New a new bike... No idea what to look for. Any advice?!
Discussion
It's been a good 10 years since I last bought a bike, and my current trig's broom of a dual suspension jobby is about knackered. I want to start riding again when the weather warms a little as well as complete a charity road bike ride this summer. So I want to get a new bike with a budget of around £1500 (possibly flexible on this), though I've no idea what I want/need having been out of the loop of any bike developments for a good 8 years!
I'd need this bike to be a bit of a jack of all trades, being good both on and off road (off road biased though). I tend to spend most of my time of on trails around where I live with a good few hills involved, so lots of uphill struggles followed by fast downhill joy. It also has to be able to get me around on the road once in a while without sapping all of my energy through the suspension and knobbly tyres, and do this 100 mile charity ride thing.
So what sort of thing should I be looking at? Dual suspension? Hard tail? I've heard that you can get lock out suspension, is this any good? Is it ludicrously expensive? What kind of frame etc? Should I be looking for a particular make? Shop? Are clip in pedals worthwhile? Are there different variants of these?
Size wise I'm about 6'3" but no idea what frame size I should be, only that my current one is a little small.. How does one work this out?
Jeez I've got a lot to learn! Any help would be greatly appreciated
I'd need this bike to be a bit of a jack of all trades, being good both on and off road (off road biased though). I tend to spend most of my time of on trails around where I live with a good few hills involved, so lots of uphill struggles followed by fast downhill joy. It also has to be able to get me around on the road once in a while without sapping all of my energy through the suspension and knobbly tyres, and do this 100 mile charity ride thing.
So what sort of thing should I be looking at? Dual suspension? Hard tail? I've heard that you can get lock out suspension, is this any good? Is it ludicrously expensive? What kind of frame etc? Should I be looking for a particular make? Shop? Are clip in pedals worthwhile? Are there different variants of these?
Size wise I'm about 6'3" but no idea what frame size I should be, only that my current one is a little small.. How does one work this out?
Jeez I've got a lot to learn! Any help would be greatly appreciated
450Nick said:
It's been a good 10 years since I last bought a bike, and my current trig's broom of a dual suspension jobby is about knackered. I want to start riding again when the weather warms a little as well as complete a charity road bike ride this summer. So I want to get a new bike with a budget of around £1500 (possibly flexible on this), though I've no idea what I want/need having been out of the loop of any bike developments for a good 8 years!
I'd need this bike to be a bit of a jack of all trades, being good both on and off road (off road biased though). I tend to spend most of my time of on trails around where I live with a good few hills involved, so lots of uphill struggles followed by fast downhill joy. It also has to be able to get me around on the road once in a while without sapping all of my energy through the suspension and knobbly tyres, and do this 100 mile charity ride thing.
So what sort of thing should I be looking at? Dual suspension? Hard tail? I've heard that you can get lock out suspension, is this any good? Is it ludicrously expensive? What kind of frame etc? Should I be looking for a particular make? Shop? Are clip in pedals worthwhile? Are there different variants of these?
Size wise I'm about 6'3" but no idea what frame size I should be, only that my current one is a little small.. How does one work this out?
Jeez I've got a lot to learn! Any help would be greatly appreciated
One option would be to spend £500 (or £300-400 secondhand) on a roadbike and the rest on a full susser.I'd need this bike to be a bit of a jack of all trades, being good both on and off road (off road biased though). I tend to spend most of my time of on trails around where I live with a good few hills involved, so lots of uphill struggles followed by fast downhill joy. It also has to be able to get me around on the road once in a while without sapping all of my energy through the suspension and knobbly tyres, and do this 100 mile charity ride thing.
So what sort of thing should I be looking at? Dual suspension? Hard tail? I've heard that you can get lock out suspension, is this any good? Is it ludicrously expensive? What kind of frame etc? Should I be looking for a particular make? Shop? Are clip in pedals worthwhile? Are there different variants of these?
Size wise I'm about 6'3" but no idea what frame size I should be, only that my current one is a little small.. How does one work this out?
Jeez I've got a lot to learn! Any help would be greatly appreciated
Unless the vast majority of your riding is hard core off road I think a good hardtail may be a more suitable jack of all trades.
For someone of your size for on/off road I'd investigate 29er as well as traditional 26" wheeled hardtails. Though they are slightly heavier and steering feels slightly slower, the larger wheels will roll more easily on and off road. Some prefer them, some don't - personallly I think they can be a good solution for a single 'do-it-all on/off road bike'
You can fit narrower road tyres for either 26" or 29er wheels or even buy a second pair of narrower wheels & tyres for your road riding.
