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It's time to upgrade to a dually and seeking advice
Hi all
I am thinking it might be time to upgrade to a dual suspension bike. I have done a bit of research and talked to some bike shops and have decided to go for a 29er dually. I have a budget of around $3k and have narrowed down my short list to either a specialized camber comp, trek superfly pro or elite and giant trance x1. I generally ride manly dam and cascades on a recreational basis but may consider racing later on
Was hoping to hear people's experiences with these brands, or bikes preferably, to cut through some of the bike store sales pitch.
I know the best thing will be to try and ride each of these bikes but any feedback or help would be greatly appreciated
Thanks
Adam
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I understand the Camber is a great bike, however, take a look at the Epic with brain rear shock, all the benefits of a dually and a hard tail. I own two, a 26er and a 29er and they are both great bikes and you should be able to get a good deal on a 2012 model.
This said, everyone has their favourite(s) so if you can test a few before you buy.
Take all 3 for a spin & see which you like ,the epic & the spark & superfly are great for racing later on .
I've got an Epic 2009 and it's awesome but the only thing to consider is if you do race where do you want to be at the pointy end of the stick or happy to ride it out with the mid pack? Reason I say this is that I do the odd race here and there and whilst the bike is awesome I'm not. To be honest, I'm looking forward to buying a Stumpy one day so that I have more suspension to enjoy the ride... Something you'd very much appreciate around Manly Dam
beats all.
That said I ride a Heckler.
beats all.
That said I ride a Heckler.
*edit: ahhhh the old double post trick...
Talk to Rod at LeSpit Cyclery. He recently built up a custom spec Santa Cruz Superlight29er for a friend of mine around the 3k mark. Such a simple and sweet ride. The geometry is actually not too dissimilar to the TallBoy but cheaper and lighter (aluminum vs aluminum version) and obviously doesn't have the vpp suspension.
http://www.santacruzbicycles.com/superlight29/
For me it would be down to the giant trance or the specialized stumpjumper. I too like andyfev have an epic and while it is a boss bike, the stumpjumper is more fun related. I tested the camber comp and did not like it at all, it's an inbetweener bike, it doesn't know whether it's a trail or xc bike. Test ride a stumpy in either 26 or 29 inch and let the fun begin !
love my stumpy ,26r carbon with brain ( so retail new is bit out of ya price range )
1500 almost trouble free kms .. only mech issue , broke a rear shifter cable ..
still on orig tyres , n tubes !
Thanks guys I think I might have to take a camber, trance and stumpy (you guys have swayed me a bit) out for a test ride over the coming weeks
I am going to throw something else out there.... its probably a little out there but i think its worth thinking about
What bits do you enjoy mostly at Manly Dam?
I ask this because i test rode both a Yeti SB66 and a SB95 around Manly Dam and must say i liked the SB66 more than the SB95. I have my heart set on a 29er dually but must say that the 6 inches of travel was so much more fun pointing downhill than the 5 inches of 29er.....
The 29er suits my body better as i enjoy the fact for me i feel it rolls over everything better, but the SB66 was suited more to what i enjoy doing
Still a damn hard decision for me as i have a Yeti Big Top i could strip and move everything to the SB95 frame but the Sb66 is so tempting!!!!!!
It's worth considering what you're already riding. If you presently have 26 inch bikes with a heap of 26 inch wheels lying around it makes sense to stick with 26 inch bikes. If you buy a 29er you can't swap between them. Additionally, if you're using Sram gears you're better off sticking with them rather than going to Shimano so you don't have to possess two lot's of spares. Even with 10 speed and 9 speed there isn't much compatibility. At some point in time when you stop using an old bike if it's compatible with your new bike you can transfer the parts across, otherwise you have to throw the whole lot out.
The only downside to the Yeti SB95 is that there is no provision for a water bottle cage inside the front triangle. That severely limits its usefulness as a race or event bike, if you think that might be something you'd like to try out in the future.
I never thought I'd race when I started, but it's just so much fun steering your bike through the trees with hundreds of other like-minded maniacs
...but the SB-95 is just so much fun!
out of your $3k budget though. RRP is (from memory) close to the $6k mark.
I've just got myself a '12 Stumpjumper Comp Carbon 29'er. Awesome bike, heaps of fun.
Yes, that's what's so annoying about it!
I haven't ridden any of the bikes you're looking at but Trek (Gary Fisher) were pioneers of 29ers and from what I hear they have got the geometry etc right while others are still trying...
Yeah I went into one of the bike shops in the city told the guy my budget and he started talking about yeti's, I got quite excited because I hear they were amazing bikes, but when he showed me the price list it was more like $5k
Sorry for using Yeti as an example
So what sort of riding do you do predominantly?
The way i see it, its not much use buying a race bike that will get raced twice a year. I reckon your better off enjoying the bike on a daily basis and making do on race day for the moment. If you end up getting into racing that much re evaluate your decision then
Ah, then there's "training" for racing. Lots of it.
You need nutrition product for that and Camelbaks unfortunately are not the place to put it.
And then there's putting your mates in the hurt box. End of the ride is best
You *definitely* need nutrition for that 
Yeah, apart from the drink bottle placement, the Yeti SB95 sure is a sweet bike. As you can tell I'm shitty about that detail, because otherwise I'd be in the market for one.
I hear Santa Cruz is suing them over the design, reckon they've infringed their VPP patents. Can't see any merit in the action, myself.
Orbea occam 29 for under 3k. Damn good bike!!!
Currently building one up. Full XT,SID RCT3 fork, Stans Arches on hope hubs for under $3k.
Shortest chain stays on any 29er FS around.
http://www.bikeradar.com/mtb/gear/category/bikes...
@ Hawkeye, I know your experience wasn't that good with the Aussie Distributor, but my brother and I can't complain, they have been more than helpful.
Sounds good Floydo. What kind of budget are you looking at for the build?
Hey Hawkeye.
It s been a while ! Hope your well..
I've had an SB 95 for a few months now ( a replacement for the stolen 575....) the water bottle thing nearly put me off too. I always ride with a camelback with water in it but also use a bottle with concentrated endura. I didn't want to resort to just having endura to drink from the camelback. I thought this could be a deal breaker but when I tried the 95 alongside the SB66, it just left me with such a huge grin I decided I'd have to adapt my drinking habits..... I then had a eureka moment and got a new Camelback Charge LR. It's got a low rider bladder which sits horizontally at waist level. The storage compartment has a pocket inside which is exactly the right shape for a small 1.5l bladder so I now run 2 bladders from the same camelback.....left side hose for water, right side hose for endura.... Brilliant ( it also has side pouches for Gu's , multitool etc which can easily be reached without having to unstrap ).....
I know you like to ride bareback so this isn't really a solution for you, but I thought I'd share anyway
Anyway...... The 95 is brilliant.....it's over a kilo heavier than my 575 but it goes uphill with much less effort and it's wonderfully forgiving of my ahem.... limited.... Bike handling skills.
Sorry for the long winded, off topic post..... Should really have started a new thread.
CB
I already have the Arches that I use on my 29er Hard tail. Lets just say with an extremely good deal on the frame, and some parts sourced from far and near. It will come in well under $3K. Some very good deals on 2012 parts around at the moment if you know where to look.