Cheaper FS DTC bikes

[Duffman]

So some of the lower end DTC entry level bikes are starting to go for decent prices. I've been looking for a decent entry level bike for the wife used, but now these have come on the radar. In all likelihood for our riding a lower travel lighter trail bike would be better and more efficient, but she really liked the plushness of our rental Enduro bikes recently in Deer Valley , so I'm thinking maybe more travel and a smoother ride would be more enjoyable for our rocky and rooty but pedal heavy rolling trails.

Any thoughts on any of the following ,likely in small sizes so probably 27.5 wheels .

Polygon T8 for $1999

Canyon Neuron 6 for around $1750

(Edit-The Neuron 6 WMN that's on sale isn't available in the US, the Neuron 5 is the only one on sale here for $1450. Not nearly as good a deal with the RS Recon Silver And SX build)

Marin Rift Zone 2 I think right around $2k also.

[Duffman]

No opinions? I guess these are all too cheap / crappy for all of us dentists here. But since I didn't win mega jillions, I'm still looking at this range

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[geomorph]

Those all seem fine, especially for someone that won't be geeking out about suspension settings and stuff. No personal experience, and it seems like these are some of the better offerings geometry-wise, with the Neuron being perhaps the most conservative of the bunch.

[nickwm21]

If you spend a little more money you’d be in the Ripmo AF, Stumpjumper Evo Comp range…


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[hardboiled]

two of my kids are riding Marin Rift Zones, they are pretty dialed. good geo, pretty decent specs/value, and you can get them direct or through a shop (my preference), which isn't an option on the other brands you mentioned. that said, I see people riding Canyons in my area. don't think I've ever seen a Polygon in real life.

[singlesline]

I had a hardtail with Recon Silver and SX and it was fine. I'm sure it would be more than fine for a small/light rider.

The Recon Silver RL is a perfectly good air fork with basic compression and rebound adjustment. I rode it down 3/4 of The Whole Enchilada, I rode it in the local bike park, it got the job done. It did get a warranty repair early in its life--I think the rebound damper failed and it would top-out with a clang--but after that it was trouble free.

SX isn't great, but it didn't give me any real problems until near the end....and I road it pretty hard. I always assumed I would be upgrading parts to GX as they broke or got finnicky, but I never did. Only thing that went away was the heavy PG-1130 cassette that fits a HG freehub because I upgraded the wheelset.

The deore 12 on my wife's hardtail is definitely better though...and I'm much more comfortable giving that to someone who is going to get fussy if shifting doesn't "just work". It doesn't need to be super crisp or lightning fast, but it should do exactly what you tell it and never need any finessing or micro adjustments.

Like you, I think my wife would be better off on a FS trail bike just for the plushness. However she'd also be happier with light weight which is not what you get from most of these cheapo bikes.

[dcpnz]

We have two YT Izzo’s in the household and no issues in a year and a half other than bent rotor from shipping that was replaced quickly and easily. I’d say inability to get shorter cranks and longer dropper at purchase is my only annoyance.
Went YT over Canyon because spec/$$ was a bit better and geometry looked more “modern” but not sure they go quite as cheap as those others.
Value equation on DTC bikes is very compelling if you’re not heavily reliant on a shop to do everything bike maintenance related. Plenty of online complaints about warranty challenges with all DTC bike brands which we’ll deal with if/when needed but I also attribute some of them to the squeaky wheel “just riding along” types.

[Whiteroom_Guardian]

I'm all for buying lower priced bikes for beginners. The best argument against it though is any hope of getting some of that money back. A 2999-3999 retail bike will just be more enjoyable to ride and if/when they sell it still has some value. I feel like $1500-2000 bikes that have been ridden 3 times end up selling for like $300 because they were so affordable to begin with.

[Canada1]

There are several kids on my kids team riding polygons. They still look new and are still working after a few months. One kid last year had their carbon hardtail and podium’d pretty consistently.

