Your Next Bike

[Hz-Lab]

A thread to discuss the bike you next plan on purchasing, bounce Ideas off each other and so on and so forth....


Ok, as Adelaide has only just been graced with some Cube dealers I am currently waiting for my bike store to get in one of these puppies....



It's a 2011 Cube Stereo Pro.. I wanted the Carbon version but the Aus distributers are not planning to bring that model in, probably a blessing in disquise as I'm pretty rough with my bikes.

It's a 150mm Travel bike with the ability to be adjusted to a shorter 120mm, It's not a downhiller, it's not a XC bike, it sits somewhere in between. Similar to what Carl rides. It falls in to the "All Mountain" category, which seems to be growing very fast. After getting a taste for Enduro racing I have decided it's the avenue I want to take and a bike like this is going to be the most comfortable. Also it will be well suited to some big weekend long rides I have planned with some mates, and also within the next 2 years I am planning to tag along on a bike trip ran by a local here that takes you through the French Alps on a 14 day tour. That's one of my goals.

here's a link to the bikes page, and spec list http://www.cube.eu/en/fullsuspension/hp ... tereo-pro/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

They are only new to Aus, these cube bikes, but have a seriously good name in the euro market. The shop I am buying it from is keen to get the name out there too so their really coming to the party with the price.

It'll still be a few months before I get it, but I'm getting pretty excited just to throw my deposit down..lol


meanwhile, we need more damn mountain bikers on these here forums...cripes!

[CLP]

A thread to discuss the bike you next plan on purchasing, bounce Ideas off each other and so on and so forth....


Ok, as Adelaide has only just been graced with some Cube dealers I am currently waiting for my bike store to get in one of these puppies....

It's a 2011 Cube Stereo Pro.. I wanted the Carbon version but the Aus distributers are not planning to bring that model in, probably a blessing in disquise as I'm pretty rough with my bikes.

Sweet! Interesting rear suspension arrangement.. I'm still getting to grips with my all mountain. just feels so sluggish compared to my roadie. But the ride is pretty plush, and they're supposed to be a bike you can ride for extended periods .. so for your enduro races they would seem to be a good choice Hopefully over winter i'll get more of a chance to actually get my all mountain bike out on the trails.. might have to join you on an enduro if i ever get enough skillz

As for my next bike.. hmmmmmm.. i had vague ideas about getting a colnago (or some other high end bike) frameset and building it up.. maybe just moving components across from my giant. I know, not too exciting but there's already 6 bikes in the house between 2 people (and Miss V has vague ideas about getting a single speed) .. so this might be a better way of upgrading

[CLP]

If you have the time or interest, there's a MTB demo day run by Avanti Plus on Saturday 7th May, 9am - 4pm

Thomas Hill Study Centre, Cudlee Creek Forest

[macca]

Well, while not having been on the old Trek for quite a while, my youngest son is right into his downhill MTB, had a Kona Stinky which he is now breaking into parts & selling off via the farkin forums, I think they have changed their name these days, Rotorburn I think they are now called, might be some info there for you. He now rides a modified Ironhorse Sunday & a Specialised single speed something for urban riding. He has ridden some comp at Kurrajong in NSW & recently went to Thredbo for some gathering to compete, some inter schools comp from memory.

I might even dust off the old Trek soon, as I have a change of job / lifestyle coming up that will give me some hours back in the day, less money but might live longer

Would something like that Cube be OK for an old fat bastard, or should I look at something a bit more sedate these days ?????????

[Hz-Lab]

Yeah something like that would be fine. It's nice and agile enough for your XC fix while also cushy enough to hit the bigger stuff. I guess it depends on what floats your boat as far as rides go. I see a lot of older guys on these 140 to 160mm travel all mountain weapons though. They seem to be the do it all bike without getting too serious in any particular discipline.

A guy I DH with all the time has a Stinky, they are decent bikes apart from the Braking issues that plagued the Kona Gravity bikes for years, which could be fixed with a dope system anyway. But their new bikes have really iron'd it out completely, the new Operators & the only just announced Entourage (which is the Stinky replacement) look the business and are helping Kona reclaim their reputation which has been tarnished over the last couple years.

The sundays are top bikes too, I almost bought one instead of my Voltage but I wanted more of a freeride bike than a pure DH rig. Shame the company went broke, Ironhorse was a huge name in MTB'ing for years.



oh, and Carl, do you know which Avanti Plus store is running that and what bikes they are taking? I am hanging to take a Scott Genius LT for a ride, it may sway me away from the Cube if it rides nice.

[CLP]

oh, and Carl, do you know which Avanti Plus store is running that and what bikes they are taking? I am hanging to take a Scott Genius LT for a ride, it may sway me away from the Cube if it rides nice.

have a look here.

i think there's a contact for it.

[norbs]

Well, while not having been on the old Trek for quite a while, my youngest son is right into his downhill MTB, had a Kona Stinky which he is now breaking into parts & selling off via the farkin forums, I think they have changed their name these days, Rotorburn I think they are now called, might be some info there for you. He now rides a modified Ironhorse Sunday & a Specialised single speed something for urban riding. He has ridden some comp at Kurrajong in NSW & recently went to Thredbo for some gathering to compete, some inter schools comp from memory.

