Thanks to everyone – based on advice decided on the Spicy for CH.

Went to go buy the Spicy 316 this morning but annoyingly the store here doesn’t stock small frames (42). They only have medium frames (46) which I tried again. Guys at the store are experienced riders and say the medium is perfect for me with good reach to the handle bars and pedals. However I checked with them again about my concerns that there is literally no space between the top bar and my nuts and they insist its not an issue on a full suspension (say it is on a hard tail). They can order me a small frame but if they do I’m committed to it without testing it :s

@ ir12daveor: the very same. Heard about Saturday… crazy. See you on a ride sometime.

I would go for standover clearance.

You need the standover, plenty of times you need to stop on rocks, ridges and sloping ground where the places to put your feet are >10cm lower than in the car park. No fun if this causes you to go over the edge of an exposed trail, or even just into the bushes.

Yes, 3 – 4 inches between your knackers & TT. Being a relative beginner you’ll appreciate the ‘room’ when you land a drop wrong! Got to say that I’ve never Alps’d before but I know that the spicy is the bike for you out of those two.

Over bike all the way. Pad up & ENJOY mate!!!

Lastly, why Lappiere? Orange make an Alps, just a thought.

When youre new to full sus the biggest change to get used to is the bike bouncing under you as you pedal

It doesn’t do that if you switch the pro pedal on 🙂

But then your suspension doesn’t work either….

I’d not get the medium. I suspect they just want to shift the one they have in. I’ve had ‘experienced’ bike shops tell me the same thing when i’ve gone in with a beginner and i’ve pretended I don’t know anything.

I don’t ride any bikes atm.

😉

I don’t ride any bikes atm.

😉 Has this thread really managed two pages without anyone wondering whether it makes sense for a complete beginner to splurge several thousand quid on a top-end full susser?

More constructively, I wonder if it might make more sense to hire or borrow a bike for a few days and get an idea of whether you genuinely enjoy mountain biking and get a bit more basic knowledge, which’ll help you make a more informed decision on what to buy?

what inside leg are you?

That’s very forward of you? 🙂 Yes I agree about experience and he’s getting told a load of porkies by the bike shop. As an experienced ride a long cockpit makes sense. But not starting out. So much for experienced bike shops with unbiased advice wanting to shift bikes.

Ok,the spicy sizing chart recons riders around 411" - 56″ for the 42cm.
The chart also says 55" - 5 11″ for the 46cm.
You say you are a beginner.You told us where you will be riding so i would be confident in saying that you need to go for a 42cm spicy if this is the model you decide to go for.

The zesty sizing chart shows 411" - 55″ for a 42cm.
They also mention that a 46cm would suit riders between 55" -59″ .Again,consider where you are riding,what standard you are at and go for the bike that you are going to be in control of.Dont buy a bike (or be sold a bike) thats going to be in control of YOU.

I ride a 46cm zesty,i have a 32″ inside leg and just over 5` 8″. I dread to think what stand over you will have if you are 30″ or less.

@BadlyWiredDog:

Take your point but typical of me to read up before making any purchases. Before I really got into snowboarding read a tonne and reached out to experienced boarders about what to get. Got the Lib Tech skate banana which had a patent pending on a reverse rocker before it became popular and now a lot of new boards are using it. Needless to say, glad I made the choice and not looking to upgrade. Well maybe a split board for tours…. 😕

Anyhow its not like I don’t ride. I don’t ride any bikes now as I don’t own one. Did some light mountain biking with rentals in Champery and in Colorado. Know I enjoy it and would be keen to replace thrills of boarding with something for the non-ski season. What else am I supposed to do in Switz? :p

I’d rather spend an extra GBP500 on something right than blow GBP1500 on something wrong. To me that would be the waste.

Buy the one with the slackest head angle.

Bikes are better if they’re as small as you can get away with in my view… get the 42.

I’d rather spend an extra GBP500 on something right than blow GBP1500 on something wrong. To me that would be the waste.

I guess what I’m saying is that different bikes and geometries suit different people and riding styles. I’m not sure how you chose those two Lapierre models as your two options – don’t get me wrong, they’re good bikes, but there are plenty of other options out there and it’s possible that after a few months of mountain riding, you might work out that something else works better for you.

As far as choosing between a Zesty and a Spicy, based on the opinions of a couple of people I have a lot of respect for, I suspect the main question is whether you’re going to be riding uphill much and, if so, whether you care about how fast you can do it…

At £1199 2010 Spicys are pretty good value..
Go on Pigeon you know you want one..

@godzilla – where did you find those 2010 deals?

@martinxyz – when you say 32″ is that bare foot or with shoes? Never know with these size guides if their height / measurements of inseam are with shoes or without.

>LINK<
There may be some more about, my brother in law was keen on one too.
I will ask him and let you know.

I’d get the best Spicy you can afford (even if that’s a 2010 one). I have a Zesty and Froggy myself and happy with both but a Spicy 716/916 could replace them.

IME you don’t need ProPedal on the Zesty/Spicy, they don’t really bob under normal pedalling.

Not checked the specs on this year’s Spicy’s but make sure you get a bolt-through front axle, you may also need to replace the stem as they’re quite long reach and (used to anyway) come with a fairly long stem.

aditude: if you wanna mail me for a completely biased opinion on riding in the swiss alps and other large mtn’s then feel free to do so.
robert dot hamiltonsmith at gmail dot com

RHSno2 – Member

aditude: if you wanna mail me for a completely biased opinion on riding in the swiss alps and other large mtn’s then feel free to do so.
robert dot hamiltonsmith at gmail dot com
Take up this offer. RHS’s bias is the best kind. 😀

Barefoot aye!

Done, ordered the Spicy 516 (2010 model) and cannot wait to ride it 🙂 Thanks all for advise. If anyone is out in the Zurich / Zug areas in Switz, hoping to find a group to ride with.