Yeti 575 v Kona Caldera
Discussion
I went to dalby forest today and rode as much of the red route as I could manage... I quite enjoyed it but the loop was way too long for someone of my limited mtb experience and fitness...
anyway, we hired the above-mentioned two bikes... I had way more fun on the Kona than on the Yeti... although I found the yeti a little too large for me and thus didn't really have enough confidence to chuck it around. I was surprised by how much of a difference that made.
The one thing I did notice was that the yeti was way more comfortable and easier to ride, of course because of the suspension.
what price do the decent full sus bikes start at?
anyway, we hired the above-mentioned two bikes... I had way more fun on the Kona than on the Yeti... although I found the yeti a little too large for me and thus didn't really have enough confidence to chuck it around. I was surprised by how much of a difference that made.
The one thing I did notice was that the yeti was way more comfortable and easier to ride, of course because of the suspension.
what price do the decent full sus bikes start at?
that all said, and we've all got our favourite bikes but being honest when you get to a certain level of cost can your average rider really tell the difference?
I've got a Scott Genius 20, my riding buddy has a Yeti 575... we ride serious mountains most days and often swap just for kicks and can't tell the difference between each others bikes....
I've got a Scott Genius 20, my riding buddy has a Yeti 575... we ride serious mountains most days and often swap just for kicks and can't tell the difference between each others bikes....
Edited by Marcellus on Saturday 30th May 17:07
Marcellus said:
that all said, and we've all got our favourite bikes but being honest when you get to a certain level of cost can your average rider really tell the difference?
Very much so!Different frames have very different handling and suspension characteristics!
As for the price of a 'decent' full sus bike, there not quite that much these days.
A Specialized FSR XC Comp for IRO £1200 is a good, if basic, trail bike, well thought out spec. And Giant do some good value versions of the Tranx X and Anthem X.
you can get a good full sus bike for little more than a grand these days, anyone who thinks otherwise is either a snob or out of touch with the market
the giant anthem x3 is well regarded
http://www.pedalon.co.uk/acatalog/giant_anthem_x3....
and the boardman pro likewise
http://www.boardmanbikes.com/mtbfs/fs_pro.html
re the Boardman, comments like "buy if you want the best value all round trail bike on the market" from what mountain bike shouldnt be ignored...
some one here on ph.com bought an Anthem x3 and loves it, cant remember who though!...
the giant anthem x3 is well regarded
http://www.pedalon.co.uk/acatalog/giant_anthem_x3....
and the boardman pro likewise
http://www.boardmanbikes.com/mtbfs/fs_pro.html
re the Boardman, comments like "buy if you want the best value all round trail bike on the market" from what mountain bike shouldnt be ignored...
some one here on ph.com bought an Anthem x3 and loves it, cant remember who though!...
I paid just over 2.5K for it and it has served me well taking a hell of a lot of abuse both in the counntry and in France and Spain.I've had my 575 for about a month now, I'm very impressed with it so far, climbs very well, is very quick on the smooth downhill stuff around here and i'll be taking it to wales in a couple of months to see what it's like on the bigger stuff. From what i've seen so far i think it'll handle the bigger descents very well, i just think it'll require a little more finesse than some of the more trail orientated bikes.
Overall a good all rounder in my opinion
Overall a good all rounder in my opinion
snotrag said:
Marcellus said:
that all said, and we've all got our favourite bikes but being honest when you get to a certain level of cost can your average rider really tell the difference?
Very much so!Different frames have very different handling and suspension characteristics!
MrGman said:
have a feeling that it does the whole short travel rear sus thing really well 
I believe mr 'rag can peddal a bit but so far he has scorned my requests to go for a ride sometime
Edited by theboymoon on Sunday 31st May 22:06
Marcellus said:
TBM - if you're ever back this way let me know and I'll not scorn you... and unlike 12 months ago when you took me out for my 1st ever ride on the MTB this time I'll not be sooooo slow!
