[Closed] Best value trail bike at the moment to replace Specialized Camber Evo 2015

Whats actually gone wrong with it? is it the frame or just components?

It has just been a constant stream of never-ending problems over the last 8 months with brakes, suspension & drive train and it has been constantly worked on by myself and 3X different mechanics over the last 8 months and the same problems have repeated countless times.

I've a 2014 Camber carbon 29er.

Gets ridden 2-4 times per week on hard/rocky trails. All works well, if maintained.

What is actually wrong with yours?

with brakes, suspension & drive train

So none of the bits that have anything to do with specialized then? What makes you think another brand will be any different?

So nothing made by specialized has gone wrong then?

id be more concerned with the parts manufactures of the next bike not the ones that make the frame. Still you could likely replace pretty much everything on it for less than a new bike.

XT brakes?

Might get a new bike but keep the specialized as a backup. It sucks when it's the weekend and I want to ride but the bike broke on Friday afternoon and the mechanic is off until Monday.

SRAM. I'd put money on it.

Deore

You can have a bike for each of your logins then 🙂

There's a brand-new Pivot Mach 429c on eBay at the moment for £2750, on a bike shop's page. The only thing I'd swap on it would be the brakes.

Full deore groupset?

Normally pretty reliable IME. Had much more problems with SRAM stuff over the years.

Has stuff actually broken? Or is it just routine things like brake pads/bleed gear cables chain etc.

As it just seems like you had a bike for a while and now it needs maintenance you want a new one (which is fine, I've used much worse excuses for new bikes) but sounds like 12-18 months down the line you will be back to the same point

When I spent £1.6k in maintenance in the last 12 months (plus MEGA pain in the arse) then I see a new Whyte T130 S for that same price which has a dropper post (something my bike doesn't even have)

Also I don't know why I got 2 log ins it just comes up as this when I'm on my mobile and grannyjone when I'm on the PC. I'll have to find out why when I've got the time (something I don't have much of)

So are there 1 or 2 guys with broken down Specialiseds?

1

Ease up on the jet washing after every ride. Even if your bike is muddy you can hand wash it. Jet washing can bugger up your forks, frame bearings, bottom bracket and headset bearings and possibly even brakes if you are forcing the water past the seals.

With regards to new bike I'd check out the direct sales websites from Germany - YT, Canyon, ROSE.

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/horrendous-mountain-bike-maintenance-costs

Not sure it's the bike's fault....

If you're keeping your existing 29er why. Or get a 27.5 trail bike - for value it's hard to look past the Boardman Pro Fs. Pikes, 1x11 Sram GX, Guide R brakes etc.
Think they're £1500 at the moment - and have routing for a stealth dropper so just add one and it should be good. I've got the version before which is fun, but the new one has slightly more laid back geometry so assume more fun.

How do folks constantly break bikes? Even when I was riding alot nothing ever broke and stuff rarely wore out. I got a full seasons riding out of my slx equipped anthem without even having to replace the chain.

as for the ops question. Id have a look for a 2016 model on pauls. Usually have a good few 3k bikes for well under 2k...

How do people not break bikes? It is a constant battle against the elements. Smashed rear mech, goosed drive trains, snapped bars, rusty bearings, wobbly pivot bearings, shagged pedals, sticky pistons, reluctant cables, lazy free hubs, sponges brakes, snapped spokes, smashed chain devices, battered mech hangers, ninja throwing stars for jockey wheels, stiction in your clutch mech, cracked sest rails etc...

If you can'take spanner your way out of such dilemmas then it is a lot of workshop time with no bike.

How about a Jeffsy or a Spectral 29er?

I ride all year round. In Winter the bike sometimes comes back with so much mud on it after a massive 30-40 mile loop that you can hardly even see the colour of any of the bike under all that mud. It's absolutely caked in it sometimes. Plus its not just Winter. Late Autumn and Early Spring can be just as bad.
Plus some of that time was spent doing hike-a-bike through boggy shite for hours on end, and walking through farm land and climbing over fences for miles to get back on-track. So it shouldn't be getting that worn out if there was that much hike-a-bike.

