Help choosing bike please

[jeanmarc]

You’re 63 with knee issues… I’d go with Rail 5 (or Giant Reign E+), definitely full suspension, dropper post resolves the standover height if a bit high. Stop the suffering, life is short
Says the 65 yr old guy with hip challenge.
Cheers!

 

[Oddy72]

You’re 63 with knee issues… I’d go with Rail 5 (or Giant Reign E+), definitely full suspension, dropper post resolves the standover height if a bit high. Stop the suffering, life is short
Says the 65 yr old guy with hip challenge.
Cheers!

Your correct mate. Life is to short, get what you need any of you enjoy it, I’m 49, nearly 50 …. Kidney transplant, bulging discs, remission from cancer, and colostomy bag to go with it. Live life … go for it

 

[Ride along]

I considered selling the Powerfly 5 HT numerous times in the past 2-3 years. There it sits…in the rack…most of the time. It’s been the recipient of used parts from the Rail upgrades (I think I suffer from upgraditis) but I can put it into action anytime. The PF5 is great for the maze of tame trails around here, my go-to for family rides, long rides with the better half (also a PF5), a fast commuter in vehicle traffic, the ultimate touring bike for our central-BC-wine-adventure, challenging eMTB rides on our mountain …hmmm, I guess I like this bike also.

Hi I have a Trek powerfly 4fs and find it great it's a large as I'm 6ft 82kg does everything I need and more. You won't go wrong with Trek and the Bosch motor

 

[SiDobsFig]

Hi, just a pennies worth. May be worth giving Orange Bikes (Halifax) a ring as the Charger isn't much more. Just ask them to build it with a Sram GX11 instead of the over priced Eagle drivetrain.

Good luck and I totally understand the Knee situation.

 

[1oldfart]

A- do not believe bikes limit riders it is about skills.
B- You might look at Giant/Liv the Stance is very affordable and very reliable
or some other from them.

 

[Kevlasultanpus]

There’s so many to choose from and they all have their pros and cons

Personally I’d see what bikes your local bike shop is selling, servicing, sourcing spare parts for and dealing with warranty claims. Speak to the bike technician, they will always have an opinion on the problematic brands!

What’s your budget and what is your riding style ? No point splashing the cash on a top spec enduro beast if you’re only going to be riding trail centres, and likewise there’s no point buying an entry level trail bike if your bike is going to be taking a beating in the harsh winter conditions in steep wet & muddy forests

You’ll be looking at spending at least £4.5 - 5k for a decent emtb

Agree, after sales servicing very important, esp nowadays with delays in getting parts. Also i suggest the lbs k ow what bikes best suit local trails.

 

[John Beedham]

As a 66yo I'm gonna make a few assumptions 1) you don't want to jump 10M gaps 2) you don't want to crash too often cos recovery is soooo slow at our age and 3) you think you've still got and want to ride as close as possible to "meet your maker" without actually getting there ... just like me .... you have good access to trails .... buy a full suspension mid-travel middrive bike, secondhand if you want to, and get out there and ride ... you will not regret it, you will regret it if you don't. I ride in local hilly national parks (lucky me ... i know) with 2 others, combined, our ages are over 200 y. On emtbs we ride the gnarliest 'animal tracks', each at their own pace and, as always, if you ride with better riders your skills progress faster .... but i digress ... deciding which size to buy when you are in between sizes and ageing, i think, is determined by your relative flexibility ... the more flexibile you are the more likely the larger size will feel comfortable and vice versa.