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Bike Recommendations
NB: Originally posted elsewhere on the Global Riders Network and appears via syndication.
Ok so I have approx $5k (maybe stretch a little bit more but dont say anything) for a new XC 29er dually. Ideally new but would consider good condition used if the right bike. Have looked around a bit but nothing like hearing from guys who have owned and ridden. Any suggestions for a new or even anyone got something they are considering trading which would fit the bill??
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It's ,mainly been used as my race bike as i have other bikes i ride.
Ask warthog on here how fast they are? (He's just done a 26min lap of Manly Dam on his new one!
I'm also looking around for a 29er dually, but will likely go carbon. There are so many good bikes around, we are spoilt for choice. Some of the deals I've come across: Belrose Bikes have an intensely tempting Intense Spider 29 in the low 4s, the current Treks are insanely good value, Rocky Mountain Instinct MSL demo for high 3s.
I've had to narrow it down to 2 bikes just so I can make a decision.
Happy shopping!
The Scalpel is very quick and from memory Gazza's bike is 10kg flat - going to get much better value from a second hand bike.
Fast XC - tallboy c, niner jet, anthem advanced, scalpel, epic, turner szar, Scott's etc
Most twitchy and racy is the epic, then probably the scalpel, then the tallboy, niner turner about the same.
Depends a fair bit on your height, if your height puts you between sizes in a brand I'd consider elsewhere - that's not a mistake you want to make. Second if you are under 5'9" you need to closely consider the height of the front of the bike in the mediums and smalls - some bikes get you lower than others.
Edit add pivot 429 and the trek superfly has been getting very good reviews
Specialized camber 29?
Verrrrrrrry nice bike. Light, fast, fun..
What more could you want?
if you can only have one xc bike.. it seems based on the reviews .. that the Camber would fit the bill perfectly.
now if u can have more than one xc/am bike it might be a different story cause my s-works epic is the bees knees race bike and then you could consider a SC 5010 or a SC Bronson (more on that to come shortly) ...
I don't know what he is looking for price wise, and clearly it has to make sense and be the right size, but from a personal perspective, I would endorse buying a bike from him with respect to how he looks after bikes, his ethics etc.
I was also with Warthog when he set that hotlap time on his new scalpel, shaving around 90 seconds off his previous best time on his old bike, so clearly the scalpel can handle the rough stuff at the dam very capably.
... you can get a Scalpel Carbon 2 for under $5k new. Mine is 11kg box stock for a large.
I'm in a relatively fortunate position to have ridden and raced a number of the bikes that are on your list...
Scalpel - very nice bike. Fast, and smooth. Very active suspension. I raced on at the Kowalski this year and loved it.
Epic - an out and out race bike, and increasingly so. As the brain gets tuned further and further by Spec its more and more 'stiff' when it needs to be, and soft when it doesn't. This makes for what often feels a bit harsh when cruising around. Very very fast bike though.
Camber - much closer to the Scalpel - lovely, active suspension, but with a bit more travel. Slightly slacker angles, but they feel great. Fun when it needs to be, but fast when you pin it.
The Superfly is the other one on the list. I haven't ridden one, but one of my good friends has one, and races it to great effect. I am sure it would be a great bike.
Other thoughts - Niner Jet 9 RDO (expensive) is a good bike, but a bit 'trail' to be XCO. Same as the Santa Cruz.
I own an Epic (for racing) and a Camber (for trail riding)- I think, if I had to choose just one bike for everything, and I wasn't racing pure 'elite' stuff - I would go with the Camber. Its sooo versatile. I love it. Get yourself a test ride.
Gazza's Scalpel is very well worth looking at - lovingly cared for, and a great bike all round.
What a lovely problem you have to solve...good luck!
Ants online is pretty much on the money for the differences, but really it shows how wide the XC dually segment is.
