What brand, never mind the model!

hitByaQ7

Thanks to an accident I get a new shiny thing.
I know about cars, cameras and computers.

Somehow have ended up with these three:

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/norco/sight-alloy-7-15-650b-2014-mountain-bike-ec056093

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/bmc/speedfox-sf01-xt-2013-mountain-bike-ec043688

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/scott/genius-940-2014-mountain-bike-ec055685

(I have checked the URLs a number of times, if I didn't know better, Evans change them....)

I am in my 40s, will be insulting it with the ease of the trails (I even joke using that word!) and know that the first one has a seat is controlled with a button on the bars!

Give me a car, computer or many other things, and I know whom sits where, offers what etc.

Any thoughts would be gratefully read.
Thanks,
Simon.

rockmonkeysc

They're all ok but better suited to harder riding. What sort of riding do you intend to do?

Cqc

I wouldn't go for any of them. Avoid the. Ctd evo Fox forks. Decide on your wheel size. What type of trails will you be riding?

rockmonkeysc

I wouldn't bring wheel size in to the decision. I would forget it, decide on some suitable bikes and get test rides.

felix.london

RockmonkeySC wrote:

I wouldn't bring wheel size in to the decision. I would forget it, decide on some suitable bikes and get test rides.

what he said ^^

budget then suitable bikes then whittle them down from there - I'd put wheel size after colour tbh!

Richtea42

For gentler riding you might prefer the feel of a hardtail with 29" wheels. Something like a Whyte 29" carbon hardtail. They market it as a cross country race bike so it's a serious thing and nearly as good on gnarly stuff as one of those full bouncers. It will be much quicker/easier/nicer to ride on easy trails. You could make it feel even better by getting slimmer tyres and upgrade to a rockshox seatpost (with the button on the bars).

I bought one to do mountain marathon events on and would always choose it for easier days over my all mountain bike which has very similar specs to those three bikes at Evans.

http://whyte.bike/2014/section.php?xSec ... af764c1ea3

When you pedal, lots of energy goes into frame and suspension on the full suspension bikes - you'll feel trimmer and sexier on the 29" hardtail.

Cqc

felix.london wrote:

RockmonkeySC wrote:

I wouldn't bring wheel size in to the decision. I would forget it, decide on some suitable bikes and get test rides.

what he said ^^

budget then suitable bikes then whittle them down from there - I'd put wheel size after colour tbh!

Yes and no. It is a fact that certain wheel sizes favour certain riding styles more than others, but it shouldn't be the deciding factor on a bike

rockmonkeysc

I wouldn't say wheel sizes favour a particular riding style.
The Specialized Enduro 29 and Trek Remedy 29 are both excellent hard riding bikes and there are plenty of other examples which are better than most other 26" hard riding bikes.
There are also some pretty good 26" fast xc bikes as well.
It's about finding the right bike. Wheel size isn't a deciding factor, it's something that contributes to how a bike feels, just like geometry and suspension design. All these things need to be considered together not individually.
Unless you're buying a downhill bike, then it's 26" every time.

hitByaQ7

Okay, so trying to pull info out that lets me choose something, turns out nothing special about any of those three because Fox is a "duff" brand.

I am trying to decide on some to try before buying, but have no knowledge; other than if someone does recommend a name, its another one I've never heard of

Appreciate the waste of energy going into suspension; not really that bothered. Just am looking for something, well, wow I guess :oops:

It seems that maybe there isn't a clear cut answer, like in the car world, and this seems (dare I say it) more like buying clothes. Most of em won't fall apart, do the job and get their value from the name printed on them.

rockmonkeysc

What sort of riding? Where do you do most of your riding?
Is it big miles but not too technical? Pootling around fire roads? Tearing down black runs? Hucking off cliffs?

hitByaQ7

Do'h. Finally made the connection, find a site doing "best of the year" models.

http://www.bikeradar.com/mtb/gear/categ ... -13-47173/

There will be quite a bit of road use. Then there will be tow paths and maybe, he says, Esher Common.
I did see those humpy bumpies at Teddington Lock, but was too scared to even let my RC car near them!
It was to great amusement, and much patience, that staff at my local Evans taught me to bunny hope; normally learnt at 14, not 40 it seems.

The bike I had before was a Rockhopper, and the only thing I could fault is that the gear thing needed adjusting to stop the clicky noise - I know / normal maintenance.

As a 2yr ex smoker this is the only think I do that shows the value of giving em up, and, once in a while, something happens and you get the chance to dump way more money on something than you normally would - this is that time for me

hitByaQ7

http://www.bikeradar.com/mtb/gear/category/bikes/mountain-bikes/full-suspension/?rows=100&sortBy=rating&dateFromYear=2013&searchTerm=&productPriceFrom=1132&productPriceTo=2435&productBrand=

hitByaQ7

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic ... ver-killer

Oh, don't want carbon, if that makes a difference?

coulddobetter

Esher common / Oxshott etc done on a 26 inch carbon hardtail here.

chrisw333

Right. It seems you want wow factor, maybe a niche brand and have a high budget. It also seems your riding is not overly technical, which suggests to me a hardtail would probably suit you better. A long travel full suss it WAY more than it seems you will need. and there's not much riding in the UK that a good quality hardtail wouldn't suit. Wheels - 26, 27.5 (650b) or 29 would all work, but for your riding a 29er or 650b may well be better. So I'm going to suggest the following:

Santa Cruz Highball - very much a premium brand, excellent bikes but pricey (pick carbon or alu as suits)
http://www.santacruzbikes.co.uk/highball/

Bird Zero 1 - niche UK brand part owned by a poster on here. 650b wheels, great alu frame with excellent geometry and a key point of difference here is that they are made up with excellent kit - no hidden cheap parts to keep the price point down - they use the stuff that many knowledgeable people would spec if they were custom building or upgrading themselves.
http://shop.birdmtb.com/zero/zero-1-128.html

Cotic Solaris - steel 29er. Lots of people love steel bikes - many say they ride better. Cotic make some absolute beauties:
http://www.cotic.co.uk/product/solaris

hitByaQ7

Thank you so much, will go exploring al those links.

The Rookie

I'll throw in a slightly left field choice
http://www.on-one.co.uk/i/q/CBOOLURCHX9 ... ntain-bike

rockmonkeysc

For what you want to ride a hardtail will definitely be best. Rear suspension is going to do nothing for you except add maintenance.

benpinnick

Hey hitByaQ7, If you fancy something a bit different and want to try a Bird as mentioned above, come and see us... we're only 40 mins from Esher and can let you have a bike for the day no probs.

welshkev

benpinnick wrote:

Hey hitByaQ7, If you fancy something a bit different and want to try a Bird as mentioned above, come and see us... we're only 40 mins from Esher and can let you have a bike for the day no probs.

are you anywhere near sunbury? there's a very good chance i'll be there for a week on a training course soon 8)

benpinnick

Yep - 4 junctions on the M3 + about 10 mins. Come and say hello!

welshkev

benpinnick wrote:

Yep - 4 junctions on the M3 + about 10 mins. Come and say hello!

If it happens I definitely will do