That would be coooool. I'll be over for the passportes but am riding with a big group of superkeen folk departing from Avoriaz on the Sunday. Its mostly a bunch of local Chamonard riders so it will be quiiiiiiiiick. Hope i can keep up!Hoping to maybe be based in your part of the world again before to long... fingers crossed.
Had my 575 for a cuople of months now and love it - proper all day bike , had some BIG days in the lakes and its far from flat near me, it climbs superbly and floats over everything I dare do downhill too. Interestingly I swopped from a MC20 also -IMHO 2 VERY differant bikes. Oh and in answer to the post , it cost about 3k (don't know exactly as I need to hide certain things from the missus)
Edited by cone on Monday 1st June 15:20
Marcellus said:
snotrag said:
Marcellus said:
that all said, and we've all got our favourite bikes but being honest when you get to a certain level of cost can your average rider really tell the difference?
Very much so!Different frames have very different handling and suspension characteristics!
No, not really I dont think. Although, its very hard to judge what 'average' is, as there is plenty of people I ride with who I would say are more skilled/fitter than me.
The point is - just like with cars - a non Petrolhead may indeed wonder why people are so obsessed with talking about handling etc.
But for a keen driver who has driven a lot of cars - there ARE difference, just so with bikes.
Differences in Geometry, frame material, suspension setup etc all make a difference to the unquantifiable feel of a bike.
I guess what I have that the OP doesnt is experience of a lot of bikes.
Its this 'feel' of a bike that makes it so, so important for novice riders to get demo rides and test rides at your LBS.
For all the threads we get on here asking "What bike for £xxx?", none of it really matters without having tried them. some bikes, you will click with.
Over time, after many years of riding lots of different bikes, then you can start to tell what a bike will be like by looking at the numbers and geometry.
snotrag said:
Marcellus said:
snotrag said:
Marcellus said:
that all said, and we've all got our favourite bikes but being honest when you get to a certain level of cost can your average rider really tell the difference?
Very much so!Different frames have very different handling and suspension characteristics!
No, not really I dont think. Although, its very hard to judge what 'average' is, as there is plenty of people I ride with who I would say are more skilled/fitter than me.
The point is - just like with cars - a non Petrolhead may indeed wonder why people are so obsessed with talking about handling etc.
But for a keen driver who has driven a lot of cars - there ARE difference, just so with bikes.
Differences in Geometry, frame material, suspension setup etc all make a difference to the unquantifiable feel of a bike.
I guess what I have that the OP doesnt is experience of a lot of bikes.
Its this 'feel' of a bike that makes it so, so important for novice riders to get demo rides and test rides at your LBS.
For all the threads we get on here asking "What bike for £xxx?", none of it really matters without having tried them. some bikes, you will click with.
Over time, after many years of riding lots of different bikes, then you can start to tell what a bike will be like by looking at the numbers and geometry.
Before i finally got my Orange 5 i tested a 575 and a Orange 5 SE together over a few days thanks to the LBS.
You can get taken away with how much carbon/ plush kit there is or by judging the bikes by price but there is very little point if it doesnt do what you want.
(Plus the 575 was another £500)
On the otherhand, for those of us who don't have 3K to spend on a toy.....
I picked up a modified Kona full susser with bombers on the front and a fox float R on the back that I'm very happy with. It's a bit heavy, and the kit level is LX rather than XT(R), but it climbs well, handles all the drops I throw at it and if I do bin it in a big way it was 600 quid at about 18 months old.....
What does 18-24 month old pre-loved Yeti cost?
I picked up a modified Kona full susser with bombers on the front and a fox float R on the back that I'm very happy with. It's a bit heavy, and the kit level is LX rather than XT(R), but it climbs well, handles all the drops I throw at it and if I do bin it in a big way it was 600 quid at about 18 months old.....
What does 18-24 month old pre-loved Yeti cost?
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