If you're riding in conditions like that no bike or component will last long. Ever thought of going rigid/hardtail single-speed to keep the maintenance cost down on winter rider?

Having the SS would add more costs (with the initial purchase) even if it would save money in the long run on components. But the main thing is I don't think I'd get very far on a rigid or hardtail singlespeed. I'd take a beating on the rocky stuff and the lack of a granny gear would mean legs are destroyed in no time.

The other alternatives is to not ride in Winter or pay the massive bills. Perhaps go abroad instead and ride in dry dusty conditions, probably wouldn't cost that much more than replacing all my components from riding in the mud.

I reckon what you need is a course in bike maintenance - assuming that sort of thing exists

[I]How do folks constantly break bikes? Even when I was riding alot nothing ever broke and stuff rarely wore out. I got a full seasons riding out of my slx equipped anthem without even having to replace the chain.[/I]

Only need a chain a year? You ain't riding enough 😉

Ease up on the jet washing after every ride. Even if your bike is muddy you can hand wash it. Jet washing can bugger up your forks, frame bearings, bottom bracket and headset bearings and possibly even brakes if you are forcing the water past the seals.

What about low-powered washers such as the Mobi V17 Jet Washer which has roughly the same power output as a hosepipe and is sold & highly sought-after on Chain Reaction ? I've enquired about this several times and most people seemed to think that it wasn't powerful enough to break anything ? Unless you pointed it very close to something on full power for a long time, most say it won't break anything. It's barely powerful enough to get the mud off the bike unless its really wet or you spray Muc-Off on it.

How do folks constantly break bikes? Even when I was riding alot nothing ever broke and stuff rarely wore out. I got a full seasons riding out of my slx equipped anthem without even having to replace the chain.

I'd like to know what mileage your doing per year and whether you regularly ride in wet conditions where the bike ends the ride absolutely caked in mud ?

If you want to have a bomb proof full susser to put miles on, all year round - with few breakdowns then:

1) Coil suspension, I don't care what the mags say - it goes wrong less often and is less reliant on good seals.

2) Hope brakes, I've had two sets of Shimanos with moving bite points now - and one set outright died, the last set of brakes that did that to me were some old Formula Oros. Conversely, we have 15 year old Hope brakes on hack bikes that work perfectly still for what they are intended and were probably bled a decade ago.

3) Cheap Shimano drivetrain you can afford to replace regularly

4) Make sure the bearings are properly packed with grease

Sounds like a 29er, rigid, single or 1x9 HT for the winter would pay dividends.

So is it completely uneconomical to run any FS in Winter in the UK ? (Unless you stick to the drier Trail Centres) ?

Looks like the cost/per mile in the mud on the FS is horrendous! Makes a car look cheap to run (all costs included)!

It looks like the Pivot Bearings are always going to add about £90 a year onto the maintenance costs on an FS. (£45 for the Bearings and £45 in Labour - or a few hours work if your skilled enough to do it yourself)

I'd like to know what mileage your doing per year and whether you regularly ride in wet conditions where the bike ends the ride absolutely caked in mud ?

I have a few bikes so prob about a thousand a year on that one, not huge amounts by some foks standards.. Various conditions but in scotland its usually wet! I never washed it, just lube chain every time I went out

Go single pivot to save on bearings if you need a full suss. And as above deore cassetes and chains can be had for about 30 quid.

1000 miles is very low. Plus if I never washed my bike in 1000 miles, it would be so caked in mud that you wouldn't be able to see much of it.I've been on some rides where its covered in mud after just 20 miles!

Do Whyte have a lifetime warranty on frame bearings ? Does this mean that if I got a Whyte FS, every time the frame bearings wear out they will replace them and I wouldn't have to pay the bill for the bearings?

