Mountain Bike Reviews Forum banner
Cancel
Create thread New Forums

Focus Whistler 3.9 any good?

Jump to Latest
1 - 20 of 20 Posts
B

BillyMartin

· Registered
Joined
·
10 Posts
Discussion starter · #1 ·
Hi, seasoned roadie, rookie mtb getting an entry level hardtail.

I’ve seen a Focus Whistler 3.9 with Shimano SLX 12spd & thru-axle rockshox Recon for only £999(!) (not tubeless ready)

any other hardtail with SLX is about £1250+, (Trek X Caliber 9) often with a lesser QR fork.

also looking at a spesh rockhopper elite with shim Deore & rockshox Judy for £850...

the only thing I can see in the geo of the focus is it has a rather steep head tube angle at 70degs. So maybe not very good on the trails?

Does anybody know or have any experience with the focus Whistler? Is the frame a piece of crap? Or is the 3.9 with a decent fork and proper Shimano SLX the best deal of the century?

Really appreciate any advice, leaning toward the spesh cos it’s cheap and I could upgrade it.

Thanks!
 
#2 ·
I suppose any bike you can get your hands on these days is a good one, and based on the specs if should be fine for you:

Focus Bikes - WHISTLER 3.9

FOCUS Bikes is the leading premium brand of high end mountain bikes and road bikes with excellent quality - German Engineered for amateur athletes and professionals!
www.focus-bikes.com www.focus-bikes.com

The only let down would be the coil-based fork, which uses a spring instead of air. For comparison, you may wish to check which fork was supplied with the other, more expensive bikes.
 
Discussion starter · #3 ·
phlegm said:
I suppose any bike you can get your hands on these days is a good one, and based on the specs if should be fine for you:

Focus Bikes - WHISTLER 3.9

FOCUS Bikes is the leading premium brand of high end mountain bikes and road bikes with excellent quality - German Engineered for amateur athletes and professionals!
www.focus-bikes.com www.focus-bikes.com

The only let down would be the coil-based fork, which uses a spring instead of air. For comparison, you may wish to check which fork was supplied with the other, more expensive bikes.
Click to expand...
hi thanks for the reply,

Yeah I know what you mean about the stock, but I can get any of these bikes in the next couple of months (Whistler, rockhopper, x-caliber)

the focus has a recon RL solo air sprung fork not a spring: Unisex Whistler 3.9 29 Hardtail Mountain Bike 2020

im just not sure why the Whistler is so cheap compared to similarly specc'd competitors? I can't find any reviews on the bike at all, is it just a commuter with fancy bits on it? Or should I just go for the lesser spec spesh because it will be a better bike?
 
Discussion starter · #12 ·
Reaperactual said:
No worries. Spotted a great buy, with great spec. The Vitus Sentier is highly regarded and good value for money. Well worth spending an extra £200 above your budget except the only one in stock is size medium, shame.

Sentier 29 VR Mountain Bike (2021)
Click to expand...
Yeah I've looked at that bike and seen the great reviews. Shame about the stock. Happy to spend 1200 or even more for a great spec great reviewed bike that's in stock, thing is there just isn't anything about at the minute. eg The Canyons seem to be incredible spec for about 1500, even with press fit BB etc.
So I'll buy a lesser spec, see how I get on with it and upgrade the bits/ bike later on if I'm keen on it I thought.
Great shout though.
 
#14 ·
Yeah sorry for the initial rushed and vague answer but gotta be quick if you find anything. Agree stock is very rare at the moment, especially in size L.

To get what you're looking for and a good spec bike out of the box you're in the right ballpark spending around the £1,200+ mark.

Better off with thru axle Boost spec if possible for better future upgrade prospects as decent qr stuff is harder to find these days.

For now like you and @phlegm say, anything you can find would be good.

Good luck and hope you can find what you're looking for.??

Edit:- Wow worth a shot but unlucky Pal. Shows how fast bikes are getting snapped up. ?
 
#15 · (Edited)
Get on the notification list for the next shipment.
There are two similar bikes to get on lists for. Ragley Big Al 1.0 and Radon Cragger 8.0. Link in 6 weeks
All these bikes has very good forks. A Fork is the most important component on the bike.
All have wide rim wheels and good geo.
The Ragley has receive a good review on YT Hardtail Party for a frame with good rear vertical compliance.
 
#16 ·
Hey guys just jumping onto this thread as I have a Focus whistler 3.9 in store near me in my size (Large also) for €1199 (€100 more than their website says).

I ordered a Canyon Grand Canyon 6 for €999 at the end of March that was meant to arrive at the end of this month but it was delayed by another 2 months, and with the current situation it could most likely be delayed even further.