Probably need to know if a major motivator here is racing, or comfort, or riding down hills with stability and speed, or trying to keep up with mates up hills? Do you like to stand and pedal?
Once you've got a couple of bikes in mind, research it - lots of people on mtbr and pinkbike etc have ridden your choices, and hopefully can tell the difference without just supporting their own decisions.
Workout what type of riding you really enjoy and consider how often you'll race, if at all, and how competitive you wanna be in those races or whether it's more about just taking part and having fun.
For me, I bought a 2009 Epic back in 2010 "thinking" but not really "knowing" what kind of riding I would be doing. I had a 10 year break from the sport and had only road cross country hard tails so didn't know any better. At that time this type of riding suited me... Why should that change after 10 years?
When I got back into the sport I had a choice between a Stumpy or an Epic... Whilst I love the Epic it's just too race biased for my new way of riding. Hand on heart I wish I'd have gone with the Stumpy as this would better reflect my riding style... Whilst I enjoy racing I'm really doing "events" and just trying to finish... The Epic deserves a race ready rider.
One thing I will standby is the build quality of the Epic. After all the knocks and more all mountain style riding I've done on it in the last 4 years it's still rock solid.
Happy shopping!!
Im also shopping for an upgrade to my current dually. I mainly ride a hardtail 29er, but have been spending more time on the 29er dually while the HT was getting a brake issue fixed.
I'm interested in the opinions being discussed on this thread.
My main priorities are fast trail riding & xc racing. The hardtail has been great for shorter races & a couple of the team races, but i think its going to beat me up to much on longer solo races.
My shortlist is
2014 Specialized Epic WC
Cannondale Scalpel
Trek superfly 100 SL pro
I owned a Niner air nine carbon before & really liked the bike but the internal cable routing was horrible, & a mate who has the jet 9 rdo which is supposed to have improved the internal cable routing, suggests the internal routing is still not perfect. I ended up running full length housing externally on that frame to get the shifting 100%. That takes the jet 9 rdo from my list.
The other bike I'm interested in but would be way over budget to build the way id want is the turner zcar.
After following a few of the nobmob boys punt there new Epic's around awaba, its put that bike at the top of my list, & the World cup version is speced very nice out of the box with very little if anything id want to change. I run 1x10 & 1x9 on my bikes & am a big fan of single front chainrings & don't think i want to go back to a 2x10. id be going for the specialized frame, not the s works.
Depending what type of racing you want to do. If you like single track events and leave the Convict style races to the road riders.
Devinci Atlas, What I here you say? Who? French Canadian bike manufacturer in Montreal. They make the bike that that Steve Smith won the 2013 Downhill world cup on.
You want a 29er that will slay single track, with one of the shortest chains and best pedalling platforms.(DW split pivot) Jump on line and check them out. Don't believe that garbage review Flow magazine did where they rode the bike for 5 minutes in one sort of conditions. A magazine sponsored by the big 3. Get on a 29er that rides like a 26er in the tight stuff not a semi trailer.
I got the frame a few years ago and built it myself.
If your around Awaba you can test ride mine. Sometime.
Not associated with Devinci or Rowney sports( interesting he is now importing them into Australia considering he distributes Yeti and Niner)Just someone who likes to think outside the big 3.
No doubt big 3 have been successful in market for a number of good reasons. I am not arguing with that.
Personally, I want more trail oriented, more forgiving I can ride more different trails without too much thinkings. They are:
Camber
429
Sb 95
Ripley
I did not list giant because I had one. Nothing wrong with it but I want to try DW next time. Given about $5k, same budget as mine, i'll go camber or ripley carbon!
Good luck and happy shopping!!
Pivot looks great but cant seen to stretch to the carbon within the budget - can do the alloy but seems a compromise. All reviews rave about the carbon. Some of the other 'non standard' options also look fantastic but having trouble sourcing a supplier in WA. Could take a punt and order from interstate but dont want to tale the risk of spending the budget without trying first.