diverdi

HI Billaridoo. Thanks for the info. I agree the response from Momsen to you is pretty great. Unfortunately I bought a Merida last week second hand (which turned out to also not fit) so I have to first sell this before I can buy another bike (and if I don't get a buyer I will have to adapt the Merida). But I really appreciate the info all the same and will keep it in mind for when/if I'm in the market for a new one again.

I'm in CT for the weekend but if my flight goes according to schedule and I'm back in time I will do my best to join y'all..

Hi GreenBean, thanks for asking. I bought a 2nd hand Merida. Unfortunately when I got it home I found out its exactly the same size as my old bike! :-( so I will probably need to sell it again and buy another one. But its got offroad tires so I can theoritically give the whole offroad thing a try...

Would this ride be suitable for a first time offroader? Has a start time been decided?

Silverback was the other range I had my eye on when I started this thread (I agree, good value) but from what I can see from their website the reach may still be an issue. The top tube effective length of the Momsen small is 585 ( http://www.momsenbikes.com/bikes.cfm?prod=al129 ) ; the top tube of the Silverback is 561 ( http://www.silverbacklab.com/2011_website_SILVERBACK/web_gallery/alpine2.htm# ). An improvement of just over 2 cm but still more than my reach of around 540. (Before a stem tube is even factored in).

Hi Scotty. I tried Linden - no stock but I didn't go as far afield as Kempton. I'll try them tomorrow thanks.

Hi, so I thought I'd give an update on the great bike search. I called SW Fourways 1st thing this morning and the guy who dealt with me claimed they don't sell Momsens. So either he wasn't all that well trained after all, or in fact they do not sell the bike. I called Solomons again and was told no chance of a AL126 at this stage, however I was assured that my concerns re the AL129 were misplaced. So I went through and Besim tried to fit me on the the 129 and unfortunately it did not work out. It seems I have relatively long legs and short upper body, so even on the small size bike the handlebars are still uncomfortably a stretch for me. I was offered the 2013 Trek Skye which was definitely better from a reach point of view, but I'm afraid to say it is in my eyes the most ugly bike since the Chopper (yes I know I'm showing my age!). It was also fairly pricey in comparison with the now never-to-be-mine Momsen So I did some more research and came across the Merida Juliet which is another Womens design (but much better on the eye). However so far I haven't been able to find one in my size despite having phoned a number of shops. Cycle Lab said they may be able to get one in later in the week / next week but for now I remain bikeless and extremely frustrated because I really hoped that by now I'd be riding the thing and not still trying to find a bike that works for me!

Thanks for the input! I will certainly try to support the store thats helped me - provided they have stock. If as per your (and a few others, thanks all) suggestion to go Momsen, I'm not sure that the store has stock of the 126 :-( Nice info thanks.

Agreed - but the AL126 has XCM according to Momsen website. Its the AL129 that has the Raidon (see earlier comments why I'm not looking at 129).

That's great info - I'll contact them tomorrow. Thanks!

I've looked on the SW website ... a few Treks and Shwinns; not much in my price range. Are you saying the store has more models?

Goobacks - AL129 looks like a nice bike but I'm a bit short and heavy for a 29er so steering away from it. But another vote for the Momsen range is good too!

The first time I called I got Ulrich but he was busy and I've been dealing with Besim since. Seems helpful too but it doesn't hurt to try! Thanks

Hmmm. Maybe the salesman is just trying to push the more expensive 129... I'll double check on Monday. Thanks for the info!

Hi. Skandalis, so did you get your AL126 at Solomons? If so it seems they no longer have stock, only have the AL129 (which I have pretty much decided against because I'm not convinced I want to go 29inch NOR pay the higher price.) If elsewhere please tell where The AL126 quote I got was from Westrand. After reading up all day I was leaning towards one of the Alpines based on the forks because it seems the XCR or the Radion are better than the XCM..? But good to know you're loving yours - its still in the mix for sure.. - especially if I can find it for R4500!