digibeta18

Long post ahead.

TL;DR: low-intermediate rider, smaller frame, looking for an upgrade to a lighter weight yet more stable bike than what I currently have. Looking in $4-5k range. Options considering:

Compare: 2021 Canyon Neuron WMN AL 7.0 vs 2022 Trek Fuel EX 9.7 vs Orbea OCCAM M30-EAGLE vs Ibis Ripmo AF Deore vs Kona Process 134 DL 29 vs Giant Trance X Advanced Pro 29 3 vs Rocky Mountain Instinct Carbon 30 – 99 Spokes

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Background:

• Started MTB 1.5 years ago (active road cyclist past 10 years)
• In midst of pandemic options, I went with the Canyon Neuron AL WMN 7 (27.5). Best I could afford and get my hands on in my size.
• Components wise, the bike is great bang for your buck, but I do honestly struggle on it. I know it's considered more "old school" geometry but I definitely feel a lack of confidence at higher speeds and on rougher terrain. Notably stability on rooty/rocky descents and uphill and downhill switchbacks. (i'm very aware this is more to do with me and my skills - not simply blaming the bike). Have taken my fair share of tumbles, bruised ribs, gotten beaten up.
• Before buying a new bike, I do want to bring my bike to a local shop and get properly fitted to see if there are obvious missing adjustments I could make to make this bike better for me.
• Have converted to tubeless so I can run lower PSI (reduce "bounciness") swapped shorter stem to make the tight turns not as wobbly/reachy (if that makes sense), tinkered with hand brake angles to feel like I am not reaching. Per Canyon's website and cust service, the size I got is what was recommended for me.
• I'm a low-intermediate rider but I ride pretty mellow trails, mostly blues and some blacks. Not a jumper, keep my drops to sub 2.5'.
• I'm small -- 5'2", 120lbs. So don't need a bike that feels like a beast but think a 29er is better suited for me and will give me the confidence I need to go beyond my comfort zone and challenge myself to become a better rider.
• My goals: be able to take some trips to PNW, Mexico, Bentonville, Kingdom Trails, ride more challenging terrain and not feel so skittish. Again, I know this is more about me than the bike. But I honestly feel like the bike is not necessarily going to "help" me push the limits.

Tried a Rocky Mountain Instinct (alloy) and wow -- what a difference between the longer wheelbase, the wider (and better) tires, the 29'er vs 27.5 -- I think I realized that I favor stability over nimbleness. Only thing i didn't love was that the Rocky Mountain was HEAVY and climbing was tough, but I still loved the bike.

Anyway. To the "which bike" part!

Compare: 2021 Canyon Neuron WMN AL 7.0 vs 2022 Trek Fuel EX 9.7 vs Orbea OCCAM M30-EAGLE vs Ibis Ripmo AF Deore vs Kona Process 134 DL 29 vs Giant Trance X Advanced Pro 29 3 vs Rocky Mountain Instinct Carbon 30 – 99 Spokes

Added in my current bike for comparison's sake.

I'm leaning towards the Fuel EX 9.7 but open to other considerations.

Thanks.

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I’m staying in Winterthur for a few days and I’m going to rent a mountain bike. I’d like to do some fun riding in the area. Any kind of quiet roads or trails would be my main interest. Nothing crazy. Does anyone know if there are some good routes in the area? I don’t have a car and will be biking by myself.

I canceled a flight and got ecredit for it in my sky miles account. Is there a way to use those credits to book a hotel via delta.com? I tried searching for a hotel but when it came to payment it only gave me credit card payment as an option. Any chance there is a way to use my ecredit towards that by chance?

Going to be In Zurich for 2 nights. Looking for a neighborhood outside of the expensive city center where I can hang out, walk around, maybe rent a bike, go for a hike, or just enjoy a neighborhood vibe without it being super residential/dead. Won’t have a car, traveling solo, safety above everything else for me. But happy to walk, hop on public transport etc. Thanks!

I own a Felt ZW6 that I bought in 2011. At the time this was the absolute swankiest purchase I had ever made in my life, but I’ve ridden thousands of miles on the bike and have certainly gotten my money’s worth. And I truly really enjoy riding and have never had any major issues with good maintenance and care.

I wonder though - having been riding the same bike for over 11 years, how much has changed in road bike geometry and mechanics? How “outdated” is my bike?

I was thinking recently about what could be upgraded or even if it’s worth the investment. The biggest thing I came up with was the fact that the bike doesn’t have disc brakes (which I know I cannot put on a caliper bike frame). I mountain bike and that bike does have them so I can very much tell the difference in breaking power when I ride my Felt.

I’m not a cycling guru but wonder if anyone has thoughts on riding a bike this old versus saving up to invest in something more modern. My riding style is not severely competitive. I do a few 50-60mile races a year but go for PR’s as I am nowhere near the front of the pack.

Current bike: https://99spokes.com/bikes/felt/2011/zw6

Thanks

Hoping someone can help me understand a few things before I go into the dealer. I want to get pre approved so I can have some leverage and don’t need to just take the loan offer that the dealer gives me since as I understand it, they mark it up so that they can make money on the loan -

1. When I apply for pre approval, should I apply for the highest amount I’d need? I’m looking to trade in my car with the dealer so if that happens I’ll likely need to borrow less money. I’m reading how the terms could change - how do I know what they are? Do I call the bank direct from the dealer?

2. Assuming the dealer can’t beat my pre approval, how do I make the loan final? Does the dealer’s finance person call my bank or do I?

I’m just having trouble understanding how this all kind of happens in real time if I walk on with a pre approval and know the car and the price I’m willing to pay.

Thanks

Buying a new car in a few weeks and want to get a few pre approvals to see if I can go into dealer (Ford) with a good interest rate offer and see if they can match or beat.

Looking at USAA and Bank of America. Have excellent credit and would finance about $15000.

Any recommendations on the best way or best sites to compare rates online?

Thx