So, I'm in the very fortunate position of being able to buy a new bike (has to be new) for 2k.
Is there anything that's a FS, available in XL, with anywhere from 120-150mm of travel.
Mostly ride the Peak District, down country/xc/trail whatever you want to call it, with a trip to something more gravity oriented once or twice a year.
Already ride a Bird Zero 29er and a Pinnacle Arkose hence looking for a FS bike.
Thanks.
Calibre Bossnut and Merida One Forty 400 should fit the remit.
https://www.rmcycles.co.uk/bikes/mountain-bikes/gt-sensor-carbon-pro-le-sea-green-2024__23304
They're a bit ugly but amazingly well spec'd for the price and are supposed to ride well.
Sonder Evol
Black Friday Sonder Evol: Full-Sus Trail Bike Deals
or the shorter travel cortex (I built a Cortex for MY oh out of spares and it worked out lighter than my carbon Top Fuel)
https://www.saracen.co.uk/collections/ariel-30-pro/products/ariel-30-pro-blue?variant=42304228229260
Another option but with the annoyance of superboost.
They're a bit ugly but amazingly well spec'd for the price and are supposed to ride well
I have an ST version (though did move a Lyrik onto it) - it does ride well (best to unmount the shock & check the suspension movement when it arrives. Some of the bolts need to be really loose or they go ded notchy if too tight. Mine were too tight on delivery. It's a 10 minute job, no biggie)
Giant Reign 2 MTB Black/Metal 2023 - JE James Cycles https://share.google/gM1JVFP2RWrdztBV2
Daughter rode one of these daily provided by work for her job as Bike Patrol Officer in Rotoura. For a base bike she thought it rode really well.
She bought a ex rental yesterday, ready for when we arrive, as the cheap option for our trip out to see her with a view to her moving it on at the end of the holiday
Seconded about the GT linked above, I got one in June, excellent bike. I previously had a Cotic Jeht, geometry/suspension etc seems similar between the two, but the GT seems so much better, far more planted, and seems more forgiving when I mess up, which is regularly.
How old are you (approx)?
afaik, the latest accepted wisdom is to avoid analogue bikes if you’re over 40.
(heart risk)
See what's on offer at Paul's cycles?
afaik, the latest accepted wisdom is to avoid analogue bikes if you’re over 40.
(heart risk)
Just going to detail the thread briefly to check this is actually supposed to be comedy and not some utter bullshit?
Then back to 2k full sussers. Thanks.
Thanks all. Over 40 ridden "analogue" bikes forever and not had a heart attack yet 😂.
Don't fancy an EEB.
Thanks for all the suggestions. Struggling to look past the GT so far, even like the colour, I think 🤔
Timely thread-I’ve been considering getting a Whyte T160, but that GT is tempting and the shop isn’t too far away to have a look
After seeing that GT, I have nothing to add other than how much bike for the money?!? You’d struggle to buy just the components for that wouldn’t you, never mind a good frame thrown in… I quite like that colour too 🙂
I think the fact that they've had them on sale for over 6 months now at that price and still have stock shows quite how bad the non ebike mtb market is.
Saracen is hard to beat IMO
whyte t140 was £2k in a few places last time I looked, but never liked the look of them (but they review well).
I've got one of the GTs from up there. I wasn't sure what to expect with it but it's been a brilliant bike, far more capable than I'll ever be. I upgraded the wheels to some Hunt Trail Wides and it's an absolute bargain for the spec.
Bossnut or Bossnut Pro would get my vote. Both great bikes and good enough to be worth upgrading parts as they wear out.
Those Saracens are lovely. Review very well.
There are some Scott Genii kicking about for £2k. I bought a Genius 930 for that recently. It rides well nice...
Bossnut Pro by quite a large margin. Especially in XL.
She bought a ex rental yesterday, ready for when we arrive, as the cheap option for our trip out to see her with a view to her moving it on at the end of the holiday
Shout if you're heading to Queenstown - I know a chap who, as a liftie, can on occasion get some freebies lift passes, and his other job is leading eBike and winery tours...
Thanks that would be great. We have a few days in the area. Will get back to with the dates.
Just had a look at the bossnut pro, if everything was selling at rrp it’s great but the Psylo forks would put me off unless they’ve improved a lot? Still think others offer better value for a few hundred more.
I just bought a Specialized Chisel Comp to replace my gravel bike.
It's bloody outstanding for most of the riding I do now.
I still have my Banshee for the gnarly stuff, but the Chisel is a lot better value than an ebike to get you up the hills quicker.
Popped into this thread to suggest the Saracen Ariel 30 but seriously that's covered. Without going secondhand I doubt there's a better-specced, (apparently) well-riding bike out there for £2k.
I was looking at the Saracen range recently because of the reviews they get but ended up with something else. That or the GT would get my vote (another "how much spec!?" comment for the GT too).
