4k to spend on Trail Bike.

[kaniSS]

4k is the budget.

Mainly for Trails, downhill and road based hard riding. 100kg here.

What do you guys recommend?

Ive looked at the following
Specialized Stumpy 29
Trek Fuel

Want something with Fox front and Back, upmarket components. I want the chain to stay put when trailing, not jump around and missing gears like my current ride.. (driving me nuts)

Cheers.

[Sparx]

I've got a Fuel EX, it's an awesome bike. Riding it on the road would be very hard....

Have a look at the 2019 Commencal Meta TR, I like the look of those too

[trailgumby]

Clutch rear derailleurs stop chainslap pretty much completely. I've ridden both the brands mentioned. Both are excellent. My preference was slightly towards the Trek. I'm not a fan of 1x though as I like my small jumps between gears and I need the range of ratios due to the wide variety of terrain (Sydney's northen beaches), with some pretty steep climbs. But that's all they're selling. I'm sticking with 2x10 for the moment.

Have fun. The bikes are extremely capable these days.

[bychosis]

The Trek Remedy is more comparable to the Stumpy in terms of purpose, the Fuel EX is a step closer to an XC bike but still very capable. I bought a ‘17 Remedy last Dec and am enjoying riding it, it is way more capable than I am. The Stumpy was my other choice. I looked at the Fuel but decided on more down bias than XC.

Hard road riding is a little at odds with downhill riding. You’ll need to decide which one to compromise on before narrowing down your choice.

$4k is a very healthy budget good luck.

[kaniSS]

Thanks for the reply guys, I went with the Fuel EX 7, partly because it leans more towards the XC side of things, exactly what I am after. Also it just looks so bloody good hahahah...The package was really good for the price ($3299)

Went with the EX 7 rather than the 8 (didn't notice much of a difference other than the front Forks), I prefer to keep the additional funds for future upgrades.

Pick it up this Saturday super excited.

[Mububban]

Nice one. They are a good looking bike

[kaniSS]

Well I've spent the last 3 days with my EX 7 and I have to say this thing is bloody amazing !!! WOW.
I've been blown away.

Took it on the dirt track Saturday and it ate it up. Took it on the road with the suspension set on stiff and it ate it up !!! smashed my usual route by 5minutes. Uphill its like butter, smooth and fast !!!, The roll is endless...

Gear changes are fricken perfect. Fast, crisp without dropping 1 gear !!! So good....

I've never bought a bike over $1500 my whole life, but I won't be buying cheap nasty bikes ever again.

[Mububban]

Well I've spent the last 3 days with my EX 7 and I have to say this thing is bloody amazing !!! WOW.
I've been blown away.

Took it on the dirt track Saturday and it ate it up. Took it on the road with the suspension set on stiff and it ate it up !!! smashed my usual route by 5minutes. Uphill its like butter, smooth and fast !!!, The roll is endless...

Gear changes are fricken perfect. Fast, crisp without dropping 1 gear !!! So good....

I've never bought a bike over $1500 my whole life, but I won't be buying cheap nasty bikes ever again.

Glad to hear you love it. I grew up on cheap P.O.S. K-Mart bikes as my family weren't very well off, and I didn't buy myself a $1500 bike until I was almost 40. Once you get something halfway decent, there's no going back