Hi,
I currently ride a Cannondale Rush that seems to be getting a bit long in the tooth. I ride it pretty aggressively and more and more things are starting to break, like the lefty fork recently.
It has 100-110mm travel and I love it but I'm doing more and more of the type of riding that would benefit from more suspension. I like to get to various trail centres in Wales whenever possible and ride the Surrey Hills/South Downs every weekend.
I'm currently thinking about buying something like a Canyon Nerve AM for around £1500 and keeping it for a few months, seeing if I like it and if so upgrading to something serious like a Pivot Mach 5.7 Carbon, Santa Cruz Blur LT, that kind of thing.
I don't mind spending a reasonable amount of money on a serious bit of kit but my budget won't really stretch to it at the moment so I'm thinking of looking for some kind of stop gap solution. As in, will I really need that much of a bike, and if not will I be able to sell it after a few months without losing a fortune.
Thought of the Canyon as they're a great spec for the money. A friend as the Nerve XC and rates it very highly.
Anyway, does this sound like a good idea? And if so any recommendations of decent trail bikes or bargain 2011 deals would be much appreciated. Going to Coed Y Brenin in 8 weeks so really want to sort something out before then.
Cheers - Chris
Hi Chris, i reckon I ride pretty similar stuff to you. I dont reckon you need to look past the Canyon Nerve XC, especially if your budget is tight. Having ridden a 120mm FS for the last year, it will handle all you have stated and more!! The nerve 7 and 8 are great specced bikes at great prices. The AM didnt get as godd reviews as the xc.
I agree that 120mm travel would be fine for riding around Sussex/Surrey but I've always been much more inclined to going nuts downhill so would like to see what a bit more travel would be like.
I've ridden a friends Zesty and quite liked it. Keep looking around at various deals on the Giant Trance/Reign but the latter is probably a bit much even for Wales.
Giant bikes always get great reviews but it's hard to see past the spec sheets that Canyon's direct sales model allows.
I went from a 100mm HT to a 5 spot never go back. Found a great 2nd
hand Frame , used most of my XT drive and brakes of the HT , Got new forks ,new set of Flows on Pro 2's and I have a little slce of awesome .. Great way to keep the cost down if you can salvage anything .. also taught me a lot about the mechanical side of things and parts.
[IMG] 
[/IMG]
Build cost me 1470 total
Chris, I should add that I have just sold my 2 120mm bikes and built up a Heckler and a carbon 456, to give me a greater spread of bikes, up to and including a Morzine trip.
First real outing for the Heckler last night, and I LOVE it!!!
Total build cost £900.