Goudgey
Likes Dirt
Hi all,
I'm looking to get back into regular riding and want to upgrade my very old 26 inch steel framed hardtail to something with full suspension, modern geometry and newer technologies.
I'd classify myself as a born again novice, having been nowhere near a mountain bike for many years. I recently spent a couple of days riding at Melrose in SA (which highlighed the limitations of both my bike and riding ability) and intend to ride trails such as Fox Creek, Craigburn, etc in SA.
My budget is circa $3k to $4k and after speaking to mates who ride, they've steered me in the direction of a trail bike as being the best do it all option. I've been looking at 27.5 wheeled bikes with around 140 rear travel and anywhere from 140 to 160 front travel, mid-level (NX groupset, RS Revelation forks and their Fox/Shimano equivalents) and have ridden a few but am having trouble deciding which way to go.
Ridden:
Trek Remedy 7 (hire bike at Melrose, first ride on a full suspension bike and it was a revelation)
Merida One 40 900 (around a car park, great value proposition but didn't excite me)
Norco Sight A2 (around a car park, liked the look and feel of it)
Others that pique my interest but I've not ridden include:
Giant Trance 2 (solid but unexciting)
YT Jeffsy AL Base (good value proposition and looks fantastic)
Canyon Spectral AL 5.0/6.0 (possibly more Enduro focused than what i'm after)
Rocky Mountain Thunderbolt Alu 30 (130/130 front and back puts it in a different class? lower spec level, upspeccing to a dropper post & postage from interstate makes price creep up)
Banshee Spitfire (because it seems to be the Rotorburn default recommendation, albeit for good reasons. Bit above my price point though)
I appreciate that my description of my riding style and locations is poor or may not mean a lot to those of you not from SA or assist you in providing specific guidance for my situation, but would appreciate any advice or feedback on my selections. Is there anything else that I should be adding to my list, or anything that I should be immediately discounting?
Apologies for my rambling post, appreciate any feedback offered.
Cheers.
I'm looking to get back into regular riding and want to upgrade my very old 26 inch steel framed hardtail to something with full suspension, modern geometry and newer technologies.
I'd classify myself as a born again novice, having been nowhere near a mountain bike for many years. I recently spent a couple of days riding at Melrose in SA (which highlighed the limitations of both my bike and riding ability) and intend to ride trails such as Fox Creek, Craigburn, etc in SA.
My budget is circa $3k to $4k and after speaking to mates who ride, they've steered me in the direction of a trail bike as being the best do it all option. I've been looking at 27.5 wheeled bikes with around 140 rear travel and anywhere from 140 to 160 front travel, mid-level (NX groupset, RS Revelation forks and their Fox/Shimano equivalents) and have ridden a few but am having trouble deciding which way to go.
Ridden:
Trek Remedy 7 (hire bike at Melrose, first ride on a full suspension bike and it was a revelation)
Merida One 40 900 (around a car park, great value proposition but didn't excite me)
Norco Sight A2 (around a car park, liked the look and feel of it)
Others that pique my interest but I've not ridden include:
Giant Trance 2 (solid but unexciting)
YT Jeffsy AL Base (good value proposition and looks fantastic)
Canyon Spectral AL 5.0/6.0 (possibly more Enduro focused than what i'm after)
Rocky Mountain Thunderbolt Alu 30 (130/130 front and back puts it in a different class? lower spec level, upspeccing to a dropper post & postage from interstate makes price creep up)
Banshee Spitfire (because it seems to be the Rotorburn default recommendation, albeit for good reasons. Bit above my price point though)
I appreciate that my description of my riding style and locations is poor or may not mean a lot to those of you not from SA or assist you in providing specific guidance for my situation, but would appreciate any advice or feedback on my selections. Is there anything else that I should be adding to my list, or anything that I should be immediately discounting?
Apologies for my rambling post, appreciate any feedback offered.
Cheers.