New Bike - confused on choices

[Dangals]

Hey all,

It has been quite some time (back in the original farkin days to be precise) since I have been into riding and I am now looking at getting another bike and riding again. I used to race downhill so my memory of riding is of nice long travel bikes however I will not be doing any racing this time around and just going to be hitting local trails and just general riding around.

There are soooooo many more options nowadays compared to when I was riding before that I am starting to get a bit unsure as to what the right option is. Happy to spend approx $4k on a new sled and have been looking into the following rides after doing a bit of research:

• Nukeproof Mega 290 Pro
• Canyon Strive AL6
• Canyon Torque AL7
• Commencal Meta 4.2 AM

I read the other thread and I am sussing out the the Trek as a possibility (bit more than I wanted to spend) however I am hoping to get some feedback from anyone that has one of the above bikes..... or if there is something else that I should consider at this price point with similar specs I am all ears.

Appreciate any info you guys can shed for me.

 

[born-again-biker]

Hey all,

It has been quite some time (back in the original farkin days to be precise) since I have been into riding and I am now looking at getting another bike and riding again. I used to race downhill so my memory of riding is of nice long travel bikes however I will not be doing any racing this time around and just going to be hitting local trails and just general riding around.

There are soooooo many more options nowadays compared to when I was riding before that I am starting to get a bit unsure as to what the right option is. Happy to spend approx $4k on a new sled and have been looking into the following rides after doing a bit of research:

• Nukeproof Mega 290 Pro
• Canyon Strive AL6
• Canyon Torque AL7
• Commencal Meta 4.2 AM

I read the other thread and I am sussing out the the Trek as a possibility (bit more than I wanted to spend) however I am hoping to get some feedback from anyone that has one of the above bikes..... or if there is something else that I should consider at this price point with similar specs I am all ears.

Appreciate any info you guys can shed for me.

Is your first name Malby?

Apparently the Commencal is not real good for climbing...(if that matters to you?)

Sent from my LG-H870DS using Tapatalk

 

[nzhumpy]

and I am sussing out the the Trek as a possibility (bit more than I wanted to spend)
Appreciate any info you guys can shed for me.

Welcome back.

If you happen to have a policy with BUPA you also get a 15% discount on Treks which might take a bit of the sting out of it.

 

[tkdbboy]

What kind of riding do you plan on doing most of the time?

If it's mostly aggressive riding then odds are an Enduro bike with 160ish travel each end will suit you.
Plus they're the current in thing so if you decide to want to sell it ... it'll move quite easily.

If you want something with a little less travel then the Canyon Spectral is a bang for buck pick. Plus this year they redesigned the frame.

Strives are sexy and a good all-rounder. There were issues with the shapeshifter but apparently its been ironed out. Also depends if the shapeshifter is of any use to you.
Torque also sexy but may be too much bike depending on what you ride mostly.

YT Capra is worth checking out. Commencal Meta SX V3 is also nicely spec'd for its price.

 

[Ultra Lord]

I'm gonna say all endrubro bikes are bad at climbing. But that's not why we buy them so it's a null point.

Giant reign? It reviews very, very well since the updated frame. The old one was pretty good but they seem to have taken the criticisms from it and changed things up a bit.

 

[Zaf]

The Trek Slash is a brilliant bike but the Commencal's are seriously hard to argue with value wise.
That said, I'll be selling my Slash once my Nicolai arrives, so if you haven't pulled the Trigger in May, there's a potential deal to grab then.

 

[Dangals]

Is your first name Malby?

Apparently the Commencal is not real good for climbing...(if that matters to you?)

Not a deal breaker no - used to ride up most hills on my Giant ATX DH so anything is likely better than that.

Welcome back.

If you happen to have a policy with BUPA you also get a 15% discount on Treks which might take a bit of the sting out of it.

Thanks - unfortunately no BUPA discount for me

What kind of riding do you plan on doing most of the time?

Strives are sexy and a good all-rounder. There were issues with the shapeshifter but apparently its been ironed out. Also depends if the shapeshifter is of any use to you.
Torque also sexy but may be too much bike depending on what you ride mostly.

YT Capra is worth checking out. Commencal Meta SX V3 is also nicely spec'd for its price.

I live near the edge of the Blue Mountains (actually helped build the original trails on old bathurst rd back in the day) and will likely do the majority of my riding there with the idea of doing some trips away but definitely more on the aggressive side hence the desire for one with decent travel.

The strive does look like a good all rounder I must admit hence it being on the short list...

I looked into the YT bikes but their wait times are considerably longer and not sure I want to wait that long...

Giant reign?

Had not really considered the Giant much but will give it a quick look over

...but the Commencal's are seriously hard to argue with value wise.

This was part of the attraction as the build on the Meta AM is quite good.

Appreciate the feedback so far guys

 

[tkdbboy]

YT's dates are in US format so it might throw some people off ... it just did for me haha. Some sizes for the Capras are available at the start of June or next month if that's not too long of a wait for you.

For Capras go one size up to what you usually would ride.

