Lower vs higher end drivetrain components

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JHZR2

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Hi,

Looking to buy a 29er. Did some test rides, as I saw a Fuji Tahoe at a great deal. It was specced all XT and a Reba front suspension. Test drove that (Fuji is an $1899 MSRP bike), a GF Paragon (which is a $2000 MSRP bike), and a Scott Scale Team ($1200 MSRP). I had initially written off the scott because it was specced a bit lower.

The GF was clunky and just felt big. Wasnt fast or responsive to me. Unfortunate for the most expensive bike in the range, especially since they supposedly introduced 29ers and have really good geometry. The Fuji felt better. The Scott blew me away. Fast, responsive, light, just right.

But what it means is that I have an SLX rear and Deore for everything else. My current bike, a 2001 KHS has deore everywhere except the rear deraileur, which is XT. Now, it seems that each year the higher end stuff trickels down... Likely a 2001 XT is the same or worse than a 2011 Deore, if I had to guess, but still, would like to have a feel for what Im giving up.

Is the difference between component ranges REALLY much beyond weight? What am I getting with, say XT that Im not with SLX or deore? Do things really work better/longer/smoother, etc.?

Also, the front shock is a tora TK, which is a coil, not air. My current Marzocchi bomber is an air shock and works well, but I set it and forget it. It seems that lots of folks really like coils over air forks. Anyone care to comment on their preference? Think Ill be shopping for a reba or Fox sometime soon?

Thanks!
 
My Tora is a hybrid: air on one side, coil on the other. I think it strikes a good middle ground. It was a bit of a gamble for me since I added it after the fact but I'm happy with it given what I paid.

Frankly I have never noticed much difference in components once you hit the mid-range stuff. The high-end stuff may be lighter but it doesn't seem to shift much faster or last any longer. Remember, you can always upgrade later if it's not to your liking.

I would get the Scott if it felt the best. I went through a similar exercise a few years ago and ended up with my Iron Horse despite the spec sheet being rather unremarkable. It just "felt right". I eventually swapped the front fork and headset. Sadly Iron Horse went out of business in 2009.
 
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