Nice bike man!...I'm like that with my bikes also....I've bought 3 the past 3 years...and in a couple of months I want a Gary Fisher hardtail....I'm up in the air with the Cobia and the X-Cal....I'm trading in my 6500 Trek that I got last year....I guess it's all going to depend on what they give me for the trade in. The Cobia's colors pop out to me...Being you've test rode these bikes....I was wondering if youcould give me your thoughts. I just want a 29er now a days. The Cobia is more affordable for me....But maybe I can swing the X-Cal depending on the trade value and money I have at the time....Is there a huge difference between the 2?
Picked up an '11 GF...err Trek X-Cal!
So...I already have too many bikes. Yet I find myself continuing to test out new bikes almost every year. Sometimes I think I go to check out the always evolving technology that goes into bikes. Other times I just lust for something new. Maybe that's why I'm still not married. 
I've already made the decision to sell 1-2 bikes this spring.
So the past two weeks I've been doing some test rides. I went shopping with the intention of buying a better beater/spare bike. Something under $1k. I found a '10 GF Mamba on closeout at one LBS. Then I found a leftover '10 Cobia at another LBS. I ended up test riding the following bikes (along with a few others over the past 6 months):
'10 GF Cobia
'11 X-Cal
'11 Paragon
'11 Scott Scale 29er Team
I knew the '10 Mamba would feel similar to the '10 Cobia so I went to the first LBS and test rode the '10 Cobia back to back with the '11 X-Cal. The '11 X-Cal blew me away with how it felt in comparison. It felt much more stable, solid and confidence inspiring...keeping in mind I was just riding around a parking lot and hopping curbs.
The next LBS sets sag on all three bikes...the '11 Paragon, '11 X-Cal and '11 Scott in that order. The Paragon felt downright amazing. For some reason they couldn't set the sag right in the X-Cal for me. After riding the X-Cal it gave me the impression there was something was wrong with the Reba. The salesman brings the bike back to the service area and comes back and says nothing is wrong with the Reba. They say it's just the Fox on the Paragon feels THAT much better than the Reba. WTF?! Don't get me wrong I have a Fox FIT RLC on my other 29er and it does feel amazing, but I don't remember the other X-Cal's Reba feeling like that at all. The Scott felt good, but I just liked the Paragon better. I found myself very disappointed in my comparison of the Paragon and X-Cal after the experience with the Reba on that bike. I noticed a slight difference in weight between the two which translated to a little faster acceleration.
So I go back to the other LBS and decide to try the '11 X-Cal and '10 Cobia again. I have them set sag and immediately knew the OTHER X-Cal I tested didn't feel right. The Reba felt amazing. I had the shop do a few more adjustments on the rebound and it made it feel even better to me. It's not quite as responsive as the Paragon's Fox, but I found it to feel a bit more plush. I tried the '10 Cobia again and went back to the '11 X-Cal and the X-Cal just felt so much better to me. My decision was made. I'm a proud new owner of an '11 X-Cal.
I decided I didn't want to spend the extra $500-$600 for the Paragon since I'm still trying to build up a higher end 29er HT (I have a bike already built up, but I'm looking to improve it with a different frame and wheelset). I think if you're shopping between an X-Cal and Paragon you really can't go wrong with either. I really didn't see myself going back to Gary Fisher...err...Trek Gary Fisher Collection or whatever, but I'm really impressed with the new ride/geo.
Now for some low quality cellphone pics.
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Not exactly a lightweight at 27.57 lbs, but it feels like it rides lighter (weight was with reflectors, but no pedals ). I want to say the Paragon I tested weighed in at 1 lb less.
