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Well, I exaggerate slightly, but bought my Lappiere Zesty in 2010 as a do-it-all bike. Alloy frame, fixed seat post, 26 in wheels, 3x9 chainset. Ragged it up and down the Dales and the Lakes and generally had a blast.
After a hiatus, came back to MTB in the last year and whilst the Zesty is still great fun to ride, things have obviously moved on somewhat... I figure that after all this time I could afford the luxury of a bike upgrade, and am looking to spend 3-4k on a full susser. My riding is mainly days out (see above) or local trails in the woods plus the odd trail centre.
I have so far found myself drawn to the Santa Cruz 5010 which seems to meet the brief: nimble, light, poppy and not too overbuilt for the type of riding I do (bit like the zesty back in the day I guess). This is based mainly on youtube reviews though as there is obviously no option to test ride in the current lockdown. Question - can anyone recommend similar bikes (Ibis? Yeti etc?) as I'd like to put together a shortlist for when (if?) we get back to normal.
p.s.
As an aside, is 650B really dead? It was a twinkle in a bike salesman's eye back in 2010 and yet the trail bike of the year reviews I've seen to be ditching it in favour of 29 only !!
27.5" or 650B isn't dead. There hasn't been a wholesale shift from one standard to another and we all seem to be able to live with 2 mainstream wheel sizes at once without our heads exploding.
Most of the press does seem pretty pro-29er, automatically marking down 275 bikes for not being quite so good over rough ground, whilst ignoring some of the benefits of 275. Anyway, lots of us has tried both and preferred 275, or in fact, tried a couple of bikes and happened to pick a 275/
Have a look the the new Bird Aether 7, it doesn't have the carpark kudos of a Santa Cruz, but you'll get near dream spec for your budget.
I would second the Bird 27.5, never ridden one but they always get good scores for their ride and also their service. You'd get a lot of bike for the money as they let you spec what you want.
The Canyon 27.5 bikes also get good reviews but I am not sure about their service levels.
You could do worse that a Cotic Flare, it'll happily tackle pretty much anything you throw at it. It'd be on my list if I was looking for a do it all bike at the mo. Can't justify the expense over my current Soul at the mo (which also does me for 95% of my riding)
As an aside, is 650B really dead? It was a twinkle in a bike salesman’s eye back in 2010 and yet the trail bike of the year reviews I’ve seen to be ditching it in favour of 29 only !!
Maybe not dead like 26 is. 29ers still have their doubters so there's still lots of new bikes coming out with 27" options, don't think they'll be the #1 option for most manufacturers and riders but they'll find their niches (small people, people who just don't like 29ers).
Biggest change in 10 years? Mail order brands like Canyon, YT, Rose, Bird etc giving the likes of Specialized a run for their money. That and *spit* E-bikes * spit*.
Long/low/slack geometry, not so much, the Pitch and Prophet were 2008 ish and had 66HA and 470mm reaches, which would still be average for trail bikes now.
£3k for something like a Zesty, you'd get a lot of bike with something like a YT Jeffsy.
thisisnotaspoon
Subscriber
As an aside, is 650B really dead? It was a twinkle in a bike salesman’s eye back in 2010 and yet the trail bike of the year reviews I’ve seen to be ditching it in favour of 29 only !!Maybe not dead like 26 is.
NOT DEAD grrr
anyway Banshee! Much fun can be had, they even do a wagon wheel version which is supposedly quite good
As a very, very general rule, 27.5 tend to be more nimble (read better where there's a lot of speeding up and slowing down, combined with quick changes in direction) whereas 29 is better at carrying speed (read travelling over rough, jarring terrain and covering distance).
It's worth thinking about where you ride when selecting a wheel size.
Try an emtb just for a laugh, avoid santa cruz cos that's just middle aged man shouting "I can afford one!" 😂
I have an older bird aeris so am a bit biased but if I had that amount to spend Id go for thetop spec Aether 7 and bank the remaining money for a nice trip to the alps or somewhere nice with your new bird
I still ride a similar age Zesty, although I have stuck a dropper post on it. If I had the cash, I'd be looking at an Orbea Occam.
Don't ignore Santa Cruz because people tell you to (they are great bikes), buy the bike you want to ride and you'll be much happier. Having said that I reckon the 5010 will change this year to the new lower pivot point like the rest of the models beside the Blur. This will mean big discounts on the outgoing models (if that's what you want).
Personally with 3-4K on a new bike you're going to make compromises on spec on a new SC (so you are investing in a frame with great upgrade potential, mad as it seems at that price, but is the same with any 'premium' brand - though you can probably get a decent discount on sale if you are less fussed on model year/colour). It's this price point where mail order bikes come into their own as you will get a great spec YT, Canyon, Bird, Propain (MBUK trail bike of the year) etc. Also worth looking at the Orbea too if you are happy with a 29er, their stuff is good value and I reckon 2020 Occam's will go on sale soon.
27.5 all the way for me. Tried 29’er twice hardtail and full sus(modern geometry) just never worked for me. Always felt sluggish in tight stuff.
Whyte T130?
I have 150mm Pikes up front and it's way more capable than it's passenger 😉
The other bikes I considered at the time (Aug 2017) were the Bird Aeris and Canyon Jeffsy...didn't go with the Jeffsy as couldn't try one at the time. Did speak to Ben at Bird but the Whyte had a chunk of cash off it so that swayed it...not regretted it either.
I have to say that having dealt with both companies I’d be unlikely to buy something other than a Bird or a Cotic for my next bike. The service is excellent, the prices are good (with good kit) and the geometry and suspension is great (but both are different with the Birds being lower). The new Banshees also look great but you’d need to get one through your LBS so will cost more for similar kit.
Regarding 29 or 27.5, I was feeling like a total 29” convert last year but recently I’ve been back on my 27.5 hardtail and although it isn’t as fast up, down or around corners, it’s an awful lot of fun. Less smooth, more lively. If you’re smaller and lighter then you’ll probably notice that difference more. For a one bike for everything solution that can handle big days out then I’d probably go for a short travel 29er full-sus.
Thanks - some good options I would not have thought of - guess the key is having a test ride so may have to wait 🙁
"avoid santa cruz cos that’s just middle aged man shouting “I can afford one!” 😂
Oh bugger - sounds just like me!
Best advice that I can give, if you haven't ridden anything different to your 10yr old Lappierre since you bought it, then get out and try as many different bikes as you can and get an idea for what you like!
OK, so right now that's not really practical... But if your Lapierre still works, then just ride that for now until you can get out and try other bikes. Imagine buying that Santa Cruz 5010, then in 3 months getting a ride on a mates 29er, and wishing you'd gone for bigger wheels instead! 🤷🏻♂️
Seriously though... Some people love 29ers, some hate them. Most who profess to hate them though have never ridden one, or only ridden a bad one from way back when... I'm not saying buy one, but I'm saying don't not buy one just cos you haven't tried a good one.
I'd say as soon as things are "back to normal", investigate demo events, speak to your local shops and see what demo bikes they can sort for you etc. too... Try longer travel, try shorter travel, try super long/low/slack, try more conservative bikes etc. You may well have your eyes opened, or it may just serve to reinforce what you already suspected. In the time that you've only ridden that bike, I have owned probably 15-20 different MTB's myself, and ridden many many more.