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Bike recommendation & Giant Trance X
G'day,
I'm quite keen to get a proper bike and join you guys for some rides on the northern beaches which I've never done and of course do more of the Anderson/Oaks classics which I've done about 5 times on a cheap Trek bike 
So I'm looking for some recommendations here with a budget around $2500. I need disk brakes, dual suspension.
I come from France where my favorite brands come from so my choice is bit more limited here.
However I've always dreamed of a Specialized bike. I have good memories from this french magazine about the bike of the year 1998; the Specialized FSR 
what a revolution it was back then...
http://www.velovert.com/images/photos/couverture... which is this one http://www.aspttvttchalons.com/dossiers/photos/9...
Sooo I had a look at the Specialized website and the FSR XC Expert seems to be a pretty good model. It's available at this Woolys Wheels store in Paddington (is it a good store btw ?).
What do you think of this bike ? I read that the shock may not be suitable enough for occasional down hill (such as the Oaks motorway at the end) ?
Also are the Juicy 3 brakes good enough compared to the 5 model ?
If there are any other similar bikes please let me know
Cheers,
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I have test ridden the X2 but was unimpressed with the rear shock. Was like a rock. I assume this is due to the propedal being active all the time? Did you notice the difference with pro pedal on and off on the x1? Was the suspension quite plush when it was off?
Sorry what is pro pedal on/off ? The X2 uses the basic Fox shock so I don't think you can compare with the X1.
I didn't pay much attention to the read shock; riding on roads and up kerbs doesn't help.
I should mention that the store offered 5% off and 1 year labour warranty which will also cover any adjustments. Is this a standard deal this one year thing or is it a good one ?
Do you guys often return to the workshop within the first year ?
but just get a bike, ride it and love it!
I have to say I was lucky when I bought my Norco ? years ago, just ask Stuart how long I had my Norco, because it has done very, very well!!! And when I bought it Stuart got a Kona some time before, which was not my $ range... and I did not do a lot of research before, just listened to my mate, who made a great call a ?few years ago..
Bernd
You would get used to the power of the hydraulic brakes. They are excellent. There is nothing better for stopping at high speed.
Please spell disc like I have here...
Just buy it,come to Menai on Sunday,meet us lot,and then questions can be answered in real life.I consider myself a fountain of information,some of it really useful.
You're starting to frustrate yourself about this step in your life.Just take a breath and take the plunge.
Brakes feel like that when new and take about 20km to bed in and develop feel.
Seats are hard.Get used to it.What you want is width.Over 145mm at it's widest.And a groove running lengthwise.
The transmission can be a bit clunky until the cables bed in.Adjustment is simple and I can teach you this in minutes.
Pro pedal on/off is the blue switch on the RP2 shock.On is one way,off is the other.When you buy the bike you will receive a mass of pamphlets on how to work all these things.I recommend to leave it off.The linkages make it efficient and the pro pedal is not necessary.Many will disagree with me....The X2 shock,and fork for that matter,is a little crude and yes it has a pro pedal feature built in and permanently turned on.That's all clever valve trickery happening inside so don't worry about it.What the feature does is slows the first part of the shock stroke,like a compression control,to bring about pedal and climbing efficiency,but then speeds up the stroke past that point so the bike can respond to big hits.Fully open gives a continual feel throughout the stroke.Once again,your probably getting all confused over this and one really needs to be shown rather than told.
The deal from the shop is good so grab it.
You have to adjust your braking style to disc brakes.
No 3 finger grabs hoping to get enough rubber on the rim
2 fingers, 'feather' the lever lightly.
Only one finger required (sic), and make sure that levers are moved inboard enough that that finger pulls the end of the lever.
And just buy the bl00dy bike and start riding it rather than talking about it ;-} You'll never answer all the questions you have before you buy it and after a month of riding and tinkering they'll sound like pretty silly questions. As long as you've selected the right type of bike for your type of riding then you can't go too far wrong.
Matt.
Too true... single finger braking on inboard levers is the way to go.
That said, I found that with the old X9 (what are now X7) shifters they got in the way so had to get some Matchmakers and X0 shifters. Now both brake lever and shifter pod are ergonmic paradise. Strange but true - a bling upgrade that is acutally functional!
That's funny now everyone is telling me to just get the bloody bike now when earlier in the thread everyone told me not to rush in and try as many as possible and see what I like hehehe !
No I agree I should get this bike. BUT I need to find some bloody shoes first ! Finding size 46 shoes doesn't seem to be such an easy thing these days...
gets any longer i may wind up in the asylum!!!
i never thought of moving the brake levers in a little
i was looking at buying different levers
thanks Rob
learn something new everyday
hahahahaha
what is the record for the longest thread
????
cheers
Kurt
Try a shop in the shire for larger sizes.Big feet out there...
Page 42 of Feb edition (Trance X 0 Review) states:
"On the Giant, you are a fighter pilot who is in complete control of a singletrack mission."
I love that line... conjures thoughts of:
I'd prefer the Millenium Falcon myself...
Sorry for another reply
Most stores only have Shimano which is no good so I have to try some Cannondale, Specialized etc... if there are any somewhere. I also tried Louis Garneau, no good.
On Saturday I went to 4 Giant Dealers; Ashfield, Maroubra, Bike Addiction and Bike Factory (yes lots of driving!) to see how much they would sell the bike for and what warranty/free services comes with the bike. I was surprised to see that all shops offer different free services.
