Help need advise with buying new rig.

chippiechappie20

Can anyone help me? I am looking forward to buying a new mountain bike my budget is £2500 but there is so much choice, and it is confusing me. I don't know whether to stick with a 26er or switch to a 29er which I keep hearing lots about. I ride mainly cross country.Bridle ways and canal tow paths occasionally follow the dog on Cannock chase. Which do you think would be best for me?

Levi_501

I would stick with a good 26 HT for that sort of riding.

For two and a half grand you can get a very nice bike, something like a Trek 8 series, Scot Scale, Whyte 19. You could even have a custom build jobbie from the likes of Chas Roberts. There are many other, inc Spesh, Canyon etc.

There are so many options out there. I would try and get to a bike show/fair.

2,500 is a lot to blow on a few magazien reviews and recommendations form a forum.

The Rookie

For the XC and canal paths a 29er makes most sense, for Cannock I'd prefer a 26er, either way, no way you need to blow £2,500 for that riding when a £1000 bike would perform just as well! Boeardman from Halfords for a 26er would be my go to, althopugh there are some Bargains out there such as http://www.rutlandcycling.com/44935/For ... -Bike.html

Plyphon

£2500 is way overkill for bridleways and canal paths.

I would just buy a decent Canyon HT or the entry level fuss suss XC model for just over £1000 notes.

chippiechappie20

Did I mention I would also be doing follow the dog I also don't think a hard tail for very rough canal tow paths would be very suitable.

paulneenan76

chippiechappie20 wrote:

Did I mention I would also be doing follow the dog I also don't think a hard tail for very rough canal tow paths would be very suitable.

Follow the dog does not require a full Suss / big travel bike, and even the most rutted of towpaths would not justify anything more than a full rigid. I think you would be best served by spending time researching, speaking to your LBS, and taking the advice of the experienced riders on this forum - £2000 is a great deal of money which your likely to regret spending as you realise the bike you bought was overkill for an average trail centre and a local canal route. In fact you may even dislike the bike when you realise the things you need it to do, it doesn't do well.

You need an entry level hardtail really. But we all know that what we need is often influenced by what we want ;D

supersonic

I also don't think a hard tail for very rough canal tow paths would be very suitable.

Full suspension would be less suitable even.

ilovedirt

chippiechappie20 wrote:

Did I mention I would also be doing follow the dog I also don't think a hard tail for very rough canal tow paths would be very suitable.

Rough tow paths? Such a thing does not exist, not so as to justify a £2500 full sus mtb.

chippiechappie20

You obviously haven't ridden the tow paths I ride they are rougher than a bombed out Iraq air strip!

supersonic

Suspension is mainly there to add grip, traction and control. Given that tow paths are straight, I still don't really see the need.

But at 2.5k, you'll get an FS bike light enough anyway.

louthepoo

I ride Cannock chase regularly and follow the dog a fair bit, I do it on a hardtail with no problems and I'm crap on a bike! You don't need full suss for what you want it for. I wouldn't go anywhere near £2500 for a hardtail at the level you'd be using it for, save some cash and buy some gear if you want to spend it all. If you're near Cannock pop into ace ultra cycles in wednesfield, a good lbs that'll give you good advice

chippiechappie20

Why do most people on Cannock chase ride full-suspension bikes then? if you're not going to use a full suspension riding on follow the dog where are you going to use it?

louthepoo

chippiechappie20 wrote:

Why do most people on Cannock chase ride full-suspension bikes then? if you're not going to use a full suspension riding on follow the dog where are you going to use it?

Maybe they ride other places too. I don't feel the need to change to a full suss for what I've encountered over Cannock chase, I keep up with my mates on their full sussers and 29ers. Each to their own though, if its what you want get one, I'm just saying you don't need one to ride the chase

android125

Get a nice XC full susser like the Scott Spark or Giant Anthem, dude. A beautiful bike that you'll fall in love with.

When I started out mountain biking I was told " get a hardtail, its all you'll need for the riding you'll be doing..."
I got a hardtail and rode a thousand miles on that arse numbing machine, teeth chattering, bones clattering, feet coming off the pedals cos the back was bouncing up and down like a jackhammer....

Then i spent some real money on a Merida 96 full susser. Plush, controlled and beautiful. I never rode that HT again and I will never ever advise anyone to get one. Full suss is one of the great technical advances in the MTB world. Use it and enjoy your riding

supersonic

I spent some real money on my Zaskar. Fast, absorbs vibration, lightning acceleration, no bob or pedal mush. And light. FSR is being sold, too slow.

Horses for courses ;-)

rockmonkeysc

chippiechappie20 wrote:

Why do most people on Cannock chase ride full-suspension bikes then? if you're not going to use a full suspension riding on follow the dog where are you going to use it?

You are right, ignore these people. I recommend this:
http://www.evanscycles.com/products/kon ... tch__plid_

This would be ideal for rutted canal tow paths and even better on the super gnarly Follow the Dog.

chrisw333

Look, you've come on here for advice and the general consensus is that for the riding you describe a 2.5k full suss is overkill.

A hardtail is certainly more suited to canals and bridleways. Rear suspension has nothing to do with smoothing out potholes (a common misconception) As for Cannock, again a hardtail is more than enough, pariculaly something like the 120mm travel Boardman referred to earlier if you want something with slightly more trail orientated geometry than a more racy xc orientated bike.

You have a very generous budget, but hartail wise the £1k Boardman Pro would seem an excellent fit for your needs. If you want to spend a bit more or get something a little more exclusive, then maybe take a look at a Whyte 905 which would again be perfect for Cannock, Llandegla etc.

But if you REALLY want a full suss bike or are pretty convinvced your riding will progress beyond what you have described, then look at the lower travel ones - 100-120mm of travel. A good place to start would probably be the Giant Anthem or Giant Trance.

But if I was in your shoes I'd go Boardman Pro HT for the time being, see how you get on and if your riding progresses you could use the rest of the budget in a year or two's time to get a very decent full suss bike. Then you would have the best of both worlds.