I was close to getting the Focus but after seeing this thread regarding the coil fork I’m not so sure, where the canyon has an air fork for a cheaper price. I am a rookie also but I don’t want to make a decision I’ll regret. Unfortunately I can’t find anything in my size around here in Italy at the moment, there is one store I tried a few months ago which I’m planning to go back to, to check if they have any new stock but all the other stores I have returned to haven’t had anything in. I also asked about ordering something in my size at one of the bigger stores here (which is still small) but they said it was next to impossible at the moment (unless I want something expensive).

So do you think the Focus will be that bad of a decision? Or should I stick it out the next X amount of months until the Canyon possibly arrives?

Thanks for any input!
 
Discussion starter · #17 ·
Well I am also clearly a rookie, but at the £1000+ price point a coil sprung fork is unacceptable in my opinion, as it's such an important part of the useability of the bike. No point in having a sick groupset with a rubbish fork.
What's the intended purpose? Shredding trails or just commuting with a bit of off-roading thrown in?

The Canyon is by far the better choice imo, I would order one if they had stock. Probably worth going for the £1250 Canyon 7 one if you can afford it for the dropper etc.

Also what puts me off about the focus is the steep 70deg head tube angle which is way steeper than the more 'modern' slacker head angles, that with the relatively short wheelbase think it would make it handle not so stable on the trails.
 
#18 ·
BillyMartin said:
Well I am also clearly a rookie, but at the £1000+ price point a coil sprung fork is unacceptable in my opinion, as it's such an important part of the useability of the bike. No point in having a sick groupset with a rubbish fork.
What's the intended purpose? Shredding trails or just commuting with a bit of off-roading thrown in?

The Canyon is by far the better choice imo, I would order one if they had stock. Probably worth going for the £1250 Canyon 7 one if you can afford it for the dropper etc.

Also what puts me off about the focus is the steep 70deg head tube angle which is way steeper than the more 'modern' slacker head angles, that with the relatively short wheelbase think it would make it handle not so stable on the trails.
Click to expand...
Thanks for replying.

I was originally hoping to get the Grand Canyon 7 but there was no stock available and none available to order, I managed to order the 6 after checking them daily and it showed it order-able. I have a friend who can't speak more highly about his canyon as well which is why I did go for them in the first place.

My use would be a mix with half the time commuting and the other half getting out on the local trails. I do think the air fork on the Canyon would be the obvious better option, it is just so hard to find anything at the moment so I needed some extra reassurance not to give in just to have something now. It does seem like a far worse deal paying more for the coil fork on the Focus and also more than the bike is worth anyway with the store's own markup. If I am lucky the Canyon won't be delayed any further or maybe I can find something else if I travel a bit further afield to some other stores.
 
Discussion starter · #19 ·
Bewarethe said:
Thanks for replying.

I was originally hoping to get the Grand Canyon 7 but there was no stock available and none available to order, I managed to order the 6 after checking them daily and it showed it order-able. I have a friend who can't speak more highly about his canyon as well which is why I did go for them in the first place.

My use would be a mix with half the time commuting and the other half getting out on the local trails. I do think the air fork on the Canyon would be the obvious better option, it is just so hard to find anything at the moment so I needed some extra reassurance not to give in just to have something now. It does seem like a far worse deal paying more for the coil fork on the Focus and also more than the bike is worth anyway with the store's own markup. If I am lucky the Canyon won't be delayed any further or maybe I can find something else if I travel a bit further afield to some other stores.
Click to expand...
Where are you in the world? You could order it online for cheaper... Best to support your bike shop though.
One thing about the Canyon is it has a press fit Bottom Bracket which is a bit of a nightmare for maintenance and will 100% need to go in to bike shop if anything goes wrong with it. Depends on how much you like to service your own bikes but Press Fit BB is annoying.

I personally avoided the focus because of a lack of any review or anything about it anywhere, just makes me not trust it i don't know why. I'm personally waiting for the Vitus Sentier to come back into stock in a couple months. nothing else you can do really but keep checking ebay and fb marketplace for a banger!
 
#20 ·
I’m in Italy, I’ve looked online for the Focus and other bikes around the similar price range but unfortunately I couldn’t find anything in my size. There is a Cannondale Trail 6 in another store here which is only €799 which I considered also but it’s one size too small.

Not having any reviews does cause concern for me as well, a friend here had apparently heard of them and said it was ok but it wasn’t a glowing recommendation or anything. I think my best bet is to just wait and hope the Cannon isn’t delayed further or that I can find something else of equal or better quality that doesn’t cost too much more.
 
1 - 20 of 20 Posts
About this Discussion
19 Replies
5 Participants
Last post:
Bewarethe
Mountain Bike Reviews Forum
posts
16M
members
534K
Since
1990
A forum community dedicated to Mountain Bike owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about bike parts, components, deals, performance, modifications, classifieds, trails, troubleshooting, maintenance, and more!
Full Forum Listing
Explore Our Forums
General Discussion Downhill - Freeride California - Norcal Shocks and Suspension Passion