But I have a big problem before I can get a bike; I cannot find any shoes that fit my long but narrow feet
What a bummer ! It's important to be comfortable in your feet when you cycle...!
But don't let that stop you from purchasing the bike. You can swap pedals out if you have to.
can you just buy it already.
You know which bike you want, the rest is easy, just order it and start riding. This thread is getting wwwwayyyyyyyyyy toooooo loooonng
Pleeeeeaaaaaaseeeee!!!
went to Anaconda on the week end
they have a large range of shoes
and they also have a lot of "jamis " bikes on sale at the moment
just one more store for you to look at
Kurt
let's you buy what ever you want from all around the world. There's another shoe thread going that has a link to a sizing chart so you can convert your normal show size to os shoe sizes. Normally I wouldn't recommend this for shoes unless you are simply replacing a pair you already have but you seem to be making excuses now not to buy the bike so there's another excuse gone
As Ditty eluded to, Order the bike you want from the shop you like that gives you the best deal, think you've been to ever Giant retailer in Sydney now so you should be good to go. Get them to put "flat" pedals on it and get out and ride. Then you can take your time trying shoes on. You never know, the shop you get the bike from might even get some different size shoes in for you to try if you ask nicely.
Good luck
Stuart
Alright complainers
I've put a deposit on the Trance X1 at Cranks !
Just waiting for some shoes they are going to order in my size which will hopefully fit on
When do you pick it up?
Either after work late Thursday if not Saturday
BTW the shoes they are ordering are the Shimano SH-M122P; one size above my usual size. But the fact that they have 3 velcro straps should hold it on tight, I hope !
Is it worth buying a fork pump ? It costs $65 !
or did they give you such a good deal first time you felt guilty asking?
Giants come with a shock/fork pump.
Also to add, I got a spacer to put in the brake caliper between the pads to stop the pistons popping out if you remove the wheel. I transport my bike on the back seat so I use this all the time as I have to remove the front wheel for it to fit into my car.
not for 65
go on torpedo 7 (yet again i mention them, sponsorship needed, will take anything)
they are cheaper on there
35 bucks from memory
and yes i have exustar shoes with three velcro staps and they go up nice tight
Kurt
a pair of those tecktro spacers when i bought my jamis for free
and now i use them in all my bikes
the boys all thought i was a little homo for using them
but its better then the pads popping out
Kurt
Well done aslyum,i was about to suggest you check out their new store at chatswood,theyve got some sweet trances in there,but yr sorted!my girl is prob gonna get a giant yukon from there this week.
you get the shimano hydraulic brakes checked if its a yukon SX
Kurt
bikemad> the X1 I'm getting actually comes from the Chatswood store stock
I guess it's because the North Sydney one is very small.
Quite a messy store too lol but I prefer that to the boring tidy stores like Bike Addiction and Bike Factory which are showrooms really !
When I said that the rear dérailleur seemed a bit rough when I tried the bike that's because it wasn't properly setup and they will now so that's good news.
I don't think I will worry about a new saddle for now; I'd rather put my bum on every of your bikes first to see which one is most comfortable
:D
Not sure what you guys mean my pads and spaces but I'll ask when I pick up the bike.
The spacer is when you remove the wheel, where the disc normally sits between the pads you fit a spacer. This means if you accidentally press the brake lever there is no chance of popping a piston out.
As for seats, here is a good article regarding seats http://www.sheldonbrown.com/saddles.html
I see, can't you just put a piece of cardboard between the pads ? Sorry if it's a silly question
Can't you put the pistons back in if they accidentally come out ?
I guess you can put anything as long as it doesn't have give as there is actually a lot of force at the piston. Also you can pop the piston back but the hassle this causes with having to bleed etc, better you then me...
my thoughts exactly Brian
plus the $40 at the LBS for them to do it after you have buggered them up trying to bleed them yourself
Hmmm I've never bothered with a spacer, although a lot of folks do it. I don't think you can actually pop the pistons out, anyone know?
When I've pressed the lever, yes the pistons come out, and i've had them to the point where they are nearly touching. flat screwdriver and gentle leverage until they are level with the caliper is the trick (you don't want to scratch the piston heads, as that could affect brake pressure onto the pads).
I've never had to re-bleed after this either, is it a certain model? XTRs and juicy-5s I have used
A 20c piece fits nicely
haha now that's some bargain DIY !
is the Selle Italia SLR XC Gel Flow w/vanox rail a decent saddle not too hard ? I didn't know when I saw that it's the one that comes with the Trance X0 lol
If they get pushed in too far you can lever them back in, but if you're a careless klutz like me in a rush it's easy to feck em up by not levering them back straight ie. with piston face not flat wrt caliper, which buggered a set of pretty tired old XT's of mine, (which are a poor design anyway, too much room for crap ingress).
well ladies and gentlemen I finally got the bike today and rode home for an hour. What an amazing bike (well compared to my Trek 3700)
Everything (except the saddle 
) is so smooth and it's nice to hear the new tyres puuring on the road.
Just took off the reflectors, adjusted saddle, brakes & triggers, ready for some dirt on saturday ! But I can't wait to take it out for an Andersons - Oaks double over the easter weekend
So thanks to everyone for the sharp help, it certainly looks better than the Spec FSR ex.
I will post some pics on saturday.
See ya on the trails !
Excellent news. I not sure what saddle it comes with but give it time. I thought mine was rock hard but seems fine now.
Have you been out for a decent ride or rides? if so, how did the bike go?
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