New frame opinions sought

FattyHardtail
FattyHardtail Posts: 6
edited March 2017 in MTB buying advice
Hi, I'm hoping for some advise before I part with/waste some money.
I'm currently riding a Merida XC bike on mainly single track trails, 19".
http://www.merida-bikes.com/en_int/bikes/2014/Big.Nine+1500-181.html
I was thinking of changing the frame for something a bit more agile and was thinking of the nukeprook scout 290 in large (18")
http://nukeproof.com/products/scout-290-comp-2016/
I've two questions:
1) The chainstay is 440mm for both bikes so will the handling be significantly better on the Scout? i.e. does "It’s low bottom bracket, slack head angle and stiff frame allow you to explore endless single-track, rail berms or session the pump track." sound feasible or am I being be duped by the marketing spin.
2) I was hoping to re-use the 100mm travel fork on the scout, which is designed for 130mm, will this be a major issues aside from lower BB?
Thanks for any advice offered!

Comments

  • cooldad
    cooldad Posts: 32,599
    1 - Depends what you mean by agile. Your's is XC geometry, so will be quicker handling/more twitchy. The Nukeproof is much slacker, so will steer slower, but be more stable on steeper/rougher stuff.
    2. It will change the geometry totally, and likely c0ck up the handling carefully planned by the designers. 120mm to 140mm would probably be ok.
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  • mark_fogel
    mark_fogel Posts: 158
    Whats your budget? you might find that its cheaper to buy a new bike?

    Also if you want more agile handling, first of all might be worth messing around with different handlebar/stem combos. Also moving the saddle might help with position on the bike which can improve handling a bit.
    I run 70mm/760mm on my XC bike which is a good balance for trails and XC - works for me anyway.
    And 60mm/740mm on my trail bike which is slacker so needs a slightly shorter stem.
  • FattyHardtail
    FattyHardtail Posts: 6
    Thanks for the replies.
    Maybe I do need to persevere with the XC for a bit longer, I do like the way she climbs, I just feel like that more could be had on tight winding trails.
    The bike came with an 80/680 and I've now swapped to 80/720, I do have a 60 stem lying around but need to tweak the headset a bit to get it to fit.
    I also get great pleasure from tinkering with bikes so I may still swap the frame out at a later date, I might even just build a 27.5, the scout appears to be the only 29er HT frame on CRC! I know it's more likely cheaper to just buy a bike, but where's the fun in that?

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