I've been spoilt.

Kowalski675

I've had this rather nice bike to play on for a few days, but now that it's gone back my own bike feels pants. I don't have much to compare to, but it seemed very good to me, floating over stuff that gave me a right battering on my own bike, and making me do things I wouldn't have tried on mine. Maybe I should've tried something cheaper, lol. Now I really do want a new bike, just not sure which one, lol...

Apologies for the poor quality of the pics (and the poor composition of the third pic, I couldn't be bothered to turn the bike round so that it was pointing into the frame) - they're just phone snaps from my ancient Nokia. The last one's a short video, click on it and it plays:

njee20

Aye, nice bikes those. Top of my list for when I change.

CrouchingPig

Pardon my ignorance, what bike is that? looks lovely.

97th choice

I believe it's a Trek Rumblefish

Anonymous

same here I had a go on a friends Merida hard tail it handled so much better then mine and was a fair bit quicker
cant find and exact pic I left my camera at home when we went out ):

but its like this but in metallic red

http://www.merida-bikes.com/en_int/bike ... s/Matts+70


im skint atm so no new bikes for me. might have to start saving for one next month then maybe buy one at Christmas

felix.london

Kowalski675 wrote:

I've had this rather nice bike to play on for a few days, but now that it's gone back my own bike feels pants.

Yep. Big and potentially very expensive mistake that! Did the same a couple of months back - tried a friends Rocky Mountain Slayer...what a bike

paulbox

This is why car manufacturers put all the toys on their demonstrators.

And why I now have vented seats to stop my @rse from getting sweaty on hot days (yes both of them!)... :oops:

gt-arrowhead

Thats looks amazing. Luckily i havent been on a bike better than mine because all my mates ride halfords bike. But i think you might end up spending a bit of money now...

Sounded like you fell off after you came out the shot

Anonymous

it did! I fell of mine while trying to race my m8 on his Merida. all is good I was winning to fell off as well. );

had my first crash/off going for it as quick as I could sharp turn to avoid a giant patch of stinging nettle front wheel slipped and I slid off going round the corner. luckily I avoid the nettles.

anyone ever brought a bike from pink bike site. online adverts because there some pretty decent spec bikes for decent prices I know there second hand thou still. :P

russyh

I have bought and sold bikes on Pinkbike, no problems at all. Nothing wrong with a second hand bike you normally get a much better bike then you would new. Just make sure you do your research first and inspect the bike properly.
I bought my lapierre second hand albeit it had not been used and i saved nearly a grand on RRP. It came with the reciept so i knew it was legit.

Kowalski675

njee20 wrote:

Aye, nice bikes those. Top of my list for when I change.

I don't have much to compare to, but I thought it was a very nice bike. I think they're discontinuing them now that the Fuel EX 29ers are out though.

Kowalski675

CrouchingPig wrote:

Pardon my ignorance, what bike is that? looks lovely.

It's a Trek Rumblefish Pro (£3250 :shock: )

Kowalski675

felix.london wrote:

Kowalski675 wrote:

I've had this rather nice bike to play on for a few days, but now that it's gone back my own bike feels pants.

Yep. Big and potentially very expensive mistake that! Did the same a couple of months back - tried a friends Rocky Mountain Slayer...what a bike

I was already looking to upgrade to a full susser, so some fairly large expenditure was already on the cards, but the budget won't stretch to that kind of price point (£3250). Originally I was looking to spend around a grand, but over the last few weeks window shopping that's gone up, and I'm now lusting over bikes around the two grand mark (seems that's about what you need to spend to get something that'll serve well for a good few years as my abilities get better, without needing any upgrades). I borrowed the Rumblefish demo bike to get a feel for full sussers in general and 29ers, but maybe I should've tried something closer to the price point I'm looking at, for more realistic expectations. I was half hoping to not like the big wheels and dismiss them as a fad, but they did impress me, so now I'm even more confused as to which direction to go in. This week I'm fancying a Trek Fuel EX7 26er in pearl white.

Kowalski675

GT-Arrowhead wrote:

Thats looks amazing. Luckily i havent been on a bike better than mine because all my mates ride halfords bike. But i think you might end up spending a bit of money now...

My Halfords Carrera's still better than your GT...

Sounded like you fell off after you came out the shot

Nah, just braking on the loose gravel (there's a sharp right hander just after the landing):

Kowalski675

Had a brief test on a Trek Fuel EX8, Lapierre Zesty 314 and Norco Sight 2SE yesterday. All felt good, but the Norco possibly the best (wanky colours, but I guess i could live with that, the Zesty was much prettier though). There's too many bikes out there, lol...

gt-arrowhead

Oooo your lucky you had that video as proof, otherwise i would have had to conclude that you did indeed fall off And everyone knows that a GT Arrowhead is better than a Norco Sight...

