2015 Giant Lust 1 or Lust Advanced 2

These bikes weigh about the same, but I'd have to wait till at least late March for the carbon Lust Advanced 2. The Lust 1 supposedly has better, lighter components. I would add dropper post, lighter wheel set and maybe go to 1x11. I tried the 2014 Lust 1 in xs while traveling out of town and it felt good. Any thoughts on waiting for the carbon? They were late coming out last year so they might not be ready in March. I am 5 feet tall, older rider, not very aggressive - just like long rides in the mountains.

Hm...

Disclaimer: Not a mountain biker (too clumsy).

Will this be a "forever" bike, or do you see yourself upgrading to a new bike in the future? How much more is the Advanced, and will that eat any upgrade budget? With Giant's numbering system, yes, the Lust 1 will have better components and wheels off the shelf. The carbon frame is probably going to be a bit lighter, but given that they have to beef up the frames a lot for mountain bikes, I'm not sure that there will be any meaningful weight savings, especially when you add in the weight of the heavier components. (You might ask your LBS to see if they can get that information out of the company. They don't publish that.) Would you notice the ride difference?

If you see yourself upgrading to another bike in the future, I'm not sure the carbon frame is worth it. However, if you think this might be a forever-bike, then I'd more strongly consider the carbon frame and make changes when you can afford it/as necessary. (As it is, I'm a little bit leery of carbon MTB frames, but as far as I can tell it's not a huge issue for the average user.)

I have been riding the Lust 1 for over a year and I love it. If you search around in the mt bike forum you will see all of my gushing. I am a pretty aggressive rider, and I raced the whole season on it. Not a single issue, complain or gee I wish I had....

I love it, worth every penny

Does color come into play at all for you? If it does, I think you should also decide based on the color scheme.

As for me, since you will be swapping in the 1x11 anyways, perhaps you should go carbon?

Also, if you are going to be swapping in the 1X11 and then swapping in for lighter wheel sets, will it be worth your while to get a Lust Advanced 1 or Lust Advanced 0 instead of a Lust Advanced 2?