HT Mountain Bike - Recommendations wanted

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Crossy3630

Squid
first foray into MTB and looking to be talked into (or out of) a entry or mid level XC Mountain Bike. Been riding road for the past 5 years but getting over being abused by a small minority of road users whom dont to want to share the road :( Hoping to continue my love of cycling off-road instead and remain alive n healthy.

Due to my price point ($1,500-$2,000) I think Im better off with a higher spec alloy HT than lower spec carbon or dual sus... Im 180cm tall and leaning towards 29 rather than 27.5. Id consider 2nd hand but after a quick look around here/bikeexchange/ebay/gumtree/facebook etc but not being in a metro area i don't think Ill find many suitable bargains on offer. Im a recreational rider, I dont see myself wanting to compete at any significant level other than bragging rights over mates.

that said Ive looked into 4 bikes so far:-

I have a Scott roadie which probably leans me more towards it over the Giant, the Reid has better specs at the same price point ($1,599) of the first two but I'm not sure of the brand... I'm a little tempted by the Polygon, its currently $200 off RRP so $1,799.00 delivered & for spec comparison they put it up against the Scott Scale 940 which RRPs @ $2,749... again not 100% convinced of the brand but flowmountainbike is giving decent reviews of the brand/factory.

Any thoughts/pointers would be appreciated...
 
cragv

cragv

Squid
Personal fit to the bike is important, as you'll know from your road riding. Do you have any LBS you can visit to throw a leg over each model to see how they feel? Most places would let you test ride a little, even if just on the parking area out back. It'd suck to buy one that was 'good' while another choice in the budget was 'great'!

Disclaimer: I'm just returning to riding myself after a long break, but I know from years ago that one bike can feel perfect for even thousands of kilometers... until you try another brand of similar size and spec and are shocked at just how different it can feel!
 
ianganderton

ianganderton

Likes Dirt
Worth asking yourself a couple of questions and providing the answers here. It will enable us to give you a better idea of what to look for.

First off where do you think you will be riding?

Secondly who will you be riding with?

Where you will be riding most will make a difference. It you live near Thredbo you would be worth getting a different bike to if you live in south Sydney as the local riding is a bit different.

It's worth getting a similar style of bike to the folks you are going to be riding with. It's what you are going to end up with anyway


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ianganderton

ianganderton

Likes Dirt
All of the bikes you've listed are good bikes for their price point. It's difficult to buy a bad bike nowadays

Best bet is to go to as many bike shops as you can and ask lots of daft questions. Spend time sitting on bikes and ideally ride them round the carpark. You will notice some differences. The best bikes are the ones that feel right.

And buy a bike you love as you'll ride it more


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C

Crossy3630

Squid
cragv said:
Personal fit to the bike is important, as you'll know from your road riding. Do you have any LBS you can visit to throw a leg over each model to see how they feel? Most places would let you test ride a little, even if just on the parking area out back. It'd suck to buy one that was 'good' while another choice in the budget was 'great'!

Disclaimer: I'm just returning to riding myself after a long break, but I know from years ago that one bike can feel perfect for even thousands of kilometers... until you try another brand of similar size and spec and are shocked at just how different it can feel!
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yeah I should be able to test ride the Scott and the Giant, I wont be able to ride a Reid or Polygon obviously so feedback from anyone with one would be my only recourse... I hear what your saying cragv re fit/feel, I think test riding a road bike up and down the street (or even on a roller) is extremely helpful to gauge a bike however I'm not convinced 5 minutes of riding a car-park will give me much feed back on a bike thats designed to perform off-road... ideally a track day on trails would help but at my price point I wouldn't imagine manufactures/retailers would bother.


ianganderton said:
Worth asking yourself a couple of questions and providing the answers here. It will enable us to give you a better idea of what to look for.

First off where do you think you will be riding?

Secondly who will you be riding with?

Where you will be riding most will make a difference. It you live near Thredbo you would be worth getting a different bike to if you live in south Sydney as the local riding is a bit different.

It's worth getting a similar style of bike to the folks you are going to be riding with. It's what you are going to end up with anyway
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yep totally... Where I will ride is still relatively unknown, Ill have to travel some... thinking in and around Bright/Mt Beauty, Mt Buller, Lake Mountain, Mt Macedon. I recon there's no shortage of places to go if I get off my ass to do it. More locally there's a group of riders that have made a track through the bush (fairly flat around here)... not far away is the Strathbogie shire thats a bit lumpy. A mate or two in NE Melbourne that might expand where I ride... More investigations are necessary.

Ive a few mates whom I intend riding with that Ive hit up for bike info, one has a Giant XTC Advanced (hard tail, carbon frame, RRP ~$4G) well outside my capacity... another with a Giant Talon 1 that I hope to test ride but its a trip to Melb to do so. Ive chosen to investigate the 4 models as previously detailed based around what these guys ride as well as my financial status... (tight ass).

Really for me its all about recreational riding to keep fit, active and to have a blast with some good blokes (assuming MTB has a male female ratio that sucks as much as road riding).
 
