Is there are forgiving hard tail (back end)

Matteeboy

Not quite on topic but my all steel 1997 Stumpjumper gives a pretty plush ride with no suspension. Great for long distance stuff.

My 2007 Stumpy is firmer but I actually quite like a bit of a livelier "back end" (oooh errrr matron )

dave_hill

My dearly departed Bontrager (True Temper Cro-Mo, minimal faff and gusseting, under 4lbs for the frame!) was probably the best riding bike I've ever experienced. Pity the tw@t who theived it probably didn't realise what he had. Ferkin pikey...

Celtic Dragon

Well this is being an easy choice I'm only stuck on 1 thing.

Core specs so far

456 frame (getting ordered in the next couple of weeks)
LX, DX or XT groupset (havn't decided yet)
Easton bars
Mavic rims


Now for forks

The 456 can take 4" - 6" travel forks, now I don't need 6" that for certain (I don't jump) So which forks give the best bang for buck? with about 5" travel, this will give some room for my skills to improve.


As the frames is red, I'm going for a red / black colour scheme with the odd white bit for contrast.

Lesser Spotted Lurker

Going full suss might solve your problems.

Not much out there is any good in your price range but the Decathlon Rockrider has had some fantastic reviews.

http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/bikes/mountain/product/rockrider-63-07-20096

andyturner28

Celtic Dragon wrote:

Well this is being an easy choice I'm only stuck on 1 thing.

Core specs so far

456 frame (getting ordered in the next couple of weeks)
LX, DX or XT groupset (havn't decided yet)
Easton bars
Mavic rims


Now for forks

The 456 can take 4" - 6" travel forks, now I don't need 6" that for certain (I don't jump) So which forks give the best bang for buck? with about 5" travel, this will give some room for my skills to improve.


As the frames is red, I'm going for a red / black colour scheme with the odd white bit for contrast.

In answer to the groupset question, 08 Xt all the way! So much better shifting than my old Doare set up with 06 XT rear mech. The shadow mech no longer hits the chainstay either, making it better than Sram X9 in my opinion.

Fork- i'd either go RS Domain 302 U-Turn at £279 or Pike 454 U-Turn at £299, both from CR. They are currently my shortlist to go with a Giant Reign frame when i can eventually afford them.

I would still go full suss though if you are having back problems on a HT. Something like the old reign frames, which are going really cheap second hand since the launch of the 08 frames.

Andy.

dave_hill

I'd go with the Air U-turn Pikes every time, not only because of the extra adjustability but also because they're over a pound lighter than the Domains!

Don't laugh, but the 2008 Manitou Minutes might be worth a look too - they're getting good reviews so far.

Celtic Dragon

andyturner28 wrote:

Celtic Dragon wrote:

Well this is being an easy choice I'm only stuck on 1 thing.

Core specs so far

456 frame (getting ordered in the next couple of weeks)
LX, DX or XT groupset (havn't decided yet)
Easton bars
Mavic rims


Now for forks

The 456 can take 4" - 6" travel forks, now I don't need 6" that for certain (I don't jump) So which forks give the best bang for buck? with about 5" travel, this will give some room for my skills to improve.


As the frames is red, I'm going for a red / black colour scheme with the odd white bit for contrast.

In answer to the groupset question, 08 Xt all the way! So much better shifting than my old Doare set up with 06 XT rear mech. The shadow mech no longer hits the chainstay either, making it better than Sram X9 in my opinion.

Fork- i'd either go RS Domain 302 U-Turn at £279 or Pike 454 U-Turn at £299, both from CR. They are currently my shortlist to go with a Giant Reign frame when i can eventually afford them.

I would still go full suss though if you are having back problems on a HT. Something like the old reign frames, which are going really cheap second hand since the launch of the 08 frames.

Andy.

Never had back probs with my old Freesprit (don'tlaugh we all start somewhere) and my old Attitude race, so think it was the bike.

mudslinger

You've piqued my interest in building a bike! The 456 & Scandal frames look good value. Anyone got an opinion on the merits of those frames? Also what sort of budget would I be looking at to do a decent build?

The Scandal also comes in a 29er - whar are the pros & cons of this over the 26"?

supersonic

The 456 is essentially designed around a 5 inch fork - with leeway an inch either way. Many frames are like this. For most trail work I would be looking at an RS Revelation, for harder riding a Pike.

dave_hill

mudslinger wrote:

You've piqued my interest in building a bike! The 456 & Scandal frames look good value. Anyone got an opinion on the merits of those frames? Also what sort of budget would I be looking at to do a decent build?

The Scandal also comes in a 29er - whar are the pros & cons of this over the 26"?

You'd do well to read the articles they've been running in MBR on the 26er v 29er debate.

So far the only conclusion that they've come to is that 29ers don't offer any significant (ie desirable or noticeable) advantage. In fact at the end of the latest article they go so far as to suggest that it might only be worth considering a 29er if you already have a fairly large stable of bikes and want another one just to add to the collection!

Also bear in mind that the 29er market is relatively small, and probably likely to stay that way in the UK. This means that your choice of parts will be fairly limited.

mudslinger

I've seen another thread on this forum about 29ers & I see you are not an advocate Dave! I will stick to a 26" as I will initially transfer most of the components from my current bike & then gradually replace as necessary over time.

dave_hill

mudslinger wrote:

I've seen another thread on this forum about 29ers & I see you are not an advocate Dave! I will stick to a 26" as I will initially transfer most of the components from my current bike & then gradually replace as necessary over time.

Can't say that I am. I'm not "anti", I just don't see the point in changing for changing's sake. 26" wheels work perfectly well and have done for years.

It's horses for courses, like everything else. 26" wheels are stronger, quicker to accelerate and easier to turn, but they have a (relatively) high rolling resistance.

29" wheels get over the rolling resistance and once up to speed maintain momentum - but because of the higher rotating mass they take more effort to accelerate and are slower steering.

Some companies (such as Trek) offer "69ers" where the front wheel is a 29er and the rear a 26er, but even this is difficult to justify properly - ok, the bike will (theoretically) accelerate quicker because of the smaller rear wheel, but you've still got the slower steering problem (oddly enough, Cannondale did this years ago with a bike they called "The Beast" - it had a 26" front wheel and a 24" back wheel. The idea here was to shorten the chainstays, tucking the rear wheel right in - the thing climbed like a goat on crack, but shall we say that descending became "interesting" because the frame was so short!)

I'm sticking to 26" wheels until somebody can show that there is a definite advantage to 29" and that it's not just a manufacturer-driven fad.

ddraver

what about 27.5?!...... :P

dawnophile

Your LBS has suggested a very good frame with the handjob. Columbus tubing, and the pipes look a little skinny next to my P7. That said, it's a fair bit lighter. A mate has a 17" one, and is very pleased with it.
Trouble is, it's not the cheapest frame out there. You wouldn't get much change out of £500 for the rest of it.