Which Zesty?

lawman

Unless you are racing XC or have seriously tame trails, I see no reason not to have a good 140mm bike if you can afford it. They're incredibly versatile can be as lighter as 120mm bikes and often climb just as well and have the travel and geometry to rip the descents, and they're only going to get better as frame and suspension design get better and better.

supersonic

You could say why not get 160mm, for the same reasons?

bennett_346

I find myself wanting less and less travel every time i buy a new bike. I still ride just as challenging terrain as i used to, i'm just more skilled now so the novely is wearing thin. I want steeper and shorter travel bikes now so that i actually find trails challenging rather than a point and shoot chore.

To me anything above 120mm travel for 90 percent of places in the UK is only suitable for starting out and gaining confidence, otherwise i'm just sapping more fun out the trails than i'm gaining.

Even the novelty of full suspension is wearing thin on me. It makes most stuff in this country too easy so i find myself having to go further and further afield to find something that is enjoyable.

Don't get me wrong, in the right location these bikes are good, and for racing enduro. But for the majority of the UK i've started to find them boring.

lawman

supersonic wrote:

You could say why not get 160mm, for the same reasons?

I think after 140mm you get to a point of diminishing returns, you add more weight for little extra speed downhill and compromise climbing. Bikes like the new Cube Stereo, with proper tyres and dropper post weighing under 26lbs are the going to become far more common in the next few years as the high-end tech filters down. A fair few of us at uni ride 140mm bikes and often use them for DH as well as XC and loose out little to guys on 160mm bikes downhill and little to the xc bikes on the climbs. WIth decent tyres such as the Hans Dampf's found on the cube, you can get away with alot things and still have a really light and agile bike. I honestly see no reason in the UK at least to go for more than 140/150mm sub 30lb bike for all-round use.

bennett_346 wrote:

I find myself wanting less and less travel every time i buy a new bike. I still ride just as challenging terrain as i used to, i'm just more skilled now so the novely is wearing thin. I want steeper and shorter travel bikes now so that i actually find trails challenging rather than a point and shoot chore.

To me anything above 120mm travel for 90 percent of places in the UK is only suitable for starting out and gaining confidence, otherwise i'm just sapping more fun out the trails than i'm gaining.

Even the novelty of full suspension is wearing thin on me. It makes most stuff in this country too easy so i find myself having to go further and further afield to find something that is enjoyable.

Don't get me wrong, in the right location these bikes are good, and for racing enduro. But for the majority of the UK i've started to find them boring.

Buy a rigid single speed then, or better yet, a cyclocross bike :roll:

Sure most trails can be ridden on any bike, personally I want to ride a trail as quick as I can and enjoy the descents and I sure as hell don't enjoy descents holding on for dear life on some steep angled xc bike, that's no fun at all! There are some seriously gnarly trails in the UK, if you can't find them you're not looking hard enough, as I sure as hell wouldn't like to ride some of my trails on a steep angled xc bike!!

supersonic

I think many people place that limit at 120mm - or even less. I prefer less travel than more for my all round riding, and somewhat steeper geometry. So it is all preference really. I can see why people would want more, or less. Bikes like the Scott Spark are getting great reviews for the light weight (4lb frame!), yet ride much harder than the original XC roots.

I also think we are going to see more bikes with mismatched travel ie 6 inch out front, 4 or 5 out back.

cooldad

Depends what you like riding really. I'm elderly, unfit and a coward and prefer twisty singletrack with some swoopy downhills and technical bits. Massive gnarly downhill and jumps scare me, plus I don't like pain.
I meet a lot of new (beginner) riders through the forum, the younger ones tend to progress onto more travel and scarier stuff, often the older ones tend to stick with hardtails or short travel FS. One guy has even gone rigid SS, has been racing all winter, and absolutely blitzes me on anything.
I'm quite happy with a fairly light, steep 100mm full sus, but after a rigid with cantis and thumbies, the only way is up.

bennett_346

lawman wrote:

Buy a rigid single speed then, or better yet, a cyclocross bike :roll:

Sure most trails can be ridden on any bike, personally I want to ride a trail as quick as I can and enjoy the descents and I sure as hell don't enjoy descents holding on for dear life on some steep angled xc bike, that's no fun at all! There are some seriously gnarly trails in the UK, if you can't find them you're not looking hard enough, as I sure as hell wouldn't like to ride some of my trails on a steep angled xc bike!!

Do you have victim complex or something? Someone expresses a personal viewpoint that differs from yours and you get all paranoid

Nowhere did i say this was reflective of anyone else or that other people should think the same way, this is just how i feel about my own riding. That's why i said "I'm sapping more fun out the trails than i'm gaining". If someone wants to ride a 160mm enduro bike down a red trail centre trail be my guest, 2 years ago i would have happily done the same, but now i'm more skilled i'd rather use my skill to descent on a shorter bike end enjoy the uphills more!

And what has a rigid singlespeed got to do with a 120mm hardtail? :?

lawman

bennett_346 wrote:

Do you have victim complex or something? Someone expresses a personal viewpoint that differs from yours and you get all paranoid

Nowhere did i say this was reflective of anyone else or that other people should think the same way, this is just how i feel about my own riding. And what has a rigid singlespeed got to do with a 120mm hardtail? :?

You said so yourself :P

I find myself wanting less and less travel every time i buy a new bike

Even the novelty of full suspension is wearing thin on me

Combined with you wanting the trails to be more challenging and your god-like skills tested, leads to a rigid single speed...

