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After many years of road riding (initially forced upon me by my need to get to work and the authorities deciding I wasn't fit to drive...) I've given up risking my life avoiding 40T trucks hurtling past at 60mph so close I could touch them and decided to try and kill myself going off road instead. First step: buy an appropriate bike.
I'm lucky enough to live in Taupo, NZ and there are literally dozens of trails within 5-10 miles of my house (there are 4 within a 1 min ride, which are the trails I would no doubt ride the most). They are of varying difficulty, but none I would class as extreme. A lot are shared with walkers, have no drops/jumps to speak of, have some pretty long climbs and therefore some decent descents. The trails are mainly packed gravel/volcanic pumice which drains really quickly, so not a lot of mud but plenty of fine pumice dust which gets into everything! I would mainly be riding for pleasure/fitness.
After asking around, my own research and with the money I have to spend the general thought is a 29er trail/XC hardtail (I appreciate that there are varying opinions on this type of bike!!!)
I want to buy from a lbs and the 4 models I have got in mind are:
Scott Scale 960: http://www.scott-sports.com/global/en/products/234246/scott-scale-960-bike/
Cannondale SL3: http://www.cannondale.com/catalog/product/view/id/31697/s/trail-sl-29-3/category/931/
Trek Xcal 8: Trek Bicycle
Specialized Rockhopper: http://www.specialized.com/us/en/bikes/mountain/rockhopper/rockhopper-pro-evo-29
I've taken all on (brief) test rides and none sang out "buy this one", they all felt good (to a novice rider).
They are all being offered for similar prices (within a couple of hundred dollars).
Like my approach to buying a road bike, I want the best bang for my buck, the best overall package when looking at the all the components as a whole. It's just there are loads more components on a mountain bike to look at and frankly my head is swimming with trying to compare them all.
Which would you buy if it was your cash?
Do I save my money, buy the cheapest and spend the rest on accessories? Do I buy the most expensive and just don't tell the wife? Do I buy the one which I prefer the colour of...?
Any help is appreciated (and I will shout a cheeky beer if you ever find yourself in my part of the world)
Thanks for taking the time to read my long winded plea for assistance!
I'm lucky enough to live in Taupo, NZ and there are literally dozens of trails within 5-10 miles of my house (there are 4 within a 1 min ride, which are the trails I would no doubt ride the most). They are of varying difficulty, but none I would class as extreme. A lot are shared with walkers, have no drops/jumps to speak of, have some pretty long climbs and therefore some decent descents. The trails are mainly packed gravel/volcanic pumice which drains really quickly, so not a lot of mud but plenty of fine pumice dust which gets into everything! I would mainly be riding for pleasure/fitness.
After asking around, my own research and with the money I have to spend the general thought is a 29er trail/XC hardtail (I appreciate that there are varying opinions on this type of bike!!!)
I want to buy from a lbs and the 4 models I have got in mind are:
Scott Scale 960: http://www.scott-sports.com/global/en/products/234246/scott-scale-960-bike/
Cannondale SL3: http://www.cannondale.com/catalog/product/view/id/31697/s/trail-sl-29-3/category/931/
Trek Xcal 8: Trek Bicycle
Specialized Rockhopper: http://www.specialized.com/us/en/bikes/mountain/rockhopper/rockhopper-pro-evo-29
I've taken all on (brief) test rides and none sang out "buy this one", they all felt good (to a novice rider).
They are all being offered for similar prices (within a couple of hundred dollars).
Like my approach to buying a road bike, I want the best bang for my buck, the best overall package when looking at the all the components as a whole. It's just there are loads more components on a mountain bike to look at and frankly my head is swimming with trying to compare them all.
Which would you buy if it was your cash?
Do I save my money, buy the cheapest and spend the rest on accessories? Do I buy the most expensive and just don't tell the wife? Do I buy the one which I prefer the colour of...?
Any help is appreciated (and I will shout a cheeky beer if you ever find yourself in my part of the world)
Thanks for taking the time to read my long winded plea for assistance!