Upgrading to full suspension

[adamski54]

Hello all as the title states time to get a full suspension bike. I have narrowed it down to specialized stumpjumper FSR 29 comp and a giant trance X29er 1. I would appreciate as much feed back on the these bikes as possible ie is the stumpy worth the extra $$$$ over the trance. Thanks in advance.

 

[thecat]

For us to be any real help you would have to state what your intended use would be.
eg. Santa cruz V10 is an awesome dual suspension bike. Not worth a hat full of dandruff though if you are after something for long back country epics.


That said most brands have good quality products these days and the differences are personal preference. All the crap suspension designs were tried in the 90s and mostly now only found on cheap supermarket bikes
Take both for a test ride and choose the one that feels best

 

[JTmofo]

I bought a 2012 Trance ( 26er ) last year and I'm delighted with it. Never ridden a stumpy (though my mate has one) so can't compare!

I suppose if you can get a test ride on both, see which one you prefer and take it from there?

 

[adamski54]

Sorry should of said about the intended use. Mostly enjoy riding single track and fire roads but not afraid of getting a bit of air and a bit of steep stuff.

 

[angrybadger]

I went through a similar choice a few months ago. Have now ridden both of those bikes and both are excellent. I slightly prefer the Stumpy - it felt smaller and funner. I was about to buy a Trance but ended up getting a 650b Norco Sight. When demoing a Trance I didn't like that pretty much every other bike on the trail was also a Trance. Their popularity is a reflection of how good they are, but vanity got the better of me.
Demoing is a good plan. It might cost a few bucks but worth it to get the right bike.

 

[camt44]

I (very) recently bought the 2013 Trance X1 29er and I think it is awesome- does everything soooo well- easy to climb (thanks to CTD and the dropper post- very handy features), suspension is amazing, and the 29 inch wheels are so good at rolling over anything. That being said it was an upgrade from an old Avanti hardtail so I am probably easily impressed...
Cam

 

[finksta]

Try and test ride both, I tried both, also tried a bandit 29er and a tallboy. I couldn't go past the Stumpy though, I fell in love with it on the first ride. They are both fantastic bikes, it mostly comes down to which feels the best. Here's a picture of mine for inspiration:

 

[MrZ32]

The stumpy are a bike that you gel with the second you get into it. .. They are just so fluid in the way they handle. . Giants climb and decend well but cornering fun. .. The specialized everytime.

 

[mella060]

Try and test ride both, I tried both, also tried a bandit 29er and a tallboy. I couldn't go past the Stumpy though, I fell in love with it on the first ride. They are both fantastic bikes, it mostly comes down to which feels the best. Here's a picture of mine for inspiration:

View attachment 261436

What are those pedals ? Crankbrothers something. Im thinking of going clipless. How do they compare to shimano spds ?

 

[finksta]

They're crank brothers candys, I like the action of them but have had issues. I've recently switched to Shimano xtr trails.

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2

 

[Jezza K]

Try and test ride both, I tried both, also tried a bandit 29er and a tallboy. I couldn't go past the Stumpy though, I fell in love with it on the first ride. They are both fantastic bikes, it mostly comes down to which feels the best. Here's a picture of mine for inspiration:

View attachment 261436

That thing is so sweet!