[Closed] Full Suss trail bike advice: canyon, YT, spesh, zesty?

Well I have a Zesty and think it's great. Not ridden any of the others though

A few years ago I imported a frame from the US. I got charged shipping + 11% import duty + VAT. It still made it cheaper than here, but only marginally. Unless it was a steal I'd rather have the backup from a UK warranty.

Those YT bikes are remarkable value for money - the geometry looks standard for a trail bike, its got excellent spec for the money, and if you get one you can give the rest of a us a review before we buy one!

On looks alone the YT beats the Canyon; the Canyon graphics and colours are utter gash whereas the YT looks pretty classy I'd say. I also prefer the YT's suspension linkage design rather than the rockers on the Canyon. Great VFM at just shy of £1400 but my German language is non-existent so I can't work out shipping costs ...is it 49,90E with an optional 14,90E insurance?

But you'd probably do better buying 2nd hand if you don't mind the hassle of looking, negotiating etc. A nice Zesty or Stumpy Pitch would serve you well.

Zesty one of the best rides around

Zesty's do not suite tall people with long legs - seat tube angle very slack.

🙂 don't forget to fit reverb 🙂

I'd be adding the Specialised Camber to the list if you were considering last years Stumpjumper?

Very similar spec levels, with some models within your budget.

Having said that ... If I was buying personally right now I'd be jumping on the Lapierre bandwagon as well. the spicy 216 / Zesty 214 are within your budget, or you could always utilise one of the finance options if you wanted to go a higher spec (www.welovelapierre.com)

Theres always bargains coming up on here for very tidy examples as well ...

Zesty's do not suite tall people with long legs - seat tube angle very slack.

Sorry to hijack the post here but what is a good geometry for a tall long legged freak like myself? I'm not looking to change my bike but if I did I was thinking of going for a Zesty.

I am 5' 8" and a 1/2 (the half is important) with 30inch inside leg so I cannot answer that question 🙂 Got to know over the years what suits me. Cant think why a large or extra large wouldnt suit a long legged guy?

GiantJaunt - Member

Sorry to hijack the post here but what is a good geometry for a tall long legged freak like myself? I'm not looking to change my bike but if I did I was thinking of going for a Zesty.

the zesty/spicy have a bent-back seat tube, so the saddle moves back as you raise the saddle up to a 'lanky' setting.

(lots of other frames have this too - it's very annoying)

this means you have more weight over the rear wheel, which makes climbing a real bugger.

(more weight over the rear wheel means less weight over the front wheel, this means the front wheel will lift and wander on climbs)

i didn't buy a spicy for this reason.

i would suggest that lanky people (like me: 36" inside leg) are better off on a frame with a straight seat tube. - and the steeper the better.

(see Ragley blue pig - it's not light, but it climbs very well - mostly due to the steep seat tube)

Jakey: the new Boardman Full-bounce might just be the bargain of the century.

like the look of the YT thingy. only two sizes though...

Boardman.

ChunkyMTB has hit the nail on the head.

The Boardman is not an obvious choice until someone mentions it, but all reviews that I have read are overwhelmingly +ve and the VFM is incredible when you look at the spec.

36 inch inside leg! Feeling very short :-s Take your point though. Can you run a reversed lay back seat post to counter this? Slightly mad suggestion maybe. Taking a saver or two out would put more weight over the front as wel. Best to try before you buy. Like I said, great bike with superb ride.

Pawsy_Bear - Member
Can you run a reversed lay back seat post to counter this?

no i couldn't - it would look stupid (probably work though)

i simply bought a bike that had a normal, straight, seat-tube.

I like the look of the YT although I'm not sure its [i]Sitzwinkel[/i] is to my liking.

Jambon - Member
Zesty's do not suite tall people with long legs - seat tube angle very slack.

I'm a tall-ish (6ft 1) long legged (34") sort of chap with arms like a baboon and my XL Zesty seems to fit fine, though I do run the seat well forward on the rails. Mind you, I rode it into a tree the other week and knackered my ribs and collar bone so the love affair with my new french friend is in a more challenging phase...

And yes I know it wasn't the bikes fault, but I have to blame someone and the tree is bigger than me.

Ouch.
😳

Buy the right size and the seat would be in the right place surely? It's only an issue if you buy a small size and run the sear right at the limit?

I've got a Pitch, it's ace, but too much bike for riding round here, I did a 25 mile loop today and didn't brake once on the decents except the last one where the shrubs have made it elbow width so it would have been bye bye walkers if I'd met anyone, otherwise it would have been flat out. On the hardtail it's probably not much slower, but I'd be brakeing for comfort to stop my eyes rattling out of my head!

hi guys, thanks for all the advice.
However....I've gone against all of your advice and bought the canyon nerve am 5!.... will review soon in two weeks when it arrives. one thing that put me off the YT is that the lead time was huge so wouldnt get it for ages.

I'd add a Giant Trance to your shortlist, places such as Pauls cycles usually do good discounts on last years models so you'll get better spec for your cash. The Camber looks good but the cheapest one looks a bit too compromised on the spec front.

If I were buying a bike right now for that budget then the Spesh Camber would be at the top of my list.

Fopster know where your coming from. Zesty is frighteningly fast to accelerate and carry it's speed. Hope you recover quickly. Zesty is a great bike to ride.

How on earth is a 73deg seat angle "very slack"? 😕

Depends how you define it, if 73deg is the imaginary line between the BB ans the seat collar then the post itself is at say 60deg then by the time it's at full extension the effective angle between the seat and BB will be very slack.

The problem is designers like bent tubes because they mena you can have the shock in the right place without huge ammounts of extra aluminium holding it, and the rear wheel can be made to move in a different way, most bike the travel is limited by the rear wheel hiting the seatpost/seat tube/saddle.

Fair enough, I get what you're saying but is it **** at 60deg, 68 maybe.

The new Boardman FS.

I was lucky enough to grab a 2010 stumpy fsr comp for £1300 and it is superb, all the bike i need, very nearly went for a Camber after i rode one though, great bikes.
Mate has a pitch pro and again ive ridden it and its a cracking bike, could live with any of them personally although they all have different traits/ weights etc.

Boardman and £400 for clothing or if you must, to tart up the bike, for example if you must have "name" bars, stem or a specific pedal type. From what I have seen unless I could buy at over £2K it would appear that the Boardman is the only choice (for me anyway).

I do wonder how long there will be mediums available this year? Though the fact that Boardman run 2 year cycles should well mean that at least there will be follow up production at some point in time. I shall be saving my pennies for one anyway.