Hello all, after some advice on a new bike.

The misses has just come in to a bit of money and has very kindly offered to buy me a new bike for max £3000. This is a lot of money for me (I know this is still a low budget) and I would not often have the opportunity to spend this amount of money on a bike or anything for that matter. Of course it doesn’t have to be new, but as it is her money I need to get this right and I’m in no rush as I don’t want to make a decision just because I have the money.

I am 42, 5ft 11, overweight 16st and looking to get fitter and lose weight!

My current bike is a Trek Fuel EX8 2018 18.5 29er. Purchased new and had it for just over 3 years. Even since then things seemed to have moved on a bit, the new Treks have a much better rear apparently. Not really upgraded much – Guide RS brakes, X1 rear Mech, new tyres, some carbon bars and better dropper but that’s about it. Everything else is stock.

Type of riding – light trails mainly smooth with the odd rocks and roots and some quite rough dry muddy parts. Also now doing more flatter rides across hills and valleys.

So need a bike that climbs well and is good on the flat but will also be capable of light trails. I’m not in to jumps or drops.

I could spend money upgrading mine, but at the end of the day, if I am being honest – I would like a new bike. The Trek is nice, but it maybe feels just that little bit too small – not by much but enough to make me think I should be on a 19.5. Or am I just being silly spending money on a new bike when for half the price I could make mine better spec?

I know stock is low, been to a few bike shops to see what’s about but nothing has jumped out at me yet apart from a couple of bikes online such as a Giant Trance Advanced 29 3 (2020) which is under 3k and a couple of hard tail options.

Open to suggestions – haven’t ridden a HT for best part of 4 years but used to enjoy my old one. But having got used to a FS – it might come as a shock! But looking around – 3k doesn’t seem to buy a lot of bike these days in the FS department.

Oh just to add – I’m down South East just in case anyone has some bike shop recommendations.

Can you keep your current bike? Or is selling it part of the deal?

If you can keep it then splash the 3k on a gravel bike and expand your riding possibilities instead of just replacing them.

Part of the deal is to give back what I can get for mine – can’t grumble, she didn’t have to spend anything on me. She is happy for me to get new bike or spend money on upgrades (not the full 3k though).

The other option is to get a frame and build it up I guess.

A mate was in a similar situation and went with a Specialized Epic Carbon HT and that did a lot of what you want and more.

Type of riding – light trails mainly smooth with the odd rocks and roots and some quite rough dry muddy parts. Also now doing more flatter rides across hills and valleys.

So need a bike that climbs well and is good on the flat but will also be capable of light trails. I’m not in to jumps or drops.

Well the good news is that there are plenty of bikes that will do that exceptionally well for a lot less than your budget. If you have lots of road bits on your routes then a gravel bike might suit or even a very nice light xc/trail style 29r.

A lot of the developments recently (longer, lower, slacker) have been to make bikes better at downhill stuff but that wont help you at all for what you describe. To be honest you dont really need to change bike but if you want a shiny new toy then go for it.

I’ve managed to put together a Stanton Sherpa build for just over your budget. It could definitely be done for £3k max but I just went a bit bling. It rides beautifully; yes it’s a HT but being 853 is plush and comfortable – rides up hill crazy well. And is efficient on the flats. Downhill it’s plenty for all my local trails. Fits your summary well. Only issue is their lead time on frames is crazy long, but you have another bike to ride in the meantime.

As has been said, there are lots of choice for that type of riding.

@ahsat funny you mention the Sherpa. Was looking at them earlier and joined the FB group. 853 in the UK frame? How do they come up size wise?

Thomas Cycle Revolution in Colchester is a really good option. They have a Giant store in group (Norwich), Specialized Concept Store (Chelmsford) as well as the two Colchester stores doing off-road and road.

They seem to cover a fair few of the manufacturers within the group so chance of stock as good as anywhere.

In the road store the staff are amazing, helped me out no end with an unconnected warranty claim the store I bought from wouldn’t help with. They will get my business next time if I can help it.

If you stuck with FS, then I don’t think £3k would get you anything better or more suitable than what you’ve got tbh! Personally I wouldn’t swap that for a HT but YMMV of course.

maybe feels just that little bit too small – not by much but enough to make me think I should be on a 19.5

Ah was gonna say the same as the “why change” folk.. til I re-read and saw that. My RM has always felt a bit short for me – made me itchy for a change for a while… but then I’ve kept it 5 years and got used to it. 3 years is nothing in bike ownership to me. 🙂 (says the man who bought a new (2nd hand) hardtail a couple of weeks ago)
Would be hard to improve on the Fuel for £3K though – how about new frame and move the parts over?

I missed the “frame a bit small” bit..

Bird Aether 9A frame in ML and swap all the kit over? Could upgrade the forks at the same time too.

Bird would be my 1st port of call if I was you

@jayx2a – I have the 17″ UK made (853) with a 50 mm stem. I am 5’9″ with a 32-33″ inside leg (woman dimensions). I know some of the men on the FB group at your sort of height wish they could get the 19″ with the standover of the 17″. Personally, the standover is never something I think about!! I think as a result they are riding 17″ with a longer stem. I was put off by the really long geo of some brands, like the new Cotic Solaris.