This could possibly help allow me to afford to run an FS all year round if true.

Give up.

I've tried giving up and going Hiking instead and found it so tedious, boring and required a lot more travelling to get to places. The lack of mechanics was ace, but that's about it.

I've been mountain biking for 3 years now and I'm NOT going to end it here and let the mechanical issues beat me.

I have not much life outside mountain biking, even though I'm still really really crap (at both riding and mech) after riding (or *attempted rides*) 2-4 times a week for 3 years. The mechanical issues are robbing me of enjoyment and money relentlessly though and I've not no riding mates at all anymore as they're all pissed off with me braking down on rides and/or moaning about my bike.

I get really stressed and overwhelmed if the bike isn't working before a big planned ride and the stress is literally feeling like its killing me.

I also hate working and the money I have to spend on repairs is soul destroying.

Seriously, go coil and make sure you pack the bearings with plenty of grease.

I'll look for Coil if I buy a new bike

Learn to do more spannering as well - carrying out a lower fork leg service every 50 hours of riding will mean they stay nicer for longer, wiping the dirt off seals and applying a bit of lube to the stanchions even helps.

A wolftooth stainless steel narrow-wide chainring if you're running a 1x setup will last much much longer than a standard aluminium one.

Hope brakes are bombproof compared to the rest of the market at the moment - and Hope will even send you some parts for free - so servicing costs may be reduced. Sure, they're a bit more of an initial outlay - but as long as you're happy not having the latest gear, they'll last you a decade.

Run a small fender on the forks all year round, that will save a lot of shit from being thrown onto the stanchions and thus the seals.

Buy deore everything for the drivetrain, except for the shifters if you want it to still feel good quality - I'd say go with XT shifters. For something a bit nicer but on a budget, I'd say deore cassettes, SLX mech and XT/XTR shifters.

Run heavier duty rims if you kill wheels....

Never use alumnium nipples, use brass ones...they last a lot ****ing longer..

Lots of little things go along way towards making a bike easier to live with. I've got over 20 years of mountain biking experience (been doing it since I was very young), most of the costly maintenance comes from people running things that are too lightweight for their intended use - 160mm discs...boiled their brakefluid and destroyed their brakes seals....aluminium nipples used in carbon rims and then people wonder why they get galvanic corrosion....200lb hippos riding on Stans Crest rims for aggressive trail riding and then wondering why they folded a wheel...etc etc

Stuff breaks.

I have one bike, a carbon 5010. In the past month I've replaced:

Entire drivetrain (everything)
Front tyre
Rear hub bearings
Frame bearings (8)
Fork seals
Rear shock serviced and stanchion replaced.

Its frustrating, but that's mountain biking sometimes. Before this got done I'd not spent much money or time on it other than cleaning, a tyre abd brake bleed in about 18-24 months.

Do the maintenance yourself. I started riding 8 years ago, first thing I did was replace a gear cable and I even got that wrong! Now I can replace bearings, do lower leg and damper services on my Marzocchi forks and build wheelsets.

You've either got to be prepared to spend a bit of money, or spend time in learning the maintenance.

I would 2nd the suggestions on coil, hope brakes, packing beatings with grease. Look at an Orange Five if you want minimal frame bearing issues.

I think what you need is a single pivot Orange 29er with a coil shock, Marzocchi coil forks, cheap 1x drivetrain with a SRAM steel NW chainring and the all-steel Sunrace wide range 10sp cassette. MudHugger guards front and rear and you're done. Should be able to put that together for your budget I'd say.

Learning to do it yourself is key. It will save you time and money. It can be stressful but then doing preventative maintenance can prevent the stress of your bike having problems before a big ride.
Buy a book like the Park tool maintenance manual and get stuck in.