H

HamboCairns

Thanks for all the bananas
The Talon is more of a recreational MTB so it's more upright but it's a good bike (it's my current ride btw!).

Personally I'd be looking at the 27.5+ hardtail range. Scott do one for $2,200 but I'm sure you could haggle if you've bought a road bike from there before. It's got a decent kit but the big tyres mean you can ride the lumpy bits with your mates, climb like a goat and descend like a hooligan!
 
C

Crossy3630

Squid
HamboCairns said:
Personally I'd be looking at the 27.5+ hardtail range. Scott do one for $2,200 but I'm sure you could haggle if you've bought a road bike from there before. It's got a decent kit but the big tyres mean you can ride the lumpy bits with your mates, climb like a goat and descend like a hooligan!
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well thats what I thought when I went in on Tuesday... LBS said they dont discount on MTBs... ever... that demand outstrips supply... I didnt speak to the owner but Im not sure he knows me anyways as Ive done most of the servicing myself so far. I live in central Vic so v.little competition between LBS probably doesn't help. Mate in Melb suggested I visit Cycle House (Greensborough, VIC) and/or use them to try get LBS to price match, Cycle House list both Scott and Giant on their (horrible) website but have a limited range in the Giant (nothing in my price range) and no Scott MTBs at all just road.

I assume you are referring to the Scott Scale 720 Plus... looks good but yeah unless I can get a decent discount somewhere then its outside my limits...
 
Nambra

Nambra

Definitely should have gone to specsavers
Hey Crossy,

I started with a hardtail - 2014 XTC which is pretty much the same spec as the Talon 1 is these days as the current XTC's only come in carbon frames. The XTC is half a degree slacker up front but otherwise geometry is similar to the Talon. I can't really fault the components on the Talon 1 either and wouldn't really call it povo pack anymore; it's just that in previous years the Talon was the entry level bike below the alloy XTC and the association has stuck I guess.

I still like how light and agile the XTC is although I do suffer more after longer rides compared with the dually (lower back, ar$e etc., but I am an old fart too). If you're going to be heading into the more up and down parts of Vic and they aren't that far away, then my recommendation is a second hand dually, particularly when there are so many Rotorburners here drinking the kool-aide and always upgrading...

Seriously though, Ian is right, you need to get a bike that matches where you'll be riding, and full suspension bikes are just so much more versatile. And if you can't find a new bike discounted at least 20% of RRP, your're not looking hard enough!
 
C

Crossy3630

Squid
Nambra said:
I still like how light and agile the XTC is although I do suffer more after longer rides compared with the dually (lower back, ar$e etc., but I am an old fart too). If you're going to be heading into the more up and down parts of Vic and they aren't that far away, then my recommendation is a second hand dually, particularly when there are so many Rotorburners here drinking the kool-aide and always upgrading...

Seriously though, Ian is right, you need to get a bike that matches where you'll be riding, and full suspension bikes are just so much more versatile. And if you can't find a new bike discounted at least 20% of RRP, your're not looking hard enough!
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Ha! Ive entered the 40+ bracket so yeah a dually might be a better option... If I can find a 2nd hand unit that fits the bill Id be stoked, Ill just keep looking...
 
H

HamboCairns

Thanks for all the bananas
Crossy3630 said:
Ha! Ive entered the 40+ bracket so yeah a dually might be a better option... If I can find a 2nd hand unit that fits the bill Id be stoked, Ill just keep looking...
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Haha I'm entering that next month, somehow I've gotten away with riding a hardtail when everyone else has full suspension bikes!

My next bike will be a 27.5+ hardtail or a 29er like a Specialized Camber or Scott Genius.
 
C

Crossy3630

Squid
Nambra said:
Ha! Good to see a few more living in denial of their age...
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My activities have slowly gravitated towards low impact types, cycling and swimming atm... I see no point in giving in altogether... "Be happy while you're living, for you're a long time dead" - anon.

A new bike (n+1) will help me achieve happiness... :)
 
C

Crossy3630

Squid
There's a Jamis Dakota listed in the trading area... anyone willing to comment on suitability...?

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Nath8

Nath8

Likes Dirt
Saw that and thought of you. Spec on the Jamis is better than the other options your looking at and carbon frame as well.
If I were you, definitely worth a look and test ride. Good luck.
 
K

kooga

Likes Bikes
I reckon look into Merida and Norco. The norco revolt looks awesome and have seen quite a few around with only positive reviews. I have a merida Big 9 XT 2016 i think that i picked up last year just as it came out for 2200, full carbon XT groupset, lower brake level and rockshock air sprung fork. I love it, only bit of advice is dont fall for the bike shops just ride this bike up in price range, they are always better, and will have you wanting it more making you not love what you buy as much.
 
Chriso_29er

Chriso_29er

Likes Bikes and Dirt
Cant add much to this other than that I have been very happy with my 2015 scale 960.
Great quality bike at just the right spec level for my first new MTB in 15 years. Its a nice lively bike that loves the single track I take it on, and is a great climber.
I dont think the spec has changed much for 2016.

My other main option at the time was the last of the 2015 alloy Giant Xtc's, but the 29 wheel size won me over.

 
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