And the suggestion that there is not enough fun or challenging riding in the UK is absurd, maybe not where you live, but some of the riding in the UK is up there with the best anywhere in the world.

supersonic wrote:

I think many people place that limit at 120mm - or even less. I prefer less travel than more for my all round riding, and somewhat steeper geometry. So it is all preference really. I can see why people would want more, or less. Bikes like the Scott Spark are getting great reviews for the light weight (4lb frame!), yet ride much harder than the original XC roots.

I also think we are going to see more bikes with mismatched travel ie 6 inch out front, 4 or 5 out back.

Indeed it's all very personal as always!! Personally I would rather have a lb or so penalty for the extra travel and slacker geometry, there are very, very few bikes with the geometry I prefer in a shorter travel format than 140mm. I just can't see how I could have more fun on favourite trails on a shorter travel xc bike

bennett_346

lawman wrote:

bennett_346 wrote:

Do you have victim complex or something? Someone expresses a personal viewpoint that differs from yours and you get all paranoid

Nowhere did i say this was reflective of anyone else or that other people should think the same way, this is just how i feel about my own riding. And what has a rigid singlespeed got to do with a 120mm hardtail? :?

You said so yourself :P

I find myself wanting less and less travel every time i buy a new bike

Even the novelty of full suspension is wearing thin on me

Combined with you wanting the trails to be more challenging and your god-like skills tested, leads to a rigid single speed...

And the suggestion that there is not enough fun or challenging riding in the UK is absurd, maybe not where you live, but some of the riding in the UK is up there with the best anywhere in the world.

Erm, not really, i'm talking about the right balance here. I'm trying to say that a 120mm hardtail would suit me best for what i do now. I currently ride a 150mm full suss and like it but i no longer need its travel for what i do so it's more a hindrance than help. Plenty of people like the ease of speed and confidence that comes with long travel full suss and i did when i was starting out but now i'd happily go slower and have to work harder to keep that speed up because frankly i'm getting bored of riding and need a challenge.

As for the UK having some of the best riding there is, yes you're correct, but once again i'm talking about me, and i do not live even close to this stuff and don't have access to it so that's irrelevant. If i lived close to it i would not be saying what i am saying now nor would i expect it to apply to others who do!

Was this simple enough for you?

supersonic

Obviously money is a factor in the weight, as mentioned before. Chuck enough money at a 140mm bike and you can get it seriously light. But for me it is about the amount of suspension too: despite all the mechanics, shock tunes etc, longer travel always makes itself felt when I pedal.

bennett_346

Weight i can take or leave, but as you say the wallowy feel of longer suspension grates on some people, myself being one of those. A feeling of direct power transfer is what i like.

handsome devil

Paul McConnell

Yours looks just about like mine really (although mine is standard spec apart from Easton Haven bars) - ended up also going for 514 (without EI though) - how do you find it?
Just come back from Brechfa, Cwm Rhaeadr and Afan Whites and couldn`t be happier, eats anything and everything up, light enough for the (relentless) climbs and descends like diarrhea with daps on :-)

paulmcconnell

Handsome devil,
Im loving the EI it performs better than I expected, and I expected a lot!
The only things I'm a bit disappointed by is the fact that I just sold a 2011 Zesty which has an alloy frame and this has a carbon frame, but is actually a bit heavier.
Also the Mavic crossride wheels are not tubeless and I got used to the feel of tubless, deciding whether to change the wheels to crosstrails or to give the stans tubless kit a try.

As a side, for the guys that state 140 travel bikes are too wallowy, I think that may have been the case in years gone by, but the new suspension technology has addressed this.
I've had to use my old hard tail for the last few months while I waited for this, I know which I'd rather be on!

paulmcconnell

Handsome devil
Did you get the carbon eastern haven bars.
If so how much lighter are they to the standard bars.
Do they make a difference to the feel of the bike?
I ask as they are Next on my list.

handsome devil

paulmcconnell

Didn`t realise the alloy version was indeed heavier than this years carbon. For me it`s all abouth the feel and carbon rides a particular way - very stiff!! My Stumpy was a very good bike but there really is no comparison to the Zesty. 120mm on the Stumpy and while the Zesty is 150 (on the front, 140 rear) it climbs as well as anything I have ridden over the years - even as good as my Whyte 810 (100mm Fox fork, 68 HA and 24Ilbs) so that is really saying something!

The Easton Havens are alloy and this was just personal preference as I had them on my Stumpy and I also have them on my 810 so just wanted to be consistent, they are very light for alloy (lightest I have used which includes various other Easton, some Raceface and also FSA) and just look and feel better than the stock Nico Vouilloz bars.

Just to add me ten penneth worth regarding travel, etc my opinion is pretty much the same as yours. I don`t really "need" 140/150mm travel but it is handy having a little extra "just in case" and as the suspension platform is already that good on the Zesty, it climbs no worse for it than the 120mm Stumpy it has replaced.

Agreed ref tubeless - the Rocket Ron/Nobby Nic combo is extremely pinch flat prone although I am just running 35psi rather than my usual 30 and "fingers crossed" - no flats while doing Brechfa Gorlech, Cwm Rhaeadr and Afan Whites last weekend

As ever with these forums, it is mostly opinion over analytical fact so "one mans meat is another mans poison"

chrisw333

handsome devil wrote:

and while the Zesty is 150 (on the front, 140 rear) it climbs as well as anything I have ridden over the years - even as good as my Whyte 810 (100mm Fox fork, 68 HA and 24Ilbs)

Whilst these things are always a bit subjective, surely that has to be bollocks?

handsome devil

Yes chrisw333, I did mean 24Ibs and not 241Ibs