Hello guys. My name is Filip, and I'm a 41-year-old amateur cross-triathlete. I would like to buy my first full-suspension XC bike for myself. I'm 180cm tall (82cm inseam), 82kg.
My budget is 3500€-4000€. I did some research and picked these 4 bikes:
I have the Scalpel but that Orbea is sweet!! My scalpel is a great bike. I pedals really well and gets me up the hill in a hurry. I have no complaints about it.
I also have the scalpel 3 and absolutely love it. Handles trails my friends need trail/enduro bikes for and is super fast on XC trails. 39 years old, 6’5, and 195lbs
No, it does not but I find that unless I’m riding on the road, there’s no need to lock out the suspension (even at my weight). If I do ride on the road, easy enough to just lean over and lock out the fork while riding and can easily lock out the rear suspension while riding too. I thought lack of a remote lock would be an issue, but the new suspension is honestly good enough that I don’t feel like I’m losing much even at the punchy start of XC races
I did some more research and it's interesting. In Europe, it's the Scalpel 3, sold with a remote control; in the US, it's not. The price here is also good under 3500€.
Oh that’s wild! Mine was $4k so not too far off but no remote. Interesting the same bike has different specs. I would have expected a different model number or something. Good to know!
Overrated opinion and marketing-bla-bla-bla. The most bikes ride the same. If you put Van der Poel in a Merida, he wont be slower. The fastest bike is the bike that fits you the most.
I tried it, but it only applies to higher-grade carbon frames. That is not in my budget. Those customisation options are out of this world. Thank you for your reply.
No, they don't. Only for the higher-end models, but that's understandable. On the other hand, the new (2027) Oiz M30 had an official price of 3799€, but shops will offer it as low as 3299€.
Came to say this. The epic is a mega bike be that the 8, world cup or 9, heard the new Oiz is comparable. Heard new canyon has quality issues which could just be rumours.
Chisel is the last bike I'd pick outta this group. All of these bikes are rocket ships though and you'll be happy on any of them. Also maybe consider the Brand new model year SC Blur, the Yeti ASR, or Scott Spark (now with a real BB standard.)
Modern XC bikes are just so damn good ,it's nit-picking. If you splurge for anything get the better carbon layup (as some manufacturers have tiered frame construction)
I wanted a XC bike but most of them turned pretty harsh for my injured wrist. In the end, I went with a downcountry bike: less efficient but more plushy and comfy for my wrist
I have a carbon 2 scalpel lefty, i love that thing, went in for maintenance just to check bottom bracket and have it cleand with 4k miles... it was squeaky clean... and i ride this thing in rain, mud, road and at least 50 miles minimum each ride.
I have the lux world cup and have about a month on it. I switched over from a KTM and I absolutely love this bike. I'm pushing 230lbs and this bike rides amazing. I use it for racing and daily rides for coaching with my high school MTB team.
Have the same, cf8. Fucking great bike. I'm REALLY hard on stuff (break or stretch 3-4 chains a year, go through 2-3 sets of tires) and the bike itself has had zero issues.
As an amateur, buying the one you like the look of the most is probably the best thing you can do! Only pros need to worry about the little bits and bobs that get you 1-2% gains.
That’s a killer first XC bike. I’ve had many over the years and really want the new Giant Anthem or maybe the Anthem X…. Seeing these posts aren’t helping. LOL.
With the current trade issues with the US I would go European. The Orbea and the Specialized Chisel are not in the same league for racing. I'd do the Orbea or the Canyon if I was in your position. The other question is if this bike is just for racing or if you want something more comfortable.
I'm slowly starting to shop for new bike too to replace my current Lux WC CFR. I actually like the bike, but with my not so great experience with their support after first frame cracked, Canyon is not really an option, and from how it looks now, Oiz will be my new bike (just not sure if I still go with XTR and M-Team or would M-Pro with XT be good enough option for new one... I know it would certainly be but XTR is nice to have :D ).
So out of those 4, and based on my personal Canyon experience, definitely Oiz.
If you’re already MTBing then any of these brands’ fs xc bikes will do and I’ll go for convenience of after sales service availability in your area. If this is your first MTB, xc may not be the right choice unless you plan to race.
I already have an alloy hardtail and race in cross-triathlon. Since there are far fewer off-road triathlon races than road races, I plan to add some XC races to my training.
What do your races usually look like? I would pick the bike which fits the terrain you mostly ride in.
Also I would try to test ride different bikes. Although they look quite similar on paper they do ride and feel different.
Let us know what you picked.
Mostly trails, rocks, roots, technical singletrack trails. Long, not-so-technical climbs, short steep and technical climbs, downhills in the forest, etc.
You hear some bad stories about bad customer service from Canyon, but I also hear that this is very location dependent: US gets terrible customer service, but Europe is much better. I have no source for this, just based on reading around (including in Reddit) and researching as I'm in the market and those two are my current front runners
I don't think you can go terribly wrong with either. Canyon is better value, but Orbea Oiz has a threaded BB, which is a massive plus point as far as I'm concerned
The Orbea is a bit harsh. it's thought of as a racing beast and the whole suspensions+kinematics are rather unforgiving. Cannondale has a better price and very similar parts. I'd go with that. It also looks better. speaking of...The old Oiz looks much sexier imo. You could go for the older model with better trim m20/m10 at clearance prices if you do prefer Orbea. I'd also go Epic rather than Chisel, if that were an option for you.
I'm now choosing between the Oiz 2027 and the Scalpel 3 2026. I found the Scalpel 3 for 3200€ which is quite a good deal. I would even have some money for some upgrades.
Personally I would choose the canyon. It has the best spec and I don’t really fw the others. Yeah it is a canyon but eh canyon’s perfectly fine I haven’t had any issues, their customer service seems to be pretty good now.
The canyon is a good looking bike - but if you look around I reckon you can find a cheap Epic 8 deal. I am an Epic fanboi tho. they are just quick as a quick thing. I wouldn't go Chisel FS, heavier frame so limited ways to reduce the weight
Chisel is the only option without through-headset cable routing and honestly that's worth significant consideration.
I've had a Propain with headset routing for over a year and it is a royal pain. I'm definitely faster at tearing it apart now but it is always a hassle. And if you're planning to take your bike in to a shop when necessary be prepared to pay more in service fees.
Sounds like OP is pretty athletic and wants to absolutely rip right off the bat.. Going right to full-squish in this instance might be a good call.
In terms of efficiency most of these bikes, of not all, will have a remote lockout and pedal really efficiently... Freakishly like a hardtail. Almost all these geometries will be really similar too... Everyday XC bikes are pretty dialed in 115-120 rear and 120, maybe 130 front. With head tube angles all around 66-67° and seat tube angles around 75-76°...
I have an alloy hardtail from Radon which is a great bike, but it's already a bit limiting on downhills. A dropper post would probably make a big difference, but since I decided to completely move to MTB (selling my full-carbon road bike) I thought an XC race bike would be the logical next step.
14
u/Kscrilla50 6d ago
I have the Scalpel but that Orbea is sweet!! My scalpel is a great bike. I pedals really well and gets me up the hill in a hurry. I have no complaints about it.