Racy HT ~ £1.5K

mudslinger

Hi,

I'm in the market to replace my old Giant XTC with a new bike. The bike will be used during the winter for my 15 mile commute (most of which is on road) & XC riding on the South Downs (long climbs & non technical descents). I have entered one XC race for later this year & may consider some more.

I am 6' 0" tall with an inside leg of 32" so have short legs & a long body. I have 2 road bikes so due to that & my long torso I like a racy stretched out position. Due to my body size I have difficulty finding a bike that fits me well i.e. it is either too cramped in the cockpit or there is not enough stand-over clearance.

I went to my local Giant store to try the XTC 29er & found neither the medium or large fitted me. The large had a TT of 61.5cm which felt good but due to those large wheels the TT angle is quite steep so there wasn't enough clearance. I tried the XTC 27.5 in large & that felt perfect. I had only considered a 29er so was a bit thrown to be considering 650B bikes.

The bikes I'm considering are:

29ers:
Scott Scale 960
BMC Teamelite
GT Zaskar Carbon Elite
Giant XTC

650B:
Scott Scale 760
http://www.giant-shoreham.co.uk/en-gb/bikes/model/2014.giant.xtc.advanced.27.5.4/14999/66607/

Ideally I'd like to spend less than £1.5K but can stretch to about £1750. So can go with a higher spec bike in the Scott Scale & BMC Teamelite range.

I haven't tried the BMC or Scott Scales but will try this weekend. I think the Zaskar is out of the question as I can't find any stockists near to me so don't really fancy a long drive.

So my questions are:

1) Are there any other bikes to consider?
2) Would a 29er be much quicker on road compared to the 650B?
3) How do the forks on these bikes compare i.e. XC 30 TK Solo Air, Fox 32 Float Evolution CTD Air, Recon Gold RL?
4) Double or triple chain-ring? I prefer a double but a triple would give me a higher gear which could be good for the road.

Apologies for the lengthy post but opinions much appreciated.

The Rookie

I've just tried a 29er front on my 26er commuter and it was slower (OK the complete wheel weighed about 450g more), I think on road where there is no 'bump conformity' issues the difference is small.

The Recon Gold is the best of those forks by a margin.

Only get a triple if you need it, otherwise a double.

Have a look at the Trek and GF range as well.......

Long_Time_Lurker

Have you looked at the Cube range?
I have an old Cube Ltd Race (but only a 26" wheeled vesion).

They are deisgned as fast, light XC racers. Can't tell you what the 29" version feels like though.
Better specced than some of the US brands too - for £1000 you are getting Reba forks.

kajjal

I am 6ft7 and have a relatively long body as well. Last year I was after an XC bike to replace my 26er and looked at various bikes looking for a stiff, fairly light weight bike that handled well without beating you up. After test riding I ended up with a Specialized Carve Comp 2013. For me it handled well, was happy over rougher tracks and the riding position was not cramped. I would just test ride a few bikes until you get one that feels right.

Its fine on road but the bigger MTB knobbly tyres are slower than a road bike. I found the double better as I spend most of my time in the big chain ring due to the gears I prefer on the rear cassette. It came with Recon Gold TK forks which were easy to adjust / setup and have been fine with my around 100KG weight.

I would just test ride a few bikes until you get one that feels right.

supersonic

How about this?

http://www.paulscycles.co.uk/m1b4s155p5 ... 9ER-1-2013

njee20

The Recon Gold is the best of those forks by a margin.

Really? I'd have the Fox Float Evo CTD

SS's looks good, but only got a medium, you said both the medium and large XtCs were wrong, but include one as an option?

I'd add (and very seriously consider) the Canyon to your list.

mudslinger

Thanks for the responses.

Yes I shouldn't have included the XTC 29 as neither the medium or large fits well. On the other hand the XTC 27.5 fitted beautifully.

The problem with Canyon bikes is that I can't test one which is a shame since the spec is so good & they get fantastic reviews.

I will look at the Spesh Carve & will try to find a local Cube stockist. I'm not overly optimistic about getting a 29er that will fit me well hence the need to test.

mudslinger

I went to Evans to try the 29 versions of the Scale, Crave & Superlight. Non of them fitted so I'm going back today to try the 650B Scale.

mudslinger

The 650B Scale in large fitted me well so it's a straight choice between the Giant XTC and the Scale.

The XTC at £1,599 is more than I wanted to spend. The 750 is £1399, the 740 is £1699 and the 735 (carbon frame) is £1799.

The XTC only comes in carbon frame & seems better value than the equivalent Scott. I like the attention to detail on the XTC like the frame guards & the integrated seat clamp.

passout

http://www.merlincycles.com/sensa-fiori ... 59296.html Any Good? Certainly seems good value.

burglarboycie

passout wrote:

http://www.merlincycles.com/sensa-fiori-tnt-pro-29er-mountain-bike-59296.html Any Good? Certainly seems good value.

I agree, this looks like a great buy to me