Hello all, as the title states I am new to mountain biking on trails. I currently have an old +/- 25 year old Trek 820 with no suspension, still in great shape as I really only road it in the street. Recently, went trail riding with a friend which opened my eyes to how lacking my current bike is especially at my age (52). I had a blast, even though my forearms took a beating. So, I am starting to look for a new bike. First of all, holy crap!! Things have changed, disc brakes and all the variations of shocks, droppers, etc., is totally overwhelming. As such, I went down the rabbit hole of Youtube videos, best bikes in certain price ranges and full suspension vs hardtail. While I have now recovered from the sticker shock, I believe I have narrowed down my choices to 3-4 bikes and would like to run them past the knowledge of the forum members as I have always found the best advise from members when researching anything specific like this.
So to set the stage, for now I would be mainly riding trails blue and black diamonds. I am 5'11" 180lbs and in good physical condition (lots of Peloton riding). Basically I am looking for an all around bike, either hard tail or FS, with a @ $2k budget for the bike. I have a short list consisting of 3 Canyon bikes , Spectral 5, Neuron 6 and Stoic 4 and also like the Polygon Siskiu T8. What do you think about these bikes, keeping in mind that at some point, as I have read, I will be upgrading parts as time goes on. Obviously, I want to start with a good overall frame that has that ability.
If there are any other bikes that I should consider, I would appreciate the advise. In addition, what else should I be looking for, I know pedals and helmet, but I would appreciate some guidance there as well.
Thank you all in advance
Chris.
Hey Chris, you're on the right track but I'll definitely make a few reccos for 2k. As well as link my min max spread sheet at the bottom for you to peruse over MSRP values.
Firstly I will say, Canyon is a decent brand but when it comes to D2C warranty experiences I'd probably at least recommend YT as they have showroom distros in Bentonville and California. Polygon is also an ok option with a large distro in Cali and a vastly improving CS department. For Canyon its super hit or miss, particularly in the US. Not sure why or if they have a solid distro here. But I feel compelled to mention it, and if you are gonna go Canyon I'd probably just consider the hardtail as less moving parts equals less complications and I see the big bikes crack more than the hardtail. Not that you're most likely to ride any bike to the point of failure.
Some sales have recently ended as brands gear up for the holidays, but some holiday sales will certainly show up... So maybe be patient and keep an open mind towards Jan 1st. Polygon T8 is indeed one of the most common and better values to sneak in at 2k. But as long as these sales are up I HIGHLY recommend a Giant Trance as a very similar bike but through a bike shop from a major brand, from BicycleWarehouse.com (link below). Jenson is also still blowing out stock so depending on your size, there are a lot of options there. I'd highly recommend one of the Marin Rift Zones. Also a Marin San Quentin 3 hardtail is a GREAT alternative to a Canyon Stoic that leads to bike shop support, in country. Even a Trek Roscoe 6 is a very solid value to get started in MTBing, if you can find one in stock locally.
Few more options, Haro also just released their budget bikes just sneaking in under 2k with the Daley 3. Norco has great hardtails on sale (Torrents) under 2k that are decent alternatives to the Stoic and Marin. And Giant has a decent hardtail if you want to save money for now akin to the Roscoe, in the Fathom 2.
https://bicyclewarehouse.com/products/trance-2-29er-mountain-bike?variant=40082439766118
https://bicyclewarehouse.com/products/giant-trance-x-3-full-suspension-mountain-bike?variant=40082445566054
tl;dr get a Giant Trance (29 or 27) from BicycleWarehouse.com instead of a Polygon/Canyon
Thanks so much for the response. Lots of good information and things to consider. Since I made the initial post, I have been looking at the Marin Rift Zone 2 after watching the video put out by our forum, Vital MTB. All riders who tested a number of budget bikes liked the Marin over most other bikes. not sure I like the 2025 color scheme though. Will try to find a 2024 leftover. I did look at the Roscoe 7 in a local shop, they didn't have the 8 in stock and the guys in the shop were very helpful. As fate would have it, my friend was also there buying a new FS Fuel ex 5 that they had a great sale on. Just curious on your opinion on both the Marin and Trek fuel ex 5. Thanks again for your input.
Chris
With that EX 5, the entry level Treks, there are some cut corners in general but for a beginner MTBer its not a make or break outside of the general idea of... Getting better value elsewhere. But especially at higher weights that Xfusion shock is nothing to write home about. As for the Marins, they really do try their best to scare some peopel away with the color schemes. Definitely prefer the previous version but they're both just okay. If Jenson doesn't have your size, you can try a general google shopping search or local bike shop search. Otherwise I'd go Giant Trance or Polygon T8 and call it a day.
Again, at those higher weights... stuff like an Xfusion shock or Recon fork as well as weaker brakes or drivetrain like SRAM SX or 2 piston Tektros or whatever... It's just more of a liability. If it can be avoided, it should be. Try to at least get Deore or NX drivetrain, 4 piston brakes, a base Deluxe shock at least and like a Bomber Z2 or Rockshox 35 fork. Just to maximize your value and not run into situations of needing/wanting upgrades.
Appreciate the quick response PigPen. I will definitely keep those things in mind. And is it me, or am I getting a vibe that you like the Giant Trance at this pricepoint...Hahaha. Again, thanks for all the points!
its just the only choice with no 'compromise' really.
outside of grabbing a nice hardtail like marin san quentin 3.
So just as a follow up, I decided to go with the Trace 1 for $400 more as it came with the fox front shocks and the SLX crankset and the hematite color looked awesome in person. Thanks again for your guidance.
absolutely solid choice. SLX and Fox will feel amazing up the mountain and down.
Just for the sake of info, I want to point out that Canyon does have a US demo center in Carlsbad, CA. I don't know if it's actually a distribution warehouse, though. They have also just teamed with REI for service support: https://www.vitalmtb.com/community/iceman2058/blog/10/30/2024/entry/126981
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