All day 5" full bouncer - your ideas...

DickBarton

I've been spending the last couple of weekends watching my daughter (7 months old) which has led to a lot of time online and looking at bikes.

I'm now hankering for a new bike - can't afford one and probably not going to get one for a good wee while yet (as in years) - but humour me...

I'm looking for a full bouncer (5" travel) that can be ridden hard and fast round here (Scotland) (stop laughing at the back - I'm thinking of something that can get me back up to hard and fast and then not be out of depth!); be more than capable for some real hardcore Scottish riding out in the wilds over whatever is in front of the wheel - technical stuff, climbs/descents/flats/smooths/bumps - everything. I'm never going to do the Mega Avalanche but I do fancy a trip to ride down Mount Ventoux offroad, so it needs to be able to handle everything Scotland has to offer and I guess the vast majority of Europe - everything apart from out and out DH tracks (as I'm no air bandit so going down and technical things are fine, but having to launch over a 20 foot gap with 6 feet air under the wheels isn't going to happen!)

I want a thru-axle on the front and I want it to weigh about 27lbs or less.

So what would your kit include? Give me the frame and forks, plus some hardcore but lightweight wheels (ones that will take a hammering over some real rough terrain and accept the fact that I'm not a smooth rider! but won't fold on the slightest crease in the ground - strength over weight but not DH wheels!), then any finishing kit you would go for.

My ethos is strong, functional and then lightweight...as long as the first 2 things are dealt with then I'll go for light so I'm not looking to build a 22lb monster machine...but I reckon 27lb or just under is more than do-able.

This is purely to help me pass the time of day whilst babysitting, but may end up becoming an actual real-life purchase further down the line.

BoardinBob

I imagine you'll be looking at a serious cost to get an "all mountain" bike below 27lbs.

Ignoring weight for a minute, the logical off the peg choices are the Spesh Pitch Pro if you can find it, or the Cannondale Prophets.

BoardinBob

Actually, remembering the review of the Pitch Pro in one of the magazines a couple of months back, they said it could go one of two ways.

Stick some heavier bits and bobs on and turn it into a real downhill contender or go with lighter kit to make it an all day all mountain machine.

it's the logical, if obvious choice.

Mancunianfightingcat

BoardinBob wrote:

I imagine you'll be looking at a serious cost to get an "all mountain" bike below 27lbs.

Ignoring weight for a minute, the logical off the peg choices are the Spesh Pitch Pro if you can find it, or the Cannondale Prophets.

I guess my Orange 5 SE is about 27lbs. But it was far from cheap, the 09 model comes with FOX QR15.

FSR_XC

As per Mancunianfightingcat's comment;

It sounds like you are describing an Orange 5

passout

Commencal Meta 55 - try Merlin Cycles, they are cheap.

DickBarton

Cost isn't an issue just now as it is just all in my head...

I don't think I'm after an All-mountain mountain bike - it just needs to be strong and capable of handling whatever I'm riding...the all-mountain tag to me is purely marketing hype - same with freeride and aggressive XC and all that nonsense...I'm not too fussed on the tag that the marketeers have given the bike, but it has to be strong and light (and there is no picking between them - it has to do both) and I don't think 27lbs is that difficult to reach with decent kit without going for real fancy stuff.

Was having a browse at the Santa Cruz Blur LT and with the X9 kit and Fox 32 Floats, it weighs apparently 25.7lbs...so 27lb shouldn't be that hard to get to.

However, thanks for the suggestions, will start looking at these and thinking about it all...

BoardinBob

Remember the old mantra

Strong
Light
Cheap

Pick two

iain1775

second vote for Commncal Meta 55
Rides much lighter than it is, flys up and down hill, feels like it has more travel than it actually does. Had mine for a year and absolutely love it (I tested a rake of other bikes before buying the Meta blindly and none of the others compared)

£750 off a new Meta 55.1 at Merlin this weekend - that is a hell of a lot of bike for around £1750 Weight on the 55.1 is around 29lbs (at least mine is)

pdid

3rd for the Meta 5, but have a look at the UK spec:

http://www.merlincycles.co.uk/?fn=produ ... goryId=129

It has 15QR forks. Kiss goodbye to 27lbs though

shin0r

Depending on how much cash you want to spend, Orange 5, SC Heckler or Specialized Pitch.

Try to get hold of Dirt Magazine's Top 100 Products of 2009, it's proper bike porn.

M6TTF

trek fuel ex range - love mine to bits and they are good on weight

Mancunianfightingcat

You can buy 2 Metas for the price of an Orange 5.
I'd settle for 29lbs and £1500 change!

cullen_bay

hey dickbarton, im really happy with my giant trance x3. did the puffer on it and clocked consistently fast times, so im really happy. wont go far wrong with a trance x or trance advanced (if money is no problem)

p.s, do you know whats happened to mtbscotland?

supersonic

"...the all-mountain tag to me is purely marketing hype - same with freeride and aggressive XC and all that nonsense.."

