What £1200 29er for a fat bloke?
Discussion
10 years ago I used to cycle everywhere.
Then I stopped, then I put a shed load of weight on.
Now looking at buying a new bike.
Know I want a 29er hardtail- other than that I have no idea- there are literally hundreds of choices.
Key for me is my weight and leg power- i'm 22 stone, but can leg press over 600kg in the gym.
So
1. do I go Aluminium, steel or Carbon. I want strength and reliability
2. can I get a better bike than https://www.canyon.com/_en/mountainbikes/bike.html... for the money?
3. As I haven't ridden in a while (but have agreed to go out with my neighbour twice a week), is it worth spending this much money?
Any thoughts much appreciated.
I have no concern over the weight of the bike! Me losing weight is much more effective than the bike losing weight!
Then I stopped, then I put a shed load of weight on.
Now looking at buying a new bike.
Know I want a 29er hardtail- other than that I have no idea- there are literally hundreds of choices.
Key for me is my weight and leg power- i'm 22 stone, but can leg press over 600kg in the gym.
So
1. do I go Aluminium, steel or Carbon. I want strength and reliability
2. can I get a better bike than https://www.canyon.com/_en/mountainbikes/bike.html... for the money?
3. As I haven't ridden in a while (but have agreed to go out with my neighbour twice a week), is it worth spending this much money?
Any thoughts much appreciated.
I have no concern over the weight of the bike! Me losing weight is much more effective than the bike losing weight!
You might be pushing the weight loading on a lot of carbon frames, you'll be fine on aluminium or steel.
Is it too much¿ depends on whether your going to use it vs disposable income. I never used my gym membership, and if you've put on loads of weight, I would believe your not getting the best value out of it either.
A bike with nicer bits, is nicer to ride, better wheels, gears work better, so just buy would you can afford and go play. It would IMHO be better to go to a local dealer (its currently sale season) and make sure it fits properly as things have moved on in the last decade, and injury prevention is key when you're getting back in the saddle.
Is it too much¿ depends on whether your going to use it vs disposable income. I never used my gym membership, and if you've put on loads of weight, I would believe your not getting the best value out of it either.
A bike with nicer bits, is nicer to ride, better wheels, gears work better, so just buy would you can afford and go play. It would IMHO be better to go to a local dealer (its currently sale season) and make sure it fits properly as things have moved on in the last decade, and injury prevention is key when you're getting back in the saddle.
Oh, and the Canyon isn't a 29er - it's a 27.5.
If you're OK with that, this is even better:
http://whyte.bike/gb/models/trail/trail-hardtail-2...
If you're OK with that, this is even better:
http://whyte.bike/gb/models/trail/trail-hardtail-2...
Nothing wrong with this.
http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/mountain-bik...
Have had it for 7 months now and use it as for the daily commute and rides through Epping Forest.
http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/mountain-bik...
Have had it for 7 months now and use it as for the daily commute and rides through Epping Forest.
I have a £750 Giant Talon 29er for family /commuting duties, which does the job, but my advice is more from a size perspective.
I bought a new road bike when was 125kgs. Instead of going full budget on the bike, I got a slightly cheaper bike, sold the regular wheels back to the bike shop and had some stronger ones built there. It came in at the same budget, and maybe a few hundred grams heavier.
The quality of the wheels has been brilliant, they've only been trued once after a big pot hole at speed, in over 10,000 mies. In comparison, the supplied wheels would have been square within a month.
It might be worth finding a decent local shop and talking this through with them rather than buying off the Internet. They may suggest uprated brakes too. There's nothing to beat properly trying for fi either.
I bought a new road bike when was 125kgs. Instead of going full budget on the bike, I got a slightly cheaper bike, sold the regular wheels back to the bike shop and had some stronger ones built there. It came in at the same budget, and maybe a few hundred grams heavier.
The quality of the wheels has been brilliant, they've only been trued once after a big pot hole at speed, in over 10,000 mies. In comparison, the supplied wheels would have been square within a month.
It might be worth finding a decent local shop and talking this through with them rather than buying off the Internet. They may suggest uprated brakes too. There's nothing to beat properly trying for fi either.
The Canyon you link to is a 29 and you'll usually not get better at full price. The model below (non-SLX) is not that much lower spec, comes in at the same weight and is £300 cheaper.
