sa-shooter

So I am happy to report that I have pulled the trigger on the Titan Skyrim 🙂. I'm excited to get riding and will report back in a few months with my findings. Thanks to all for inputs and advice.

This is very informative, thank you! I have been thinking about this aspect for a few days and I am cautious about falling into the "but it's better" mindset. At my level and experience, I dont know if I would know, feel or benefit from these updated specs for my application. I acknowledge that it certainly is better but will marginal improvements help me at this stage of riding. I've been off the bike for about 5 years and I have a bunch of re-learning to do. My main concern with the Skyrim is the extra travel that I would need to contend with on climbs. It is reportedly also heavier. On the other hand it is more modern afterall so perhaps the geo makes a difference that negates the difference in climbing ability. This is me just thinking out loud, as they say. I have a few days still to make a choice so I still have time.

Thanks for this. I am relatively sure that I should be a large and every opinion that I have gotten has said that I should be a large, I just get anxious about choosing the correct size. I have lower back issues that I am working through so I think leaning toward the longer side is probably the better option anyway.

Looking at it again now, I don't know. I've spoken to a number of bike shops now and all of them sugest a size large. The chart on the Titan website suggests that I fall in a large. On the Giant I am 100% sure that I would need a large but sizes between manufacturers vary so much when I looked at the numbers over the weekend. Perhaps I could fit in a Medium Titan after all

Thanks. I saw this one this afternoon. Sadly it's the wrong size.

I have been keeping a close eye on the used bikes section for the last 3 weeks but it seems flooded with XC bikes and fewer trail bikes (in the price range that I am looking at). I don't have a problem with a used bike, just worried about the financial implications of getting the suspension looked at if a service is then needed. But I still have a few days to decide so I'm keeping my options open.

The Trance is what I really want and I looked hard to find a good used one in my budget. I'll probably upgrade to it in the future but the price tag makes it out of reach at the moment. Thus I settle for the next best thing for the time being. I understand what you mean by ride both but in reality I don't know what it should feel like when you ride a bike that talks to you. As mentioned above, my previous bike really was extremely outdated, almost certainly the wrong size and probably dangerous for the type of riding I was doing. At this stage for me, when you drive a Corsa Lite and get of the option of a new Corolla or a new Civic, I feel grearful to just have the option to chose in the first place and pick the one that fits my pocket best (if the analogy makes sense).

The Giant has 67.5 deg head tube angle and a 75 deg seat tube angle where the Titan has 66deg and 77 respectively. Are there any other geometries that would be critical to consider? The Titan is newer and offers more modern geometries though I don't know how much that difference would impact the ride. My previous bike was a 26er 100mm travel CX bike with a 69.5 degree head tube and 73.5 seat tube angle. Both of the above bikes are lightyears ahead of what I see to ride.

I'm honestly kind of still on the fence. I don't want to spend the extra money if I don't have to, I just want to get back on the bike again and get something that is "good enough". At the same time, I don't want to feel like I would be missing out. I'm leaning toward the Giant mainly due to price, tubless ready tyres and I don't know if 140mm of travel is what I need right now and end up struggling up climbs. I know myself and I know that if the bug bites again, I would be upgrading to a better bike within a year, and I feel like I would upgrade either of these bikes as both are entry level bikes. So why spend more than I need to right now(rhetorical)? Out of interest, what is it that makes you say you would rather go with Giant now?

I did and they offered tires off another bike that I customer didn't want. Would still cost R1500k+ for the tires, tape and sealant. The bike is already discounted to I cannot expect them to thrown in free stuff, doesn't seem fair to blame them that I have a tight budget. Suspension on the Titan is Suntour Zeron 140mm on the front and X-Fusion RLX on the back. Giant has their own Giant Crest 34 130mm on the front with a Suntour Raidon on the back. For brakes, the Titan has Tektro HD 180mm/160mm and the Giant has Shimano MT-200 also with 180mm/160mm rotors. Drivetrain and shifter for the Titan is Microshift Advent with Prowheel cranks and the Giant has Shimano Deore all around with Praxis cranks. Giant weighs less but not sure by how much. All this info means very little to me 😆, thus I don't know if there are improvements in the components and if I would even be able to tell the difference between the components. The Titan does offer more travel, though I don't know if my riding would require or benefit from the extra 10mm. I do know that I would like to limit the suck on the climbs though.

This is the one that I am looking at. The Giant is slightly less.

I have considered this, part of the reason that I am still on the fence.

You're putting me on the fence again 😆. I'll need to sleep on it and made a decision. Thanks for the advice!

Not R5k for just the tubless conversion. The Skyrim price tag is R2.5k more than the Giant and then add R2.5k for the tyres and conversion. So in all I would have to spend an additional R5k+ if i decide to take the Titan over the Giant. I'm sure it is worth it and I think I would prefer the Skyrim but at my level of experience, I don't think I would be able to use the Skyrim to it's full potential so that extra cash is better spent elsewhere for now. I may end up regretting it or I may end up changing my mind but for the moment I cant justify the extra R5k for perceived improvements that may or may not make a difference to my way of riding.

Thanks for your input! The Titan certainly speaks to me more, though I have to admit that money talks and is my pinch point at the moment. The Titan does not have tubless ready tyres so taking into consideration, the extra expense of the bike itself as well as needing to pay for the correct tires + fitment, the Titan becomes R5k more expensive than the Stance. At my fitness and experience level, I think that the extra money would be better spent on trail access membership for the year, and then look at an upgrade next year when I have a better idea of what my needs are. The Stance is also from a local shop whereas the Titan is a 40min drive. Still on the fence though and of everyone I have spoken to, the opinions are split down the middle as both options have pros and cons. Perhaps I feel differently after the weekend