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I've already made the decision to sell 1-2 bikes this spring.So the past two weeks I've been doing some test rides. I went shopping with the intention of buying a better beater/spare bike. Something under $1k. I found a '10 GF Mamba on closeout at one LBS. Then I found a leftover '10 Cobia at another LBS. I ended up test riding the following bikes (along with a few others over the past 6 months):
'10 GF Cobia
'11 X-Cal
'11 Paragon
'11 Scott Scale 29er Team
I knew the '10 Mamba would feel similar to the '10 Cobia so I went to the first LBS and test rode the '10 Cobia back to back with the '11 X-Cal. The '11 X-Cal blew me away with how it felt in comparison. It felt much more stable, solid and confidence inspiring...keeping in mind I was just riding around a parking lot and hopping curbs.
The next LBS sets sag on all three bikes...the '11 Paragon, '11 X-Cal and '11 Scott in that order. The Paragon felt downright amazing. For some reason they couldn't set the sag right in the X-Cal for me. After riding the X-Cal it gave me the impression there was something was wrong with the Reba. The salesman brings the bike back to the service area and comes back and says nothing is wrong with the Reba. They say it's just the Fox on the Paragon feels THAT much better than the Reba. WTF?! Don't get me wrong I have a Fox FIT RLC on my other 29er and it does feel amazing, but I don't remember the other X-Cal's Reba feeling like that at all. The Scott felt good, but I just liked the Paragon better. I found myself very disappointed in my comparison of the Paragon and X-Cal after the experience with the Reba on that bike. I noticed a slight difference in weight between the two which translated to a little faster acceleration.
So I go back to the other LBS and decide to try the '11 X-Cal and '10 Cobia again. I have them set sag and immediately knew the OTHER X-Cal I tested didn't feel right. The Reba felt amazing. I had the shop do a few more adjustments on the rebound and it made it feel even better to me. It's not quite as responsive as the Paragon's Fox, but I found it to feel a bit more plush. I tried the '10 Cobia again and went back to the '11 X-Cal and the X-Cal just felt so much better to me. My decision was made. I'm a proud new owner of an '11 X-Cal.
I decided I didn't want to spend the extra $500-$600 for the Paragon since I'm still trying to build up a higher end 29er HT (I have a bike already built up, but I'm looking to improve it with a different frame and wheelset). I think if you're shopping between an X-Cal and Paragon you really can't go wrong with either. I really didn't see myself going back to Gary Fisher...err...Trek Gary Fisher Collection or whatever, but I'm really impressed with the new ride/geo.
Now for some low quality cellphone pics.
Not exactly a lightweight at 27.57 lbs, but it feels like it rides lighter (weight was with reflectors, but no pedals
). I want to say the Paragon I tested weighed in at 1 lb less.
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I didn't test ride an '11 Cobia, but I would suspect the frame is probably the same as the X-Cal. To be honest, the burnt orange color just wasn't my speed. I'm sure the Cobia a fine bike though. :thumbsup:RichieRichRK said:
None of the LBS here accept trade-ins. I'm guessing you'll probably do better selling on CL or eBay though.
Here's a pic from the other day next to my newly acquired 09 Honda Fit Sport.
Welcome to MTBR.com. :thumbsup: The '11 Cobia and X-Cal debate was just brought up in the 29er forum here the other day. I would spend the extra money and go with the X-Cal if you can. The Reba is truly amazing! I replied on that thread as well...Lime1GT said:
http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=695376
As far as pedals go if you're new to the sport I would suggest maybe just start off on some platforms until you feel comfortable with trying clipless pedals. Keep in mind a decent set of clipless pedals + shoes will probably run you $125-$200 for both. The pedals on my X-Cal at the moment are Shimano M545 which can be used with an SPD cleat or you can just ride them like platforms. They're heavy, but I like the versatility they offer. On my more dedicated bikes (road bike and other Mt Bikes) I usually run the M540s or M520s because I'm too cheap for XT or XTR.
M545
http://bike.shimano.com/publish/con.../product.-code-PD-M545.-type-pd_mountain.html
M540
http://bike.shimano.com/publish/con...product.-code-PD-M540.-type-.pd_mountain.html
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