lulubel
Über Member
- Location
- Malaga, Spain
I have a fairly flexible budget for the new MTB, although (like everyone) I want to get as much bike as I can while spending as little money as possible, so I have a number of possibilities (in order of price, lowest to highest):
Canyon Yellowstone 5.0W
Giant Arete
Canyon Grand Canyon AL 7.0W
The first one falls into "sensible amount to pay for a bike" category, but it has Rock Shox Recon forks (I wanted Reba). It's also 12.5kg, which is only 1kg lighter than my current bike, and since it has much more expensive kit on it, I'm guessing the frame is pretty heavy. But it's nice and small - 550mm top tube in the XS size.
The 3rd one (I'll stick with Canyon for now) is the most expensive and a bit "ouch". It has DT Swiss XRM 100 forks, which I've never heard of, but presumably they're good at that price. It's light, it's got nice kit on it, but the frame size is a bit bigger than the Yellowstone - 565mm top tube in XS. (I really wanted the AL 6.0, which I think is the same frame, but they don't have a women's version of it, so it's only available down to the S frame size, which will definitely be too big for me.)
The Giant is the bike I would build if I was building it myself. It's small - 540mm top tube - it has Reba forks, the chainrings and cassette are exactly what I'd choose, and a saddle that I probably won't have to change (I don't get on with Selle Italia). But I can only buy it from a UK retailer, which means I will need an acceptable UK payment method, and my accident compensation is in Euros in Spain (and I don't have a Spanish credit card). Basically, this will delay things rather a lot, and I'm seriously lacking in patience.
The other option would be to build something up around a (possibly Kinesis) frame, but I know from experience that I'd end up spending at least £900 if I did that, and it would take me as long as getting the Giant would.
Any thoughts?
The Yellowstone is obviously lower spec than the others, but it's also significantly cheaper. Will I notice much difference in how it rides compared to the more expensive bikes? (I took my OH's MTB out today, even though it's a bit big for me, to see how the unused forks felt, and the difference between my cheap, knackered forks and her cheap, not-knackered forks was like night and day. Having done a bit of MTBing now, I would have prefered something more subtle, though - if subtle is a good choice of word.)
How do the Grand Canyon I linked to and the Giant compare in terms of spec? Obviously, the Giant was a lot more expensive at full price, but I know Canyons are very highly specced for the money.
My gut is telling me to wait and get the Giant (and hope it stays in stock), but it would be good to hear other people's views.
Canyon Yellowstone 5.0W
Giant Arete
Canyon Grand Canyon AL 7.0W
The first one falls into "sensible amount to pay for a bike" category, but it has Rock Shox Recon forks (I wanted Reba). It's also 12.5kg, which is only 1kg lighter than my current bike, and since it has much more expensive kit on it, I'm guessing the frame is pretty heavy. But it's nice and small - 550mm top tube in the XS size.
The 3rd one (I'll stick with Canyon for now) is the most expensive and a bit "ouch". It has DT Swiss XRM 100 forks, which I've never heard of, but presumably they're good at that price. It's light, it's got nice kit on it, but the frame size is a bit bigger than the Yellowstone - 565mm top tube in XS. (I really wanted the AL 6.0, which I think is the same frame, but they don't have a women's version of it, so it's only available down to the S frame size, which will definitely be too big for me.)
The Giant is the bike I would build if I was building it myself. It's small - 540mm top tube - it has Reba forks, the chainrings and cassette are exactly what I'd choose, and a saddle that I probably won't have to change (I don't get on with Selle Italia). But I can only buy it from a UK retailer, which means I will need an acceptable UK payment method, and my accident compensation is in Euros in Spain (and I don't have a Spanish credit card). Basically, this will delay things rather a lot, and I'm seriously lacking in patience.
The other option would be to build something up around a (possibly Kinesis) frame, but I know from experience that I'd end up spending at least £900 if I did that, and it would take me as long as getting the Giant would.
Any thoughts?
The Yellowstone is obviously lower spec than the others, but it's also significantly cheaper. Will I notice much difference in how it rides compared to the more expensive bikes? (I took my OH's MTB out today, even though it's a bit big for me, to see how the unused forks felt, and the difference between my cheap, knackered forks and her cheap, not-knackered forks was like night and day. Having done a bit of MTBing now, I would have prefered something more subtle, though - if subtle is a good choice of word.)
How do the Grand Canyon I linked to and the Giant compare in terms of spec? Obviously, the Giant was a lot more expensive at full price, but I know Canyons are very highly specced for the money.
My gut is telling me to wait and get the Giant (and hope it stays in stock), but it would be good to hear other people's views.