£1000 ish 29er s

tarbot18

Im in need of a new steed well to be honest the bike scheme is starting again in work and i think it would be rude not to get another bike n+1 and all that......
,
I have a 26 er full suss thats only a year old and a road bike ( :shock: ) but alas my commuter a 12 year old giant terrago has reached then end of its useful life plus i want something with disc brakes.

Ive decided to go down the 29er route as this will be used as my work commuter 24 miles a day around the wirral coast through all weathers , sand , salt water etc .

It will also be used occasionally at trail centre's when i fancy a change from my full suss or that's getting fixed or fettled.

I fancy something nearer the bike scheme limit of a grand as i want decent forks and something under 30lb , a lot of the cheaper 29er s weigh more than my full suss and thats a big truck !

So far looked at the giant 29er talon 0 £1149
http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-gb/bik ... 857/56880/
looks decent spec but giant dont tell you weights .........

or this gt Zaskar 9r sport £899
http://www.cheshireoakscycles.co.uk/m8b ... -Bike-2013
Dont think the forks as good but its cheaper and its a Zaskar !

or something homegrown ish a Whyte 629 £999
http://www.cheshireoakscycles.co.uk/m8b ... -Bike-2013
http://www.whytebikes.com/2013/product. ... 36&xSec=51
Looks good decent spec and a bit different

Any thought from the 29er brigade , thanks

KernowCB

I would say this takes some beating for VFM!

http://www.canyon.com/_en/mountainbikes ... tml?b=3013

RandG

KernowCB wrote:

I would say this takes some beating for VFM!

http://www.canyon.com/_en/mountainbikes ... tml?b=3013

What he said, get mine delivered on Thursday 8)

tarbot18

I'd love to get a canyon outstanding value for money but you cant get them on the bike to work scheme (sad face)

RandG

RandG wrote:

What he said, get mine delivered on Thursday 8)

Make that Wednesday :P

tarbot18

just had a perv at them on the canyon site .......gutted want one......

scale20

A few of my mates just getting into 29er have gone with the Cube bikes, thet really rate them.

zr50sl

I've just got a Cube LTD Pro 29er on the cycle to work scheme.Mixture of XT and SLX ,Manitou Marvel Expert fork.Reasonably light (under 28lbs).I didnt know anything about the forks initially but they're more common in the States and most of the reviews on their cycle forums have been good.After a slight adaptation of my riding style the bikes been a revelation for me after moving from 26inch wheels.

tarbot18

Ive just been into my lbs which is a few hundred feet from my house to get my gt looked at and they had the giant talon 29er 1 in which goes for a grand.
Had a decent spec rear xt mech rock shox recon forks and seemed fairly light , decisions decisions ..........

chez_m356

this looks decent spec wise http://www.evanscycles.com/products/pin ... 8#features

tarbot18

Bloody hell chez you've thrown a spanner in the works there.
Great spec for the money better forks than the others and thru axle, plus deore m596 brakes which i have on my gt and love.
I like the colour too, i saw the giant talon 29er 2 today nice bike but bland as hel,l if im spending a grand on a bike i want a bit of bling and the pinnacle definitely isnt the shy retiring type.

I take it pinnacle is evans in house brand ? doesnt really bother me most bikes are merely assembled from taiwan frames and japanese or american parts anyway but i cant find any reviews etc on it .

chez_m356

tarbot18 wrote:

I take it pinnacle is evans in house brand ? doesnt really bother me most bikes are merely assembled from taiwan frames and japanese or american parts anyway but i cant find any reviews etc on it .

yes they are, i'm sure someone on here before mentioned, that the guy who designs them used to design the bikes for genesis, so i would imagine they are good bikes

tarbot18

Found out today we have to use the halfords scheme which obviously includes them and independent local bike shops selected by them so looks like ill be going for this.......

http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-gb/bik ... ifications

£1150 but we get 10% off so only just above my grand limit, but the recon gold looks good just a shame its not the thru axle version like on the pinacle.

The Spiderman

As much as I like Giant bikes (I have 3 of them) I`d also look at the Trek Cobia,which is a nice looking bike and gets good reviews.

