's worth paying the extra because it's British.

supersonic

2.5k with recons (non moco), Deore kit and Raceface Ride. Lol.

rockmonkeysc

But it's hand made in Yorkshire.

andy_welch

Judged by those standards my Five is pretty poor value too. Judged by grins be pound it works out pretty well though and unfortunately none of the supposedly better value bikes I've ridden have fit the bill for me. Never ridden a Gyro though and maybe it is bad value, but I wouldn't reject it just based on the spec of components that will wear out anyway.

njee20

Meh, I would when they're hung on that frame too. No redeeming feature. YMMV.

Greer_

andy_welch wrote:

.... but I wouldn't reject it just based on the spec of components that will wear out anyway.

Whenever you spend that much on a bike though, you're of course going to want decent geometry. But I wouldn't want to drop 2K, to get a bike with spec seen on bikes around the £700 mark.

Shackster

May I add the Canyon range to your deliberations? If as supersonic surmises above you need/want a 120mm travel bike then the Nerve AL would be the one to go for; for £2.5K you can get a XT/XTR equipped bike; at the lower end of your budget you can get a bike with a spec to match much more expensive bikes (I haven't checked your other choices but the spec will be way better than the Orange). If you want more travel then you can go for the AL+ (150mm) or the Strive (160mm).

The only drawback is that they are direct sales only - not in shops - but there may be a forum member with one locally to you who would let you have a go on theirs. Having said that I don't think I've read any negative reviews of them, so pretty sure you'd be happy with it even if you bought unseen. Check out the canyon bikes thread in mtb general.

Sales pitch over!

lawman

Why full sus if the OP is just starting? way too many people think they need it when starting out as they learn quicker... utter bollocks, it gives you a false safety net. Imo, a decent hardtail would be a better choice, my uncle has just bought a canyon grand al 6.0 and he's raving about it, very well specced and the models further up the range are even better. Why on earth you would want to splash 3 grand on a new hobby to try it out is beyond me :roll:

supersonic

He might have a lot of spare cash?!

lawman

supersonic wrote:

He might have a lot of spare cash?!

So buy a bike then take it on holiday to see if he really likes it?

supersonic

My point is that 3k to you may be different to someone who is earning 100k a year. If you have the cash, I say go for it. plus he said 'new bike', not a newcomer to the sport.

Turbo124

Thanks guys - plenty of useful info in there and think I'll arrange some demo rides this weekend to narrow it down a little...

And I used to ride a lot when I was younger but having lived in London for the past 8 or so years have had a break... so it's not a punt on a new hobby so to speak - just makes sense to spend a reasonable amount on something I'll keep for ages rather than getting an entry level bike and then just ending up wanting to buy something much better 6 months down the line!

Turbo124

It's proving tricky arranging demo rides but after some more research I've narrowed it down to the following 6 bikes (all 2013 29er models):

Cube AMS 100 Super HPC Pro 29 - Cube seem to offer good spec per price point but every shop I speak to says their frames are not particularly good?

Lapierre XR 529 - I love how this bike looks, it's very light and spec seems pretty good, but I'm struggling to find any reviews.

Scott Spark 940 - I think I just like Scotts (have also seen a 2012 Spark Pro for £400 extra which looks like a very good bike)

Specialized Camber Comp - seems to get great reviews

Specialized Epic Comp - shop tried to sell me this over everything else (so probably a reason not to buy it)

Whyte T129-S - rated highly in this months MBR test of 2k full suss bikes

Any strong thoughts/reasons to buy or not buy any of these 6?.............

Turbo124

I've been doing some more research and for the same price (pretty much ~2.5k) I can get one of the following:

2012 Scott Spark Pro (29er)
2013 Canyon Nerve CF 8.0 (26er)
2013 Canyon Nerve AL 29 (29er)
2013 Specialized Camber Carbon Comp (29er)
2013 Lapierre XR 529 (29er)

I'd previously decided to only get a 29er but having done some more research, I don't think this should be my main consideration. For the money, the Nerve CF looks the best bet - just not sure about the direct selling model incase anything goes wrong. Arguably the year old Scott is pretty good value now.

What would you do?!

Mojo_666

Turbo124 wrote:

I've been doing some more research and for the same price (pretty much ~2.5k) I can get one of the following:

2012 Scott Spark Pro (29er)
2013 Canyon Nerve CF 8.0 (26er)
2013 Canyon Nerve AL 29 (29er)
2013 Specialized Camber Carbon Comp (29er)
2013 Lapierre XR 529 (29er)

I'd previously decided to only get a 29er but having done some more research, I don't think this should be my main consideration. For the money, the Nerve CF looks the best bet - just not sure about the direct selling model incase anything goes wrong. Arguably the year old Scott is pretty good value now.

What would you do?!

I would buy the Nerve CF Myslef.

hainman

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/tre ... e-ec042095
http://www.evanscycles.com/products/tre ... e-ec042094

Polf

It sounds as if you have very similar needs to me. I ride around Leckhampton and Cleeve hill and have been using a hardtail after a few years away from bike. I caught the bug again and wanted to start doing more aggressive trail riding etc. I did a lot of research and narrowed myself down to the Genius or Stumpjumper. I found shops that stocked the bikes and went and viewed and tested them with a view to making a decision there and then. That was when I found the love of my life and went for something completely different. My LBS had a Yeti SB95 in for bang on 3K. The bloke in the shop owned one and brought his in for me to look at and ride.

http://www.jensonusa.com/Yeti-Cycles/Ye ... -Bike-2013

The above link is from an American website, but this is the exact bike and spec. The spec is good, but not the best. add another 3K for that. But it is more than enough for what I do. I will also swap parts out as and when I can or feel the need to. After my first couple of rides on it, I am hooked. It handles like a dream, has a shorter chain stay than most 29ers and feels like you are on a 26 bike with the added benefits. Most importantly, it has inspired confidence in me to push my riding harder. The Yeti will also retain more of a value than a mainstream bike. If you are willing to look further then the mainstream, you can not go wrong with this.

julesreece17

buy this. Job done. I got one. So it must be cool.

http://www.tredz.co.uk/.Lapierre-Zesty- ... _57017.htm

timmlcrppl

Just in case someone reading this forum still wants to know if a 26'' or 29'' rim is the right one for them, here's a really good honest comparison with an interesting conclusion (check the 4th paragraph under 'The shootout winner'):

http://mbaction.com/Main/News/26er-Vers ... -4713.aspx

thelonegroover

Turbo124 wrote:

It's proving tricky arranging demo rides but after some more research I've narrowed it down to the following 6 bikes (all 2013 29er models):

Cube AMS 100 Super HPC Pro 29 - Cube seem to offer good spec per price point but every shop I speak to says their frames are not particularly good?

Lapierre XR 529 - I love how this bike looks, it's very light and spec seems pretty good, but I'm struggling to find any reviews.

Scott Spark 940 - I think I just like Scotts (have also seen a 2012 Spark Pro for £400 extra which looks like a very good bike)

Specialized Camber Comp - seems to get great reviews

Specialized Epic Comp - shop tried to sell me this over everything else (so probably a reason not to buy it)

Whyte T129-S - rated highly in this months MBR test of 2k full suss bikes

Any strong thoughts/reasons to buy or not buy any of these 6?.............

I'd agree with the Cube frame quality, they are not as good as most others. Also, I wouldn't worry about XT or SLX, on the trail, functionally they are the same. £1,500 to £3,000 is a large price range, have you looked at a Giant Trance? or Scott Genius 7 series.