Firstly thanks for all the sugestions, they've really helped me narrow my choice down.
BossNut Pro looks good but currently running a Fox 36 on the Bird and I think the downgrade to a Psylo would be a bit grating.
The Saracen looks really good but I figured I'd go for something burlier, as the Bird HT will cover regular riding. My concern with a shorter travel FS is that I wouldn't use the hardtail much. Yes I do appreciate that I said 120-250mm travel in my original post, but hey ho.
So I've pulled the trigger on the GT Sensor. Comparing the gemoetry etc to the Bird it seems in a similar ball park, so I shouldn't have any nasty surprises. Reading the limited reviews it rides well, I imagine I'll be the limiting factor. Only negatives seem to be that the wheels and freehub are crap, but my man maths says that £300-£400 on some hunt trail wide or similar will sort that. Oh and people say the dropper lever is poor. But again a few quid on a One-Up dropper will sort that. Gotta be honest the spec of the rest of the bike kinda got me.
Will update this thread once the bike arrives and I've had a chance to take it for a spin.
Again thanks for all the input 🙂
Those saracens have stopped me looking at Winstanleys and some of their mega-offers - Hannah's write up and video on the 30 Elite makes it sound v tempting
My first thought was the Saracen Ariel Pro - I'm currently very tempted but for the annoyance of SuperBoost (which probably wouldn't make any difference in reality)
afaik, the latest accepted wisdom is to avoid analogue bikes if you’re over 40.
(heart risk)
I would have thought the greatest risk of a heart attack for the over 40s is seeing the price of a ebike.
Oh and people say the dropper lever is poor.
Yes, I had that, the lever was REALLY difficult to drop the post. Then I adjusted it, and it works fine. Dont know what it was, but it had a little play at the lever, then would hardly move, just getting rid of the slack made it instantly better. I did change the gear shifter mount too, it comes with the integrated mount on the brake lever, but I found it was in the way of my thumb when on the grips, so I bought a standalone mount, around £8, which moves the gear shifter inwards.
….
So I've pulled the trigger on the GT Sensor……
Again thanks for all the input 🙂
always good to see new bike pics - look forward to seeing it 👍
Really can't argue with those GTs for that price. That seems like a very sound purchase.
In terms of wheels, if it's any help, Hunt Trailwides are currently £300 in their sale and this morning they emailed me a further 10% discount code - FASTER10
A bit more than the on sale Hunt’s but 30% off, comes with Fillmore valves, DTSwiss 350 hubs and lifetime warranty. Treat yourself.
Thanks both, now looking at wheels even though the bike hasn't arrived 😆
I've also seen some DT Swiss EX1700 and XM1700 wheelsets for £350, so thinking of the EX1700's as they straddle the gap price wise between the Hunt and Reserve wheels.
I'm assuming the Hunt are already reduced as they use the pawl based ratchet and I think they've recently moved over to the ratchet ring AKA DT Swiss style ratchet for their new wheels.
I had just talked myself into buying one of those GTs and they have sold out of larges 😟
I had just talked myself into buying one of those GTs and they have sold out of larges 😟
Maybe get a Saracen Ariel instead?
So the bike arrived this morning. Unboxed and setup over lunch. Will take it out for a spin this afternoon before it gets too dark. Don't worry I've taken the reflectors off.
@jeffl Is that a Shackletons high seat chair behind? (Nice colour, almost Bianchi Celeste, the bike that is).
Looks really good.
Report back on how it rides eh
So took it for a very muddy local spin for an hour or so this evening. Setup the suspension based on the recommendations of the Rockshox app. Definitely needs some tweaking but a good baseline.
Only thing I noticed was the saddle doesn't suit my bum, and I kept trying to change up by pulling the shifter Shimano style rather than pushing it. Even the dropper lever people moan about seemed okay. Better than the Brand X levers but not as good as a One Up. Even the grips felt good
Only thing I noticed was the saddle doesn't suit my bum
The saddle on mine was reasonably comfortable but it creaked like a creaky thing on any climbs so it had to get swapped for the sake of my sanity!
Only thing I noticed was the saddle doesn't suit my bum
I don't think any saddle would suit my bum at that angle 😉
Nice bike though
@jeffl,my GT came with the same saddle and I hated it.Now a couple of months in I really quiet like it.Give it a 100 miles and see how you feel then.
Might benefit from a longer dropper post on that?
Looks like an unusually large amount of post showing.
Yeah I'm fairly tall. Dropper is only 200mm, got a 240mm on the other bike so may swap them over at some point.
Did pop an old Charge Spoon on the bike though, much comfier.
WTB Saddles do take a while to bed in in my experience.Shows they're well made IMHO.
I’ve just spent slightly more (£2.5k) on the last of the Orange Stage Evos at Winstanleys - looking forward to giving it a ride next week (along with my new Exposure light!) 😁👍