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New All Mountain/Trail bike.

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CantRideBikes

Chimp
Feb 26, 2011
1
0
Hi
I have only recently joined the mountain bike scene about 6 months ago. In this time i have been riding my friends Trek fuel ex 9.7 pretty much every couple of days and it's time to get my own bike.

I have a few bikes in mind after looking round for the last 3-4 days but these bike are based purely on looks and design, being new here most of the technical jargon mean nothing to me so here is were i need some pointers.
First of all my budget is £3500 - £4000 ($5400 - $6500 for the Americans).

And the bikes I've looked at:
Trek Remedy 9.7

Trek Top Fuel 9.7

Scott Genius 20 Lt

Lapierre Zesty 714

Cube Stereo HPC Race

Cube Fritzz SL

The routes local to us and the ones we use most often, are wet muddy woodland routes with lots of roots and there are also quite a few rocky and loose gravel sections with small to medium sized jumps and drops. so i will need something a little more robust than the average xc/trail bike.

So do any of you own or have had the chance to ride these bikes and if so what are your opinions about them, pros, cons, the ride, off the shelf components and handling etc?

now that is out of the way, as i was writing this a thought popped into my head. If im spending this amount of money on a new bike are these off the belt bike setups like this worth the price tag, or would it be better to buy a cheaper bike and spend £1000-1500 buying better parts. Or maybe just buying a frame and buying all the extras separate? or am i just being stupid?

Thanks guys

Chris.
 
Sandwich

Sandwich

Pig my fish!
Staff member
May 23, 2002
21,648
6,858
borcester rhymes
Hey dude,
I'm late to the party and I can't review your bikes separately, but I will say that I love my Trek Fuel EX8 and that I think it's a "complete package" bike. It's not helium-light nor does it have a 62* head angle. It works great as an all-day trail bike, it's capable on downhill trails, handles technical climbs superbly, and specced smartly enough to not need replacing much of anything out of the box. I changed the saddle on mine and added time pedals. Stem, bars, post, etc are all great right out the box, thought not very glamorous.

My only grips are that the QR for the rear is a little funky, and because of its design I can't use an alfine, which I'm dying to try. I hate that it has a "custom tuned" shock, but I've never really felt the need to mess with it. It's a bit portly, but if you want a lighter bike you'll have to pay for it.

I know you have the top fuel and remedy listed above, but the fuel ex sits right between the two. For an all-day, non-competitive plunker that won't see lift days, I highly recommend it. For more aggressive trails, the remedy might be nice, but you'll pay for it on the climbs. The top fuel is an aggressive racer, from my understanding.
 
woodsguy

woodsguy

gets infinity MPG
Mar 18, 2007
1,083
1
Sutton, MA
Check out the Cannondale Jekyl. It has a dual mode shock that can be switched on the fly between 90mm of travel to 150mm with each setting independently tunable. The carbon versions come in under 25lbs.
 
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ChelanDHer

Monkey
Jan 6, 2004
181
0
Lynnwood, WA
Just bought a 2011 Trek Remedy 7, love it. Everything about the geometry fits my needs. Great aggressive trail/all mountain bike and the Remedy 7 has a pretty decent build for around $2,700. I've shopped and ridden most of the competition in this category and found the Remedy to be the best bang for the buck, but more importantly it fits me like a glove.
 
woodsguy

woodsguy

gets infinity MPG
Mar 18, 2007
1,083
1
Sutton, MA
I was really interested in the carbon Remedy last year but from what I've read they kinda ruined it this year. They went more xc and sacrificed some of its all mountain capabilities. Hmmm.... I wonder if there are any leftovers anywhere....
 
aham73

aham73

Chimp
Jan 28, 2011
29
0
Philadelphia/ San Francisco
I've got a 2007 Ex8 and I've since upgraded many parts. Thompson Post/ Stem, Easton Carbon bars, WTB saddle, Crank bros pedals/ lock on grips, XT drivetrain, 1x9 setup with XCX. Nevegal/ Blue Groove with Stans.

It's unstoppable on XC and AM rides. Weighs 27.5lbs. Tracks so well. Efficient, balanced, responsive. With the addition of a Joplin this season, I'll be able to hit DH's with even more speed.

So excited to ride it again this season. Check the Trek's out. They're just awesome.

PS. My bro has a 2009 Ex7 and LOVES it. I just don't ride it because it's too big for me.
 
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slowitdown

Monkey
Mar 30, 2009
553
0
antilla90 said:
The Yeti 575 is always a great choice!
Click to expand...
Yep. I have an 08 and it rips.

my budget is £3500 - £4000 ($5400 - $6500 for the Americans)
Click to expand...
Knolly Endorphin or Chilcotin is worth considering with that big budget you have. I had one of the first-run V-Tachs and Noel's attention to quality, durability and performance is pretty much unequaled. But you may have trouble getting an Endorphin or Chilcotin right now.
 
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