Kowalski675

GT-Arrowhead wrote:

Oooo your lucky you had that video as proof, otherwise i would have had to conclude that you did indeed fall off

Nope, no falling off was done (probably more thanks to the bike than me, lol).

And everyone knows that a GT Arrowhead is better than a Norco Sight...

Have you been taking your mum's happy pills again?

Your shade of blue's nicer than the yellow on teh norco though, I'll give you that much, lol.

gt-arrowhead

I fell off twice yesterday myself trying to learn how to do the "front pivot". Both times i smashed my balls on the stem and it was very painful...

Never seen a yellow Norco, and i really like the look of Norcos, they have a nice shape with the curved top tube. Wish i could ride one Hell i wish i could ride anything that good!

At least i have something on my bike thats better than a Norco :P Score!

Judging from that video, you must have a really nice place to ride there.

Kowalski675

GT-Arrowhead wrote:

I fell off twice yesterday myself trying to learn how to do the "front pivot". Both times i smashed my balls on the stem and it was very painful...

What's a "front pivot"?

Never seen a yellow Norco

The frame's anodised black, it's just the logos and suspension rockers that are yellow.

Wish i could ride one

Go down to Evans Cycles then.

Judging from that video, you must have a really nice place to ride there.

The video's taken at Gisburn Forest trail centre (about 45 minutes or so from here) - great place for riding, I've been twice now and love it, very varied trails, each section's different to the next. Hully Gully's my favourite - proper giggle (if you google it there's vids on youtube etc). The still pics were taken at Stainburn Forest trails, which are more local, but shorter. Still worth a visit though, but pretty rough and rocky, even on the red route.

gt-arrowhead

Front Pivot: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_AGZoqFmCk

The nearest Evans Cycles to me is bloody ages away.

I still think that looks lovely even with that yellow. Yellow is one of my least favorable colours, so i would always prefer a different colour though.

Kowalski675

Last years Sight looked nicer - white with blue graphics and rocker. I could live with the yellow, but it does look rather shite, and it's a lot of cash to spend on something you're not completely happy with (I waited ages for Triumph to put a decent colour on the Street R before I bought mine, wasn't going to spend 7 grand on a bike when I didn't like the colour). The cheaper version looks nicer - graphite grey with lime green rocker (like my Suzuki's wheels). The Zesty's definitely prettier:





I think the Trek Fuel is better looking than the Norco too, and a more polished, well finished product (neater cable routing and detailing etc), but the Norco feels livelier.

97th choice

Kowalski675 wrote:

I was already looking to upgrade to a full susser, so some fairly large expenditure was already on the cards, but the budget won't stretch to that kind of price point (£3250). Originally I was looking to spend around a grand, but over the last few weeks window shopping that's gone up, and I'm now lusting over bikes around the two grand mark (seems that's about what you need to spend to get something that'll serve well for a good few years as my abilities get better, without needing any upgrades). I borrowed the Rumblefish demo bike to get a feel for full sussers in general and 29ers, but maybe I should've tried something closer to the price point I'm looking at, for more realistic expectations. I was half hoping to not like the big wheels and dismiss them as a fad, but they did impress me, so now I'm even more confused as to which direction to go in. This week I'm fancying a Trek Fuel EX7 26er in pearl white.

Why not test some full Suss bikes in the 1500-2000 range, my personal view is that it's a law of diminishing returns when you start heading up to the scary price points.

Or to put it another way, riding a £3.5k bike didn't feel much different from my £1.5k one, and in certain cases it was less fun.

markhewitt1978

Let that be a lesson to you! NEVER ride a bike which is better than yours, even for a short time, unless you intend to buy it.

At the start of the year I bought a Trek 2.1 (Aluminium / 105) and thought it was a great bike
Then on holiday in Mallorca I hired a Trek 3.5 (Carbon / Ultegra) and when I got back my nice new bike suddenly felt like riding a barge. Two months later I've bought a Scott CR1 carbon frame. Wouldn't have done if I hadn't ridden the holiday bike.

rgliniany

is that you in the pics?........ considering printing it out and hanging it on the mantelpiece to keep the little nephew away from the fire

JBA

Kowalski675 wrote:

Last years Sight looked nicer - white with blue graphics and rocker.

Try and source one of last year's models. If you can find one you may get it for a decent reduced price.
I bought my 2011 Stumpy a month or two after the 2012 models were released and saved £600.

