Canyon AL 7 v YT wicked 650b v El Guapo v Reign 2

cr250noob

Sorry to have another which bike thread, last one for a couple of years Decided against the Cannondales in the last thread and have settled on one of these 4.

First up is the Canyon Strive AL 7. Around £2100 delivered, great spec and comes with shock pump and torque wrench. 6 week wait tho.
http://www.canyon.com/_en/mountainbikes/bike.html?b=3045

Second is the YT Wicked 650b. Similar spec to the strive but has Rockshox suspension and 650b wheels. Like this one the most expensive at around £2200 when using PayPal.
http://www.yt-industries.com/shop/en/Bikes/Trail/Wicked-650B

Third up is the El Guapo. Seems like great value but can't help but feel a little put off by recent issues with the BB heights. £2000 with free delivery. Cane Creek rear shock and Lyrik up front.

http://www.on-one.co.uk/i/q/FBTITEG170V ... ntain_bike [/URL]

Last one is a Giant Reign 2. Can get for £1800 from lbs and have cash enough left for pads and new helmet. Not quite on same spec as others but not a million miles away.

http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-gb/bikes/model/2013.giant.reign.2/11854/56875/

The Rookie

There was a batch of medium EG frames which were made all wrong, but generally their quality control is good, guess the jigs were built up wrong! (At least they were consistently wrong!)

cr250noob

The Beginner wrote:

There was a batch of medium EG frames which were made all wrong, but generally their quality control is good, guess the jigs were built up wrong! (At least they were consistently wrong!)

Yeah, i read the 35 page thread on mtbr. Seems all issues sorted with the longer fork. How would the lyrik 170 ride on just trail use?

The Rookie

Read the thread again, the issue was fixed and new frames given out, you could 'fix' a dodgy frame using a onger fork, but you won't need (or probably want) it on a correct frame.

hainman

I ride a Giant reign 2 and its a belter of a bike,i had coveted the canyons and lappieres but opted for the Giant,comes with the dropper post,im not the best of riders but have progressed a hell of a lot riding this bike,taking bigger drops by the day and it just takes them without any problem,well unless its rider error....You wouldn't be dissapointed with it,
Only thing i changed was the sh1t avid brakes and put on my XT's.

benpinnick

I had a chance to ride the Strive AL 8 last week, I thought it was pretty poor to be honest. Too flexy at the back, and the whole bike seemed short and 'upright'. On paper the YT looks great, but of course you cant ride it first, so hard to say. The pikes are a pretty major upgrade in tech terms over the lyric RC on the El Guapo, but again, relatively new so who really knows?

The reign is a good bike, but I would be wary of the flexier fork if you're going to ride it hard, as well as those wheels just make me think they will be heavy and somewhat lifeless. The Contact switch dropper is no reverb either. If it were my money, I would take a punt on the YT, if budget is a big constraint here though, the Giant is probably the best bet. The amount you save would be useful for the needed upgrades at a later date. I dont think either the Canyon or Titus make a good inbetween option.

Maro

I read a review of the strive on IMB mag last night, they liked it (but so would you if you needed adverts to pay for your mag) but I didn't like the look of it, from a practical perspective.

When spending that sort of money you really need to have a ride on it first.