SPDs are fine for road and off road - unless you do more hardcore/technical riding on unfamiliar courses where you need to 'dab' at short notice and frequently.
I'd say in general, a 20"-21" frame should be about right for your height.
Boardman do a great range of hardtails, road & full suss bikes. Kona and Gary Fisher are both good for hardtail, full suss & 29ers. I easily get by with 80mm travel on the forks of my XC (cross country racing hardtail which focusses on lightweight & climbing ability) on all but the most extreme courses. 100-140mm is usual for general hardtails.
I'd look for something with Fox or Rockshox Reba forks with lockout if possible as forks are very expensive to upgrade at a later date.
Best thing to do is go to a shop & have a look/try a few. For general full suss I quite like the Boardman & Scott Genius ranges. I think Scott and Cube are good for XC race hardtails.
Hope that helps a little!
Thanks that's very helpful! How effective are these lockout shocks? Looking at the Rock Shox website, they do remote locking devices so you can presumably adjust the compression of the shock while riding. Can this be used to make it really firm (near solid) or is it just more or less squishy? Are there similar ones for rear shocks? I quite like having suspension on the rear end for trail riding, but if I had it, I'd need to be able to lock it out for uphill/road stuff - is this possible? I'll try and pop into a bike shop today and have a look at one of these 29ers as they sound up my street!
Like all things you get what you pay for, but on my hardatil, the Reba Race is a great fork. The lock out does what is says. It becomes 99%solid. It still leaves an emergency bit of give for the unexpected big jolts, but you don't feel or see it in normal riding.
As for rear lock outs, They are becoming widely available with the FOX RP23 I think being a good one...it has a 3 stage lockout which you can tweak to suit the terrain...the more money you spend the more likely these units are remote operated (I've seen them on Scott bikes)
The lapierre I had, you could reach the shock from the saddle...
In a lot of cases, the kit and spec become much of a muchness with the odd minor difference here or there...SRAM being clunky but solid and dependable, Shimano being smooth, silent but some times tetchy.
Frame materials wise you'll get fans of them all. I have carbon because it looks gorgeous weighs naff all and suits my riding...but ultimately admit or not, alot of these decisions come down to price and 'look'. In your given price bracket they'll weigh within ounces of eachother anyway..its your weight that will be the biggest affecting factor...
As for rear lock outs, They are becoming widely available with the FOX RP23 I think being a good one...it has a 3 stage lockout which you can tweak to suit the terrain...the more money you spend the more likely these units are remote operated (I've seen them on Scott bikes)
The lapierre I had, you could reach the shock from the saddle...
In a lot of cases, the kit and spec become much of a muchness with the odd minor difference here or there...SRAM being clunky but solid and dependable, Shimano being smooth, silent but some times tetchy.
Frame materials wise you'll get fans of them all. I have carbon because it looks gorgeous weighs naff all and suits my riding...but ultimately admit or not, alot of these decisions come down to price and 'look'. In your given price bracket they'll weigh within ounces of eachother anyway..its your weight that will be the biggest affecting factor...
seriously look at the giant anthem x4. as far as "jack of all trades" go, their suspension design is pretty much unbeatable in terms of comfort and traction on any surface. loads of people will recommend you bikes they ride claiming its thebest in the world (and thats fair enough) but fundamentally, getting a good starting fit is important and top tube length can really affect your comfort and stability so give this some thought. in short, some bikes have a short top tube and pitch the rider too far forward for comfort and make a technical ride quite sketchy, others have a longer top tube and can be comfier over distance.
some starters for ten given your requirements
http://www.tredz.co.uk/.Specialized-FSR-XC-Pro-Mou...
http://www.rutlandcycling.com/16174/Giant-Anthem-X...
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/Focus_Thunder_30...
http://www.evanscycles.com/products/scott/spark-60...
given the vast improvements in technology, there is no reason why you should not conisder a full suspension bike and spend money on a good one rather than getting a hardtail. technology has improved the ride of full sus bikes on level terrain and on climbs
as an example, most bikes with rear suspension at that price feature the three way rear shock. it has a full lock out, a retarded compression/rebound position and an open to get maximum travel. some will have two way, retarded or open. it all helps keep traction according to the terrain.
most front forks have a similar system but only two way, lock out (which isnt really lock out, but similar to the above "retarded" position") and open for full travel. you can pump up air sprung forks with a shock pump to suit your weight and terrain.
