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Looking to buy a not mountain bike bike. Usage will be pretty much everything you can think of other than serious off-road shenanigans. I’ve narrowed my choices down to three similarly priced bikes.
Incoherent rambling follows;
1: Space Chicken - Good spec for price, but put off by CS horror stories. Top tube also looks very high in most pictures. Mental paint job is appealing. Second best name after Karate Monkey.
2: Sonder Camino - Good price, but might be overkill as I’m not planning on riding around the world. Paint jobs are a bit, well, shit. Prison grey or red.
3: Ragley Trig - Big tyre clearance. Shiny, shine steel and seems like it’s designed as not a mountain bike, but for mountain bikers. Top head badge. Suspicious lack of any owner or industry reviews. Don’t Ragley bikes end up massively reduced in sales?
I’ve previously had a NS Rag and a Cotic Escapade. Both nice bikes, but were just a bit too road bike trying to be “hey look at me, I’m not a road bike” but were definitely 90% road bike.
If you’ve read all that you have my deepest sympathies. Which one do I buy then?
Space Chicken because of the name.
Space Chicken. Love mine, zero issues so far.
This is an XL, largest frame size.
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Space chicken. Love mine. Very light, very fast and been faultless
4. OnOne Pickenflick. Or PX Tempest.
Not liking the Pickenflick or Tempest. Both suspiciously close to the road bike end of the spectrum and Ti bikes with very limited warranty worry me.
Breezer Radar. Because steel & tyre clearance & long head tube, definitely not a road bike.
Giant Revolt Advanced.
It's not from a boutique or indy manufacturer but is a cracking bike. I bought a Revolt 2 in a sale a few weeks ago and it is a hoot. Like mountain biking was in 1987 when I bought my first MTB but with drop bars.
I'd have thought that there's loads of choice for the type of bike you're looking for. I can't recommend one but I'd have thought that the [url= https://www.genesisbikes.co.uk/bikes?categories=Adventure ]Genesis Adventure[/url] range would be worth a look; they seem to cover all the bases from more road to more mountain (Vagabond?) orientated.
Vagabond is on the radar as is the Fugio. Problem with Genesis is nice looking frames but shitty wheels and cable brakes for the same price as hydro and a bit better wheels elsewhere. Will check out the Breezer too.
That’s why I love it in here. Come in with 3 choices, leave with 10 😀
Not sure how a Space Chicken and anything similar is any less of a road bike than an Escapade. If an Escapade didn't do it for you then a Space Chicken isn't going to offer anything different.
A bike is a bike and there are only a limited number of 'versions' of the same thing you can get out of it. What are you really after?
Tyre clearance
Wheel size choice
robustness so you can use a wider variety of trails and tracks as well as tarmac
Flexibility in terms of racks, guards and other practicalities
Nice geometry so the thing is reasonably efficient peddler so you can cover half decent miles in reasonable time
Something that looks visually appealing.
Seems like all the bikes mentioned above ticks all those boxes. Just boils down to subjective personal things at the end of the day like brand preference, aesthetics of the thing and colour choices.
That’s why I love it in here. Come in with 3 choices, leave with 10 😀
You'll probably end up with way more than 10 as there's loads of choice.
I'm not sure that I'd want an off the peg version, but if I were in the market for a new frame/fork I quite like the look of the [url= https://www.orangebikes.co.uk/bikes/speedwork-s/2019 ]Orange Speedwork[/url].
There are also meant to be some new offerings from Singular coming shortly (my current one bike choice is a Swift).
Also take a look at the Nukeproof Digger and Saracen Levarg
I like Saracen's adventure bikes, especially the one with the suspension fork.
I’ve had a Cotic X which is basically a generation zero Escapade. It was a great bike with Conti CX Race 35’s or Maxxis Razes. I took it all over the Dark Peak very off road and it was a blast. I also rode centuries on it on the road (with different tyres).
Out of that list I’d be interested in the Space Chicken but might end up with a Karate Monkey, probably in ‘Bruised Ego Purple’.
What is it that you’re wanting from a not-a-Mountain bike if Escapades are too ‘road’ but Camino's and Space Chickens are fine?
Kona Sutra Ltd? Came with 2.1" tyres as standard
What is it that you’re wanting from a not-a-Mountain bike if Escapades are too ‘road’ but Camino’s and Space Chickens are fine?
Escapade had serious toe overlap (old one), don’t know if recent one is different. Had steep head angle and not great tyre clearance too. The Ragley is winning so far tbh.
As per OP - Anything other than proper off road. The Rag and Escapade had a riding position that was more arse up, head down. Need more relaxed position. New Escape might be different, I don’t know, not looked at it.
What about a fairlight secan....
The Rag and Escapade had a riding position that was more arse up, head down. Need more relaxed position.
An issue of not enough stem spacers and too flat an angled stem surely?
What about a fairlight secan….
Now they are nice, I want to replace my Roadrat. Again samey compared to Escapades and their ilk but got to wait for one as not in stock. And not sure you can get on bike to work as they are direct order.
I've been looking at the Planet X Tempest Ti. but again, probably too road-ish for the OP's requirements.
Problem with Genesis is nice looking frames but shitty wheels and cable brakes
I got a Vagabond a few months back and have been impressed. Wheels are tubeless ready and I put on folding versions of the 2.1 Nano's, which lightened them a good bit. I have been impressed with the Spyres, having hydro 105/Ultegra/XT/SLX on all my other bikes. My only criticism of the brakes is the reach on the levers is either huge or very huge.
Fearless Vulture?
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Budget is £1.5k max so a lot of the nicer ones above are ruled out. Tyre clearance is one of the main drivers. Nice to have choice on that front. Not remotely interested in skinny slicks or pure road riding, but appreciate the usefulness of drop bars. Not bothered about panniers or enough mounts for an around the world trip.
It’s looking like Trig or Vagabond at the moment. Another MTB will be along in a couple of years. This bike is to scratch an itch / be a jack of all, ace of none. I did look at the Karate Monkey, but the price is quite frankly ridiculous.
An issue of not enough stem spacers and too flat an angled stem surely?
I played around with both and could never get them where I wanted them tbh. Relatively low front ends to start with on both frames. Both nice bikes, just not quite what I’m after. The Escapade may have been a bit small for me too in hindsight.