Tall Rider Tallboy 3 XXL to Blur XL?

hmy7k

I am 6'6" tall and I currently have a SC Tallboy C v3 which I really like except I find it quite a heavy bike at 13kg.
I enjoy long trails so the weight is an issue.

I have considered upgrading components to shed weight but only going to lose KG or so for quite a high cost.

The Blur looks like a lighter bike and being 100mm travel pretty much what I need but the largest Blur is an XL which may be marginal size wise.
However not sure the Blur is going to be as comfortable a riding position as I have got used to.

As anyone else who is tall may have found its really hard to try these bikes out for size as so few dealers get demos or stock bikes in the XL or XXL.

Anyone ridden both bikes to compare or have any other suggestions of bikes to consider.

steve_sordy

You must come from a road background if you believe that an XXL full suss is heavy at 13kg :shock: (Note 13kg is 28.7lbs)

I agree that you can buy lighter full suss bikes and yes you can swap out bits to make the bike lighter, but as you have discovered it can be an expensive business. The last time i looked at this (ca. 2012) it was averaging out at £1 pr gram, or £1000 per kilo (£453 per pound).

The lightest FS I ever had was a Norco Sight 1 in a Large and that was a 26er. It had an alloy frame. It was their top of the range and a carbon frame was not an option then. The bike weighed 28.9lbs without pedals when I got it in Mar'13 for £3150. It was Trail Bike of the Year or something like that in one of the bike mags and it got 5 stars. So it was a good bike.

Three years later it weighed 27.5lbs (12.5kg), but only after fitting carbon bars instead of alloy, going tubeless, and also converting from 2x10 to 1x11. So on the £453/pound "budget", that gave me £634. Sounds about right, but only after selling off the kit I swapped out. The guy that bought the bike from me said it was lighter than his hardtail!

Have you given a thought to going tubeless with lighter tyres and sealant? That will remove quite a bit of weight in the place that makes the most difference. Ie its quick response to pedal pressure and twisty turns makes it feel even lighter.

moonshine

I almost bought a tallboy C - (in size M) and it was plenty light enough.. difficult to get much lighter without losing capability and going to XC bike - but position will be different - and you are only going to lose a couple of KG absolute max - I wouldn't bother

robertpb

Must be fitness as I'm a mere 5'4" with a 13kg bike, 68 years young and don't find it at all heavy.

My gravel bike weighs 9.5kg so it's not like I'm used to heavy bikes.

hmy7k

The lightest Tallboy is about 12.2Kg so as you say its not worth upgrading for that difference but the lightest Blur is 10.3 Kg which is a good 3kg less than my Tallboy at 13.45 Kg so thats quite a reduction.

I want to do 40-50 mile cross country trails in the hills where I live so I think weight reduction is important I wouldn't bother if I was just using it for the odd 10 mile trail.

I don't think its fitness I do pretty well on the climbs, there is a 900ft climb near me and I manage to be 48/700 on Strava and I am mid fifties ! It's just I want to be able to extend my range further afield.

steve_sordy

hmy7k wrote:

...........

I don't think its fitness I do pretty well on the climbs, there is a 900ft climb near me and I manage to be 48/700 on Strava and I am mid fifties ! It's just I want to be able to extend my range further afield.

Dare I suggest an eBike! :shock:

hmy7k

steve_sordy wrote:

Dare I suggest an eBike! :shock:

I have considered one, and then quickly dropped the idea, I think one of those can wait a few more years.

moonshine

Assuming you have a Tallboy C S spec, it is 12.8kg and would now cost £4700
a similar spec Blur C S spec is 11.5kg and costs £4400.
You need to go to the Blur CC X01 spec to get to 10.39kg at a cost of £5700.

(weights from santa criz website bike builder - i guess perhaps for a M? the XXL or XL are going to be a bit heavier) - you say your Tallboy C is 13.34 kg. the bikebuider suggests the lowest spec carbon frame C R spec (£3900) is 13.45kg)

'Assuming' you are able to sell your Tallbpoy C for 50% of the new cost, (£2350) it is going to cost you
£2050 to get a Blur C S spec and lose 1.3kg; or
£3350 to get on a Blur CC X01 and lose 2.4kg

that works out as
£146.43 per 100g weight loss for the change to a blur C S spec; or
£139.58 per 100g weight loss for the change to a blur CC X01 spec;

neither of which i can honestly say sounds like great value for money

I'm all for man maths and it is your money , so if you can afford it and it makes you happy, change... but i'm struggling to see that it is going to make a massive difference and i'd be much happier riding a tallboy and having £2-3.4k in the banks than shaving a1.3 to 2.4 kg off my bike. but as i said.. it is up to you.

i don't see the tallboy as an impediment to your aspirations to do longer rides.... unless it doesn't fit you - and when i was looking at a blur / anthem.... i was a bit concerned they might be a bit too XC race focussed and hard work on longer rides at the epense of all round trail ridability - so i chose the Trance 29er / Tallboy trail bike over the Anthem / Blur XC - and eventually went for a Trance 29er as i couldn't justify the cost to the SC.

all the best whatever you do.

hmy7k

Thanks for that.

I know it's going to cost and within reason not too concerned about the cost so long as I get the right thing.

It is interesting what you are saying about the Blur been more a race spec XC so perhaps the geometry won't be as relaxed as I would like for endurance.

I think I will keep looking and stick with what I have got for now.

moonshine

it might be worth speaking to your local SC dealer and see if they can get Jungle to send them a Blur XL demo if they have one.
it might cost you £80 but it would let you know if the Blur works for you and fits.

good luck with your choices! nice place to be though

hmy7k

We have a very good local SC dealer where I bought my Tallboy I will drop in and see whats available from Jungle.

Thanks

The Rookie

You can always shed weight from bikes, sometimes there will be cheap hits, sometimes very pricey.

My last bike was a sub 10kg full suspension (the Niota, link in sig, 100mm travel and 26”), I’m now on a 13kg Whyte T129 which has as much carry over finishing kit from the Niota as will fit and the bigger wheels and tyres add nearly a kilogram, the dropper post (more suited to a trail bike) adds another, the extra rollover does go a long way to offset it and I have to say I only really notice the weight in steeper smooth climbs. Got some new wheels coming on the 25th, that will shave about 250g (wider as well so a double win).

You can save a decent chunk of weight with just careful attention to detail in terms of cable length, routing etc. Changing blanking bolts, grips, tubeless and so on.

hmy7k

Well in the end I tested a Blur XL and was blown away by it.

I weighed my tallboy and its actual weight was 15kg and the Blur weighed 10.5kg.

In the end I have bought a Blur TR which is slightly heavier than the standard Blur but comes with a dropper and a 34 110mm Fork which makes it a bit more Trail orientated.

It's very fast on road, up hill and on the trails.

swod1

hmy7k wrote:

Well in the end I tested a Blur XL and was blown away by it.

I weighed my tallboy and its actual weight was 15kg and the Blur weighed 10.5kg.

In the end I have bought a Blur TR which is slightly heavier than the standard Blur but comes with a dropper and a 34 110mm Fork which makes it a bit more Trail orientated.

It's very fast on road, up hill and on the trails.

not read the article but will over at singletrack bike magazine has recently tried out a 120mm fork on the blur to make it more of a trail bike.

you might save even more weight with carbon wheels?