I might even dust off the old Trek soon, as I have a change of job / lifestyle coming up that will give me some hours back in the day, less money but might live longer

Would something like that Cube be OK for an old fat bastard, or should I look at something a bit more sedate these days ?????????

Given the ticker problems, and the new lifestyle choice, I think I have the perfect ride.



http://www.cycleexif.com/mls-gravity-bike" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Barrengary Mountain Macca?

[wobblysauce]

wow ... that looks great.

[Duke]

Now that's awesome, I know a few hills I could use it for...not sure I'd have the goonies to show it's true potential though.
Great find norbs.

[Hz-Lab]

The guy that owns C.R.I.M.E. cycles here in Adelaide does that bitumin gravity bike stuff and apparently holds a pretty decent ranking in it. He showed us his bike one day and it was basically a BMX frame turned upsidedown and modified. That thing looks a lot more purpose built than what he had. I've watched some Helmet cam footage of it, its pretty nuts.

They do it occasionally just near me at Willunga Hill, which is the hill they ride up in the Final Stage of the TDU. Looks like awesome fun but like Flinty said, you'd need the Goonies to stay off the brakes.

[DexterPunk]

Quite possibly this....



http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-AU/bik ... 279/44202/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

won't be for a while though.

[Hz-Lab]

You totally sold on the Trance over the Reign???.. From what you were telling me you want to do on it I reckon the Trance is gonna be a little lightweight. From what I hear the Trance is pretty skittish on rocky and rutty descents. But, on the otherhand, if you are feeling more like XC is where you are aiming at as aposed to All Mountain riding, then the Trance will be a much speedier race bike for shiz. Componentry wise they are both Tops, I just reckon the Reign might serve you a little better.

But that's what this thread is about...

[w00dsy]

i'm planning a new bike in the next few months, i have no idea about bikes but i know it will have curly handle bars.

[DexterPunk]

You totally sold on the Trance over the Reign???.. From what you were telling me you want to do on it I reckon the Trance is gonna be a little lightweight. From what I hear the Trance is pretty skittish on rocky and rutty descents. But, on the otherhand, if you are feeling more like XC is where you are aiming at as aposed to All Mountain riding, then the Trance will be a much speedier race bike for shiz. Componentry wise they are both Tops, I just reckon the Reign might serve you a little better.

But that's what this thread is about...

Not really sold on anything yet, I'd ideally like to ride them both to get a better idea. I did ask the local dude about the Reign and he said basically the same as what you did. that the Trance is lighter and a bit better at doing a bit of everything. The bike i need, will need to do everything from having semi slicks put on it to do a great vic bike ride, to being smashed pretty hard downhill on some very rough 4x4 tracks. Probably better off getting a road bike and a more aggressive all mountain.. but I won't be able to afford that. I also just don't like road bikes in general lol.

[Hz-Lab]

in simple terms

Trance: Road = Decent
XC = At Home
All Day Trail Riding = Capable
Downill = Very Limited
Reign: Road = Capable
XC = Quite Decent
All Day Trail Rides = At home
Downhill = Very Capable.

you see countless XC Racers on Trance's & Anthems
you see countless Trail Riders and Weekend Warriors on Reigns & Faiths.
That's gotta be saying something.

The thing that sucks here is, that, regardless of what you pick, you are more than likely going to pick the wrong thing. And no amount of help will change that. I say this because Until you are riding on a constant basis again, you just won't know what you want to do. When I started, I wanted a jump bike mainly, I opted for something that would atleast be comfortable doing some longer rides too though, I got my Kona Hoss then, Now though, that bike doesn't really suit me for any form of Riding I like. It's capable yes, but not ideal. I didn't know that then though, and no matter what you think you want from your bike, it will be different in 6 months. I then discovered downhill, so I got a Downhill bike. Then I wished I had a bike I could pedal up, and then bomb down on, which is what the Cube will be for me. But even then it will be limited in the Downhill department.

But after a year of trying out all these disciplines, I am still only just getting an Idea of the type of riding I enjoy the most. And I rode when I was younger too, and that was totally irrelevant to my choices now. But, Going back now, knowing what I know now, I personally would of bought something like a Reign, it is a whole lot of bike for around the 2k mark and will basically be very suitable to do any kind of riding you want. With the adjustable suspension you can almost lock it out and its fine on Roads. I was amazed at how easy my mates Reign was to ride just around the block. It was much more efficient than my Hardtail even.

Daunting descision, but I know another guy who wanted to do a bit of everything on his bike, and we tried to push him towards something around the 140-150mm travel mark, but he was talked in to a 120mm trail/XC bike by the guys in the bike shop. He comes with us when we XC, but when we Downhill his bike is just not up to it, And that was one of the things he mainly wanted to do to begin with. The guys in his bike shop told him it would be awesome for Downhill... I think sometimes they assume 1st time buyers either are stupid, or really don't know what they want and try and make the descisions for them.