I got the 853 as I was coming from a Cotic 853 frame. @Shackleton has the Taiwanese version of the Gen 3, and it would be interesting to do a side-by-side comparison – imagine there isn’t a lot in it, really!

I did a new bike thread on it here so you can see it with build spec and photos. I’ve now done a few more miles on it and I am more and more impressed for exactly the type of riding you mention.

New bike day – Stanton 853 content

If you’ve already got a decent bike and are (by your own admittance) 3-4 stone overweight, then you’re probably not riding it much (or at all?).

Go out and ride it until you knock off a couple of stone, then treat yourself to a new bike that’ll suit the riding you’re actually doing.

If you stuck with FS, then I don’t think £3k would get you anything better or more suitable than what you’ve got tbh! Personally I wouldn’t swap that for a HT

I’m glad someone eventually said this. I totally agree with this.

Go out and ride it until you knock off a couple of stone, then treat yourself to a new bike that’ll suit the riding you’re actually doing.

This too.

OP. STW is full of people who prefer speccing, buying, tinkering with bikes than actually riding them.
Sad to say that I must admit to having spent too much time in that camp (buying) recently.

Based on what you say you are riding, there’s nothong wrong with your current bike.
Why not just take a few weeks unpaid leave this year and next and do some amazing rides on your current bike?

If you fancy a HT get a HT and keep the Trek…

Part of the deal is to give back what I can get for mine – can’t grumble, she didn’t have to spend anything on me. She is happy for me to get new bike or spend money on upgrades (not the full 3k though).

The other option is to get a frame and build it up I guess.

The Trek is nice, but it maybe feels just that little bit too small – not by much but enough to make me think I should be on a 19.5. Or am I just being silly spending money on a new bike when for half the price I could make mine better spec?

What do you mean small ? Short? Most MTB’s are now more sold on length … not ST length.

You could get a nice HT and keep the nice Trek if that ticks the boxes?
Probably about cost neutral… and assuming you have space.

I am 42,

I can sorta remember back then…
I ride most of the SE on my HT including jumps and drops and anything I can find to fling a bike off or riding the towpath / bridleways.

At my age (52)/lack of health and lack of fitness that’s fine so long as I don’t do more than 2 consecutive full-on days on the HT doing big jumps and drops… if I remember back to 42 I don’t think that would have been an issue.

Or ….

Why not just take a few weeks unpaid leave this year and next and do some amazing rides on your current bike?

^^^^^

Been following this thread and there are some good points made:

What don’t you like about your current bike / what would you like to improve about it – is it just to be a bit bigger or anything else?

Hardtails are great but if you’re a bit overweight right now you might find a hardtail outs you off some riding. It’s always harder work overall on a hardtail in my experience – you want to spend more time standing up to not get battered and through the rockiest stuff it is more tiring. I love my hardtail – but I also love my full suss. If I could only have one it’s a difficult call.

£3k for a brand new full suss gets something decent but possibly a bit porky on the weight side of things and there will be some compromises in parts. Something like a Bird Aether 9A as mentioned above is a very decent allrounder with fairly aggressive geometry. A Sonder Cortex is another 29er that’s a decent price – probably a bit less aggressive than the Aether.

If you do decent to go hardtail then I’d recommend quite fat tyres. I’ve gone from an alloy Vitus Sentier to a steel Marino – but I reckon the bulk of the extra comfort has been from moving from a 2.25” rear tyre (On One Smogasbord) to a 2.6” one (Maxxis Forekaster). As a result I can ride much longer / further on it before my slightly ropey lower back starts to feel all tensed up.

I do agree with some of the points above, potentially the FS v HT being one (I am fortunate to have both). But equally a new bike can provide the motivation to get out and ride – we all know that feeling.

Speaking of which, I’m off out!

You’ve already got a very good bike, in fact if you bought the same thing but bigger it’d cost you £3200. Of course you could go for a frame-only option and build it up with your current parts.

What about it feels small? You’re only a tad taller than me and I’ve a 2020 EX and I love it, would a bike fit help? Then you could spend the 3k on a different style of bike and give yourself options when going for a ride.
That said, I’ve done everything from XC to days at BPW on mine and it never feels like it’s the wrong bike for the activity.
If yours is the 2018 model then there have been a couple of tweaks since then – longer travel forks being what I noticed most (I had a 2017 that cracked, so they replaced it with a 2020 frame and changed the fork internals to go from 130 to 140mm).

Bird have a great range of bikes, am considering building up a Zero 29 if that ship ever leaves the Suez (they have a load of frames stuck on it). The Aeris/Aether has great reviews too.

Not sure what they start at but your description sounds pretty much like you’d suit a YT Izzo?

Have ridden a fuel ex as a rental at trail centres. Was amazingly plush downhill for the travel but felt like it suffered up due to that.

If you want you want is something that will go up and down quick then can see the logic of changing

Can’t remember the model but demo’d a KTM full Sus at a demo day and that was lightening fast. Was compromised over drops and proper rocky stuff but if you like fast single-track that may also be worth a look.