Only need a chain a year? You ain't riding enough

My chains / groupsets seem to last 2 years minimum 😳

My 2006 Hardrock is on the original Deore kit, Surrey Hills for 2 years, loaner bike, daughter and son-in-law commuter, back to loaner and now pretty buggered (wntertaining movement in headset, bb, wheel bearings) !

OP new groupset or min chain and cassette every year, brand new brakes £100 (xt) then oads once twoce a year, suspension picot bearings once a year max. Given your conditions that what you should expect. A new FS around £1500 is going to have cheaper components that don't last and are harder/more costly to maintain. Thats the whole point of kit like Hope, you pay more updront but it last longer amd is easier to maintain.

One final thought, at £1,500 personally I'd look at a hardtail with better kit on it and imo it would be more suitable given the mud etc. 120-140 travel to handle to rocky descents maybe. Plus spend £200 on a 1-1 session with Jedi (Tony) at UK Bike Skills - THE best money you'll ever spend on your mtb-ing.

Fully rigid 27+ or 29+/half fat and use 2 or 3 chains in rotation. I like the idea of a stainless narrow wide chainring.

So is it completely uneconomical to run any FS in Winter in the UK ? (Unless you stick to the drier Trail Centres) ?

I 0nly ride FS (though I have 2) all year round, though I probably ride more in winter tbh, as nice weather means family stuff too.

Keep everything lubed, use a decent lube that doesn't hold all the gloop - rock n roll blue for me - bearings greased as above too. IMO a GX 1x11 is a great set up for winter, really solid steel cassette.

Keep on top of the maintenance, I quite enjoy an evening servicing forks etc.

My chains / groupsets seem to last 2 years minimum

There's a surprise eh? You've no time to ride your bike, always on here spouting nonsense.

Learn how to pop the seals off your bearings (surprisingly easy with a dental pick) and pack them with marine grease before squeezing the seals back in place. Use Mobil XHP222. With that in them it's very hard for water to get in so your bearings will last WAY longer.

I don't ride my FS much in winter however my HT is used a couple of times a week, in all weather. 2x10 XT drivetrain lasts about a year. Pads need changed every few months, fork (Reba) goes to TF Tuned annually. Reverb breaks and gets warrantied every 18 months 😀

That's been the pattern for the 4 yrs of that particular bike and it's as good as new.

I am considering using FS all the time, as not getting any younger, but do wonder how much work would be involved in maintaining shock and linkages (current Giant Anthem)

iainc - Member

I am considering using FS all the time, as not getting any younger, but do wonder how much work would be involved in maintaining shock and linkages (current Giant Anthem)

Is the anthem bearing swap difficult or just time consuming?
Is there a special tool that makes it a lot easier?

It's OK - I was doing it first time the night before a race, so it felt like more of a difficult job than it should have done.
You can buy a set of blind bearing pullers, or use a socket set and a vice. There is one particular pair, though, that is hard to manipulate in a vice - the smallest bearing on the top of the seatstay. I had to reach for the hammer in this case.
There was a recent thread on it here and a poster [stoddys] was v helpful in sending through some tips.

If I were doing it again, strip the bike down, clear the decks, take my time - I think it would be easy.

tpbiker - Member

Go single pivot to save on bearings if you need a full suss

Nah, don't, the saving is bugger all. Some badly designed bikes do go through bearings but otherwise, bearings are one of the smallest maintenance costs for a bike.

If you ride your bike often and all year round it's not unusual to need bearings changing on an annual basis which can cost upward of £150 , if you also follow manufacturers recommendations you should probably service your shock at the same time which could well cost another £150 so costs are not insignificant .

If you get a bike that uses common bearing sizes and can be relatively easily changed yourself then that can save you a lot on pivot servicing. A set of eight bearings for my Spitfire is under £30, including the marine grease I add to them.

I bought an RRP bearing press and the proper tools for under £100 but you could make your own version with threaded rod and nuts and sockets for a lot less. Makes it an easy job, just a bit time consuming - I'd expect it to take 15 minutes per bearing, so two hours for the lot (starting with a clean bike).

