what full sus bike for XC

jason23

Hey folks,
I'm a 13.5 stone rider who has thrashed M2's and M4's all his cycling life.
SO far this has been my perfect bike.
Getting tired of the stiff frame now but still like the aggressiveness of the M4.
I want to be able to pedal over rough terrain without the alloy M4 kicking my ass.

I want a full sus rigg that is predominantly XC.
I would like to be able to yurn the sus off both front and back.
It has to be able to attack uphill as well as down.
ALso has to be strong as I am a heavy rider both in weight and style.

SO far I have shortlisted the Specialised FSR. Maybe the Pitch?

Can any full sus experts offer any advice?

Thanks

JAson

johnnypipe85

I'd go for the Specialized Epic. It does all that you said you want, and it climbs better than a hardtail!!!

omegas

Yes I would go for the Specialized Epic (and it has brain fade)

http://www.specialized.com/bc/SBCBkMode ... anguage=US

guv001

I'd go for the stumpjumper. Expert and above have Brain Fade on the rear below that is just manual on/off pro pedal...

zero303

Pitch is a lovely bike but not the one you want... It's very much All Mountain/Light Freeride, over 30lb+ weight...

dirtbiker100

would you look elsewhere apart from spesh?

Chaka Ping

Loads of possibilities, the new Giant Trance springs to my mind though.

What sort of budget you got?

FSR_XC

What's your budget?

jason23

FSR_XC wrote:

What's your budget?

Thanks for reply everyone.

I would consider alternative to specialised. I have had nothing but good times with spec machines and feel some loyalty here.

My budget is about 1200 maybe 1400 at a real push.

jason23

want something fast for xc and lock outable.
simply cant do Glentress black runs on my hardtail without getting a major ass whipping, its just not pleasant.

Also dreaming being able to pedal over evil stuttery terrain

grantway

I tried the Stumpjunper but did not get on with the brain
Had to get off the bike every time to adjust the shock for the terrain

Set it firm and when you go over the rough the shock returns quick and feels
like a hammer beating your arss, as it wants to turn into an hardtail.
and set to low it just wallowed when i pushed hard onto the pedals
They say the brain is not for everyone.

The Stumpy felt safe and does not push your limits, the handle bars too narrow
There is a test on this bike reviewed on this site

They do the Stumpy without the brain which you can lock and have open fully
and pro pedal

Try the Scott MC range as the shock is adjusted on the handle bars.

I went and tried the Orange 5 and woow it pushes you and
boy what an exciting ride
It does not have a lock out but there is three adjustments on the pro pedal

Yes its a single pivot but all magazines give top marks.

I went out and bought the 5

Yes more expensive but absolutely brilliant

Best will be to try as many bikes as you can being no bike rides the same
just turns out the most expensive wins

Good Luck

Steve_b77

You're not heavy at 13.5 stone, same as me

Yeah the pitch is a fine bike, but it's pretty burly but only just over 30lbs, the Pro is 30.6 sans pedals, it suits me down to the ground as I'm not really that bothered about belting round trails flat out but it's more than capable of doing a pretty good job at it.

You can get the '07 Stumpjumper for about the same as your budget now too.

zero303

I second the Orange 5 if you can afford one - have loved every second of mine! Comparing it to a spesh, climbs like a Stumpy (maybe better?) yet would give a Pitch a run for it's money going down...

dirtbiker100

save for a couple more months and get an orange 5. you'll be thankful you didn't get another specialized and instead got one of the best bikes out there.

jason23

grantway wrote:

I tried the Stumpjunper but did not get on with the brain
Had to get off the bike every time to adjust the shock for the terrain

That Brain sounds shit. Thanks for the headsup on that. Sounds awful, what the point in that, better sticking to my hardtail I would say.

Will take a lookie at the Orange 5.

I think I will go for one of last years bikes as you always get much better value.

jason23

zero303 wrote:

I second the Orange 5 if you can afford one - have loved every second of mine! Comparing it to a spesh, climbs like a Stumpy (maybe better?) yet would give a Pitch a run for it's money going down...

which Five did you buy? 2007? what is its weight? could you race on it? Whats it like uphill on long grueling climbs? Is it fully lock outable?

gaz047

hi, considered a giant anthem? i was in a similar situation to you a year ago going from a trek 8500 hardtail to a full suss, and still wanted the bike to be light and a good climber. the anthem frame weighs in at 5.2lb (iirc) including rp23 shock, gives you 90 mm travel and is designed for an 80mm fork. i've done 3 meridas on it, trail centres and my local rides are in the peaks and its never let me down, of course you have to pick your lines more carefully on the gnarlier descents (jacobs ladder etc) but don't mind this as it keeps your skills pretty sharp. id recommend test riding any bike your intereted in though as there are plenty in the xc bracket. happy hunting!
ps not biased

zero303

Jason: Orange 5 Pro, 28lb ish weight wise and I plan on doing the Bristol Bikefest 12hr enduro on it. It's not an XC whippet of course, far from it. That said, it feels more like a 120mm bike like the stumpy up until things get lairy and then you realise you have more in reserve travel wise

You're unlikely to find any '07 Orange Fives going cheap as they are usually made to order meaning no excess stock. That said, mine was built and delivered in about 4 days!!

nferrar

I'd get a 2007 Giant Anthem 1, think I've seen them around £1200 now. If you want more travel though you're prob better off looking at a 2008 bike as most manufacturers seems to have gotten them lighter/stiffer for the same price etc.

zero303

Nick Ferrar???

nferrar

Yes... what did I do now? ;p

grantway

Dont know how tall you are but Lesiure Lakes in Bury have an 16 inch 06 S model
was £ 1749.00p now £ 1,349.00p this comes with upgrades too.

Good Luck

zero303

It's Gary from CR... :P