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/trek/x-caliber-2013-mountain-bike-ec040335

Shame you are limited to Halfords though, I`ve been considering 29ers recently icnluding the carbon On One Lurcher X9 at £1300 and the Canyon Grand Canyon 29ers which blow the Giant into the weeds on spec.

tarbot18

Its not just halfords its independent bike shops which includes a few near me that sell giant , trek , whyte and a couple of other makes.
The canyons have a great spec for the money if i was buying cash they'd get my money .
Think at the moment the talon 0 is winning based on looks and spec and the fact theres a giant shop a few hundred feet from my house willing to throw in a few extras etc , plus my 10 year terrago has been a great bike does a few thousand miles a year commuting in all weathers and is still going strongish.

The Spiderman

The Talon looks like it will be a good platform for upgrading. I Still find it quite frightening how much something of that spec costs from the big brands though these days. Which is proably why my last 2 bikes have been secondhand. Reasonable parts,but it wouldn`t stay standard for long if it were mine!

tarbot18

The Spiderman wrote:

The Talon looks like it will be a good platform for upgrading. I Still find it quite frightening how much something of that spec costs from the big brands though these days. Which is proably why my last 2 bikes have been secondhand. Reasonable parts,but it wouldn`t stay standard for long if it were mine!

I know what you mean most brands have either down specced or raised a prices a fair bit in the last year,

Thats why i had my heart set on a minimum of a recon gold fork up front but at a grand the 29er s go from xc32 to fox stuff on the canyons ,
The pinnacle ramin would have been ideal good spec for the price but im stuck with halfords and approved shops.

Reckon the talon 0 will do me for a while ill probably change the brakes to shimano but that ll be it unless anything breaks, i spend enough on the sensor and dont want another divorce

mulley

Me and a riding mate have just had this exact dilema, he brought a cube ltd sl I broughtthe whyte 629. He used to kick my arse on our sussers but now hes working hard to keep up with me and all thats changed is the bikes. His cube has more grip in mud as he has more knobbly tyres but thats easily changed. 2x10 gearing on the whyte is perfect as well. I am really happy with the whyte. Ithink hes happy with the cube as well. The whyte is £1000 and the cube about £1150 some you wont go far wrong with either. Biased I know but id still get the whyte and a spare pair of tyres for the muddy days! And the whyte is about 26lbs when weighed with my lugage scales. Happy days

tarbot18

i was looking at the 629 how do you get on with the fork though the xc32 it looks a bit basic i wasnt sure if it would be up to trail centres hence i was looking at the recon as a minimum.

supersonic

The XC32 is no more basic than the Recon silver, the only difference is that the Silver is a touch lighter.

tarbot18

Is that the only difference then the weight supersonic , as i do like the look of the whyte and would like something a little different from the norm.

mulley

I have rode trail centres and natural trails so far and the fork is spot on. Even though it's the xc32 it is the air version not the coil so is light enough and easy to set up. With the lock out on under heavy braking I get a fair bit of judder from the forks but this has reduced as the brakes have bedded in. The rebound is fine and I have found it easy to set to my preference.

mulley

mulley wrote:

I have rode trail centres and natural trails so far and the fork is spot on. Even though it's the xc32 it is the air version not the coil so is light enough and easy to set up. With the lock out on under heavy braking I get a fair bit of judder from the forks but this has reduced as the brakes have bedded in. The rebound is fine and I have found it easy to set to my preference.

supersonic

tarbot18 wrote:

Is that the only difference then the weight supersonic , as i do like the look of the whyte and would like something a little different from the norm.

For the coil version, yes, is about 100g heavier.

tarbot18

Thanks for the advice i think im going to go for one of my original pics and mulleys choice the whyte 629 , i went to see it today in the flesh and i know its shallow and it shouldnt matter what it looks like etc etc but.........

what a bike bloody gorgeous bike !

I know i can get a better spec for the money but i like things to look nice helps motivate me to look after them plus they weighed it for me and whyte arent lieing, just under 28 lbs so pretty light for a 29er

Got a few weeks until i can put the order in but my minds made up

I think

mulley

You'll love it! My friends cube ltd sl on paper is better with fox forks etc but really even having been out with both bikes I'd still choose the whyte. Spec and be misleading if it doesn't all come together. Enjoy the whyte and your right it looks drop dead gorgeous

tarbot18

it does look good pics to follow when i get it , you need to get some of yours up on the yourbikes part of the forum mulley.

mulley

just added a post in the your bikes section with links to my flickr pictures. happy days.