Hi in a position to buy a new bike ,I ride XC (chilterns/Swinley)
with maybe 1 or 2 trips to Afan or Coedy so much as I think I would like another Heckler I think the above bikes fit what I need.
I'm not one for getting air so pure xc really,. budget £1500 tops.
Quite like the idea of the superlight and building it up but there does seem to be some good deals for complete bike.
Any suggestions/ advice very welcome.
Thanks in advance
Anthem X3 is a very good bike - but would stretch your budget. No reason for the cheaper X4 to be fundamentally different.
I've got a Cube AMS Pro 100 and I like it, chain reaction are doing some good deals on it at the moment or you could wait for the new models to come out if you want a bit more beef (they have 110mm travel)
Superlights are ace but not sure they really fit in with the rest of your weight weenie choice, as SL's are not [i]all that[/i] light. Though as an "all-rounder" choice, as they would probably be better with 120mm fork than the others, they would be up there with the anthem on my version of your short-list.
not to bothered about the weight just thought these are my best options for the money
I love my Anthem X - no experience of the other bikes though.
There are deals around on the few Anthem X's left if you look hard enough.
http://www.paulscycles.co.uk/products.php?plid=m1b4s1p2853&rs=gb
I love my AnthemX too. Smashing bike for tooling about the Chilterns although the frame can be a bit of a swine to clean with half a dozen little traps for dirt. That is the flip side to weight loss, hidden cavities. If you ride trail ctrs hard and fast it can get a bit upset sometimes but for 99.5% of my riding it is supremely capable.
any ideas from the evening people?
I'm thinking of a new short travel fs for next year and [url= http://www.marinbikes.biz/productpreviews/2011/bike_series.php?seriescode=QUADXCR ]these[/url] look like a good option for what I want.
I won't mention the name for fear of a lifetime ban from the forum!
I had a Superlight and whilst it was a great bike, I prefer my Anthem X, now I'm a bit heavier (ahem). It seems a bit stiffer at the back.
Both work very well with a longer fork than standard on the front (bearing in mind they're both designed around 100mm) - I run 100/130mm Revs and both work great at around 120mm.
I don't really 'get' the longer travel bikes for most mountain biking and find 100mm at the back to be spot on for bashing about in the Peak District, as well as singletrack trail centres and general XC stuff.
I like the Anthem X a lot, and recommend it wholeheartedly. HTH!