Hello Guys looking to replace my bike (a mish mash of all the fun times from the turn of the millennium) with something nice but not overkill. I want a full suspension bike with the following as I want like for like but new and improved 180-220mm rear travel. 200mm+ front travel Single ring or dual ring + bash guard 180mm front and rear hydraulic discs min 20mm thru axel if possible and triple clamp Now the fun part.. 29er or 650b (27.5")?? Ive purchased a few of the latest mags and the issue I have is ALL the bikes that fit this criteria and are reviewed seem to be be £4k or more which is just insane.. My thoughts as such are pointing me towards the following. Scott VOLTAGE FR 720 Scott GAMBLER 730 The 710s are the top of the range in the VOLTAGE and GAMBLER rangers with the 730s pulling up the rear. The Gambler is a range above the Voltage so the 730 Gambler costs circa £2500 where as the Voltage 720 costs around £2200.... I may sacrifice the triple clamp for the Voltage 730 which is only £1700 however I am sure I will at some point regret this. Are there any other examples you can think of and possibly link to? Also, do you know of any decent online companies that you would recommend for such a purchase? My old bike is a 2006? Kona Stinky with SRAM 180mm front disc and 160mm rear (hydraulic) that has had a number of replacement budget parts and some of it is as old as 2001. The forks are some DH triple clamp with 210mm travel that's fully adjustable but the time has come to replace it all as I have the following issues... Crank shafted dodgy rear wheel crack In weld on frame rust creaks bearing in 20mm front axle.. Discuss
from what i have read 29" good for climbing and rolling over big logs, 26" good for downhill and 27.5" best of both or worst of both depending on personal experience. So with that sort of travel im guessing lots of downhill with not much uphill so i would go 26" or 27.5".
So you're looking for a downhill bike right? If that's the case buy a YT, the reviews for them are always glowing and they're half the price of anything else.
You're looking for 2 different bikes here. You're half describing a DH rig and half an enduro/all mountain bike. The bike you want / describe is a DH bike but it will only come with a single ring on the front. Just like the two Scott's you have names. If you get a double ring you'll probably not be running a set of dual crown (triple clamp) forks, and they will usually be 180mm max. 90% of these bikes are going to come as 650b (27.5") and not 29", the other 10% will be 26". Where do you plan on riding? Location / Style? Also you know there is a bike thread yeah? edit: R.E. YT bikes, my worry would be warranty with them being internet only and based in Germany, not like you can walk into a shop with a problem.
I'm interested in DH more so than anything else but quite like how a 29er rides for general trails so the 650b is the best of both worlds in that respect. Not too fussed on a dual ring but it's just a case of added flexibility although I doubt I'll need it really. As for the YT bikes, never heard of them. I'll check them out but the location is off putting. I like the chase, the lakes, clip stone forest but love downhill trails the most so I need something to suit. The two I've linked seem like a solid bet wouldn't anyone agree? Also, didn't realise there was a thread. Link?
Bike thread link If you're gonna travel to proper DH tracks, the likes of Coed y Brenin and do an uplift day, you're gonna regularly fly out to France and hit Les Gets with their chairlifts, live on the doorstep of some decent / proper DH trails or even you wanna ride street and Huck the biggest stair gaps you can find then fine. But unless your super fit you're not gonna ride a proper DH bike on your average 20 mile trails kinda ride, you will be dead! I've got a 160mm all mountain Trek Slash which I've lightened with XTR, Hope etc and after a 35 mile ride took me 3 hrs I was goosed. I did the same ride on my cyclocross bike in 2hrs. But it's handled everything I've thrown it at where I live, in the lakes and Glentress. I presume by "the chase" you mean Cannock Chase? Have you done all the Stile Cop Downhill MTB Trails there? I'm not trying to be a dick here, I genuinely want to help you get the right bike.
App 5 years back maybe more? Been out of riding for a few years and it's only since going over the bike that it's evident it's had it hence the need for a new one. As for fitness, I'm probably looking at 10-12mile trails to be honest. The longest I've ever managed was 43 miles at clip stone forest essentially just repeating a few light trails and riding about and I was pretty shattered then! I dislike hard tails which is why I want full suspension however I would like the facility to lock off if I ever go for a ride with the other half as that usually involves flat disused railways and rides around lakes. I'd rather get a full DH now as I then have one that'll last a good few years rather than get a couple of years in after spending £1k or more and then repeating a purchase for another £3k or so.. £2-2.5k now seems sensible to me as it means I'm less likely to want to replace with a more expensive bike at a later date so it's a money saver.
