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Recommend me a decent full suspension X-Country bike ?

Impressive speed, but looks tame compared to my local woods:

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:D
 
Slightly off topic (nah...!)..but this is a crazy MTB race film of my favorite run in Meribel (in French I'm afraid, but just skip thorugh the first couple of minutes).


Not me I hasten to add :rolleyes:, but have done it many times, and a couple of times no stops...completely exhausting. The section at about 5:45 has had me off a couple of times...

Bike prices do seem to have shot up...

I think that must be the mountain biking equivalent of racing in the Isle Of Man TT. Must have been pushing 40mph with large boulders all around. I shudder at the thought of hitting a rock at those speeds.
 
I think that must be the mountain biking equivalent of racing in the Isle Of Man TT. Must have been pushing 40mph with large boulders all around. I shudder at the thought of hitting a rock at those speeds.
That's the reality of downhill racing. A cycling mate used to work a few years ago with a guy who was a weekend downhill racer of some repute. He reckoned he spent more time in hospital than at work.
 
Mate of mine did his knee on a rock a few years ago; always difficult to get an ambulance in the woods also.

Road is probably safer on balance but plenty of pals have had an off on the tarmac also.
 
Road is probably safer on balance.
It most bloody certainly is not! I'm living testament to the hazards of road cycling. There is a fatality in every big UK city every year or two, more in London. Off road cycling generates plenty of broken bones but very few deaths. I'm only aware of one nationally. When you crash off road there's only your own speed to worry about. Trees and rocks don't propel themselves at you at speed, nor do they ignore your right of way and make the move anyway.
 
It most bloody certainly is not! I'm living testament to the hazards of road cycling. There is a fatality in every big UK city every year or two, more in London. Off road cycling generates plenty of broken bones but very few deaths. I'm only aware of one nationally. When you crash off road there's only your own speed to worry about. Trees and rocks don't propel themselves at you at speed, nor do they ignore your right of way and make the move anyway.
Road cyclists spend more time on their bikes & are generally fitter so they benefit more in other ways. In relative terms I think road cycling is probably safer. I am fully aware of the hazards of road cycling, I pedal about 8000 miles a year. I don't commute by bike & appreciate that this is a factor but i am just comparing 'leisure' cycling.
 
Road cyclists spend more time on their bikes & are generally fitter so they benefit more in other ways. In relative terms I think road cycling is probably safer. I am fully aware of the hazards of road cycling, I pedal about 8000 miles a year. I don't commute by bike & appreciate that this is a factor but i am just comparing 'leisure' cycling.
Your statement was "safer", which it's not. Look at the stats. There are about 100 cycling deaths annually, how many off road? The peripheral health benefits are not disputed. Fitness is great, but death rather puts a stop to that.
 
Your statement was "safer", which it's not. Look at the stats. There are about 100 cycling deaths annually, how many off road? The peripheral health benefits are not disputed. Fitness is great, but death rather puts a stop to that.
I said ‘on balance’, should have been clearer but my point still stands. A lot of MTB riders drive to their spot also which adds an additional hazard.

But, yes, once dead you are not very fit but you cannot measure it purely on deaths alone. Do more people cycle on road than off? Possibly.
 
On road: most likely not caused by the rider
Off road: generally caused by the rider

I know which one I feel much safer doing!
 
On road: most likely not caused by the rider
Off road: generally caused by the rider

I know which one I feel much safer doing!

Obviously it depends on the roads in question and the off roads in question. I love XC mountain biking, but trails are just not available in my part of the US, there being no system of public rights of way. There are woodlands I can visit, but it's all rocks, roots and granite boulders (and off leash dogs) and just not a lot of fun. However there are a lot of lovely country lanes and drivers who, in the most part are very courteous to cyclists, so I spend more time on the (quiet) roads. If I lived in the UK I think I'd do more of a split of off road and on road (I have great memories of the South Downs way, Long Mynd and Thetford forest).

One fall on the Alps descent video could easily be life altering (or terminating), but riding through woods, on bridleways or single track is unlikely to result in any worse than a broken bone. Knee and hip impacts on rocks / trees can be very debilitating, though, and are perhaps less likely when road biking, where road rash and broken collarbones are the most common dangers.
 
I do a mix of road and off-road cycling and have done for many years. I know plenty of people that have had broken bones etc. from mountain biking but none seriously or fatally injured (broken ankles and collarbones being the most common), but I knew a few people that have been killed on the roads and more who'd have serious injuries.

The health benefits via risk of death/injury with road biking is most likely still favourable though.
 
I think it's apparent that your chances of an off resulting in minor to moderate injuries,say a minor broken bone, is much higher off road, especially if expressed per km travelled, as off road cycling is slower. However your chances of fatal injury are close to zero unless you are in the downhill world cup series.

If cycling on road you are less likely to have a crash, but if you do it's likely to involve another vehicle, and consequently be more likely to be severe. 100 dead road cyclists a year in the UK. That's against fewer than 1 off road. There aren't 100 road cyclists for 1 MTBer.

Any attempt to match up a number of minor injuries equating to a fatality is doomed to failure.
 
Nice looking bike and not too heavy, but the SRAM NX drivetrain would be a deal-breaker for me.
 
Black paint job devalues it by about £3000 for me.

Proving it takes all sorts, as black is probably my favourite colour for bikes! I think 4 of mine are black in fact, including these lovelies (sticking with the full-suss X-country bike theme):

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The Enduro is reasonably light at pretty much bang on 28lbs, and the Epic is quite a bit lighter. They are both ancient (the Epic is from 2003 and I think the Enduro is 2004) but both pretty good trail centre bikes. The Epic climbs like a hardtail and whole it's very short travel by current standards the rear suspension does help when descending. The S-Works Enduro has been modernised a lot (1 x drive train and more modern suspension) and is a pretty good general purpose bike. I've got a BETD link for the rear suspension which can be used to extend the travel to 130mm (I think) but I've never got round to using it.
 


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