Whether it's bikes or components the German websites seem to have their pricing sorted.
We're also getting to the time of year where end of season deals start to pop up. It may be worth looking out for those and waiting a couple of months. I got a couple of hundred off my Canyon a couple of years back. Not the biggest price drop but it was a bargain anyway.
Whether it's bikes or components the German websites seem to have their pricing sorted.
We're also getting to the time of year where end of season deals start to pop up. It may be worth looking out for those and waiting a couple of months. I got a couple of hundred off my Canyon a couple of years back. Not the biggest price drop but it was a bargain anyway.
Edited by Gren on Thursday 7th August 09:14
'What Mountain Bike' mag has just done a 24 bike test, and in the 'Worth Paying The Extra' (as in, more than £1k but less than £1.5k) category, the Orange Crush @ £1300 and rated 4*, and the Whyte 901 @ £1199 and rated 4.5* were the recommended hardtails. Trouble is both are 650b wheel size.
I know you said 'hardtail' but FYI, the price category winning bike was the 26" wheeled, full suspension Canyon Nerve AL 6.0 (@ £1199, 4.5* rating)
Going down in price, the 'Grand For a Grand' winner was the £1000 On-One Parkwood Deore @ 4.5* (and a 29"er too!). The Vitus Escarpe was tested at £950 (discounted from £1350) and rated at 4* (650b)
'Mid-Priced Machines' winner was the Saracen Mantra Trail (650b, £800 and 4*) and also rated 4* was the B'Twin Rockrider Big 8 29"er @ £800.
The winner of the '£500 to £600 Flyers' section was the Voodoo Bizango. A 29"er, costing £600 and rated 5*, it also came out as the overall test winner. From 24 bikes on the 'Big Bargain Bike Test' with prices ranging from £500 to £1500...
I know you said 'hardtail' but FYI, the price category winning bike was the 26" wheeled, full suspension Canyon Nerve AL 6.0 (@ £1199, 4.5* rating)
Going down in price, the 'Grand For a Grand' winner was the £1000 On-One Parkwood Deore @ 4.5* (and a 29"er too!). The Vitus Escarpe was tested at £950 (discounted from £1350) and rated at 4* (650b)
'Mid-Priced Machines' winner was the Saracen Mantra Trail (650b, £800 and 4*) and also rated 4* was the B'Twin Rockrider Big 8 29"er @ £800.
The winner of the '£500 to £600 Flyers' section was the Voodoo Bizango. A 29"er, costing £600 and rated 5*, it also came out as the overall test winner. From 24 bikes on the 'Big Bargain Bike Test' with prices ranging from £500 to £1500...
What Mountain Bike said:
..."the Voodoo Bizango takes the overall crown thanks to entrancing handling"...
I have a Kona Kahuna 29er, the 2014 came in a bit under your budget but I notice this year they've juggled the prices and the 2015 bike is now dead on 1k.
Its great, full (ish, fsa crank) deore, reasonable fork, nice frame, handles brilliantly, a great all rounder. Currently on 800 plus miles since April and not bored of it yet. Love it, but then I always, always had a thing for Kona's in the 90's so how much is nostalgia I'm not sure.
Its great, full (ish, fsa crank) deore, reasonable fork, nice frame, handles brilliantly, a great all rounder. Currently on 800 plus miles since April and not bored of it yet. Love it, but then I always, always had a thing for Kona's in the 90's so how much is nostalgia I'm not sure.
Thanks Guys,
some really helpful responses
Weill have a conversation with local bike shop ref wheels etc (although not sure any of them are quite good enough round here), although i'm currently leaning towards second hand right now.
Is there a website that has a list of specs- ie Avid X5 is the same as Shimnano ??
Don't know enough about bike specs to understand what is better or worse than anything else, and it looks like I could spend the rest of the decade actually learning everything I need to- the internet is great, but sometimes you can find too MUCH information.
some really helpful responses
Weill have a conversation with local bike shop ref wheels etc (although not sure any of them are quite good enough round here), although i'm currently leaning towards second hand right now.
Is there a website that has a list of specs- ie Avid X5 is the same as Shimnano ??
Don't know enough about bike specs to understand what is better or worse than anything else, and it looks like I could spend the rest of the decade actually learning everything I need to- the internet is great, but sometimes you can find too MUCH information.
assadahmed said:
Nothing wrong with this.
http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/mountain-bik...
