Norco Sight Killer B2 v Whyte T129S

b_real

Ok I'm about to pull the trigger on one of these and the nerves are kicking in so I'm on here for some affirmation :-)

Sight B2 - £2700. RS Revelation RL fork, Float CDT Performance shock, XT Shadow + RD, SLX FD, SLX Brakes, SLX shifters, Sun Inferno 650b rims, X-Fusion hi-lo dropper.
T129S - £1,999. Reba RLT, RS Monarch RT2, X9 RD, X7 FD, X9 shifters, Elixir 5 brakes, WTB STi 29" rims, Reverb dropper.

I'm leaning towards the Whyte for financial reasons. I prefer the SLX / XT combo of the B2 but it's pushing my price range as money is reasonably tight just now. I did try the B3 which is priced the same as the Whyte but I just didn't like it.

The £700 or so saved by going for the Whyte would be well used towards a holiday / new camera / new iMac (i'm factoring in 10% discount on each of those bikes, offered by lbs). I think the 29ers are better value, and the price for being an early adopter on a 650b's is just a little bit too high.

But if going for the Whyte over the Norco is obviously stupid, for reasons that I can't currently see, then I'd be willing to stump up for the Norco and live frugal for a while.

Basically I'm looking for reasons NOT to go for the Whyte. Some others have commented in other threads I've been involved in and I've taken those on board but hoping for a wider audience with a dedicated thread.

Cheers

EH_Rob

It depends how you're going to ride, they are different bikes with different purposes judging by the spec.

b_real

All kinds of riding :-) XC/Trail/Glentress kinda stuff. Hoping to take it over the West Highland Way at some point, as well as possibly Europe for some Alpine touring action. Im' not a full face helmet downhill gangster, although I do like to go down (who doesn't!) ... I figure that the larger wheels of the Whyte can offset some of the difference in fork travel.

The bike of the future is the bike that can do it all :-)

Meant to add that I'm 5'8" and 11stone, I gather 650b wheels may be a bit more suited to me but the Whyte felt proper nimble... 431mm chainstay (only 4mm bigger than the Norco). Did not feel like the larger wheels were too much to handle for my size.

b_real

The Whyte is 13.1kg (well, the T129 is and it doesn't have a dropper post but the spec is also lower than the T129s so I reckon that could cancel out the dropper post weight diff).

The Norco is heavier (not sure what the weight is tho). I live on the 3rd floor of a tenement building. Light is good.

EH_Rob

Haha! No excuse, I have a fully coil Nomad which weighs about as much as the entire contents of your flat, and also live at the top of a tenement.

Certain wheel sizes are not for people of different heights, that why you can get different sized frames, so I wouldn't rule the Whyte out on that basis.

I would imagine that whilst they are both good all rounders, the Norco will be more biased towards the all mountain end of trail riding, the Whyte more towards the XC end of trail riding. There are big overlaps between the two as I'm sure you're aware, so they'll do a broadly similar job for most things, but the Norco might be better suited to the rougher stuff, whilst the Whyte will be quicker on smoother trails, and on climbs.

Personally I would have neither, but I'm sure you're not interested in that.

There are plenty of bikes that can do it all, no such thing as a bike that does everything very well. There will always be compromise.

b_real

EH_Rob wrote:

Certain wheel sizes are not for people of different heights, that why you can get different sized frames, so I wouldn't rule the Whyte out on that basis.

I would imagine that whilst they are both good all rounders, the Norco will be more biased towards the all mountain end of trail riding, the Whyte more towards the XC end of trail riding. There are big overlaps between the two as I'm sure you're aware, so they'll do a broadly similar job for most things, but the Norco might be better suited to the rougher stuff, whilst the Whyte will be quicker on smoother trails, and on climbs.

Personally I would have neither, but I'm sure you're not interested in that.

Nicely put. I think my kind of riding is more XC heading into AM rather than AM heading into XC. So the Whyte is probably better suited. But the Norco felt pretty good!

Why wouldn't you go for either? What else would you consider? From the research I've done over the last 3 or 4 months or so these bikes are the best I can find for my price points and wheel choice without going internet only like Canyon. (don't fancy another 26er... even if it is better spec!)

EH_Rob

I wouldn't go for either as I'm happy with 26 inch wheels. I have lots of fun when I ride and don't have a reason to change.

