Mega/Capra/Trance...??

neilus

Eh oop!
So i find myself having about 3.5k to spend on a new longer travel beast, ive narrowed it down to these;
Nukeproof Mega AM:
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/at/d ... prod117258
Giant Trance SX 27.5
http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-us/bik ... 764/76212/
and now the obvious choice!
http://www.yt-industries.com/en/product ... omp-1?c=92
Currently riding a Scott Spark 60, a decent XC bike but as I find myself pushing things, particularly the 120mm forks are holding me back a little, especially on steeper stuff. Im fortunate enough to live in Austria and i really want to hit some of the bike parks (Wagrain, Semmering, Saalbach etc) and have some serious fun!
So basically looking to go steeper and faster...my gut instinct is to the Capra. The spec is incredible for the money. Yes its a hassle being an online retailer but ill take it when the local high street options are 5k for a similarly spec'd Trek, Spesh, Cannondale etc...
But theres something about the Mega that i really like, i like the whole Nukeproof thing, great reviews, great branding, confidence-inspiring purchasing feeling, its definitely an option...at 3.5k euro
175cm/70kg
Tell me to pull the trigger on the Capra
Thanks guys!!

rockmonkeysc

Having ridden a Trance SX I wouldn't recommend it. It just doesn't work as well as either the standard Trance or the Reign. The new Reign is an absolute beast, fantastic ride. One of the lads I ride with has just replaced his Capra with one and he's loving it and prefers it to the Capra despite the lower spec build. I guess the frame counts for a lot.
Personally I would be buying a Transition Patrol X1 if I had that much to spend on an enduro bike. It's an incredibly good bike and a lot of fun.I test rode one before buying the Scout. I only bought the Scout over the Patrol because I love short travel, hard riding bikes with long and slack geometry.
Having owned a Mega (but the TR model) I wouldn't recommend one just because of the poor quality finish and general build quality. The Reign and Patrol are both much better.

oodboo

Go for the Spesh Enduro, you'll probably end up upgrading everything to how you want it anyway.

neilus

Interesting...why did your mate ditch the Capra, what kind of stuff was he doing? And which Reign did he go for? I'll check out the Patrol and the Spesh but I was under the impression Spesh's are overpriced...

oodboo

Have you been listening to foy?

They can be lower spec'd than a lot of the competition, especially the direct sales brands like YT, canyon, etc. However you would get a good bike for your money that would be worth upgrading as parts wear out. Whyte seem like pretty good value for a bike you can buy on the high street. The G-150 S might be worth a look.

Saying that though when you're planning to spend as much £3.5k then test ride, test ride, test ride. Bikes you might not have considered might feel a lot better than ones you previously had at the top of your list.

lostboysaint

Another vote for Transition. I rode the Covert extensively before opting for the shorter travel Bandit for most of my full sus riding. Both great bikes, very well reviewed and subsequently developed into the Patrol and the Scout, both of which I have also ridden and like, a lot!

rockmonkeysc

neilus wrote:

Interesting...why did your mate ditch the Capra, what kind of stuff was he doing? And which Reign did he go for? I'll check out the Patrol and the Spesh but I was under the impression Spesh's are overpriced...

He changed because he had a ride on a Reign at a demo day and was amazed at how good it is compared to the Capra. He always thought the frame was the weak point in the Capra and intended to just change the frame at some point but ended up with the complete Reign 2. Much lower spec components than the Capra (it was cheaper) but it rides better. He is an expert level DH racer so pretty handy and rides hard and uses it from everything from xc to downhill and freeride.

neilus

Is this the one RM?
http://www.giant-bicycles.com/_pdf/bike ... .2.ltd.pdf
Im starting to like the idea of the Reign 2, I need to check out if theres any test centres near here as I really dont want to get a new bike without testing it first...
Would be pretty sweet to save 1k as well...i might treat myself to one of these with the savings - http://www.gravity-card.com/
:P

Antm81

Giant do test rides that can be booked from their website, doesn't cover every bike but usually have the higher models such as the trance and reign.

rockmonkeysc

That's the bike. Get a test ride, you will love it. I would also suggest trying the standard Trance rather than the SX, it's a better bike.

Antm81

I was going to suggest the standard Trance as a lighter alternative, but seeing as mine weighs 13.4kg according to my scales, it isn't really. Admittedly I'm not exactly running a lightweight wheel set etc though.

neilus

Sweet, I just spoke to a place in Saalbach where I can test the Reign 2 so ill head over next week, its not so far; ah the joys of living in Austria!!... thanks guys!