If you ride a lot then sadly you have to either pay someone else or spend time on maintenance - bikes wear out. The mileage relative to maintenance may seem low compared to cars but it isn't relative to hours of use.

Ramsey Neil - Member

If you ride your bike often and all year round it's not unusual to need bearings changing on an annual basis which can cost upward of £150

If you're prepared to pay too much, sure.

My yeti was bloody expensive for bearings, but it wasn't 150 quid!

Northwind - Member
Ramsey Neil - Member
If you ride your bike often and all year round it's not unusual to need bearings changing on an annual basis which can cost upward of £150

If you're prepared to pay too much, sure.

I know that you can do it yourself and you can get bearings from sources that are cheaper than buying from a bike manufacturer but my comment was really directed at the OP who admits to being not great at doing it himself and the specialized bearing kits are £70 for that bike so that only leaves about £65 labour plus VAT and you have your £150 .

I think if you're spending 1.6k in a year on maintenance then it's not the bike's fault. As was discussed at length on your previous thread your mechanic/s seemed to be taking the piss with costs and replacing stuff that wasn't needed.
Also, you need to have a look at how you're riding and treating your kit. Sounds like you're not doing simple cleaning and maintenance very well.

My current fave ride? A Dialled Love Hate single speed. Almost full 2nd hand....£100 frame and headset, £75 suspension forks, 10 year old Middleburn chainset, mismatched wheels from a bike jumble, Deore disc brakes (well abused!) - probably cost £350 all in.
Looks shonky, but runs like a beaut. Very low maintenance costs too!

I've been following this thread, along with the sister thread about how much the OP is spending on maintenance.

To be blunt, buying another bike isn't going to fix those issues. If the OP is constantly handing over money to a "mechanic" then I suspect that is the root of the problem.

The OP also has been very quiet as to whether they've contacted Specialized for comment - I've owned Specialized bikes for fourteen years, their warranty dept look after you and are more than happy to fix stuff with minimal fuss all round. I'm on Specialized number four and it's been brilliant.

Something really doesn't look right about this thread at all...

My pulled from the air (or another A-word) rule of thumb is

£1000 budget hardtail
£2000 budget full-suss

£1500 is mid-range but as I said given OPs experience and conditions I'd choose a hardtail with better components especially BB and wheel hubs. As above Deore cassette/chain/brakes are just fine amd who needs lightweight kit in a bog !

A ss cost me about £200 all in, though I had some 26" wheels.
Wiltshire mud destroys bikes, you just learn to work around it.

I can't think of much to add.

Dragging a decent mtb through seven sorts of rubbish on a regular basis will mean stuff breaks. I too have a 2015 Camber Evo. This has been generally reliable in my view but has very few original items, my forks are currently in need of replacement, dropper post is still working, cranks and brakes are original.

I am on probably 3rd or 4th drive train, 3rd set of frame bearings, 4th bottom bracket, second set of wheels, you get the picture.

The bike has not had an easy life, BC Bike Race, various xc and marathon events, a host of trail centres, 12 months of neglect in Ireland, trips to Madeira and Italy for uplift riding....... more than 4,500 miles of not easy off road riding.

The bike is great and still puts a smile on my face. Keeping it all running smoothly and efficiently costs time and money.

And to answer the question - have a look at getting a Turner and using the grease ports regularly to keep all the bushings running smoothly through the grot. You will however have the same issues with every other component. Try for Hope of King components (hubs, bottom brackets and headset), SLX running gear and Hope Brakes. Oh and no dropper. Then learn how to maintain and lube your suspension forks and do it.

mountain bikes are heavy, slow, inefficient and, as you've discovered, expensive to run.

To be blunt, buying another bike isn't going to fix those issues.

Yes, it is.

Road bike. Sorted.