Have you considered a Giant Trance 29er from Pauls Cycles? It'd fall somewhere between the two bikes you've mentioned, or the Anthem 29er if you'd prefer something a bit more XC. Both will be at good prices I'd assume.

Although you have said you don't want a 26er, the 26 inch Trance is a really really versatile bike too - fine for XC, or you can stick a 140mm fork on it and it'll shred.

I don't tend to buy brand new, I usually look second hand, find something I like, make sure its in good nick and then spend a bit extra once I've got it to suit me. This does mean you end up with something that may not be ideal some times (e.g. the Nomad is too much bike for much of Glentress, but is a good amount of bike for Innerleithen - I ride a fair bit at both), but you can say that about a brand new bike too I suppose. To compensate I'll buy a 130/140mm hardtail at some point.

Anyway, back to the point. You've obviously thought quite hard about it, you'll have fun on both I'm sure. And whichever you get, your riding will change over time to accomodate the strengths and weaknesses of whatever it is you're riding. And I can also guarantee that whichever you do get you'll spend much time wondering what it would have been like to buy the other one.

b_real

Ha ha... I'm upgrading from a Trance X3 that got nicked just before xmas. It was a great bike, but I just got a little bored of it to be honest... had it 2 years. Having tried out a few big wheelers since I'm fairly hooked on going up a wheel size while I've got the chance. The Trance X1 29er was an option I had considered, but it looks horrid! Keen to change brand too.

THe other one I looked at.. and if I'm spending around £2,500 on the Norco... the Transition Bandit 29 built up myself with SLX kit for the same price was an option.

EH_Rob

Of the 3 the Bandit would get my vote, purely because I know a guy who rides one and he loves it, and have no knowledge of the other two. But I'd get the 26 inch if I was going for one.

But be aware that the Trance is a great bike, and whilst these bikes will do a handful of things better than a Trance, they will do most things worse I'd expect (although I may be wrong). Let us know what you end up with!

b_real

So I took the Whyte out for another quick test ride today after work. Totally lost that 'wow' factor that I got with it last time! Did not like the Monarch RT3 shock, although it did climb very well. Also the Avid 5's were pretty uninspiring. I'm definitely a shimano & fox dude, SRAM stuff to me always feels like it's about to break!

Aarrggh!! Thought a decision was in sight. Sight. Leaning towards the Sight now. Will give it another run over the weekend & see if the wow factor stays...if the snow holds off..

Here's a wee mtbr vid on the Sight killer b1 (top spec model)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33OEcV2PMx0

supersonic

is good that you can test them out. Might not be the Monarch shock though, but the actual suspension design.

This is a bit out of the box, but one to consider:

http://www.paulscycles.co.uk/products.p ... Suspension

b_real

That from LEFTfield alright! Think i'd fall over with that fork. Cheers for the shout but it looks like that's a 26er, I'm quite keen to go up in wheel size. Also I remember testing out a Cannondale Bad Boy many years back and I absolutely hated it and for reasons unknown to myself that's totally put me off Cannondale! Weak, I know. Cracking deal tho with the XT kit.

I think if I was buying on the internet without testing it I would go for something like a rose or a canyon.

I think my local bike shops are starting to hate me for ordering in so many bikes and not buying them :-)

b_real

Oh and while you're online supersonic, any chance you could offer some thoughts on the different suspension systems between the Sight & the T129? Is one better than the other?

I know the Sight licenses the FSR system from Spesh, and tweaks it slightly, but I have no idea what that means in terms of riding.

supersonic

Actually, looking at the designs, it seems Whyte have reverted to an FSR style suspension too, rather than the older short link 4 bar. They should behave very similarly,

b_real

So then it must be down to the shock then. The Norco (Float CTD Performance) definitely felt much more plush than the Whyte (Monarch RT3).

supersonic

They can take some bedding in. both are good shocks.

b_real

My preference for shimano over SRAM aside, I get the impression that the Norco is a much better frame. Would that be about right?

b_real

So I took the Norco back out for another quick spin today. It gave me the same ear to ear grin that I got the first time I took it out. So I bought it.

