Newbie buying bike!!!

sypherian

I'm fairly new to the mountain bike scene, I'm the happy owner of a Trek 6700 which has been good iv'e had some good long runs on it haven't had it off-road since it is my means of transportation.

But after looking around for quite some time I've decided on a couple of bikes, and i wanted to hear your opinions on what to get

The first bike iv'e been looking at is a Scott scale 30 from 2012

http://www.scott-sports.com/global/en/p ... VWt-xySm25

the second one is a Cube Reaction GTC SLT from 2012

http://www.collegecycles.co.uk/cube-201 ... 2565-p.asp

The third one is also a Cube Reaction GTC SLT but this is a 2013 model with 29" wheels

and the last but not least is a Cube Elite Super HPC Race teamline from 2012

http://www.mhw-bike.com/sale/hardtail/5 ... mline-2012

Now the Scott and GTC SLT from 2012 are the same in price

The GTC SLT from 2013 increase the cost around 550£ or 800$ compared to the first two

And the Cube super HPC increase the cost 700£ or 1000$ compared to the first two

I'm looking to start doing some XC with the new bike and keeping the old one for commute we have some great XC tracks here in Denmark

The only thing that concerns me is that the 29" wheels might make the bike too large for me i'm not the tallest guy in the world 172 cm or 5 feet 6 inches, but the only way to be sure is to swing by the retailer after the holidays are over i guess

my trek is a 17,5" or 44,5 inches and i can easily go for a 18" - 19" since it felt just a bit on the smaller side for me.

The only really important thing is that i can find the bike at a retailer since i'm not the do it yourself repair guy, I can easily clean and degrease my bike and give it some new lubricant and fix a flat, but when it comes to the more technical things i'm way over my head.

Hope you guys can help me out

THX.

danlikesbikes

Think you need to make a choice of to 29" or not first. I'm only 5"8 myself and have ridden both wheels and they do not effect me because of my height but the ride is different from a standard MTB wheel size.

Generally speaking you will tend to find you get a bit more for your money buying 2012 gear now as shops are trying to make way for newer 2013 stock.

Don'y worry about the technical side of the bike as you will either learn to do it as you go along or do a mix of simple jobs yourself and leave the major stuff to your LBS.

Would suggest that you do some research on 29'rs and if they fit the terrain & types of riding you are looking to do as they are pretty fast on some CX courses but the compromise is handling on tighter courses might be an issue.

I own a Scott so am not going to say much about the as both Scott & Cube make some very good bikes and the models you have highlighted are good for the money

sypherian

Danlikesbikes wrote:

Think you need to make a choice of to 29" or not first. I'm only 5"8 myself and have ridden both wheels and they do not effect me because of my height but the ride is different from a standard MTB wheel size.

Generally speaking you will tend to find you get a bit more for your money buying 2012 gear now as shops are trying to make way for newer 2013 stock.

Don'y worry about the technical side of the bike as you will either learn to do it as you go along or do a mix of simple jobs yourself and leave the major stuff to your LBS.

Would suggest that you do some research on 29'rs and if they fit the terrain & types of riding you are looking to do as they are pretty fast on some CX courses but the compromise is handling on tighter courses might be an issue.

I own a Scott so am not going to say much about the as both Scott & Cube make some very good bikes and the models you have highlighted are good for the money

Thank you for the advice I'm heading for a retailer first thing next week where i can try out all the bikes except the Scott, then i should have a fairly good idea on 29 or not.

I'm really looking forward to getting my new bike and simply wanted to do as much research and information gathering as possible I'll let you know how it turns out after iv'e tested the bikes.

danlikesbikes

I'm what you call old school & didn't really get the whole 29'r thing but having ridden one it was different & good. As an MTB rider and racer I can really see the advantage on less tight courses & think that they handle really well with the larger wheels.

Once you have had a go you should know which you like the feel & ride of as both wheel sizes have their merits and downsides too. Good luck when trying them & if I were you also ask lots of questions and don't be afraid too as it will give you a good idea of how your LBS are going to treat you.

sypherian

Danlikesbikes wrote:

I'm what you call old school & didn't really get the whole 29'r thing but having ridden one it was different & good. As an MTB rider and racer I can really see the advantage on less tight courses & think that they handle really well with the larger wheels.

Once you have had a go you should know which you like the feel & ride of as both wheel sizes have their merits and downsides too. Good luck when trying them & if I were you also ask lots of questions and don't be afraid too as it will give you a good idea of how your LBS are going to treat you.

Thank you for the heads up. I wasn't particularly happy with my last LBS (handlebar was fitted couple cm's too much to the right gears wasn't correctly set and the rear derailleur was set way to close inwards towards the spokes) but a mate of mine has been more than happy with them but he has also put more than 20.000$ in that store.

But I'll be damned if I can't get something extra in my deal with the new LBS set of mudguards or something like that :-)

sypherian

Well figured i'd follow up on what my initial choice since you guys where so nice to help me and all :-)

I've been looking at many different bikes the last two weeks but I finally decided on a cube, just not one of the bikes i started looking at.

The bike I chose is a Cube AMS 120 SL

http://www.cube.eu/en/full/allmountain/ams-120-sl-29/

It is not a carbon and its not a hardtail but i figured since I've started gaining some weight here the last year or two i'd might as well buy full suspension so I don't have an excuse for going all the way out on the trails :-P

My LBS should get it home tomorrow so i can try it out i am however a little bit concerned on the frame size my current Bike is a 17.5" the one they ordered was a 17" but since the AMS is a 29'er the frame size sould be more or less the same, I did although try out a hardtail which was a 19" 29'er but driving back and forth on a road for a couple of minutes didn't really give me an idea if the larger frame was better or worse because of the limited time frame.

But if all goes well and I feel confident that the bike size is the right one, I should be able to go pay and pick up my new bike first thing Monday morning.

Thx again for all your help.