[Touring_Sedan]

I've got 2,200 miles on my YT Izzo. No problems whatsoever and I treat my bikes like shit. The only thing I've done is service the suspension and replace the brake pads. Purchasing, packaging, and assembly were amazing. Highly recommend.

[Falcon3]

Polygon makes a good bike. The Costco Intense bikes seem to be a good spec at a decent price too. I think the Neuron 6 would be a great bike for a casual rider.


Check out the last few years of the PinkBike Value Bike Field Tests and you'll get a good feel for what components are good at low price and where to spend extra money (Spoiler: low end Shimano is so much better than low end SRAM- I run a mishmash of Deore, XT, and SLX on my carbon dentist bike because there's no reason to upgrade certain parts since Deore and SLX are so good).


https://www.pinkbike.com/news/welcom...ield-test.html
https://www.pinkbike.com/news/welcom...ield-trip.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fP5dOMMpF_A

[Duffman]

Yeah, my Ripley AF is all SLX and so far has been perfect. I would like to get at least a Deore build at least if possible as opposed to SRAM SX because of that , and because it would make swapping parts, maintenance, etc easier between the two bikes.

[Canada1]

My mechanic kid indicates below GX sram is asking for problems. But he has turned into a bike snob.

[singlesline]

My mechanic kid indicates below GX sram is asking for problems. But he has turned into a bike snob.

But what problems exactly?

I can't imagine any real problems with cassette/cranks/chainring/chain besides weight. Brakes aren't really part of the system at that level in SRAM land (and a lot of these cheaper bikes run something like shimano MT501s which are perfectly fine 2-pot brakes)

So that leaves you the derailleur and shifter. You can just replace them if something goes wrong--Amazon has a GX shifter for $43 and a derailleur for $90.

I suspect a lot of the problems with SX/NX are driven by them being on lower end bikes that never get set up by an experienced tech and never get tuned up or adjusted. Maybe they run a discount cable/housing (or to the prior point, those housings are the wrong length/routed poorly).

Neither of them are very "nice". SX in particular is pretty damn cheap feeling and the bits have more play than you'd think they should...that might lead to it needing more adjustment down the line, but it works, and it shifts way better than vintage drivetrains. Wouldn't want it on an enduro bike being ridden at race pace through chunky tech...but for a wife looking for a plusher ride (with a husband who is capable of swapping a derailleur in a year or two if it gets bad), it would be fine. Main reason I'd want to avoid SX/NX for said wife is the weight of the other parts...GX cassette alone saves you ~250g

If you want a "set it and forget it" setup though...deore 12 feels way more solid for roughly the same weight and will be running a microspline hub for easier upgrades down the road. Almost all of those cheap SX/NX bikes have HG freehubs, many of which may not even have XD drivers available.

[Duffman]

Yeah, this all makes sense. I wouldn't rule out an SX drivetrain . I was a former shop rat manager in a previous life in college , so even though my familiarity with all this newfangled get off my lawn MTB tech is low, Im managing to figure it out just fine .

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[El Chupacabra]

Keep an eye on Canyon's sale page, with demo and returned bikes. I've seen some steep discounts go through there.

[adrenalated]

My wife's bike has an NX drivetrain. Other than being heavy, doesn't seem to be anything wrong with it.

[bern43]

I had an SX derailleur on my old bike and it blew up just riding down the street. It was set up correctly by a shop. Truly terrible. Replaced it with GX and didn't have any other issues. The rest of the SX stuff was heavy, but ok. Liv Intrigue for 2.4k is another decent option, but not DTC and you're stuck with the SX drivetrain. My wife has one and hasn't had any issues though. So YMMV.

[JayPowHound]

I'm all for buying lower priced bikes for beginners. The best argument against it though is any hope of getting some of that money back. A 2999-3999 retail bike will just be more enjoyable to ride and if/when they sell it still has some value. I feel like $1500-2000 bikes that have been ridden 3 times end up selling for like $300 because they were so affordable to begin with.

Kindly point my way towards a lightly used modern $2k bike for $300..