the "everything" bike..

The Northern Monkey

I've been having conversation with myself in work today (no i'm not mad...honest!!) about what I would consider an"everything" bike.
A bike that can cover the miles, take on trail drops, jumps and decents but also climb fairly well.... not looking for much am I?

Heres what I concluded in my head...
130mm travel... something like the revelation dual air?
if its a FS its gotta have lock out
SLX drive (cranks, gears)
Something along the lines of avid elixir CR?
Wheels? I'm not sure... something light enough for XC but strong enough for a few drops

Frame? no idea


After a bit of searching I found this...
http://www.sunsetmtb.co.uk/shop/index.p ... gory_id=80

What you think, does that suit my logic?
What would you choose?

rackgaki

probably about right, I do hate treks though...

The Northern Monkey

oh yeah i'm not after another bike (yet), I was just bored in work and wanted to put the question out there

RealMan

orange 5, stumpy fsr, any hardtail with decent long travel (although you already have one of those), santa cruz heckler (maybe?), trek fuels do look good as well.

+1 for elixir crs.

Wheels - you want stans ztrs. Light, strong, tubeless ready. Hope pro IIs would be my choice.

ride_whenever

I'd got for a genius probably, built up from a frame and forks package.

Carbon frame with fox floats
hope hubs stans flow rims
either elixir cr carbons or hope brakes
full xt
1point stem
easton CNT DH bars
CB jolpin post
charge spoon
big rubber maybe 2.3" rampage UST
hope anodised tarty bits.


If you don't have a massive budget, i'd go for my 456...

Anonymous

if i was only going to have one bike or all types of riding, i would pick a 6 inch fs bike. my enduro is a little over 30lbs since i fitted the joplin but it is efficient, hard hitting and comfortable (and i love the way it looks)

if i was getting rid of all but one bike, it is definately the one i would keep so in my opinion, a light 6 incher (fnaar fnaar!)

scale20

rackgaki wrote:

probably about right, I do hate treks though...

You hate the look or ride?

The trek EX9 I had took a lot on the trails and found with the right tyres rolled really well on the roads. Some of my local loops take a bit of a road ride to get to and from. With full lock out it climbed well too.

supersonic

Budget is such a big player here.

No bike can do XC and DH (as good as each other), so there will always be a lean of one way usually in the build. An XC bike that can take some hammer? Or a light DH bike that can be pedalled? Money equals less weight ;-)

nicklouse

sounds like my spare parts bike!

Nick Dastardly

Like has already been mentioned, budget is everything.

I wanted something through Cycle To Work (so £1000 max) that could cope with a few knocks without being too heavy to pedal back up to the top. I still reckon FS isn't really an option on an all-rounder at that price so Orange Crush all the way.

supersonic

Of course if my name was Roman Branson McBannatyne-Sainsbury, it would probably be a Genius LTD. I mean, who wouldn't?!

Anonymous

My new bike!
I do everything on it. Nowt wrong with it.
So it's "better" at going downhill and drops and stuff, yeah, but it's still fine going uphill.

Actually, I kept up with an XC rider in llandegla the other day for most of the first climb and had I been as fit as him then chances are I could probably have kept up all the way.

ratty2k

http://www.ninerbikes.com/fly.aspx?layo ... s&taxid=94
Easy rolling big wheels- covers XC ground well, climbs well with the inherent extra traction of the longer footprint, and with a 130mm travel will do most riding that anyone could want...

flamedude

I hear great things about the Santa Cruz Nomad and I've always been really interested in the Kona Coilair which its magic link thingummy.

Anonymous

Magic link is a gimmick that does nothing except distract from their woeful suss design.

paul.skibum

Heckler or Orange 5 sound good choices. Nomad and Enduro would probably work too but have too many pivots for my taste!

I wouldnt go for the Genius or the EX because I have an irrational brand dislike for Scott and Trek!

guilliano

I wouldn't go for the Genius Ltd. If I went the Genius route I'd buy a frame and build it with my own choice of parts

But then if I was going to get a money no object does everything bike it would be a Cove Hummer

zero303

I can feel the hate already but deffo the Orange Five.

I can stick 2.1 high rollers on it and go racing (was on par for Bristol Bike fest 12 hour top 20 finish before knee injury flared up), stick 2.35 Nevegals and go big trail riding, stick 2.4s and DH tubes and go DHing (4 min Cwmcarn times, so on par with the slower of Elite NPS times and remember, I'm on a trail bike)

I know you hate the thing with a passion on here but it's a frankly legendary machine! :-P

guilliano

I don't hate the thing, I can't wait for my shop to get a demo 5 so I can have a go and see what it's like. Once the road bike is paid off next spring I'll be sorely tempted by the 5 as I simply can't afford a custom Hummer

zero303

The hate thing is just a running joke really... "Grantway-gate" it should be referred to or something

Steve_b77

Sounds just like my FS bike, bar the brakes.

130mm travel Revs - Yup
130mm travel rear with lock out - Yup
SLX Cranks - Yup
Wheels strong & light - Hope Hoops - Yup
Also it weighs 28lbs

Winner

MacAndCheese

yeehaamcgee wrote:

My new bike!
I do everything on it. Nowt wrong with it.
.

I second the Wolf Ridge - having just got one is is awsome and CAN CLIMB despite the weight.

Anonymous

It's not that I dislike or hate it, but the Orange 5 is just boring, cause they're everywhere. Strikes me as the "safe" option.
I also know from experience that that single pivot location just isn't as plush as a more modern linkage design.

zero303

Safe in what way though? And I can only assume boring as in boring to look at as your sick of seeing so many?

And modern linkage designs? Three mates have raced out to buy lapierres and all have enjoyed £150 bills (or are about to) for a full set of bearings and bushes in less than a year and those lovely XTR press fit BBs are shot already too - mmmm, progess is alive and well! (I still think they're tasty bikes mind!)

cee

zero303 wrote:

Three mates have raced out to buy lapierres and all have enjoyed £150 bills (or are about to) for a full set of bearings and bushes

in fairness......any bearing services at an engineering firm could have got you the full set for a heck of a lot less than that.....

zero303

but in fairness, they still went...

supersonic

Get a Marin then - great bearings, lifetime warranty ;-)

Or a GT - easiest ever bearing change!

Steve_b77

zero303 wrote:

but in fairness, they still went...

Could just be shitty bearings in the first place.

My Nicolai is a 2007 frame and nigh on 3 years old and it still on it's first set of bearings and thats a proper horst link frame with 4 Pairs of bearings - undoutably very good quality bearings as the frame is hand built in Germany.

ride_whenever

any reason why you couldn't clamp bearings in with a odi lock-on style clamp? i mean they're pretty tough.

Anonymous

zero303 wrote:

Safe in what way though? And I can only assume boring as in boring to look at as your sick of seeing so many?

And modern linkage designs? Three mates have raced out to buy lapierres and all have enjoyed £150 bills (or are about to) for a full set of bearings and bushes in less than a year and those lovely XTR press fit BBs are shot already too - mmmm, progess is alive and well! (I still think they're tasty bikes mind!)

Did I mention Lapierres? :roll:
For what it's worth, I've never had to pay for swingarm pivot bearings. Not one penny. Ever.

The Orange is a conservative design, it's not particularly good at any one thing. Kind of like a jack of all trades, master of none. Very bland.
And yeah, I am sick of seeing so many bloody sheep on their Orange 5s, rather than looking for something that would truly suit their needs.

supersonic

I think given a budget of around 2k I would go for a GT Force 1.0, but with the 150mm Rev on it. Seems to be a bike that does truly sit right in the middle!