What would you reccommend? For light trails

Hi,

I'm looking for a dual suspension bike around 3k to use mostly for light trails (e.g daisy hill, gap creek in Brissy) prob cross country style frame.

A couple of options that look good so far are

- GT Force 2

- Norco Fluid 2

Any input is appreciated,

Thanks,

Paul.
 

smeck

Likes Dirt
New or are you happy to look at second hand? $3k will get you a good dual suspension XC bike new, and a fantastic one 2nd hand. New bikes include all the usual suspects like Giant Anthem X2 or Trance X3, Scott Spark, and this caught my eye, a still boxed Merida, new bike for a reduced price, size dependant of course.

For secondhand, these are a few that are floating around at the moment. Between the trading area here and eBay there's plenty to tempt you.

This Trek Fuel is a basic build, but still reliable and will serve you well.

An 04 Stumpjumper FSR, it's few years old but a great build and $1500

Near new Giant Trance, and just down the road.

Scott Spark 30, little detail but worth noting.
 
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cookieman1717

Likes Bikes
I Own the the Gt Force 3.0 and i think its an awesome bike. the 6 inches of travel absolutly eats up the trail chop. It has very little to none pedal bob thanks to the independent drivetrain. The only issue i have with it is the pivots. They creak very easyly but easily fixed with grease. The Force may be a little overkill for light and smooth trails as its really designed for rough, technical trails.
 
Thanks for the replies.

I would prefer to go new even though there are some great buys for second hand out there.

I've heard the Giants have a low bottom bracket which causes the pedals to bottom out more often? Other wise I was considering the x1 anthem it has awesome reviews. Also its 2kgs lighter than the others i'm looking at (11.2 against 13.2)! Hmmm..

A mate works at shop where I can get 25% off and they don't stock giant or specialized so prob tempted to choose between norco or GT.

Would the 5-6" travel bikes be much worse to ride on the road than the 4" ones? I figure it comes down to the geometry and tyres more than anything. Only i'm going to be riding it a bit on the road during the week to keep fit.

Thanks for putting the effort into posting all those bikes up for sale smeck :)

I'll keep hunting

Paul
 
Found another option Stumpjumper FSR Comp they rrp 4k but found a few places selling for 3k
Arrgh so many options!!
Its hard to choose one without having a proper ride which you can't really do. Just don't wanna spend that money and regret it..
 
Santa Cruz Superlight

What about a Santa Cruz Superlight?
We have a couple of close-out specials at the moment for $3500.00. They are new bikes and come with a full warranty. We're local so give us a call if you'd like to check one out
Fox F100RL fork and SLX/XT build
What size frame are you after?
Cheers
Andrew
 

Antsonline

Likes Dirt
What about a Santa Cruz Superlight?
We have a couple of close-out specials at the moment for $3500.00. They are new bikes and come with a full warranty. We're local so give us a call if you'd like to check one out
Fox F100RL fork and SLX/XT build
What size frame are you after?
Cheers
Andrew
We have a winner I reckon. Paul, if they've got your size and you can stretch the cash, then this will be very hard to beat.

Of course, thats just my humble opinion.
 

Oracle

Likes Dirt
I (too) was interested in Stumpjumper series but wasn't able to find one I could ride/test on the dirt. :rolleyes:

Found that For The Riders (Annerley) have a bunch of test bikes you can ride on the trails before laying down your hard earned! I ended up purchasing a Yeti 575 but being single pivot it's not for everyone; overkill for Daisy Hill but awesome fun for tech’ier sections at The Gap. :cool:

Any of the bikes you are looking at should have pro-pedal (or equivalent) rear shocks so should be fine, albeit a little heavier than a hard tail, for short road trips.
 
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smeck

Likes Dirt
Paul,

For that price get yourself a Superlight. Santa Cruz make a great bike, give it a birthday every now and then and it will see you through more groupsets than you'll care to remember. Join the SC club, you won't regret it. Neezy are the distributor, look here.
 

KALBO

Likes Bikes
...go for the StumpJumper mate! I paid $3,700.oo for my 2009 comp. The bike is solid and the Fox triad is a whole lot of fun to play with! Get your settings right and just flicky..flicky...flicky to setting 1,2 or 3:)
 

Sumo

Likes Dirt
What about a Santa Cruz Superlight?
We have a couple of close-out specials at the moment for $3500.00. They are new bikes and come with a full warranty. We're local so give us a call if you'd like to check one out
Fox F100RL fork and SLX/XT build
What size frame are you after?
Cheers
Andrew
If the budget stretches, that is an unreal bike with an awesome spec for little money.
 
...go for the StumpJumper mate! I paid $3,700.oo for my 2009 comp. The bike is solid and the Fox triad is a whole lot of fun to play with! Get your settings right and just flicky..flicky...flicky to setting 1,2 or 3:)
I do like the look of that. I can get the elite model for 3300 or the comp for 3000. Do you have a problem with the pedals hitting the ground? I read that in a review. I'm super paranoid of that because of problems with a mates bike and it sucks. The bottom bracket height is 335mm on the Stuntjumper and 312mm on the Santa Cruz! Wheras the Norco Fluid is 350mm.