[DexterPunk]

Yeah for sure... and the end of the day they are salesmen. Wouldn't trust them as far as I can throw them... Because I am one. The only advantage is I'm a bit more in tune to their tricks. Downhill is something that interests me a lot... but It's something I'm rarely going to get the chance to do. So long as the bike is capable, I'd be fairly happy.

Plenty of time to look around, i'm not even seriously looking right now. I have no intention of buying until near the end of this year/start of next.

PS. those Cube bikes worth while looking into for what i'd be looking for? Or too pricey?

[Hz-Lab]

Yeah for sure... and the end of the day they are salesmen. Wouldn't trust them as far as I can throw them... Because I am one. The only advantage is I'm a bit more in tune to their tricks. Downhill is something that interests me a lot... but It's something I'm rarely going to get the chance to do. So long as the bike is capable, I'd be fairly happy.

Plenty of time to look around, i'm not even seriously looking right now. I have no intention of buying until near the end of this year/start of next.

PS. those Cube bikes worth while looking into for what i'd be looking for? Or too pricey?

They are up there in price, The one I am looking at Retails at about $3900 in Aus, I'm pretty confident I'll get it for around 3k though. But thats sort of Middle to Low end of what Cube offers. They also don't bring bugger all of their bikes in to Aus either, but that is apparently changing with their 2012 range. To be honest with you, It's probably not that much of a better bike than something like a Reign, I have just always been a fan of Cube Mountain Bikes and now they are finally available in Aus, I want one.

Some brands have a certain amount of reputation that warrants an inflated price too. I am sure the same goes in the Road bike world. Pivot & Santa Cruz are 2 brands that come to mind with MTB's who, for similarly spec'd bikes to their competion, generally charge about a thousand dollars more. They can do this because their build quality is insane, and their Geometry is always spot on. To the average punter it doesn't mean shit, but to the serious racers, it's peace of mind.

I'm far from a serious racer though but I kind of want it for that Wank Factor...lol... I just wish it didn't have Red on it.

[DexterPunk]

gotta love a bit of wank factor when big boys toys are concerned.





...not talking about fleshlights.

[Hz-Lab]

lol. Have you looked at anything apart from the Giants? it's hard to get better Value than a Giant though, their componentry for $ is far better than any competitor, I suppose with the buying power they have, they can do that though.

I tell you what, do some ringing around or some research and see if you can find some stores with some Gary Fisher bikes laying around. Gary Fisher Bikes have been part of Trek for years now but only recently have Trek decided to drop the Brand and instead introduce a "Gary Fisher series" range to their own brand. As a result there are a lot of '09 & '10 Gary Fisher bikes floating around going at stellar prices. I have seen "Roscoe's" go for the very low 2k mark, they are a 140-150mm travel bike from memory but come equiped with some very gutsy gear on them. I think they originally retailed over 4.5k or something. These are the bargains you need to hunt for. http://www.bikeexchange.com.au" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; is also a top place to hunt for bikes and also give you a fair idea of the going rate for the bike you want as not to get shafted.

Keep in mind though, Always haggle, and don't be afraid to walk out and come back. It took me 3 or 4 weeks of going back and forth to get my DH bike for 2.2k, it had 3.4k on the price tag on the showroom floor.

[DexterPunk]

yeah only Giants so far.. thanks heaps for the linky.. ill check that out. Haggling is something im not afraid to do.

[Duke]

Alright enough MTB talk for now.
I have this in mind for my next bike, if I ever get the dosh together.
Thinking I'll attack it in 2 stages, buy the lower spec'd Dura-Ace or even Ultegra model first then add Shimano Di2 (electronic shift) later given every model is compatible for Di2 internal housing.

Copy of Scott Foil R1.jpg

See the whole range: http://www.scott-sports.com/gb_en/foil/foil_2011" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[norbs]

Probably...

[CLP]

Thinking I'll attack it in 2 stages, buy the lower spec'd Dura-Ace or even Ultegra model first then add Shimano Di2 (electronic shift) later given every model is compatible for Di2 internal housing.

there's been continual rumours of an Ultegra version of Di2 in the pipeline.. maybe worth going the ultegra model and waiting for the ultegra Di2?

[Duke]

Thinking I'll attack it in 2 stages, buy the lower spec'd Dura-Ace or even Ultegra model first then add Shimano Di2 (electronic shift) later given every model is compatible for Di2 internal housing.

there's been continual rumours of an Ultegra version of Di2 in the pipeline.. maybe worth going the ultegra model and waiting for the ultegra Di2?

Yep I've been hearing the same but can't find anything concrete on any of the usual sources.
Rumour of Fact it is the way of the future now, Di2 has proven it's stable & robust enough now for mass market distro.

[CLP]

Rumour of Fact it is the way of the future now, Di2 has proven it's stable & robust enough now for mass market distro.

You could always wait for the Campagnolo version too.. they look pretty slick

I'm a bit curious about the electronic shifting systems.. but dunno if i'd make the leap. not being a racer, i'd figure that the benefits would be restricted to more reliability and additional bling factor. $2000+ is a lot of coin for those two! Pity the Mavic systems never took off when they were first introduced in the 90's ... we could have all had electronic shifting by now! :P