I am looking to buy a new bike (well, frame and fork) some time this year. I don't change them often, and want to get it right! I'd like to hear from people - ideally people with reasonably similar tastes who have gone from short travel to medium travel full suss - say from 100mm to 125-140mm.
In terms of "similar tastes", I am ideally looking for people who are sold on the benefits of full suss, consider themselves "trail/xc" sorts of riders who are fairly fit and care about bike (and body!) weight, fitness, climbing speed, and so on but don't actively race or spend their whole lives riding, and who ideally are among the most unhinged of their riding group when it comes to downhill/cornering speed. Views from anyone appreciated though /img/vbsmilies/smilies/smile.gif
I am torn between the sort of bike that suits most of my riding - which would be a short travel full susser as there is nothing too crazy down here at one end of the South Downs - and something in the 120-140mm bracket. A factor is that this bike will sit alongside a hardtail used as a road/mud bike, and a pre-facelift Superlight with 100mm at both ends that has a dent in the frame and thus is not worth selling - so it does not have to do everything, but equally I don't really see the point of my main bike being one that feels too long travel for most of my riding and only works for the odd trip to CYB or riding holidays abroad. It is replacing a Blur Classic (115mm VPP) with 130mm DT forks that already feel borderline to me in terms of travel.
Considering: Pivot Mach 4/Giant Anthem/SC Blur XC Carbon with 120mm forks as the most suitable for my riding, Yeti ASR5/SC Blur Trc as a step up for trail centres but with 120mm forks hopefully not too much for long climbs, or Blur LT Carbon/Ibis Mojo SLR probably with Talas forks as a longer travel option still usefully lighter than the 26-27pounds of my current two full sussers. The Yeti ASR5 alloy is currently top of the list - unlike the SC bikes the alloy version is not much heavier, I don't really want to spend £2500 on a frame alone as it seems poor value compared to the same bikes in the US. I am not considering 29'ers, at 5"9 and 70kg and someone who likes to hustle a bike not steamroll everything, and who wants a lighter bike than what I have already, I don't really see them as right for me.
Any bikes I have missed (looking at bikes more commonly bought as frames not whole bikes)? People that have loved/regretted going longer travel?
~~Any suggestions, I will send you a small gift. Thank you/img/vbsmilies/smilies/wink.gif
In terms of "similar tastes", I am ideally looking for people who are sold on the benefits of full suss, consider themselves "trail/xc" sorts of riders who are fairly fit and care about bike (and body!) weight, fitness, climbing speed, and so on but don't actively race or spend their whole lives riding, and who ideally are among the most unhinged of their riding group when it comes to downhill/cornering speed. Views from anyone appreciated though /img/vbsmilies/smilies/smile.gif
I am torn between the sort of bike that suits most of my riding - which would be a short travel full susser as there is nothing too crazy down here at one end of the South Downs - and something in the 120-140mm bracket. A factor is that this bike will sit alongside a hardtail used as a road/mud bike, and a pre-facelift Superlight with 100mm at both ends that has a dent in the frame and thus is not worth selling - so it does not have to do everything, but equally I don't really see the point of my main bike being one that feels too long travel for most of my riding and only works for the odd trip to CYB or riding holidays abroad. It is replacing a Blur Classic (115mm VPP) with 130mm DT forks that already feel borderline to me in terms of travel.
Considering: Pivot Mach 4/Giant Anthem/SC Blur XC Carbon with 120mm forks as the most suitable for my riding, Yeti ASR5/SC Blur Trc as a step up for trail centres but with 120mm forks hopefully not too much for long climbs, or Blur LT Carbon/Ibis Mojo SLR probably with Talas forks as a longer travel option still usefully lighter than the 26-27pounds of my current two full sussers. The Yeti ASR5 alloy is currently top of the list - unlike the SC bikes the alloy version is not much heavier, I don't really want to spend £2500 on a frame alone as it seems poor value compared to the same bikes in the US. I am not considering 29'ers, at 5"9 and 70kg and someone who likes to hustle a bike not steamroll everything, and who wants a lighter bike than what I have already, I don't really see them as right for me.
Any bikes I have missed (looking at bikes more commonly bought as frames not whole bikes)? People that have loved/regretted going longer travel?
~~Any suggestions, I will send you a small gift. Thank you/img/vbsmilies/smilies/wink.gif
