Covert or Mbuzi or Tracer

omeriko

Hi,
I just sold my Giant Trance X frame and decided to buy a 6" frame.
Please advise according your experience about those 3 models:
Transition Covert, Morewood Mbuzi, Intense Tacer.
So far i have only had a test drive on the Mbuzi.
It really is a very fun bike but a little bit heavy.
Most of my rides are in singletracks parks but i want a bike that i can take to long distance XC ride too.
Im not a very aggresive rider, i dont jump more than 1meter height.

Thanks in advance
Omer

lawman

From what you've described your riding as, your trance X would have been pretty good, you don't need a 6" bike, look for something around 130/140mm like a transition bandit which this site recently reviewed and raved about, will be much more use able than a covert.

omeriko

A 5" bike probably will suit me better but will be less fun than 6" bike.
I have no problam with a little bit heavier bike and more travel.
I also think that 6" bike will improve my as a rider.

warpcow

I'm mostly with lawman here. It sounds like you need to be looking at frame geometry rather than travel. Some of the more modern trail bikes, such as the Mythic Spitfire, Devinci Dixon, Transition Bandit, etc, sound like they'd be a better fit. They combine geometry closer to that of 'big-hitting' bikes with the lower weights of trail bikes.

Saying things like "6" bike will improve me as a rider" or that it's "less fun" mean nothing.

rockmonkeysc

I would disagree. I went from a Trance to a Reign and found that I had to ride a lot harder to have as much fun as I did with the Trance. A bigger bike makes everything (except climbing) a lot easier and therefore less fun. I would say that a Trance would be about the most fun bike for the riding you describe, a bigger bike will just be a bit easy, dull & less playful.
I would keep the Trance, maybe just fit a u-turn revelation fork so you can wind it up to 140mm when you want to ride harder, it's a common mod which works really well.

omeriko

Guys,
I decided to move to 6" after one year on Trance X 2011 with 140mm fork and few test rides on 6" bikes
like Enduro, Reign, Remedy and Mbuzi.
6" bikes were much more fun to me.
Maybe 6" bike its not what i need but its what i want.
For me to have more fun on decents is more important than ride faster and easier on trails or climbes.

lawman

where abouts did you test them? they vary alot, for example an enduro is a very different bike to remedy. It depends what kind of 6" bike you are referring too. Do you want a bike to fit a fox 36/lyrik or something abit lighter with a 32/revelation?

lostboysaint

I thought just like you, then was sat down by a few people and read my palm about my riding and I came to realise that a 130/140mm bike was the better option. I bought a Bandit after test-riding a LOT of options.

warpcow

I, and I think 'we', are not saying that a 6" bike won't be more fun in some cases, but classifying bikes only by the amount of travel they have just doesn't really work anymore. If the geometry of bigger bikes appeals to you then I'd really advise trying a more 'modern' shorter-travel bike than a Trance X too, before you make a decision.