Upgrade or Enhance?
Discussion
I've had my Merlin Malt 4 since 2009 and has been a fine steed indeed, it's widely known as a solid Hardtail bike and has given me the XC/Trail bug. Stupidly i specced it with boggo Rockshox Tora as i wasn't planning to get so addicted and was for occasional use. Now i'm considering looking into a full bouncer.
My question is, assuming the FS cost of around £1500, would there be a huge benefit of a medium spec Full suss over a well spec'd hardtail?
I'd appreciate your thoughts
My question is, assuming the FS cost of around £1500, would there be a huge benefit of a medium spec Full suss over a well spec'd hardtail?
I'd appreciate your thoughts
snotrag said:
What kit you got on it?
As If its decent, then you could buy yourself a second hand frame/pair of forks, and swap the bits over...
That what i intended on doing when I went from my Yeti 575 to my superlight... but then oddly enough, i wanted all new shiny bits on.. - the excuse being that the previous front mech wouldn't go on, and I wanted it all to match!As If its decent, then you could buy yourself a second hand frame/pair of forks, and swap the bits over...
At £1500 you are getting the lower end of capable FS. BUT a hard tail with Tora shocks is not incredibly well specced. Having used Tora forks, they are not that great. A FS bike will give you more comfort and with that the ability to tackle bigger terrain for longer. Off set this against the weight penalty of "cheaper FS bikes then you are probably pretty even matched.
Personally I would be looking at FS bikes at around £2k to move forward.
But then it really depends on you as a cyclist, a FS bike is sometimes the confidence boost that you require to get out there and ride bigger and harder. Some of the best riders I know have turned thier back on suspension and gears are are hurtling round on steel bikes with rigid forks at un-catchable speeds, but these guys ooze talent and for mere mortals like myself, I love the comfort that a 140mm of full suspension brings. A friend has just purchased a full carbon £2k hard tail and goes like a bat out of hell but on the downhill I will loose him every time. What is your style? Gravity is my friend and climbing hills is the bit I do to get the buzz on the DH, full suspension suits the way I like to ride.
Go to a few demo days, try a few bikes, see if you fall in love.
If you are getting serious about the sport then bear in mind that if you buy a bike with all the kit and "upgrades" you are going to want will save you large amounts of money. Upgrading a bike is at least 20-40% more expensive than buying a bike with all the kit on.
Personally I would be looking at FS bikes at around £2k to move forward.
But then it really depends on you as a cyclist, a FS bike is sometimes the confidence boost that you require to get out there and ride bigger and harder. Some of the best riders I know have turned thier back on suspension and gears are are hurtling round on steel bikes with rigid forks at un-catchable speeds, but these guys ooze talent and for mere mortals like myself, I love the comfort that a 140mm of full suspension brings. A friend has just purchased a full carbon £2k hard tail and goes like a bat out of hell but on the downhill I will loose him every time. What is your style? Gravity is my friend and climbing hills is the bit I do to get the buzz on the DH, full suspension suits the way I like to ride.
Go to a few demo days, try a few bikes, see if you fall in love.
If you are getting serious about the sport then bear in mind that if you buy a bike with all the kit and "upgrades" you are going to want will save you large amounts of money. Upgrading a bike is at least 20-40% more expensive than buying a bike with all the kit on.
Put some Rebas on. Best budget air-forks by miles. Perfect for what you want. See how you get on with that before you splash out on a FS.
The longer you can spend learning on an HT the better mountain biker you'll become. A FS will flatter you, and makes the speed at which you run out of talent much much higher.
The longer you can spend learning on an HT the better mountain biker you'll become. A FS will flatter you, and makes the speed at which you run out of talent much much higher.
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