[Andy Manc UK]

Im thinking about getting this bike http://www.evanscycles.com/product.jsp?style=60536 only prob is the front forks.

I'll be using the bike for aggresive trail and some basic freeride, are the forks good enough, ive heard bad reports about manitou, why did they put forks like that on a bike costing that much .

 

[Jayem]

Yes, they are garbage. I've worked on them on bikes, and I wouldn't recommend them. From my experience, the fork will probably work ok for a few months, and then crap out.

That bike has a nice frame, but a lot of the parts are bottom of the line. That doesn't mean they wont work, but upgrading a lot of the stuff on that bike (over time) will definitely cost a bit of money, it would be better if at all possible to buy a better bike new, it will be cheaper to do so. If you don't have the money to do that then you have to do what your money will allow of course. Changing out the fork would probably make a good bit of difference. I'd go for a marzocchi 66 SL or Light ETA, Fox 36, or maybe wait for the 07 RS forks that will be comming out soon. Otherwise, look for a quality used marzocchi or fox 36, that might not break the bank as much and the marzocchi stuff is usually easily rebuildable if there's anything wrong with it.

 

[Andy Manc UK]

Yep , thanks for that.

Deep down i know you're right, just that i really like the looks and style of it, but i recognise its got basic componants ... ill look for something else , heres my second choice http://www.leisurelakesbikes.com/ProductDetails/mcs/productID/9776/groupID/7/categoryID/69/v/f89a26ad-3f67-4dd1-8a1c-0b394b046af4

A bit of canadian quality

 

[Jayem]

Yep , thanks for that.

Deep down i know you're right, just that i really like the looks and style of it, but i recognise its got basic componants ... ill look for something else , heres my second choice http://www.leisurelakesbikes.com/ProductDetails/mcs/productID/9776/groupID/7/categoryID/69/v/f89a26ad-3f67-4dd1-8a1c-0b394b046af4

A bit of canadian quality

That fork would be more reliable, and you could upgrade it to have better internals (way better performance) when you could afford to. Other than that, it won't necessarily perform any better than the stance, but I'm sure it would hold up better. I think the norco build is a little more solid, and the suspension on the norco will be more active than with the cannondale, so that means better traits while pedaling through rocky areas, as well as better braking traits. Those things alone would be worth it IMO if the price wasn't too much different. You have a choice, you can save up your money for longer, or buy something earlier and start riding. Hard coice, and sometimes we have to go with a "lesser" bike and upgrade stuff, even though we know in the end it's going to be more expensive, because we'd get the most fun out of it by doing it that way. Not that I'm saying you should do it either way, but between the two I'd definitely take the norco. My current ride (turner 6 pack) is much more similer to the norco as far as suspension and usage. There's also a better rear shock on the norco. The components are all shimano deore, but I'd rather have all shimano deore than low end sram stuff, which is pretty crappy IMO. The high end sram stuff is pretty good, but I've had better success with the deore stuff on bikes while working in shops.

 

[Jayem]

Oh, I see the norco is cheaper. That would be my choice. Cannondales are usually more expensive than other brands, with little to show for it (the components are usually somewhat less).

 

[Merrimack Dave]

There is also no mention of what type of shock is on the Cannondale, while the Norco has a DHX-3.
I agree with Jayem, go with the Norco.

 

[Andy Manc UK]

Norco it is then.

Yeah , ive done some more research and UK mags give the Norco 8/10 and 9/10 , the only thing that may let it down was the fork ( as Jayem said ) and the weight, but they also said if it was lighter it would loose some of its strengh, but the reviews said it was a great all rounder .

So ill be getting it next week :thumbsup:

Thanks for the advice , esp. to Jayem

Heres the reviews i checked out.

http://norco-uk.com/norco06uk/templates/reviews.php?lang=en&loc=hm

 

[Jayem]

Even though the cannondale has a slightly lighter frame, it's not important at this price point, because all of the other components on BOTH bikes are such that BOTH bikes will weigh pretty close to each other, neither will be real "light" without upgrades. So the cannondale ain't going to be much different at all in terms of weight. Good choice.