Diamondback, Cube or Norco? Which bike?

jjl5590

Hi guys,

I need a new hardtail mountain bike. I've got 3 bikes in mind.

I'm around 175cm in height and currently ride a 26". I have taken both the Specialized Rockhopper 29er and the Pitch 650B out on test rides. The Pitch felt pretty much the same as my current bike but the 29er felt quite different; I'm not sure whether I like it. My foot would sometimes hit the wheel when I turned a sharp corner. It felt more ungainly than the smaller-wheeled counterpart.

I was wondering if anyone had any experience or opinions with the following bikes?

Diamondback Apex 29er

http://www.bikes2udirect.com/B6107.html ... tAodWkYAOg

CUBE ANALOG 27.5 2015

http://www.wheelbase.co.uk/cube-analog-27-5-2015.html

Norco Charger 7.3 2015

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/nor ... e-ec073457

All seem to have similar spec. The Apex seems to have the best spec for the money.

I have quite an unusual riding position, I like to sit quite low so I can have the handlebars quite high up, so I don't have to arch my back right over and can have a fairly upright seating position whilst still having full range of leg throw. That's why I like the Norco frame.


Any thoughts or opinions would be greatly appreciated!

Cheers!

Briggo

jjl5590 wrote:

I have quite an unusual riding position, I like to sit quite low so I can have the handlebars quite high up, so I don't have to arch my back right over and can have a fairly upright seating position whilst still having full range of leg throw. That's why I like the Norco frame.


Any thoughts or opinions would be greatly appreciated!

Thoughts... you want one of these then.

jjl5590

Briggo wrote:

jjl5590 wrote:

I have quite an unusual riding position, I like to sit quite low so I can have the handlebars quite high up, so I don't have to arch my back right over and can have a fairly upright seating position whilst still having full range of leg throw. That's why I like the Norco frame.


Any thoughts or opinions would be greatly appreciated!

Thoughts... you wan't one of these then.

Do you have any experience with Norco? I'm not sure if it's just a trick of the eye regarding the frame style, it might not have any impact on handlebar height and seating position.

jjl5590

What about this? Better spec than all of them

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/vitu ... prod107035

rockmonkeysc

jjl5590 wrote:

What about this? Better spec than all of them

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/vitu ... prod107035

Decent value but out of stock.
I would look at Boardman or Voodoo bikes in Halford at this price range.

jjl5590

The Boardman is poor spec and the Voodoo is similar spec but more expensive...

Antm81

The most important component is the fork, the voodoo Hoodoo at less than £500 has a much better fork than any of those, the Bizango and the boardmans have a better for again.

jjl5590

Well, I decided to buy the Cube Analog 650B, got it for £450 new