Thanks again for the advice.

Having spoken to a few experienced riders I can't help but feel the bikes I'm looking at are overkill for casual rides on relatively light trails (alot of the guys I ride with are on basic hardtails, I prefer the feel of full susp tho).. I'm thinking I could spend 2 ish k and get a bike that is more than adequate for my ability/ needs. I just don't wanna regret not spending the extra in a year. (the money i spent would be then forgotten but the bike itself wouldn't)

Paul.
 

ratchit

Squid
Go the extra

If you've got the spare cash Paul, I'd part with it if I were you. When you get the invite to try out some other trails or you just want to try them yourself (It will happen, trust me) you'll have a bike you can be confident in.

Nothing worse than worrying about frame/componentry breakages when you need them least.:eek:
 

HamishS

Likes Dirt
Found another option Stumpjumper FSR Comp they rrp 4k but found a few places selling for 3k
Arrgh so many options!!
Its hard to choose one without having a proper ride which you can't really do. Just don't wanna spend that money and regret it..
Paul - get down to your LBS and ask for when their Demo days are on, try a few bikes out, sizes, travel, weight etc. Get a feel for what you are comfortable on. Dont rush into just buying anything would be my 2c.
 
I've decided to spend a bit less 3+ is a bit over the top for the differences in the bikes which I dount I'll ever notice.

I had a ride of the Norco Fluid 2 and liked everything about it. The only thing was the Sram brakes didn't feel amazing but I guess they'll be better when run in. I reckon the Avid Juicy's feel better (from new anyway).

I'm going to have a ride of a Specialized FSR tomorrow. Both bikes are 2.5k. I'll prob pick between those 2.

Specs:

2009 Norco Fluid 2

Same frame as the Fluid 1 with 114-140 mm / 4.5"– 5.5" adjustable travel
RockShox Revelation 409 dual air 140 mm / 5.5" travel fork
Fox RP2 air rear shock
New Shimano SLX gearing with an XT rear derailleur
Sram Elixir hydraulic brakes
Mavic XM–117 rims with Nevagal tires
Ritchey bar, stem, and seatpost

2009 Specialized FSR-XC Expert

M4 manipulated alloy frame is updated for `09 with a new rocker design and 120mm travel. Sealed cartridge bearing pivots provide reliable performance.
X-Fusion rear shock is custom-tuned to match the telemetry of the Specialized FSR XC frame design, with rebound and lockout adjustment.
The RockShox Reba fork serves up 120mm of travel with stiff 32mm stanchions and a Motion Control damper with rebound adjust and lockout for a wide range of adjustability.
Specialized alloy adjustable rise stem is lightweight and 3D-forged with a stiff four-bolt face plate for tuned fit and perfect steering precision.
Avid Juicy hydraulic brakes provide exceptional stopping power and reliability, with tool-less reach adjust, alloy-backed pads and size-specific CleanSweep rotors.
Deore XT rear shadow derailleur
 
Commencal

I have a Commencal Meta 553 which I'm planning to sell in the next month or so its in awesome condition (they come in CARBON next yr!!!!!! :cool: )so will upgrade). looking for around 2.5K. Its a great trail bike, read some reviews and you'll see its wicked. PM me if ur interested
 
Also - I like the idea of the pro pedal shock which the Norco has but the FSR doesnt.

Another option is to go up to the stuntjumper for 3k, which has the fox triad and adjustable height fox front shocks and avid elixir brakes but then i'm going back up to 3k lol I guess if they ride that much better I'm prepared to spend the extra...

2009 Specialized Stumpjumper FSR Comp.
The Fox Triad rear shock is custom-tuned for the Stumpjumper to enable on-the-fly three-position damping with open, lockout and ProPedal settings, plus adjustable rebound.
Custom Avid Elixir hydraulic disc brakes offer excellent modulation thanks to organic pads, adjustable levers and size-specific rotors in a lightweight set up.
Designed by Ned Overend, our dual-compound S-Works "The Captain" tires have a fast-rolling center section and biting edge knobs to handle technical terrain.
Exclusive DT Swiss rims offer a 24mm-wide profile for exceptional strength, while remaining lightweight for improved acceleration and climbing performance.
Sram X-7 Trigger Shifters with X-9 Rear deraileur.


HOT - Price: WAS $4499, NOW $2999 - Save $1500.00

OR


2009 Specialized Stumpjumper FSR Elite.
An adjustable Fox Talas fork allows the rider pick their level of travel: 140, 120 or 100mm, complete with compression/rebound adjust and lockout.
Custom Avid Elixir hydraulic disc brakes offer excellent modulation thanks to organic pads, adjustable levers and size-specific rotors in a lightweight set up.
The Fox Triad rear shock is custom-tuned for the Stumpjumper to enable on-the-fly three-position damping with open, lockout and ProPedal settings, plus adjustable rebound.
Shimano LX Shifters with XTR Shadow Rear deraileur.


Price: WAS $5199, NOW $3299 - SAVE $1900!!!
 
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