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Newbie help appreciated re. MTB choice
NB: Originally posted elsewhere on the Global Riders Network and appears via syndication.
Hi
Just rode a dual susension mountain bike for the first time and am hooked!!
I'd appreciate any recommendations for a first purchase. I'm 5'9", weigh about 95kgs & am a novice rider.
At the moment, I intend to ride off road (manly dam etc) nothing too radical.
My budget is limited to about $2000 or a bit over. One bike I am considering is a Gient 2009 Anthem X2 new for about $2200.
Any info or recommendations would be appreciated. Thanks.
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If you are going to be doing general all-purpose riding on a dualie, go for a bike that has a least 4 inches (100mm) of front and rear travel. 5 or 6 inches would be ideal. Some of the popular bike models to pick from are:
Giant Trance
Giant Reign
Specialized Stumpjumper
Cannondale (crack'n'fail) Rush
Trek Fuel Ex
Norco Fluid
Yeti 575
Scott Spark or Genius
There are plenty of bikes out there, this is a short list. Although most local bike shops tend to stock only major brands like Specialized, Cannondale, Giant, Trek.
The Anthem you mention is a XC race bike and would be good for most of Manly Dam. However it would struggle on some of the rockier parts. It will do it, but you wouldn't be too comfortable on it. Especially the rocky roll-down sections or rock gardens. But it climbs like a demon. It has about 4 inches of travel. My suggestion would be to find a bike with at least another inch of travel each end, preferably two. If you are not going to do any totally serious XC racing on it, the extra frame weight and travel makes your riding much more fun.
At 5' 9" you probably want a Medium frame.
I am no expert, but I hope this helps. Good luck.
Looks like you have already made a good choice in bikes. There are quite a few guys riding Giant bikes round here & all seem very happy with them.
The bike is very well spec'd for the money & will be more than enough to handle most of the local trails.
Good luck & happy bike shopping.
I'm in a agreement with Little-Ditty. I had a 4" travel hardtail, and went over the bars a few times on the bits he mentioned. My 5.25" Cannondale (with the lifetime frame warranty
) trail bike handles them no problem.
The main issue is the positioning on the shorter travel XC style bikes puts more of your weight over the front. As he said, they climb brilliantly, but at the expense of being more likely to tip you over the front on techy downhill bits.
Having to unclip in a hurry because the front wheel has lifted on a steep climb is less of a worry to me than the prospect of doing a digger because the front wheel has dropped in a hole and catapulted me over the bars.
Go the extra inch - Trance X or Reign if you must go Giant. *If* you know your frame size, there are great bargains to be had on fleaBay. Just make sure you stick to a reputable bike shop brand, check the seller's feedback record and leave a bit of room in your budget for customising stems, bars and maybe seatposts to get your fit right. For $2k you'll get a great bike.
the old standard that seems to be missing this time is go and ride a few on your list, which pretty much covers all the usual suspects as Bruce said, and see which one feels "right". For what it's worth I also went from 4" XC to 5" more trail capable and can agree with hawkeye's comments.
from specialized probably represents better value when compared to stumpjumper
although iv'e got a stumpy and love it
I am 5'9" and ride a medium 2008 Giant Trance X2 with 5" travel. I got it for about $2000 but with exchange rate its gone up but there is an X3 now with similar specs for about $2000ish. I love it, its a great all round bike thats no so XC specific as the Anthem but I still have done a couple of 4hr-8hr races on it. It is more forgiving than the Anthem in geometry and suspension so for self confessed novice I thinks a better choice for your price range. Main thing is that you get out there and enjoy yourself.
I think you'll be lucky to find a 2009 Anthem X2 for $2k. I contacted most shops around Sydney a few weeks ago to compare prices for Giant Anthems & Trances as I had a similar budget to yours & found that without exception the 2009 base models:
Anthem X2 ~ $2800
Trance X3 ~ $3000
Giant don't seem to be making the plain Anthems or Trances without the "X" in their 2009 range, anymore.
I ended up finding a 2008 Trance 2 for $2200, which may have been the last one is Sydney in my size (L).
Not sure I'd be recommending a newbie pick up an Anthem anyhow.
Trance X or Reign is probably more appropriate. Especially for the rider with the 'fuller' figure
are doing a 2009 x3 trance for 2300. look on mtba website in the sales dept.
Thanks for the comments and advice.
Another model that has been recommended is the GT Force 3 for around $2300 - anyone have any views on this one?
These are the specs:
Seat Clamp:
GT Alum QR
Headset:
FSA Orbit X 1 1/8" forged cups, sealed bearings
Seat Post:
GT alloy
Saddle:
WTB Pure V
Grips:
GT Lock Down, co molded locking grip system
Stem:
GT over size four bolt
Handlebar:
GT 31.8mm Riser
Brake Levers:
Tektro Auriga Hydraulic
Nipples:
Brass
Front Brake:
Tektro Auriga Pro Hydraulic, forged two piston caliper with mineral oil 180mm rotor
Rear Brake:
Tektro Auriga Pro Hydraulic, forged two piston caliper with mineral oil 160mm rotor
Spokes:
DT Swiss 1.8 stainless steel
Rear Hub:
Shimano 6 bolt Disc
Front Hub:
Shimano 6 bolt Disc
Tires:
Front: 26"x 2.3 Kenda Nevgal, 120 tpi with Kevlar bead, Rear: same only 2.1
Rims:
WTB SX -24, 32 hole, black anodized, for presta valve.
Chain:
Shimano Nine Speed
Rear Cogs:
SRAM PG-950 9-speed, 11-32
Shifters:
Shimano Deore 9-speed
Rear Derailleur:
Shimano Deore
Front Derailleur:
Shimano Deore
Crankset / Chainwheel:
FSA Alpha Drive 44/32/22
Bottom Bracket:
FSA sealed cartridge
Pedals:
Shimano PDM -520
Fork:
SR MAG 32 with 140 mm travel, air sprung with aluminum steerer, magnesium lowers and 7050 upper tubes, rebound damping adjustable
Rear Shock:
Rock Shox BAR 2.1 7.5 x 2, air sprung
My recommendation would be to save for another month or two, get another $500-$1000, then go after a better spec'd bike.
mate if i was you i would get a second hand bike as you can pick up 1 to 2 year old bikes which u will save $1000 to $2000 on you can look on farkin for em i find there the best for second hand stuff also i would diffenately go a more off an all round bike one which has 5 to 6 inches off travel as 4 inches is to limited in which trails you can ride i have a reign which is a great all round bike an i built it up from a cheap frame i got if you got a reign u would be a large as i got a med and im shorter than you
but second bargins will save you heaps DTM
I have a medium force 1 for sale on ebay for 3000 or make an offer but you can have it for $2700. full shimano XT etc...
an 8 grand pro carbon enduro for 3800?