Commencal HT SC vs Whyte 19 vs 456 Evo 2 vs Gen Latitude -

n4th4n007

OK, I have 1000 squid to spend on fun / play bike, would prefer steel, slack HA and something I can chuck around without worrying about it.

Would be interested to hear from anyone who has ridden or sons the Commie HT SX. In regards to climbing etc as can't find many reviews.

Final choice is:

Commencal Meta HT SX
1 x 9
SRAM X5
XFusion 140mm Velvet (apparently a cracking fork!)
Slack HA
Looks kinda cool (OK it is pink!)


Whyte 905
Great reviews
Not Steel, so ride may be harsher
Nice components, Reba Fork


Whyte 19 Steel
Decent 631 steel
Lots of adjustment in the frame
Good SLX spec
Fox F120RL Fork


Genesis Latitude 10
Deore kit
Recon Gold Fork
Reynolds 520
Maybe not as chuckable as I want



On-One 456 Evo 2
Deore Spec
Sektor RL
4130 Steel
Slack HA

brucie45

I have the 2013 version of the Commencal, it was called the Ramones and is in 26" flavour. What a cracking bike it really is.
Pro's - Playful, tough, do it all bike, great looking, leaves me with a smile on my face everytime.
Cons - More expensive than some of the competition, not the best value for money, 2013 Fox ctd not great.

A few little changes and I really love it, Reverb, 1x10 conversion, new wheels etc. See my sig for some idea although it does need a little update with the most recent changes.

Out of all the others it's a tough choice, I really wouldnt know which one I'd go for. If you can stretch your budget just a little you could also look at Carbon 456 evo @ £1100, that looks a beast!

passout

I love the look of the Commencal I must say, but these are all solid choices.

I ride a 905 and love that though. The low weight really makes it a pleasant place to spend some time - fast & responsive but also suitably slack to handle any rough stuff. I understand your concerns about harshness but this is not the case with the 905 - it's really good on rough trails for a hardtail. In fact its at least as comfortable than the steel bike it replaced. I think the comfort factor of steel bikes is often over stated - eg I've heard steel 456s have quite a harsh ride. Not necessarily a problem though as a stiff frame can be a good thing depending on usage and ones opinion.

chrisw333

The Whyte is very slack. The Alu version is not harsh. If a decent spec build then incredibly light too. Great bike.