You say that, but the bike you want fits into what the whole AM concept is - a lightweight, do it all bike for most terrain. While there is ome overlap between the terms, they exist to get us in the right ball park. You don't want an XC race bike - nor a 10 inch travel DH bike - so to say there is only one type inbetween is narrowing things some what.

Saying that, it would be wise to test some out.

How about something like this?

http://www.tredz.co.uk/.GT-Force-Carbon ... _21062.htm

dave_hill

DickBarton wrote:

However, thanks for the suggestions, will start looking at these and thinking about it all...

Now don't laugh, but I think the ideal bike for you would be a Giant VT.

Seriously, you can still find them and they are one of the best all-round bikes ever. Granted, they don't have a 20mm through axle but for what you're going to pay for the bike you could easily upgrade the forks and wheels.

If you'll pay the deposit on an Orange Alpine AM for me, you can have mine...

DickBarton

I'm currently riding an 06 Trance 1 - is very nice and more than capable of what I'm doing just now...but I've got a hankering so need to see what is out there - I've not read a MTB mag for a good few years so have no real idea of what is out there...hence the request ofr suggestions...so far full bike suggestions but if you were to build up in bits - what would you go for?

supersonic

Trance could be a decent platform!

With a good budget I would look at full XTR kit, Pace forks (of suitable travel, they are the lightest available at just about any travel), Specialized Roval wheels, Forumula R1 brakes.

Frame, Scott Genius? Many to choose from

shin0r

Mancunianfightingcat wrote:

You can buy 2 Metas for the price of an Orange 5.
I'd settle for 29lbs and £1500 change!

You can buy two renault meganes for the price of a 5 series

grumsta

That Meta 5.1 from Merlin is only 27.9 pounds - don't think you are gonna get (or want) anything much lighter for all mountain.

http://www.merlincycles.co.uk/?fn=produ ... goryId=129

Mancunianfightingcat

You can buy two renault meganes for the price of a 5 series [/quote]

good point, well made............................ :roll:

haynes1

meta 55 range

Anonymous

meta 5.5 range

dave_hill

shin0r wrote:

Mancunianfightingcat wrote:

You can buy 2 Metas for the price of an Orange 5.
I'd settle for 29lbs and £1500 change!

You can buy two renault meganes for the price of a 5 series

Given the choice I'd rather walk than buy a Renault...

And have lots of money.

ride_whenever

I'd say a genius in carbon fibre, you wouldn't want the top of the range one, but they're very very capable

DickBarton

The Merlin offerings on the Meta stuff look very good...but I'm clearly missing the ones with thru-axles???

oxnop

I was in the same predicament. I wanted a bike that would "do everything" after lots of test rides I chose a Giant Trance Advanced. It 'only' has 4.2" of travel but it acts like it has more all while feeling really light on the uphill’s.

For the money I was spending I thought I wanted more of a boutique custom bike but after the test ride I was sold. I changed the wheels to some tubeless crossmax enduro's and changed seatpost & stem to Thompson & added some wider riser bars to beef it up a bit. For a fairly light carbon bike it’s handled all the trails really well - Dalby, Glentress Marin ETC

I had been used to an s-works stumpjumper HT so I wanted something fairly light but would be more comfy for longer rides and would take some punishment at trail centres.

Mine weighs about 25lbs maybe less but seems to handle anything I can throw at it, I got mine for a deal as 2008 model and worth every penny.

All id say is choose a bike which will do what you want it do for most of your rides, not just get a longer travel bike for the sake of it…..if you get my drift!

r6ymy

I think an RC405 or the new Cotic Hemlock could be built into a superb all mountain bike and the weight should be in the right area too, both the frames are around 6.5 lbs.

pdid

DickBarton wrote:

The Merlin offerings on the Meta stuff look very good...but I'm clearly missing the ones with thru-axles???

http://www.merlincycles.co.uk/?fn=produ ... goryId=129

Has a QR15

supersonic

Good value, but hefty frame.

DickBarton

pdid wrote:

DickBarton wrote:

The Merlin offerings on the Meta stuff look very good...but I'm clearly missing the ones with thru-axles???

http://www.merlincycles.co.uk/?fn=produ ... goryId=129

Has a QR15

Good grief, I seemed to have missed that one completely...cheers.

I do fancy the Pace RC405 - but as this is simply a dream at present I think the next stage is convincing wife and daughter that I should get a new bike...spending the amount of get the Pace might need to wait for a few more months if at all...