Guess the hard thing at the moment is good deals are not exactly easy to find so your 3k may not go as far as at other times unless you go for something a bit less popular.

Something like an Ibis Ripley might tick the boxes good climber & descender! Stealth ad Selling mine in classifieds

I am 5’9″ with a 32-33″ inside leg (woman dimensions).

Ahem. Some men too.

transition1

Just trying to find the ad but struggling!

Edit – found

There’s nothing wrong with your current bike. Save the cash to replace parts as and when they break, and get out and ride more.

”I am 5’9″ with a 32-33″ inside leg (woman dimensions).”

“Ahem. Some men too.”

Not woman dimensions. Not “some men” either. Those proportions (as in ratio of height to leg length) occur in an equal percentage of men and women.

This longer limbed build is less common in people whose genetic heritage is from northern (cold) climes and more common in people whose roots are from closer to the equator. (The populations in the far south of the world haven’t been living far enough south for long enough).

The bike industry has mostly stopped claiming that women have longer legs for their height but they haven’t picked up on this genetic heritage/ethnicity marketing opportunity…

Back on topic – I can’t see you getting a better bike for your needs than a Fuel EX. And it sounds like it’s the right size for you.

I find if I don’t ride enough I start wanting to buy a new bike. Hang onto that money for when your bike is much more worn out and you can buy what you want to replace it, rather than being stuck in pandemic purchasing chaos.

Let’s not get into another woman v man debate on this thread 😉 All valid points – I shouldn’t have added (woman dimensions) after.

Thanks all. Very good posts. Gives me lots to think about!

Although your current bike is ‘a little small’ if you are getting by on it ok, I’d keep it, and spend £2-2.5k on a fast hardtail or a gravel bike, and give the change back as a gesture instead of selling the full susser!

On the basis of your first post, that would cater for a large portion of your riding and you’d still have the full suss even you fancy a bit of squish. When I got my gravel bike I remember hooning around on it for a year marveling at how quick and fun it was, but I’ve also done 100 mile days on it on the road. It doesn’t get ridden so much now but only as I’ve got a rigid MTB which is also quick and fun!

Go out and ride it until you knock off a couple of stone, then treat yourself to a new bike that’ll suit the riding you’re actually doing.

Agree with this, as you lose weight and get fitter your riding will probably change – eg get more aggressive with fast XC, preference for climbing, trips to BPW etc for bigger downs, …

If your bike feels a bit small at the moment there are probably things you can do to fix that for now – longer stem, layback post.

COVID tax means you won’t get as much for your money right now, new or second hand, and availability means you might have to compromise on what you really want.

If I were you, as hard is it seems, I’d probably spend £100 or so making my current bike fit better, lose some weight and get fitter while mentally building the ideal bike for your budget.

Edit to add: This approach would probably bring brownie points with the missus too!

Unless your current bike really doesn’t fit I’ve keep it

£3000 dudes buy you as carbon Neuron from Canyon but I don’t know that this would be better. I have the previous model and like it. Way better than my 10 year old fuel ex but that didn’t even have a dropper.

From what you said a short travel hardtail, rigid mtb or gravel bike might be a good second bike. I find my gravel bike works well from the door. Fine on the road more which is needed to link up bridleways and more of a challenge on easier trails. Mine want expensive although I’ve spent a few quid getting it as I want it since buying it

My current bike is a Trek Fuel EX8 2018 18.5 29er. Purchased new and had it for just over 3 years. Even since then things seemed to have moved on a bit, the new Treks have a much better rear apparently. Not really upgraded much – Guide RS brakes, X1 rear Mech, new tyres, some carbon bars and better dropper but that’s about it. Everything else is stock.

Another +1 to the chorus of “don’t buy a new one!” 🙂

My brother in law has a Fuel EX 29er, must be around 2018, and I think an 18.5 too. He’s knocking on for 6ft, and although there’s a lot of seatpost showing on his bike he prefers it slightly more compact. So I’m sure it’s perfectly ridable.

I think you could easily spend 3k to get something maybe similarly specced (albeit with less blingy parts in places), for very marginal gains.

If you want to do it, crack on of course.

Second hand is the way forward – I sold a mint Following MB with all top kit (hope, carbon everything, top end SRAM etc) for £2.6k which I thought was reasonable (cost well over £4k).

Just need to be patient and wait; that is if you’re really set on something new. Posters above recommending ride what you have are offering sage advice. New bikes are great but the new bike buzz does wear off fairly quickly and you’re left with what is essentially the same experience.

I find if I don’t ride enough I start wanting to buy a new bike.

Missed this from Chief – this is gold. Same as researching parts on the internet.

PlanetX gravel bike in the £1600-2000 range and keep the Trek (not much wrong with that Trek is there really).

Net cost to her funds is the same, gives you more riding options and more likely to get you fitter.

Go in at £1600 and get one each. My wife loves her gravel bike.

Given your position, I’d be calling it new frame time and swap out any components that have seen better days – Add a bit of COVID tax to the bits you sell on and you could be riding something pretty Gucci for a relatively small outlay.