Having been left for dead on a climb this morning by a guy on a carbon 29'er (although to be fair he would have still left me standing on a Halfords bso) it got me musing. What reasonably priced carbon 29'ers are about at the moment and which ones actually ride well?
This thread is so STW 🙂
(Hope you're enjoying the pebble)
I reckon I'd be getting a Chinese one if it was my money.
Chinese specials? Can't go wrong* for £350.
On one Lutcher is cheap and doesn't look half as FUGLY in real life as it does in pictures, and is also £350 at the moment.
*you may die horribly, or you will most likely be fine.
I love my Lurcher
😀 yes, not usually my thing but I am doing more local xc blasts than gnar in the evenings and my bikes are a little overkill. Having recently cleared out a number of bikes I have got an itch to restock now. I will look at the lurcher, I guess wheels are going to be critical to get the full benefit.
The pebble is a toy for when I am out riding and it's great - the what'sapp interaction is perfect. Loaded a couple of emergency/safety apps too as I tend to ride solo and at odd times.
Middle ground for carbon HT does seem a bit barren. Low end you have likes of On One, then there's loads of nice high end offerings, but a big gulf in between. Seems that the best bet in this area is to buy a full build from the likes of Spesh, Trek, Scott, etc. and sell the bits you don't need. Though rather obviously if you want to be faster uphill there are better things you could do with your cash.
Edit... I know you said carbon but if you want something for XC blasts you might want to consider something like an alu SC Highball. Especially at bargain [url= http://www.stif.co.uk/mtb/product/santa-cruz-highball-frame/11334 ]360 quid[/url] if you're a S or a M.
Giant XTC is good as it's now the advanced composite, which was a dearer option a couple of years ago, but it's now their new standard. Just remember you can't buy speed/skill.
Not normally fussed about up hill but any excuse for a new bike...
On the Pro Xc tweeks thread someone mentioned that the latest Chinese bike won an U23 WC round. Which is fine and dandy, but I'm 95kg not 65 and just want a light-ish but more importantly stiff/strong/comfortable bike.
It's not meant to be a skills/fitness compensator....as a wise man once said...you can run in wellies but trainers are designed for the job. I will look at the Giant, at 6'2 the highball is out.
the latest Chinese bike
What does that actually mean though? I'm guessing Lars Forster didn't just take a punt on a frame from aliexpress.
(I think he was actually on a Wheeler, which is made in Taiwan.)
What does that actually mean though? I'm guessing Lars Forster didn't just take a punt on a frame from aliexpress.(I think he was actually on a Wheeler, which is made in Taiwan.)
It was allegedly [url= http://www.xmcarbonspeed.com/Productinfo.asp?f=1327 ]this from the XMIPlay spin off. [/url] I guess it aims to improve the poor standover of the previous "latest" frame, the 256-sl, but keep the other geo similar. I'd rather stick to a BSA BB 256 frame. All of these companies are just distributors for the latest mold frame, in this case an update to the 256-sl. "Peter" from this distributor was claiming Forster was a customer of theirs. Take that for what it is worth
Reckon a 2nd hand Whyte's 29-C are worth a gander, as they seem to have a good handle on 29er geo, & if resale of other models are anything to go by, don't go for ridiculous money
Trek superfly 9.6 for £1350 is a bit of a bargain currently if you ask me - set of light bicycles rims and decent tyres and carbon finishing kit and you've got a very competitive bike for sub 2k and at 6'2 you've got 2/3 sizes to choose from, long top tube and sub 70deg head angle.
Specialized Stumpjumper 29'er or Giant XTC 29'er - both have great carbon frames and lots of upgrade potential if you buy the base models
Here's my Stumpjumper marathon 29'er
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You'd have to define 'reasonably priced'...
One of my friends saw a good deal on a carbon Felt 29er a couple of weeks ago.
I actually like the look of that Chinese frame in the link
KTM Aera, they're around £1300 in standard spec and ride very nicely indeed. You'd have to check the weight limit though - possibly.
This is mine, not exactly standard, but it'll give you an idea
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I've just bought the Canyon carbon 29er - Fox forks, XT, DT Swiss wheels, really love it. £1.6k or thereabouts.
I like the look of the Canyon. What angles are considered trail on a 29'er rather than full on race.
Superfly 9.6 +1, really like my 9.8/9.9 hybrid.
^^ That KTM up there looks lovely.
The carbon drop bar Salsa that's just launched is really nice, though also the epitome of niche.
Cheers fenred
Love my Whyte 29C - stiff, comfortable and confidence inspiring. The Trek looks good for tall people with lots of sizes, long and sub 70HA.
Merida big 9 carbon - start from 1500 (which got a great review in this very publication).
Lifetime frame warranty including racing up to 120kg rider weight.
Superfly 9.8, absolute missile.