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Big Southern Jesse
Joined: 23 Nov 2007
Posts: 456
Location: Hampshire
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 Posted Sun Nov 8, 2009 8:22 pm |
After braking the frame of my 10 yr old Giant a few weeks ago, I've been pondering how I could finance the next bike. I have too many hobbies, so I was looking at a budget, or second hand buy in a while.
But, I have just found out that my workplace will agree to start the Cycle to Work Scheme. Woohoo, discounts and 0% finance! Fantastic news.
So I started looking, and now I've realised that there is soooo much out there. My budget now stretches from £500 to £1000, so now there are far too many questions!
I'm 6'5" and 15 - 16 stone, so definitely interested in a 29er. And now that the budget stretches, I can see that there are full sussers out there that would be worth getting...
So now there is a huge string of possibilities. And seeing as I'm stepping up from a £400, 10 yr old bike, everything is going to feel very different.
So Lapierre? GT Zaskar Elite, Trek 6500, Giant XTC, Gary Fisher? Kona.... Aaaahhhh to be honest, I'm a little scared. I don't know the range of Rock Shox from basic to top of range, or Manitou, or Shimano etc...
Can anyone recommend a good test centre in the south. I'm near Portsmouth,. I think the only way forward is to actually get on some bikes to feel the difference between hard tails and full sussers, 26 or 29s... Any help?
A big old giant! |
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albo
Joined: 09 Aug 2007
Posts: 123
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Posted Sun Nov 8, 2009 8:57 pm |
First you need to decide what sort of riding you will be using it for?
Pure Cross Country?
A little bit of jumping?
Hitting big drops?
But yes, you are right, you need to hop on a bike and see how you feel! 
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Big Southern Jesse
Joined: 23 Nov 2007
Posts: 456
Location: Hampshire
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Posted Sun Nov 8, 2009 9:15 pm |
| albo wrote: | First you need to decide what sort of riding you will be using it for?
Pure Cross Country?
A little bit of jumping?
Hitting big drops?
But yes, you are right, you need to hop on a bike and see how you feel! |
Aahhh, true, good point, well made. 
I tend to ride in the South Downs, XC, No big drops, no major downhilling. But biggish chap and not the sweetest rider, so needs to be quite strong. Would hope to head a bit further away to try a few of the Welsh centres etc from time to time.
A big old giant! |
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The Big Cheese
Joined: 28 Feb 2007
Posts: 4321
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Posted Sun Nov 8, 2009 9:18 pm |
BSJ - welcome back - long time no see!
Are you looking at something a bit burly/hardcore hardtail type with 120mm + travel, or do you want a nose-down 100mm xc rig....
Where do you have to get the rig from?
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Big Southern Jesse
Joined: 23 Nov 2007
Posts: 456
Location: Hampshire
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Posted Sun Nov 8, 2009 9:35 pm |
Hey Cheesey / Big Cheese, How's things?
Yep, well the bike was going fine, I only really have the attention span for one or two forums, and my windsurfing needed *lots* of work, so I kinda dropped off this place for a while. Nice to see the off topic stuff as good as ever, but why isn't the red heads thread a "vote for your top 10"?
Anyway, Probably looking for medium weight XC, I've got some fairly swift riding buddies to try to keep up with. So it's trail / XC / entry-level race. I think!
As for where, well, it's a small place at work, and if they can set the scheme up, it's being set up solely for me, so I can probably persuade them to go to the LBS that stocks the brand I want. And I think virtually everything is available nearby.
A big old giant! |
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Rich9
Joined: 01 Sep 2008
Posts: 1138
Location: Huddersfield-ish
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Posted Sun Nov 8, 2009 9:45 pm |
Orange Crush, Marin Wolf Ridge?
Cube Acid |
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Big Southern Jesse
Joined: 23 Nov 2007
Posts: 456
Location: Hampshire
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Posted Sun Nov 8, 2009 9:53 pm |
Yep, Orange Crush or P7 are possible, but I'd probably be looking at the Eldridge Grade from Marin instead of the Wolf Ridge.
A big old giant! |
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The Big Cheese
Joined: 28 Feb 2007
Posts: 4321
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Posted Sun Nov 8, 2009 9:56 pm |
The Eldridge grade is a great bike...... you may get a deal on an 09 now, Ill compare the 09 2010 now! 
09
http://www.winstanleysbikes.co.uk/product/17064/Marin_Eldridge_Grade_Bike_2009
good spec, and under a grand!
2010
http://www.bikedock.com/posit/shop/search.php?searchtext=MBEG10&format=1
Crappy spec, a grand.
i would go for the proven 09 if you fancy a Marin
the Crush is an awesome bike, but a bit burlier than the Eldridge grade, the P7 is a good choice too, but totally different to the marin, which is a racier geometry, but if you do get the Marin, try it first if you can and DEFO get the 09 version
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yeehaamcgee
Joined: 07 May 2007
Posts: 6004
Location: Worth Nails
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Posted Sun Nov 8, 2009 9:57 pm |
| Rich9 wrote: | | Orange Crush, Marin Wolf Ridge? |
Sounds like a hell of a lot of bike for what he's after.