You won't get a DH bike to "lock out" they are give or take 200mm either end of on all the time travel and will be maybe 35/40lbs plus in weight (unless your minted and go carbon). You'll only get 9, 10 or 11 gears, too. A lot of people are runing their Enduro bikes 1x10 or 11 now but there is at least an option to run a double on the front, there is no option of this on a DH bike. There are loads of 160mm'ish bikes like out there which will handle a lot of the crazy stuff, I'm recommending you look at these as I've sold them in the shop I run / ride or have rode them, look at: Giant Reign (workmate owns a 2010), Trek Slash (I own a 2013 / have sold), Saracen Ariel (rep / riding buddy owned), Specialized Enduro (riding buddy owns a 2005). It's not for me to tell you how to spend your money, but from what you've suggested your riding is, you don't need a DH bike. If you live close to a trail center or somewhere that demo's bikes, take both a DH and an All Mountain / Enduro bike for a ride. Check some video's on YouTube or Pinkbike, other than doing some mental drops most of the people in them ride All Mountain / Enduro style 160mm ish bikes. Having said that, I also run a 2015 Giant Trance 27.5 2 and everywhere I've ran my Trek Slash I've rode my Trance too.
Thanks for the advice, I'll have a mull over it all and have a look at some of the options mentioned along with the odd alternative from the other brands out there. The only niggle I have is that I've ridden a Banshee X (entry level £800 jobbie) and the way the bike sits just doesn't feel right and looking at some of the bikes mentioned I can see there's a possibility They will feel similar. That's the only reason I've been looking at a like for like as the way it feels needs to feel familiar even if it's not (wheel size for one) but who can tell until As you've rightly mentioned had a play.
I'm gonna presume a Banshee X is a Carrera as the brand Banshee don't go that cheap I think. Forget everything about that bike, as you mentioned it's entry level. People come in the shop all the time wanting to spend hundreds on a full suspension bike. I'm not trying to sound like a snob, but I tell them to forget it, they haven't got enough money. An okay full fuss requires maybe £1500 minimum, even then, this year's Giant's need you to spend £1900 before you get a usable shock (Trance 2 has Fox CTD on both shocks). Anything cheaper on a Giant and it doesn't lock the rear out. Can you describe how it's sits? Just the way it looked? You prefer a slacker DH bike for looks? Or how it rode?
The last pic is similar to how the current bike sat so its that kind of bike I am going to be looking for although I prefer the second pic for looks. I had more of a rake on the front forks, I have the seat a little lower than I should as getting a seat rammed up the chuff when giving a little grief isn't the best feeling. As for how it sits, I prefer the higher front from a balance perspective as the lower the front end the further over I am with my centre of gravity and I have a tendency to fall off and over the front on bikes where my centre is more forward. (I prefer to hand off the back as falling off usually hurts less, not that I indeed to go about my day with my face in the dirt) Ive got a road bike (read older hard tail with 80mm travel front forks), its a bogo entry level Trek or some description with a few little upgrades here and there from Kore (handle bar) and a set of maguras from an old Monty I had. Its just is another reason why I don't need a bike I can ride around a reservoir or down an old rail way with the missus as ill probably use that as itll be 10 times easier to ride and although I will want to ride the DH Im not going to try and fool myself into thinking I could hack 30miles at a snails pace with a picnic strapped to my back. I tried giving it a small ride out at some local woods and it was to be blunt; horrific.
I think you should find a demo day and get yourself booked onto it, there's usually one or two a year at Cannock Chase (there's one there next month in fact). Bikes have changed a lot since the days of the Stinky, it would be worth your time to actually ride some current bikes before deciding what you want. It's well worth the cost if it spares you dropping £2k on a dog.
Ill have a look into when it is as that will probably help no end. With regards to the bikes I originally linked to, theres also a Voltage 730 that doesn't feature a triple clamp, a slightly reduced handle bar height and sits in that grey area mid ground much better than most ive seen as Id imagine itll not be too dissimilar from the 720.. Im not as fit as I was and I wont be smashing it up making dumb decisions with the ride like I did when I was a teen so probably don't need anything as aggressive but as you've pointed out, times have moved on considerably so it could very well be that even the 730 is going to be lightyears ahead of the old stinky. 720 730
A few other long travel options which might be worth a look Specialized Status: Cube Fritzz 180: Specialized Enduro Evo: I would imagine any of the new long travel 'enduro' rigs would perform better than your old stinky over the same terrain tbh.
That's for that mate, bit more rep your way! "the Enduro EVO strikes the perfect harmony between downhill and trail bikes." Is essentially what I will probably end up looking for so that it lasts me a good 5-8 years although looking over it it is exceptionally close to the 730 Ive linked in terms of spec all be it with odds an ends here and there of a slightly higher quality hence the £500 bump in price. Not too sure on that cube, although a new seat stem will fix that but id like a bike out the box that works without having to change bits. The Specialized Status seems to fit most of the requirements too but as with the other Specialized Ive just noticed the bike rack could be an issue.. As too with the scotts.. The Kona has a rear swing arm closer to that of the cube and that's where the bike rack feeds through.. I hadn't actually considered that :/
