What XC bike



KDK2003

New Member
Jan 4, 2004
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I am loooking to buy a new MTB, in order to upgrade from my Mongoose Rockadile AL. The current bike is good and I would have kept it for longer but as it is the wrong size (Medium and I am 1.86cm) it is painful.

As my riding has improved, I am after a FS bike. However I want it to be a "master of all trades". I am willing to pay for an excellent frame and save money on the peripherals and upgrade them as they break / wear down.

I am quite heavy (110kg) so my main priority is not the ultra-light / race oriented bike than might break/bend/crack under my weight. On the other hand I do not want a 'freeride' bike that will be difficult and perhaps more tiring than needed on ascends etc.

My main riding now invlolves rocky dirtroads with some steep ascends (and therefore descends). I am not interested in 'Freeriding' but I would like the bike to be able to handle minor jumps and drops (note my weight)

After doing my reserch on the net I have limited my choices between the Yetis (ASR, ASX, Kokopelli or the new ASR575), the Santa Cruz (Blur or Heckler) and Klein Palomino.

Any one ridden these bikes ? Any of the above bikes fit the bill ? Are there others that I may have missed ?
 
Go with the Blur. It's an awesome design. However, test ride a bunch of bikes, and see which one fits the best and feels good.
 
Actually Santa Cruz does not recomend the Blur to anyone much over 200 pounds. It is not a good frame to take jumps of any kind either. I would recomend the Heckler hands down. Not the lightest frame of the bunch but far tougher and highly versatile. Good enough for XC of light freeride.
 
Yetis are a good choice but stick with the blur if you like it. For your weight you may want to look at the trek liquid I got one and I use it fine for XC although I was used to an even heavier bike before it. Good luck.
 
I have an SC Blur and I absolutely love it.
I ride with two other guys that love there's too.
It climbs like a hardtail and has a plush but efficient suspension.
Go with a fox float rlc 100 on the front.
Some people put Talas's on them but 125mm is an overkill and not recommended by SC.
Good luck.

PS you should be able to get a good deal on mtbr or ebay right now!

Steve from coastal NH
steveATmtanembaDOTorg
 
I was in a long hard cross-country race last summer and there was one fellow that was 120 Kg. The bike that carried him to the finish line was a Klein Palomino. I’ll never doubt the quality of a Klein.
 

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