Mae'n enw i wedi ei grafu, hefo hoelan wedi rhydu, ar y lechan las
New
Old
Hardtail
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The Big Cheese
Joined: 28 Feb 2007
Posts: 4321
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Posted Sun Nov 8, 2009 10:01 pm |
| yeehaamcgee wrote: | | Rich9 wrote: | | Orange Crush, Marin Wolf Ridge? |
Sounds like a hell of a lot of bike for what he's after. |
+1
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Big Southern Jesse
Joined: 23 Nov 2007
Posts: 456
Location: Hampshire
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The Big Cheese
Joined: 28 Feb 2007
Posts: 4321
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Posted Sun Nov 8, 2009 10:17 pm |
Any full susser for a grand or under is not going to be the best (don't flame me - just telling it how it is) so I would *personally* go with a hardtail. You'll get a lot more for your money.
29ers are OK (I had a Gary Fisher Rig for a while), they are fun but the novelty soon wore off. I think they are a gimmick TBH (again, don't shoot me)
For me, it would be a good quality, 26" wheeled hardtail if I had a grand to spend.
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Big Southern Jesse
Joined: 23 Nov 2007
Posts: 456
Location: Hampshire
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The Big Cheese
Joined: 28 Feb 2007
Posts: 4321
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Posted Sun Nov 8, 2009 10:52 pm |
I am 6' matey, ran a 17" frame as I normally do, acceleration is good, but for me it soon wore off and I sold it after 3 weeks!!!!
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Big Southern Jesse
Joined: 23 Nov 2007
Posts: 456
Location: Hampshire
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Posted Sun Nov 8, 2009 11:00 pm |
Well, thanks for the ideas so far, I'll get the paperwork in at the office, pick a shop, preferably the local one, then be back with a more specific list...
In the mean time, any more ideas?
A big old giant! |
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albo
Joined: 09 Aug 2007
Posts: 123
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bomberesque
Joined: 18 Jul 2008
Posts: 1127
Location: Belgium, where rain is typical
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Posted Mon Nov 9, 2009 10:51 am |
| The Big Cheese wrote: | Any full susser for a grand or under is not going to be the best (don't flame me - just telling it how it is) so I would *personally* go with a hardtail. You'll get a lot more for your money.
29ers are OK (I had a Gary Fisher Rig for a while), they are fun but the novelty soon wore off. I think they are a gimmick TBH (again, don't shoot me)
For me, it would be a good quality, 26" wheeled hardtail if I had a grand to spend. |
aside from the 29er stuff (dunno, haven't ridden one) I wholeheartedly approve of this message.
Everything in moderation ... except beer
Beer in moderation ... is a waste of beer
If riding an XC race bike is like touching the trail,
then riding a rigid singlespeed is like licking it
... or being punched by it, depending on the day |
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The Beginner
Joined: 30 Apr 2009
Posts: 444
Location: Leamington Spa
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Posted Mon Nov 9, 2009 1:26 pm |
Heh BSJ, for the cheap option I am just breaking a Giant Rincon, XL frame (22") you can have cheap and you can put all your bits on that!
Take note, the C2W scheme is meant to be a lease scheme, I have it on good authority that HMRC are going to start looking more closely at the sell on prices at the end of the leasing as many people are getting a 'benefit in kind' by getting them at well below market prices and therefore are strictly liable to the tax on the difference between what the bike is worth and what they were sold it at (5% of new price seems typical)
Simon
FCN9 using a home built hybrid (believed to be a Carrera touring frame) also building an MTB from a Kraken frame. |
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mac man
Joined: 18 Aug 2009
Posts: 210
Location: A Lancastrian living in West Yorkshire
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Posted Mon Nov 9, 2009 3:10 pm |
Latest 'What MB' has a review on £1k hardtails.
The Orange Crush came out 2nd to a Whyte model (can't remember which), but that was a few hundred quid more.
Others they considered were the Marin Attack Trail (I think), the New Saracen Zen and the new Commencal Ramones.
From what I recall the Ramones was considered a bit heavy and more of a DH bike. The Zen was good apart from a poorer spec fork than the others, but then it was the cheapest at £1000. The Marin was pipped by the Orange which, for the money seemed to be bloody good.
With no fences or walls on the Internet, who needs Gates and Windows? |
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HandjobDan
Joined: 30 Nov 2008
Posts: 400
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Posted Mon Nov 9, 2009 6:30 pm |
Probably a whyte 19 Trail, they do a Ti version which is gorgeous, but for the grand you have you'll only get a frame! The allloy ones seem good too.
Santa Cruz Blur 4X, Inbred |
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