Yeeeeeehaaaaaa!!!

couldgetacarforthat

Thanks for posting this thread. I am in exactly the same predicament and interesting I have narrowed my search to these same two bikes. Not test rode either bike yet but leaning towards the Norco purely on your comments here.

chez_m356

couldgetacarforthat wrote:

Thanks for posting this thread. I am in exactly the same predicament and interesting I have narrowed my search to these same two bikes. Not test rode either bike yet but leaning towards the Norco purely on your comments here.

well the whyte T129S was good enough for the professional testers of WMB to vote it this years TBOTY and give it a 5 star rating, but hey, what do they know

http://www.bikeradar.com/mtb/news/artic ... -s--36968/

equinefunk

well the whyte T129S was good enough for the professional testers of WMB to vote it this years TBOTY and give it a 5 star rating, but hey, what do they know

http://www.bikeradar.com/mtb/news/artic ... -s--36968/

I don't think they tested against the Sight Killer B....Norco only designed the Bike that won last years TBOTY & the one that came 5th this year with 4 1/2 Stars....but hey what do they know

Ult

I have had a T129s since Feb. My experience has been that fork and shock have got much plusher over time. It did take me longer than normal to get the both working as I like but now I am really happy with it and think it is great value for money. I have another 29er which is a shimano/fox jobbie and have to confess I prefer the rockshox fork. The only downside is that the avid brakes are OK but not a patch on shimano. Will be swopping those once I find a bargain. Ikon on the rear performs well but sidewalls get slashed to bits on rocks.

I destroy bikes as I do quite big miles and weigh 19stone. Not a squeak yet from the Whyte wheras by now I would be changing bearings, bushes, cables etc.

It also rides lighter than the weight suggests and have set some of my fastest times around Brechfa on it.

I am well impressed

chez_m356

equinefunk wrote:

well the whyte T129S was good enough for the professional testers of WMB to vote it this years TBOTY and give it a 5 star rating, but hey, what do they know

http://www.bikeradar.com/mtb/news/artic ... -s--36968/

I don't think they tested against the Sight Killer B....Norco only designed the Bike that won last years TBOTY & the one that came 5th this year with 4 1/2 Stars....but hey what do they know

apparently more than we do

Myster101

chez_m356 wrote:

couldgetacarforthat wrote:

Thanks for posting this thread. I am in exactly the same predicament and interesting I have narrowed my search to these same two bikes. Not test rode either bike yet but leaning towards the Norco purely on your comments here.

well the whyte T129S was good enough for the professional testers of WMB to vote it this years TBOTY and give it a 5 star rating, but hey, what do they know

http://www.bikeradar.com/mtb/news/artic ... -s--36968/

It's all down to personal taste though. Just because the "pros" rate it the best doesn't mean it will suit everyone.

Glad you got the bike that made you smile, that's what it's all about.

chez_m356

Myster101 wrote:

chez_m356 wrote:

couldgetacarforthat wrote:

Thanks for posting this thread. I am in exactly the same predicament and interesting I have narrowed my search to these same two bikes. Not test rode either bike yet but leaning towards the Norco purely on your comments here.

well the whyte T129S was good enough for the professional testers of WMB to vote it this years TBOTY and give it a 5 star rating, but hey, what do they know

http://www.bikeradar.com/mtb/news/artic ... -s--36968/

It's all down to personal taste though. Just because the "pros" rate it the best doesn't mean it will suit everyone.

exactly,it was a tongue in cheek comment

Myster101

Sorry mate bit slow on the uptake there :oops: suppose that's what a few beers after a day on the trails does for you....well me anyway

chez_m356

Myster101 wrote:

Sorry mate bit slow on the uptake there :oops: suppose that's what a few beers after a day on the trails does for you....well me anyway

nothing to be sorry about mate, i completely agree with you, for me, the test seemed to be all over the place, travel from 100mm to 160mm, the all singing and dancing 5 star tallboy that didn't even make the top ten, but the marketing people will be happy because a 29er won it, no doubt next year it will be a 650b bike, not saying that the whyte didn't deserve to win, but there were a lot of bikes that weren't there, and why have two norco's in the line up ? but then i suppose they can only test what they get supplied with

equinefunk

I was curious why the Tallboy got 5 stars & didn't feature as the best bike unless it was on price. I think the article in WMB pointed to 650B as being the next big thing & a marketing push which the magazines help push. The bike companies need to sell bikes, they need to keep us interested which they do with the help of the mags.

The testers are only professional journalists, I don't think any are professional riders. The testers are the same as us just bumping their gums & throwing out opinions, except they ride more bikes than most of us.

Choosing a bike (for me) is all about what feels right. The magazine is just a guide.