£1500 gets a really nice bike to be honest, value form money wise, there is little between that and the scott above.
dont get hung up on things like rear mechs and shifters being a perceived low spec, if they are, and a similar bike has "better" shifters, the first bike will normally have a better something or other thats more important than shifters..... (does that make sense?!?!)
there is another thread about what to prioritise and its a fairly unamimous verdict that frame and forks are top of the list. then wheels (rims and hubs rather than tyres), brakes and components. after all, components are the things that will wear quickest and upgraded at a minimal cost.
kit yourself (as in the personal clothing stuff out well, any fool can be uncomfortable on a bike) and invest in quality kit that will last and be comfy over longer rides.
some starters for ten given your requirements
http://www.tredz.co.uk/.Specialized-FSR-XC-Pro-Mou...
http://www.rutlandcycling.com/16174/Giant-Anthem-X...
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/Focus_Thunder_30...
http://www.evanscycles.com/products/scott/spark-60...
given the vast improvements in technology, there is no reason why you should not conisder a full suspension bike and spend money on a good one rather than getting a hardtail. technology has improved the ride of full sus bikes on level terrain and on climbs
as an example, most bikes with rear suspension at that price feature the three way rear shock. it has a full lock out, a retarded compression/rebound position and an open to get maximum travel. some will have two way, retarded or open. it all helps keep traction according to the terrain.
most front forks have a similar system but only two way, lock out (which isnt really lock out, but similar to the above "retarded" position") and open for full travel. you can pump up air sprung forks with a shock pump to suit your weight and terrain.
£1500 gets a really nice bike to be honest, value form money wise, there is little between that and the scott above.
dont get hung up on things like rear mechs and shifters being a perceived low spec, if they are, and a similar bike has "better" shifters, the first bike will normally have a better something or other thats more important than shifters..... (does that make sense?!?!)
there is another thread about what to prioritise and its a fairly unamimous verdict that frame and forks are top of the list. then wheels (rims and hubs rather than tyres), brakes and components. after all, components are the things that will wear quickest and upgraded at a minimal cost.
kit yourself (as in the personal clothing stuff out well, any fool can be uncomfortable on a bike) and invest in quality kit that will last and be comfy over longer rides.
seriously look at the giant anthem x4. as far as "jack of all trades" go, their suspension design is pretty much unbeatable in terms of comfort and traction on any surface. loads of people will recommend you bikes they ride claiming its thebest in the world (and thats fair enough) but fundamentally, getting a good starting fit is important and top tube length can really affect your comfort and stability so give this some thought. in short, some bikes have a short top tube and pitch the rider too far forward for comfort and make a technical ride quite sketchy, others have a longer top tube and can be comfier over distance.
some starters for ten given your requirements
http://www.tredz.co.uk/.Specialized-FSR-XC-Pro-Mou...
http://www.rutlandcycling.com/16174/Giant-Anthem-X...
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/Focus_Thunder_30...
http://www.evanscycles.com/products/scott/spark-60...
given the vast improvements in technology, there is no reason why you should not conisder a full suspension bike and spend money on a good one rather than getting a hardtail. technology has improved the ride of full sus bikes on level terrain and on climbs
as an example, most bikes with rear suspension at that price feature the three way rear shock. it has a full lock out, a retarded compression/rebound position and an open to get maximum travel. some will have two way, retarded or open. it all helps keep traction according to the terrain.
most front forks have a similar system but only two way, lock out (which isnt really lock out, but similar to the above "retarded" position") and open for full travel. you can pump up air sprung forks with a shock pump to suit your weight and terrain.
£1500 gets a really nice bike to be honest, value form money wise, there is little between that and the scott above.
dont get hung up on things like rear mechs and shifters being a perceived low spec, if they are, and a similar bike has "better" shifters, the first bike will normally have a better something or other thats more important than shifters..... (does that make sense?!?!)
there is another thread about what to prioritise and its a fairly unamimous verdict that frame and forks are top of the list. then wheels (rims and hubs rather than tyres), brakes and components. after all, components are the things that will wear quickest and upgraded at a minimal cost.
kit yourself (as in the personal clothing stuff out well, any fool can be uncomfortable on a bike) and invest in quality kit that will last and be comfy over longer rides.
with reference to some comment sposted here, sram is not clunky and if set up correctly, wil lwork just as well as any other mechanisms and the bikes will weigh far more than ounces even in the same price range...
the simple answer is do some thorough research and dont listen to people on the internet!
some starters for ten given your requirements
http://www.tredz.co.uk/.Specialized-FSR-XC-Pro-Mou...
http://www.rutlandcycling.com/16174/Giant-Anthem-X...
