Remedy 7 v Reign 2 v Ariel 161

cr250noob

Hi all, as title says looking at a full suspension 26er with around 150mm travel aiming for 2k budget. Ive got my 29er which is great for XC stuff and steady meandering rides but doesnt exactly feel lively. Looking for something which i can grow into and will be more than enough bike for some jumps, drop offs, light DH and general trail centre use. Using my lbs as its 10 mins away and can at least view the bikes before buying.

3 bikes which ive been looking at:

Trek Remedy 7: The 8 got so so reviews in MBR but stated that without the DRCV fork was "class leading" for 150mm travel.
http://www.swinnertoncycles.co.uk/bikes-c97/mtb-c105/full-suspension-c106/remedy-7-matte-tint-dark-p28610

Giant Reign 2: Dropper post in at price, looks great.
http://www.swinnertoncycles.co.uk/bikes-c97/mtb-c105/full-suspension-c106/reign-2-p28765

Saracen Ariel 161: Bit of a wild card, havent seen or read much about them tbh.
http://www.swinnertoncycles.co.uk/bikes-c97/mtb-c105/full-suspension-c106/bike-ariel-161-p5010

anj132

Sorry I can't help with saying which is the better bike to ride sorry as I haven't ridden them, I expect they'll all do what you want.

Maestro suspension on the Giant's always get a good thumbs up in general.

But on that Ariel... "SHIFTERS: Shimano Acera M390 Rapid Fire 9x3 speed" Acera on a £2K bike is a bit of a joke. I want to stay it's a misprint!

You could get more for your money if you bought online (canyon etc) but if you're set on using an LBS then fair enough.

hainman

I just bought the Giant Reign 2 and i absolutely love it,the dropper post thrown in is a big bonus,had never ridden with one but now i think "how the hell did i last so long without one"

I dare say people will give you all sorts of different opinions but this is mine,from my experience only,i went from 120mm Fs to 150mm and its been a revelation,big confidence booster on the gnarlier stuff.

rockmonkeysc

I have ridden the Reign and Remedy. For what you want the Reign is far better. The Remedy just feels like a trail bike rather than an all mountain bike. The Reign takes harder riding much better. The rear suspension allows you to plough through stuff better than the Remedy's and the frame is bomb proof. The Reign also climbs extremely well for a long travel bike.
I disagree about the DRCV fork, I thought it was absolutely terrible. I know of too many Trek's (Slash, Scratch, Session and three Fuels) with broken chain stays to consider spending my own money on one.
The Ariel is a bit more hardcore, it should be better going down but maybe not so good going up.
I would also look at the Specialized Endure (or Enduro Evo) and the Nukeproof Mega TR or AM.
The GT Distortion is also surprisingly good. It has shorter rear travel but is almost like a slopestyle bike to ride, I haven't tried riding one up hill though.
I think with longer travel bikes a test ride is much more important because suspension characteristics are more noticeable.

Grovsie29

It's 1800quid here:
http://www.granarycycles.com/shop/giant-reign-2-2013

cr250noob

A little bit worrying about the trek frames. Had read something similar somewhere else. Its looking more like the giants the way to go. Is it worth stumping up the extra for the reign 1? http://www.swinnertoncycles.co.uk/bikes-c97/mtb-c105/full-suspension-c106/reign-1-p28766.

Also had a look on pauls cycles, got a cannondale jekyll 3 for £1799 http://www.paulscycles.co.uk/products.php?plid=m1b0s1p4347. Only thing that puts me off is im unable to try it before hand and what to do if something goes wrong with it?

Grovsie29

No cus it's cheaper there ^.

cr250noob

I get the same prices at the lbs as they have a 10% discount for hospital staff so price is the same.

rockmonkeysc

I would rather have the Reign 2 than the 1. The Revelation fork on the Reign 2 is much nicer than the (more expensive)Talas on the Reign 1. I would just spend a little extra on a set of Shimano SLX or XT brakes to replace the rubbish Elixir 1's.

jairaj

Are you able to demo any of them? because I almost totally disagree with Rockmonkey on the Reign vs Remedy.

I tested both last year and just didn't get on with the Reign. I found the Remedy was much better for technical riding in almost all aspects from the geometry, suspension action and finishing kit.

The Remedy felt more stable on steep stuff, the suspension action was more composed and plusher also the finishing kit seemed more sensible with wide bars and short stem.

The Reign was better in tight singletrack and over smoother terrain. But I felt more nervous on steep downs and didn't like the geometry. The head tube height was too hight and hindered keeping the front end down on climbs yet the head angle was steep so didn't help when descending either. The suspension action seemed to have less bob and was more efficient but I didn't think it gave as much grip.

It could just be a personal thing me prefering the Remedy while Rockmonkey preferring the Reign. I'm not saying I'm correct and he is wrong but those are my personal thoughts.

I have also had a quick ride of an Ariel 141 and really liked that to but its more of a mini DH bike. Didn't go up hills as well as the other two but it was miles better going down. You'll still get up most climbs fine but you certainly won't be the first at the top. If you want something heavily biased towards going down then the Ariel is the beset but if you want something with equal bias for going up and down a hill the other options might be better.

hainman

im with rockmonkeysc on the brakes.....pure sh** avids,i replaced them with the XT's i had on my other bike as they were far superior at stopping,made me more confident i would stop when needed,esp downhill,

rockmonkeysc

jairaj wrote:

It could just be a personal thing me prefering the Remedy while Rockmonkey preferring the Reign. I'm not saying I'm correct and he is wrong but those are my personal thoughts.

My experience was the opposite to yours so probably personal preference. Worth a demo. You can definitely get a Reign to test ride through and Giant dealer. Giant have a good fleet of demo bikes. I should have thought you could get a Remedy demo bike from somewhere though I would still be worried about the weak rear end but I do tend to be fairly tough on frames.

cr250noob

Trying to find somewhere to demo the bikes but not having much luck Anyone know of anywhere in the west midlands?

jairaj

Giant have a test ride scheme where they can send a demo bike to your local dealer. Have a look on their website for list of dealers.

Not sure about Trek and Saracen. I was lucky only one bike shop nearish to me (Buckingham bikes) offered demo bikes and they happened to sell Treks which were on my short list.

For the Ariel I bumped into a guy who worked for Madison (Saracens distributors) while out on a ride and he kindly let me take it for a quick spin.

Searching around on the web for demo days and looking up local dealers from manufactures websites will hopefully give you a few things to try out.

rockmonkeysc

Try contacting Madison to find an Arial demo bike. I'm sure they have one.

cr250noob

Contacted Giant and the Reign isnt in the demo fleet unfortunately. Cant find anywhere with a Remedy to demo either. Think ill just have to see how they feel at the shop. Pretty mich sd on the Reign i think. Thanks for the advice guys.