Need to buy an 'all rounder' 29er.
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Need to buy an 'all rounder' 29er.
Postby VicMic » Sun Feb 12, 2012 8:15 am
New to the world of MTB after spending years on the road.
I am looking to purchase a 29er as my first MTB in a long time since my old hardtail 26. I am looking at a duel suspension 29er bike and am just getting back into MTB after nearly ten years and spending the last few years on the road (which I will continue).
I am really after a MTB to "do everything" as far a a dually 29er can do. I live in the Geelong, VIC region and will be riding the You Yangs, Anglesea etc. I will mainly just be riding with mates but plan to ride some endurance events such as 100km, 12hour and 24hour enduro's.
Which duelly 29er best fits this bio?
I am leaning toward the Trek Superfly 100 AL Pro. But have also considered the Giant Antherm XO (nothing against them, just not a Giant person - but they are good value), Specialised Epic and Camber, and the Trek Rumblefish. I am looking at Aluminium to keep the costs down and need to spend under $4000.
Any experiences on the Superfly and opinions on the other bikes (and any that I have not considered) would be greatly appreciated.
Cheers,
VicMic.
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Re: Need to buy an 'all rounder' 29er.
Postby kunalraiker » Sun Feb 12, 2012 9:57 am
Epic being one of them, weight wise as well they are lighter then some of the carbons out in the market.
I feeltt he X0 is a no brainer.
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Re: Need to buy an 'all rounder' 29er.
Postby Gordo » Sun Feb 12, 2012 3:18 pm
havent ridden a superfly 100. ridden a basic superfly 29 which was good.
The epic is awesome. yes its more expensive and lower specced. but handles real well...and has 'the brain'. great bike. loved it. if it was under 3gees i'd jump on it myself.
The camber is a funny beast and much less racy than the epic. Im getting a new mtb sooner or later. I was flipping between the camber and the epic. Its either try and make the camber a little more racy or beef up the epic a little more (thicker tires). i felt very awkward on the camber. good for busting downhill in a straight line though. still bit of an unknown for me. id need to ride it some-more.
havent ridden a anthem X 0(dont think i would need to if it was $2600). hope to in a few months.
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Re: Need to buy an 'all rounder' 29er.
Postby trailgumby » Sun Feb 12, 2012 3:27 pm
This one is for Ladies Only
32301541
Bike on left:
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Re: Need to buy an 'all rounder' 29er.
Postby Mugglechops » Sun Feb 12, 2012 5:41 pm
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Re: Need to buy an 'all rounder' 29er.
Postby Phill_B_34 » Sun Feb 12, 2012 5:58 pm
I’ve just been through this ‘need’ to buy a MTB. I ended up with a Specialized Epic 26”, not a 29” as my size suited a small frame with 26” wheels. The rear shock is quite good, easy to dial in for your size and wherever you ride, as mentioned the 'brain' works really well.Gordo wrote:.....
The epic is awesome. yes its more expensive and lower specced. but handles real well...and has 'the brain'. great bike. loved it. if it was under 3gees i'd jump on it myself.
The camber is a funny beast and much less racy than the epic. Im getting a new mtb sooner or later. I was flipping between the camber and the epic. Its either try and make the camber a little more racy or beef up the epic a little more (thicker tires). i felt very awkward on the camber. good for busting downhill in a straight line though. still bit of an unknown for me. id need to ride it some-more.
.....
The standard front shocks (100mm travel) are OK but I’ve changed mine for a set of Fox shocks with remote lockout.
Overall I’m really happy with the setup now.
Happy hunting!
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Re: Need to buy an 'all rounder' 29er.
Postby alchemist » Sun Feb 12, 2012 7:07 pm
Others around Kona Satori, Niner R.I.P. 9...
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Re: Need to buy an 'all rounder' 29er.
Postby Danton » Mon Feb 13, 2012 3:48 pm
If you took everybody's opinion into account you would go a little nuts.
Bottom line I'm taking every chance I get to ride and see what I think.
Looking at other the Anthem or an Epic if I decide to lash out..
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Re: Need to buy an 'all rounder' 29er.
Postby VicMic » Tue Feb 14, 2012 10:27 pm
Thanks for your replies.
Well that Santa Cruz Tallboy keeps coming up. Is it really the best generally accepted alrounder? I have yet to see anyone say a bad word about it. However I beleive it is out of my price range.
I think the Rumblefish, Camber and Stumpjumper, while complient bikes, would lose a bit of competancy when climbing and pushed hard due to increased travel and more relaxed geometry. While I am after a comfortable ride (to manage many knee and back injuries) I need the bike to perform when I give it a good push and not lose my efforts. That is why The Superfly and Epic were on the radar.
I do like that there are not many of the Superfly 100 AL Pro's getting around compared to the Giant Anthem XO. Plus I ride a Trek road bike so I am leaning that way, But the $2600 price for the Anthem is a very good deal at the moment.
I did ride the Anthem XO and the Superfly Elite (top of the line carbon version - but the frame was the only difference). However they were on different weekends and I am finding it difficult to make comparisons.
I am enjoying the research and would welcome any further comments and opinions.
Cheers,
VicMic.
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Re: Need to buy an 'all rounder' 29er.
Postby meridaman » Sun Feb 19, 2012 7:49 pm
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Re: Need to buy an 'all rounder' 29er.
Postby hairyone » Wed Mar 07, 2012 10:29 pm
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Re: Need to buy an 'all rounder' 29er.
Postby Gordo » Sun Mar 11, 2012 8:00 pm
tried the avanti 29er HT. bloody flew up hill. ripped seconds off my best time off a short uphill sprint with energy to spare. maneuvered brilliantly. certainly lighter than my current bike. But ruts and bumps just didnt exist, made it so easy so easy to keep the momentum up once going. 29ers are brilliant. sold
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Re: Need to buy an 'all rounder' 29er.
Postby m@ » Tue Mar 13, 2012 9:54 am
Great bike, and unbeatable value IMO - I paid $2800-odd including swapping out the brakes for XT.
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Re: Need to buy an 'all rounder' 29er.
Postby Ken Ho » Sat Mar 17, 2012 8:50 am
I picked it up yesterday and I'm instantly in love with it.
The fit and finish and attention to detail is superb and the lack of any bob is impressive. Gear changes are slick and effortless with top Shimano gear.
I bombed my first full flight of stairs ever on my first ride.
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Re: Need to buy an 'all rounder' 29er.
Postby Muchomint » Sun Apr 15, 2012 7:47 pm
I'm just finished clocking up my first 200km on the Anthem X0 29er and have it set up nicely. We were up at Wisemans yesterday, put about 70km in. I think I dreamed about my bike that night. It was just so damned good. I love it. I really do.m@ wrote:I just bought a Giant Anthem X 29er 0, so I'm probably biased. Also test rode the Anthem and Trance 26ers but the 29er blew me (and my $2k budget) away - initially I was after a 26" dually with more travel as I ride reasonably twisty singletrack with the occasional moderately technical descent and plenty of bumpy climbing, but the 29er ate up everything I threw at it.
Great bike, and unbeatable value IMO - I paid $2800-odd including swapping out the brakes for XT.
The worst thing about it was choosing it. It was no fun at all. I just couldn't justify anything else and nothing compared for the cost, so it pretty much chose itself. $2600 for an 11kg 29er loaded with XT. Can't say fairer than that. The rumblefish looked nice though, but the $$$ swung it in the end.
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