I know this is dull, so please skip on, but it’s important to me so………..Having spent 2 years on a Decathlon Rockrider 8.1 I have decided I quite like this biking malarkey and am happy to move up a little. I am in the Pennines doing 2/3 hours up and down bridle ways and single track twice a week. I am 6’4 so am convinced by lots of taller blokes saying that a 29er is much more in proportion. I am also much happier going up than bombing down, where I lack a bit of bottle.

I have a £1000 to spend. My heart started off on a quality hard tail like a Lurcher or an Orange but I looked at both and neither felt particularly inspiring. My head says that a Giant Anthem x4 29er from Pauls Bikes gives me the suspension that will probably give me confidence going downhill. I need an XL either way. And I am fit, but 40 so hardcore screaming down extreme stuff is never going to be high on my list.

Everyone is allowed one of these threads right? Any advices?

yup, one at least

&

get a trailsy 29er HT

Anthems are excellent, and will suit your riding style nicely. The only bike I have ever had where I replaced it with another one.

My head says that a Giant Anthem x4 29er

your head is very sensible

You might want to stick a Cotic Solaris on the list to consider.

Shame you cant stretch to a Canyon Spectral 29r seems good value.

Thanks all for your responses. Having read and read and read for 4 weeks I am sort of pleased ( though a little disappointed too- how perverse) that an Anthem is probably the sensible choice.

I love the “can’t stretch to” side of this too. That Canyon looks lovely, but it’s £700 over budget! Stretch to is an extra two hundred quid right? Do I need a new bank account?

Well OK it’s a fair stretch but you know!!! Mmmmmm shiny. Nerve is only 500 quid more..

On one Parkwood looks fun and bang on budget .

Mate had same bike and ended up with a Whyte 901 650b hard tail which he loves. LBS knocked £100 so it came in on his original £1,100 budget.

Thanks again. But if the thing I lack the most is bottle going downhill , it’s the suspension that will give me confidence isn’t it? Or maybe learning to ride the thing properly.

the anthem is a briliant bike and you can always upgrade as you go and end up with a real nice bike.

have you considered second had, I saw a anthem 1 go for £500 the other day.

rear suspension is over-rated for general trail riding, it’s biggest ASSet is comfort.

the giant you mention isn’t a tear-ass downhill bike anyway.

I’d suggest the parkwood, good frame, good fork, decent deore transmission and a £200 seatpost!!

£200 for a seat post? That’s how you end up going £700 over budget! I have looked at second hand, and would be happy to buy SH but 29er S in XL tend to be not that common. Thanks all for the tips. Much appreciated and every time someone suggests something I go off to Google it. Thanks 🙂

Have you considered the trance, little bit more relaxed angles so will make the downs easier. Don’t get me wrong I’ve got an anthem 26″ and it’s rediculously quick!

Maybe demo both?

If you need to scratch the FS itch, then the Giant will serve you well.

But, £1k could build you a nice steel 29r HT… 😉

650b?
In the STW spirit of ignoring all your requirements, how about..

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_10001_catalogId_10151_productId_991934_langId_-1_categoryId_165499

Ignoring all of my requirements is just fine. It’s fun listening. What I need to do now is not get obsessed with trying to order something for a ride this weekend. Patience. That’s what I need.

And a way of advertising for second hand FS 29ers. In XL. In Yorkshire/lancs.

Just seen the “wanted” section. Apols.

I have something that maybe of interest to you and could possibly get it posted to you by the weekend 🙂

Price isn’t set in stone and will leave you money left over in your budget for upgrades should you wish.

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/fs-orange-clockwork-s-29er-xl

Email in profile, thanks.

Got that exact bike, it’s a climber more than it’s a descender, very comfortable, good basis for upgrading on as bits wear out.

I don’t ride it all the time, it’s very good but lacks a certain soul, unlike my singlespeed fully rigid, which is just so much more involving to ride, but it’s not the bike to take to say the peak district.

But if the thing I lack the most is bottle going downhill , it’s the suspension that will give me confidence isn’t it?

I doubt it.

follow someone a bit better than you so you can watch a line.

alternatively, don’t get hung up on it, ride what you enjoy and let it come when it’s ready. don’t be hard on yourself for no purpose.

Just to finish this off. I bought the Anthem 29er on Wednesday. Have ridden it every day and I can’t believe how much I love it already. It feels really stable, walks over things I have scrabbled on before, and I seem to have picked up stupid levels of confidence going downhill. I knocked 30 seconds off an 8 minute descent first time out. I am moving around the bike more ( because it feels stable?) just all good really. So thanks for the tips and taking the time to feedback, it’s all much appreciated.

Yes it’s a gate. Yes I could have bought something cooler and lighter. But the 29 inch wheels really suit me at 6’4 and I just feel that for the money, and for what I wanted it to do, it was probably the right thing. Thanks all.

good result!

I’m 6ft 2 (big bird) and I have the giant anthem X4 29er, and I’m more of a climber than a descender, but damn going down is fantastic fun on the anthem and uphills are fast as well, it’s so stable and climbs over stuff that made my boardman team fs stutter and feel awful both up and down.
You can’t go wrong with the anthem 29er.

Caz xx

Glad you’re pleased OP, well done. FWIW (and it’s a bit late) I’d say it’s tall folks like you that 29ers were built for (coming from someone 5’6″ that will probably always ride a 26er 🙂 ). The Anthem does look a great bike, I was trying to find one for my brother in law recently (ended up with a 2nd hand Camber)

I have just read this thread but the Anthem was the RIGHT CHOICE. A great bike at a great price with good upgrade potential in the future.

Nice one OP.

I’ve never owned one, but I love the Anthem 29er. The numbers are deeply unfashionable for a modern trail bike (100mm travel, 71 degree head angle and 462mm chainstays) yet everyone who rides one comments on how capable it is going downhill.

I think your comment about stability (which is probably partly down to those unfashionably long chainstays) is spot on. Some people like a less stable (I think the term is “playful”) bike, but for those of us of a more nervous disposition that “playfulness” can just have us hanging on and praying for the descent to end. A more stable bike gives you the confidence to more about a bit more, which can really make those descents a lot more fun.

Anyway, I hope you continue to enjoy it.

Get the Anthem. I have a Trance and a Lurcher. You will appreciate the damage limitation of a FS bike…

HB70 now get yourself some lessons too. Some signfiicantly different ways of moving around a full-sus than a hardtail and that will certaily help with all round confindence.

I used to prefer uphills too, until some clever chap showed me how to go downhill properly.

Thanks all for the comments. Really interesting. The “get a lesson” is something i have heard before. I’m sure its right. Thanks all.