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/Focus_Thunder_30...
http://www.evanscycles.com/products/scott/spark-60...
given the vast improvements in technology, there is no reason why you should not conisder a full suspension bike and spend money on a good one rather than getting a hardtail. technology has improved the ride of full sus bikes on level terrain and on climbs
as an example, most bikes with rear suspension at that price feature the three way rear shock. it has a full lock out, a retarded compression/rebound position and an open to get maximum travel. some will have two way, retarded or open. it all helps keep traction according to the terrain.
most front forks have a similar system but only two way, lock out (which isnt really lock out, but similar to the above "retarded" position") and open for full travel. you can pump up air sprung forks with a shock pump to suit your weight and terrain.
£1500 gets a really nice bike to be honest, value form money wise, there is little between that and the scott above.
dont get hung up on things like rear mechs and shifters being a perceived low spec, if they are, and a similar bike has "better" shifters, the first bike will normally have a better something or other thats more important than shifters..... (does that make sense?!?!)
there is another thread about what to prioritise and its a fairly unamimous verdict that frame and forks are top of the list. then wheels (rims and hubs rather than tyres), brakes and components. after all, components are the things that will wear quickest and upgraded at a minimal cost.
kit yourself (as in the personal clothing stuff out well, any fool can be uncomfortable on a bike) and invest in quality kit that will last and be comfy over longer rides.
with reference to some comment sposted here, sram is not clunky and if set up correctly, wil lwork just as well as any other mechanisms and the bikes will weigh far more than ounces even in the same price range...
the simple answer is do some thorough research and dont listen to people on the internet!
I run X-0 SRAM....and its what I like to call...'clunky', every shift comes complete with a definitive click of the trigger and decisive movement in the transmission.
The XTR I ran prior was way quieter, sometimes requiring a look down to see if what I'd done with the trigger had actually made the transmission move..slick it most certainly was.....but not as robust.
And once you've chosen your top five bikes...you will notice that weights differ little, once you've nailed the frame material and suspension options..
That was certainly my experience when getting a carbon hardtail.
The XTR I ran prior was way quieter, sometimes requiring a look down to see if what I'd done with the trigger had actually made the transmission move..slick it most certainly was.....but not as robust.
And once you've chosen your top five bikes...you will notice that weights differ little, once you've nailed the frame material and suspension options..
That was certainly my experience when getting a carbon hardtail.
Bit of a thread revival! Thanks for the info guys! I'm looking at buying one probably this week. I see that Tweeks Cycles are doing 15% off this week for DT customers and they stock the Scott Spark 60.. They look pretty good, I especially like the light weight and the idea of locking out both shocks with one switch to 80 or 100%. Before I go ahead and buy one, is there any bike in the same sort of price range which might be superior to this one for any reason? I had a quick look at the Boardman range and this sort of price is at the top of their range. Do they compare at all?
Also, how do I choose the size? I'm about 6'2" so I'm thinking XL frame probably?
Also, how do I choose the size? I'm about 6'2" so I'm thinking XL frame probably?
you can only really tell if a bike fits by sitting on it unfortunately. an 18" bike from two different manufacturers can vary dramatically in terms of top tube length and this throws the geomoetry in/out dependant upon what sort of ride you want and how big your legs/torso is, this affects things like pedal stroke and reach....
the spark 60 is a nice looking bike and should be more than happy on almost any trail. there are other bikes in the same price range that are worth a look but to be honest, its much of a muchness and you will only be trading one compromise for the other, wheels for shifters etc. remember that good wheels are worth more than an upgraded rear mech/shifters though
personally i would still go for the giant anthem 4 as i have ridden the giant and liked it a lot. the spark is a little too race orientated for me and i wouldnt feel happy just letting rip on some of the bigger drops. although my super 4 is only 100mm travel, the suspension design means its not too scared of the bigger drops... if you compare the spark and anthem designs you should see the difference. the spark is very much designed to maintain traction and provide comfirt over absorbing bigger bounces (not to say that it cant do that well though!)
the spark 60 is a nice looking bike and should be more than happy on almost any trail. there are other bikes in the same price range that are worth a look but to be honest, its much of a muchness and you will only be trading one compromise for the other, wheels for shifters etc. remember that good wheels are worth more than an upgraded rear mech/shifters though
personally i would still go for the giant anthem 4 as i have ridden the giant and liked it a lot. the spark is a little too race orientated for me and i wouldnt feel happy just letting rip on some of the bigger drops. although my super 4 is only 100mm travel, the suspension design means its not too scared of the bigger drops... if you compare the spark and anthem designs you should see the difference. the spark is very much designed to maintain traction and provide comfirt over absorbing bigger bounces (not to say that it cant do that well though!)
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