 

[Zaf]

If you're looking for a BIG sled, would you consider the Commencal Supreme SX as well?

 

[Dangals]

YT's dates are in US format so it might throw some people off ... it just did for me haha. Some sizes for the Capras are available at the start of June or next month if that's not too long of a wait for you.

For Capras go one size up to what you usually would ride.

Yeah I figured that was the case but still to get a build that is comparable to the others listed you go to the comp model which is $4600 before shipping so quite a bit more, part of the reason I have not delved to deeply into those bikes

 

[Dangals]

If you're looking for a BIG sled, would you consider the Commencal Supreme SX as well?

nah as they are $5300 and well over what I am looking to spend...look interesting though

 

[Zaf]

I loved my Canyon Strive, but the Carbon was so much prettier, and I feel unless you're grabbing a Carbon Canyon you're missing out on some of the really beauty they have to offer.

If it were my money, and I were after an alloy gnarpoon, I'd be spending it on the Meta 4.2 for sure; especially since Pushy's took on the Commencal connection here in Aus.

 

[stirk]

There are alot of options, if I was in the market now I'd find it hard to choose and would base my decision on the brand and quality of the parts as much as the frame.

To help narrow it down do you want to ride my kona process 134 to get a feel for the geometry of modern bikes, might help you decide if you want to go longer travel, big wheel (all the 'cool' kids, even downhill are going 29"), slacker head etc. I'm in springwood so easy to hook up on the weekend, I normally ride saturday morning, could meet at Glenbrook, knapsack park easily enough.

Like this but mines black.

Not saying to buy a process just get a feels for the modern geo.

 

[Dangals]

I loved my Canyon Strive, but the Carbon was so much prettier, and I feel unless you're grabbing a Carbon Canyon you're missing out on some of the really beauty they have to offer.

If it were my money, and I were after an alloy gnarpoon, I'd be spending it on the Meta 4.2 for sure; especially since Pushy's took on the Commencal connection here in Aus.

Yeah the carbons do look nice from all brands really but just on another level cost wise so perhaps the next bike will be carbon.

The Meta is definitely a well tricked out bike and is probably one of the leading contenders tbh for that reason.

There are alot of options, if I was in the market now I'd find it hard to choose and would base my decision on the brand and quality of the parts as much as the frame.

To help narrow it down do you want to ride my kona process 134 to get a feel for the geometry of modern bikes, might help you decide if you want to go longer travel, big wheel (all the 'cool' kids, even downhill are going 29"), slacker head etc. I'm in springwood so easy to hook up on the weekend, I normally ride saturday morning, could meet at Glenbrook, knapsack park easily enough.

Like this but mines black.

Not saying to buy a process just get a feels for the modern geo.

damn mate - super generous of you and I will give it some serious thought...my biggest concern whenever riding someone else's bike is the potential to damage it somehow...even if I was riding it on flat ground

 

[Zaf]

The Meta is definitely a well tricked out bike and is probably one of the leading contenders tbh for that reason.

Don't forget, they have the best person in the world riding their bikes.

 

[shmity]

I've got the TR meta rather than the the AM so not a direct comparison but still relevant. Its a solid descender, if the AM is anything like it (it must be right?) itll be a ridiculously good time going down. I have no complaints with how mine climbs, even with the shock wide open its no slug, but its also lacking 30mm of travel over the AM bike so there are clearly going to be downsides to that. Build quality is very good for a bike of that price range, welds are clean, pivot hardware is good quality, comes with foam inserts on all the internally routed cables to stop rattles, spare parts are easily available (although i had to go to commencal USA for some more obscure spares for my supreme, they do have spares dating back to bikes from the mid 2000's so there should be good long lasting support for the bikes) Realistically its a pretty crowded segment at that price for an AM bike these days and all the ones on your short list will do you well.

 

[Ultra Lord]

To help narrow it down do you want to ride my kona process 134 to get a feel for the geometry of modern bikes, might help you decide if you want to go longer travel, big wheel (all the 'cool' kids, even downhill are going 29).

Is that why sam won the enduro on a 27.5?
Horses for courses though, pound for pound strength and stiffness 27.5 wins, and less gyroscopic effect so they corner like demons. Both have merits and are good, I just wish people would still be dicks about their chosen wheelsize hahaha.

 

[Oddjob]

Is that why sam won the enduro on a 27.5?
Horses for courses though, pound for pound strength and stiffness 27.5 wins, and less gyroscopic effect so they corner like demons. Both have merits and are good, I just wish people would still be dicks about their chosen wheelsize hahaha.

Hmm I wonder if 26 would be better again...

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[Ultra Lord]

You won’t catch me with 27.5 on my dj bike, so yeah 26 is betterer obvs

If they could make a 26’ bike look normal in my size I’d probably run that to be honest, Mooreys new old tranny is pretty sweet.

 

[MRO]

You can get the BUPA 15% discount with a basic membership. Join for a month and cancel before first payment. Discount sorted. Or maybe just compare them to your current health insurer and make the change