Have had it for 7 months now and use it as for the daily commute and rides through Epping Forest.
I've got the previous years pro 26er which I love - I'm not impressed with the 29er however mainly as it seems to have gained about 2kg... http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/mountain-bik...
Have had it for 7 months now and use it as for the daily commute and rides through Epping Forest.
Reet, pet!
How about a Bird? A Bird Zero.4 to be precise. Although the frames imported (but crucially, unique, and designed in-house), the bikes are built up right here in north Hampshire (near Eversley). They had a Zero.3 reviewed in 'What Mountain Bike' as 4*, and I went to see the chaps today, had a good look at the workshop, and the demo fleet, and a brief ride of the 15" (small) and 17" (medium) frames. All 'Zero' hard tails share the same frame, the various grades (.1, .2, .3, etc) just have a different default spec list. Prices start at £1775 (but Dan mentioned a downward revision to 'around a grand' from Monday
) and specification can be tweaked on their online bike builder. Prices are clear, with an 'as specced' price appearing with every component change. The only drawback? All their bikes are 27.5" (650b) wheel size.
Like I said, I dropped in today 'on a whim' and Dan, and financial dude Dave could not have been more helpful and welcoming. All of my bone questions were answered patiently, Dan knows the bikes inside out, having designed and test ridden them during development. The frames are very nice, excellent paint quality and a real good looking package of top quality components. Best of all, instead of waiting for a bike from Germany, you could have it ordered and built within a week, and drive down to collect it yourself. It's no more than an hour, maybe only 40 minutes, from Newbury to their premises, so you could even book yourself a test ride. As far as understanding component levels? Talk to them, tell them what kind of riding you do, or want to do, and Dan will help to advise you on what options to change. Personal service, from the owners. Does it get better than that?
Have a look at their site, anyways... http://shop.birdmtb.com/zero/zero-4.html ...see what you think, and decide if it's worth the trip down to visit them. But if you want to ride a particular demo bike, book ahead to avoid disappointment - the fleet is limited in size and they permit full day demo rides.
I'm pretty much sold now. It's just a question of funds and which build spec and frame size to buy. They aren't the lightest of bikes, they're the first to admit that, but they are extremely good value, it would seem, with a lot of 'kit' for the money.
How about a Bird? A Bird Zero.4 to be precise. Although the frames imported (but crucially, unique, and designed in-house), the bikes are built up right here in north Hampshire (near Eversley). They had a Zero.3 reviewed in 'What Mountain Bike' as 4*, and I went to see the chaps today, had a good look at the workshop, and the demo fleet, and a brief ride of the 15" (small) and 17" (medium) frames. All 'Zero' hard tails share the same frame, the various grades (.1, .2, .3, etc) just have a different default spec list. Prices start at £1775 (but Dan mentioned a downward revision to 'around a grand' from Monday
) and specification can be tweaked on their online bike builder. Prices are clear, with an 'as specced' price appearing with every component change. The only drawback? All their bikes are 27.5" (650b) wheel size.Like I said, I dropped in today 'on a whim' and Dan, and financial dude Dave could not have been more helpful and welcoming. All of my bone questions were answered patiently, Dan knows the bikes inside out, having designed and test ridden them during development. The frames are very nice, excellent paint quality and a real good looking package of top quality components. Best of all, instead of waiting for a bike from Germany, you could have it ordered and built within a week, and drive down to collect it yourself. It's no more than an hour, maybe only 40 minutes, from Newbury to their premises, so you could even book yourself a test ride. As far as understanding component levels? Talk to them, tell them what kind of riding you do, or want to do, and Dan will help to advise you on what options to change. Personal service, from the owners. Does it get better than that?
Have a look at their site, anyways... http://shop.birdmtb.com/zero/zero-4.html ...see what you think, and decide if it's worth the trip down to visit them. But if you want to ride a particular demo bike, book ahead to avoid disappointment - the fleet is limited in size and they permit full day demo rides.
I'm pretty much sold now. It's just a question of funds and which build spec and frame size to buy. They aren't the lightest of bikes, they're the first to admit that, but they are extremely good value, it would seem, with a lot of 'kit' for the money.
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