Kowalski675

97th choice wrote:

Kowalski675 wrote:

I was already looking to upgrade to a full susser, so some fairly large expenditure was already on the cards, but the budget won't stretch to that kind of price point (£3250). Originally I was looking to spend around a grand, but over the last few weeks window shopping that's gone up, and I'm now lusting over bikes around the two grand mark (seems that's about what you need to spend to get something that'll serve well for a good few years as my abilities get better, without needing any upgrades). I borrowed the Rumblefish demo bike to get a feel for full sussers in general and 29ers, but maybe I should've tried something closer to the price point I'm looking at, for more realistic expectations. I was half hoping to not like the big wheels and dismiss them as a fad, but they did impress me, so now I'm even more confused as to which direction to go in. This week I'm fancying a Trek Fuel EX7 26er in pearl white.

Why not test some full Suss bikes in the 1500-2000 range, my personal view is that it's a law of diminishing returns when you start heading up to the scary price points.

Or to put it another way, riding a £3.5k bike didn't feel much different from my £1.5k one, and in certain cases it was less fun.

The law of diminishing returns certainly applies once you get much above around the £2k mark, I think. I'd like to try some around £1500 to £2k. I was looking at the cheaper Sight 3SE, but tested the 2SE cos they didn't have my size in the 3, but I'd like to see how the cheaper model feels (although once you've added a dropper post the difference is down to £500 anyway, and maybe the higher spec suspension units are worth that in the long run - £500 over the lifetime of the bike isn't really much). The Zesty 214 at £1900 still gets a great write up, but the wheels in particular are pretty low rent for a bike that price - no better than you'd find on a £500 bike. I'd like to try the £2000 Trek EX7, but again the extra £300 jump to the EX8 isn't huge, and does buy a usefully better spec. I've been looking at Canyons too - great spec for their price, but long waits for most models now (with several sold out completely for 2013).

Originally I was looking at around £1200 or so, and it's easy to keep saying "but an extra £300 gets you this, this and this", but you have to stop somewhere. Any £1500 bike will be much better than I am, but an extra £500 or so could be worth paying for a future proof ride that's still going to be more than capable for my abilities 5 years from now, and could work out cheaper in the long run.

Kowalski675

rgliniany wrote:

is that you in the pics?........ considering printing it out and hanging it on the mantelpiece to keep the little nephew away from the fire

Very droll, lol.

Kowalski675

JBA wrote:

Kowalski675 wrote:

Last years Sight looked nicer - white with blue graphics and rocker.

Try and source one of last year's models. If you can find one you may get it for a decent reduced price.
I bought my 2011 Stumpy a month or two after the 2012 models were released and saved £600.

There aren't any 2012 bikes left and the Norcos are exclusive to Evans, so nobody else has them. I'd happily buy a discontinued model for a good saving (I did with my Kraken), but they reckon Norco's 2014 bikes won't arrive until much later in the year. I don't know what Trek are doing for 2014 Fuel 26ers, or even whether they're keeping them in the 2014 range - the 29er Fuels are in the shops now, but no news on what, if anything, is changing on the 26ers.

97th choice

Kowalski675 wrote:

I was already looking to upgrade to a full susser, so some fairly large expenditure was already on the cards, but the budget won't stretch to that kind of price point (£3250). Originally I was looking to spend around a grand, but over the last few weeks window shopping that's gone up, and I'm now lusting over bikes around the two grand mark (seems that's about what you need to spend to get something that'll serve well for a good few years as my abilities get better, without needing any upgrades). I borrowed the Rumblefish demo bike to get a feel for full sussers in general an
The law of diminishing returns certainly applies once you get much above around the £2k mark, I think. I'd like to try some around £1500 to £2k. I was looking at the cheaper Sight 3SE, but tested the 2SE cos they didn't have my size in the 3, but I'd like to see how the cheaper model feels (although once you've added a dropper post the difference is down to £500 anyway, and maybe the higher spec suspension units are worth that in the long run - £500 over the lifetime of the bike isn't really much). The Zesty 214 at £1900 still gets a great write up, but the wheels in particular are pretty low rent for a bike that price - no better than you'd find on a £500 bike. I'd like to try the £2000 Trek EX7, but again the extra £300 jump to the EX8 isn't huge, and does buy a usefully better spec. I've been looking at Canyons too - great spec for their price, but long waits for most models now (with several sold out completely for 2013).

Originally I was looking at around £1200 or so, and it's easy to keep saying "but an extra £300 gets you this, this and this", but you have to stop somewhere. Any £1500 bike will be much better than I am, but an extra £500 or so could be worth paying for a future proof ride that's still going to be more than capable for my abilities 5 years from now, and could work out cheaper in the long run.

Sounds like you've been reading too many magazines.

Kowalski675

I take anything that I read in magazines with a healthy pinch of salt.

Luapsnnib

Where are the pictures taken ?? It looks a good place