Rouxle Posted August 16, 2020 Share Hi guys, I currently ride an old small hardtail Scott Scale 940 with mixed SLX/XT components so I want to upgrade to dual suspension and 1x. Unfortunately, small secondhand bikes are quite scarce. Will be used for tar/gravel and a little bit of trail riding/racing. My budget is about 35k. I am leaning towards one of the below: MERIDA ONE TWENTY RC 9 XT-EDITION (2020)https://bike-addict.co.za/collections/mtb/products/merida-one-twenty-rc-9-xt-edition-2020 New Trek Top Fuel 9.8 (S)https://bikemarket.co.za/shop/bicycles/mountain-bikes/trek-top-fuel-9-8-s-bm3742/ Pre-Owned Specialized Camberhttps://bikemarket.co.za/shop/bicycles/mountain-bikes/pre-owned-specialized-camber-s-bm4499/ Please help me choose Very unsure of the SRAM SX so at least want to go for NX - if I can find a small frame. ThanksRouxle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BaGearA Posted August 16, 2020 Share I would go for that Merida without any doubt DirtyFrank, Captain Fastbastard Mayhem and Pusher 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sirmoun10goat Posted August 16, 2020 Share Merida-best group set of the lot. And it’s brand new, so no immediate surprises The camber is the older model, it’s heavy and dated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warrenlee Posted August 16, 2020 Share Have a look at the Momsen Vipa's! You wont be sorry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super Sywurm Posted August 16, 2020 Share Out of these three, Merida. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Me rida my bicycle Posted August 16, 2020 Share Definitely the Trek carbon frame, carbon wheels, carbon crank, GX EAGLE works great and Trek has lifetime warranty! Have 2 friends on Trek 9.8 top fuel and 9.8 fuel ex and to be honest its what I should have bought instead of the Scott Spark. Trek has a great pedal platform very little pedal bob and at the same time great on small bumps and can take the big hits. It must be witchcraft???????? Milkman, DieselnDust, RobertWhitehead and 3 others 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebob Posted August 16, 2020 Share The Merida won’t fit a bottle in the cage in size small. That Top Fuel is a proper XC race bike, so won’t be very comfy if you are looking to ride cruise rather than race. The Merida is a true trail bike and will be more forgiving than the Trek and has a dropper post. Pick the right bike for what you want to ride in the right size. That is much more important than the groupset ChrisF 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jewbacca Posted August 16, 2020 Share Also, the Merida has quite a slack seat tube. This will influence the pedalability and stability of the bike while seated negatively (compared to a steeper seat tube). I see there are a few decent Small bikes in the classifieds. Might be worth taking a look. I saw a decent giant anthem 2019 and a couple of other options that look pretty handy. Is it for out and out racing or trail riding in it's spare time? Confidence and comfort would then win me over so I would suggest a Trance..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJuice Posted August 16, 2020 Share Take a look at the Titan Racing Cypher RS Expert, brand new. Danger Dassie, DieselnDust, mecheng89 and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BaGearA Posted August 16, 2020 Share Have a look at the Momsen Vipa's! You wont be sorry.Is this just a copy and paste at this point? Danger Dassie and Captain Fastbastard Mayhem 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riaan H Posted August 16, 2020 Share Size Small bikes are scarce to bee sure. If you want something light and racy there's also this to consider, would do nicely on gravel, and still capable enough to race. https://bikehub.co.za/classifieds/item/dual-suspension-bikes/419794/specialized-epic-comp-s-2016-price-drop?referrer=homepage The bikes noted earlier would be heavier but more comfortable, and easier to ride on rough terrain as they would be more confidence inspiring. It comes down to a choice of riding style, I have a 2016 Camber which is really comfy on long rides, or technical ones and has kept me out of E.R with it's capability, but feels a little bit slow at times (and my wife hates it). My wife has a 2016 Epic which she loves, and feels like a missile every time I ride it, but I only ever chose it for non-technical rides as the Camber has allowed me to often ride mindlessly on technical terrain, which the Epic would not allow, expecting a bit more skill from its rider. gemmerbal 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vallende Vaandel Posted August 17, 2020 Share I have sellers remorse - sold my small camber comp carbon (exact same model) last month. This price is waaay over inflated, and its in fact a 2015 model not 2016 and also it's a bit misleading since its a 11 - 50 shimano cassette in the specs so not full Sram GX as the description... If the price can drop then I would go for the Camber.I started on my sister's borrowed scott scale 920 hardtail and the camber was my first owned bike. Loved it and it changed my whole riding experience! W2W was a breeze and many 30-40km races were enjoyed and hard raced on that bike. I had the confidence to ride any trail, hit smaller jumps and drops as well as join my friends for gravel grinding.Yes the geometry is outdated but unless you aim for podium or black rated trails this bike I can vouch for.No you can't compare it to an epic, but the confidence makes up for any bit of weight difference.I sorely miss mine... only reason I sold was that the travel and steep geometry hindered me on advanced trails. If I could own both a trails and xc bike, I would've loved to have kept the camber. PhilipV and Robbie Stewart 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alouette3 Posted August 17, 2020 Share The Merida is great at that price bracket. My riding buddy has one. Also did great on the https://enduro-mtb.com/ trail bike shoot out recently Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MirageF1 Posted August 17, 2020 Share Merida offers good value for money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MudLark Posted August 17, 2020 Share Note that the Trek is a 650B wheel size. You probably really want a 29er. Hi guys, I currently ride an old small hardtail Scott Scale 940 with mixed SLX/XT components so I want to upgrade to dual suspension and 1x. Unfortunately, small secondhand bikes are quite scarce. Will be used for tar/gravel and a little bit of trail riding/racing. My budget is about 35k. I am leaning towards one of the below: MERIDA ONE TWENTY RC 9 XT-EDITION (2020)https://bike-addict.co.za/collections/mtb/products/merida-one-twenty-rc-9-xt-edition-2020 New Trek Top Fuel 9.8 (S)https://bikemarket.co.za/shop/bicycles/mountain-bikes/trek-top-fuel-9-8-s-bm3742/ Pre-Owned Specialized Camberhttps://bikemarket.co.za/shop/bicycles/mountain-bikes/pre-owned-specialized-camber-s-bm4499/ Please help me choose Very unsure of the SRAM SX so at least want to go for NX - if I can find a small frame. ThanksRouxle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DieselnDust Posted August 17, 2020 Share Hi guys, I currently ride an old small hardtail Scott Scale 940 with mixed SLX/XT components so I want to upgrade to dual suspension and 1x. Unfortunately, small secondhand bikes are quite scarce. Will be used for tar/gravel and a little bit of trail riding/racing. My budget is about 35k. I am leaning towards one of the below: MERIDA ONE TWENTY RC 9 XT-EDITION (2020)https://bike-addict.co.za/collections/mtb/products/merida-one-twenty-rc-9-xt-edition-2020 New Trek Top Fuel 9.8 (S)https://bikemarket.co.za/shop/bicycles/mountain-bikes/trek-top-fuel-9-8-s-bm3742/ Pre-Owned Specialized Camberhttps://bikemarket.co.za/shop/bicycles/mountain-bikes/pre-owned-specialized-camber-s-bm4499/ Please help me choose Very unsure of the SRAM SX so at least want to go for NX - if I can find a small frame. ThanksRouxle Top Fuel.If you're fitting on a small I think you will be a lot more comfortable on the 650b. That bike is also very light and that helps with maneuvering through tricky terrain.The merida will feel like a bus with you as the passenger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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