[Closed] Buying a longer travel bike for Morzine

What’s the thinking with sizing down? If riding down hills constantly you want a bike that’s more stable, rather than less (and you won’t want to increase stem length to compensate).

Ignore XL, L, etc just use the geometry figures

^ I had kind of come to that conclusion.
But - smaller would be more easy to throw around
Normal/ XL - more stable - and less likely to die

which normally means purchasing something.

which is not going to be peddled as much

Make up your mind which is it 🤣

I think an option is to meet up and try my G170 on known trails, up to you where that is. You'll know fairly early on if it feels right or not.

If you’re on 29er now then make sure you go 29er on the g170 - otherwise it’s not going to be much more capable than your Flaremax is over really fast rocky stuff IMO.

There's been a few threads like this lately. You don't need a special bike for Morzine. Just buy some DH tyres and ride what you're used to.

It's basically just a big trail centre. You won't find anything too rough or scary unless you go looking for it. The whole place is rideable on a 26" hardtail so you'll be fine on a Bfe or a Flare.

I'm taking my Hello Dave out there this year. The problem with taking 'bigger' bikes is it encourages bigger speeds as the terrain is far bigger than anything in the UK.

As someone who rode 26" wheel steel hardtail with 120mm forks and SPD's, you don't need a new bike at all.

I spent our weeks keeping up with many bigger bikes. I certainly had as big a grin as faster riders. I'm not a jumper, more a wheels on the ground rider.

The only bit I struggled with were braking bumps - but more often than not I could adjust line and avoid the worst of them.

I know I can rent

Are you buying a bike for one trip (which would be mental) or several? On your next trip out, rent a different bike every day, from enduro-lite to full on DH monsters. That will give you more of an idea of what you want for what you will be riding it on, rather than guessing here. Also, look what everyone else out there is riding.

What forks are you running on the BFEMax OP? A full sus would make more sense but then a FlareMax is “only” rated to 140mm from memory whereas the BFE is 160mm. I’d be tempted to invest in a burlier fork like a Lyrik or bumping your current fork on the BFE up to maximum travel, maybe with a coil conversion. For context, I did a week some time ago in Les Arcs on a 150mm steel hardtail and had a blast.

You could also then hire a bike over there as well to get a better idea of what you want.

If you’re hard let ever going to use the bigger bike then I’d just take what you have or hire one. If you are actually
Going to use it enough back home then just get a big DH or Enduro bike. But otherwise it’s a lot of money to spend on 2 weeks a year. Especially if you have to get the fork and shock services before each alps trip because it’s been sat in the garage for 11 months between rides, trust me, Morzine is an expensive place to blow the seals on your forks and shock (2 years in a row!!)

I've taken trail bikes out, taken a DH bike and rented DH bikes after the DH bike got nicked.

A) take a massive lock, use it every night. Ignore anyone who says it won't get stollen here, we've never had a problem. When I was there £30,000 of bikes got nicked from the place I stayed. Other places also got done in the week and a bit I was there. Crims have a long memory for a pay day like that.

B) the bike I had most fun on was... All of them.

I'd service all the suspension, get some wheels and tyres that will survive. Super mega tacky tyres will last a week or two. Take any odd spares and mech hangars.

Have fun 🙂

It's only a lot if you don't resell it.

Few years ago I bought a Bionicon Supershuttle for Morzine trip for £850. Sold it 3 weeks later for £825.

https://www.pinkbike.com/buysell/3241154/

Buy that for £1500, use and sell.

At £90 a day to hire, that's a lot of leeway on selling it on.

^ I quite like that Kona - as long as the BB has been put in properly.

Renting is the sensible approach
The FlareMax is on 130 pikes
The BFeMax is on 140 Pikes - re the comments above - I have had HTs for a long time - 140mm is really the max I would want to run. I think the whole balance gets screwed up with more. 160mm rotating around the back axle will mean a big head angle change just when you don't want it.
Besides which, I am too old to hit anything too big on an HT.

Buying only make sense if it will be sold quite easily afterwards - that would help negate the 300 euros on bike hire

Buying and selling that kona looks like a great solution to me

^ I would look like the most " all the gear and no idea" 62 year old in Morzine ...

I would look like the most ” all the gear and no idea” ** year old in Morzine …

Only until I get there.

I just think that option gives you some rides to get it set up, levers, bars, brakes, suspension etc. Instead of getting on a bike you've never ridden until you get to the first trail.

Instead of getting on a bike you’ve never ridden until you get to the first trail.

Like a DH bike you have no where to ride in the UK that's like morzine ;  )

After mine got stolen I had a week of riding hire bikes. I think I just ride them as I found them.

Good point above about bike theft. One year I was there bikes were being stolen from 4th floor balconies, underground garages, being ripped out of vans etc. It was a rampage.

Mine are always chained up, preferably to a big fat pipe or something. Usually in a room full of unlocked bikes belonging to people who haven't bothered.

Like a DH bike you have no where to ride in the UK that’s like morzine ; )

After mine got stolen I had a week of riding hire bikes. I think I just ride them as I found them.

Indeed that would be the issue with that Kona - it would be great for three days and never get used again. If I buy a longer travel bike, it must have some sort of ride ability outside just going down, as the South Downs would not be the natural home for it.

Renting does seem the sensible approach - I am a little more relaxed about set up than Mr Weeksy.

Theft does worry me - but that is both personal or rental ...

I wouldn’t size down just because the bike has more travel. Get the bike that fits reach and seat tube wise.

What about putting your 140mm Pikes onto the FlareMax and take that instead. Then use the money you have saved for some nice parts that will also get used when you get back. New brakes maybe that can handle the extra abuse? I rode my Tallboy there last time and it was great. Unless you are going for some massive air or super techy off piste you don’t ‘need’ more. It’s also better sometimes to ride a bike you are familiar with. Enjoy the trip.

THe lad rode his Whyte T403, how hard can it be 😀

[url= https://live.staticflickr.com/1855/30283105158_e18700d8b1_z.jp g" target="_blank">https://live.staticflickr.com/1855/30283105158_e18700d8b1_z.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/N91Q7J ]2018-08-20_10-03-39[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/152318156@N08/ ]Steve Weeks[/url], on Flickr

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^ he's 9.
They bounce at that age

LOL he was then yeah 🙂

140 or 150 air shaft is what £30? Have a hire day or two perhaps as well to try something different

Also I put a QR on my only 170 dropper to fully slam it another 50 or so. That helps.

140 or 150 air shaft is what £30? Have a hire day or two perhaps as well to try something different

which is fair comment - O could just swap the forks off the BFeMAX onto the FlareMax. But The FM is meant be ridden with 140mm max.

If I went to 150mm it would kill me. Cy says so

TBH, I am asking because I have no idea what to expect in Morzine

The greens are UK blues, the Blues are UK red+, the reds are Red ++ and the blacks, well they don't matter.

Most lines seem to have chicken lines. But it's more jumpy than it is Techy mostly IMO

I'm hoping to not do day after day of jumpy, but would love to throw in some tech stuff, rocks, roots, switchbacks...Rather than 20' gaps that my brain won't let me hit.

As per my other thread, i've watched about a dozen videos this morning of various trails.

I am asking because I have no idea what to expect in Morzine

You'd survive on a FlareMax. But you'd enjoy it a lot more on a longer-travel sled.

Something like a Mega or Capra for versatility, or go all in and get a DH bike.

Hey mrmoofo, I'm going on the same trip I think.

If it's anything like the last 2 times I went with the group (I'm a tag-on rather than it being my usual riding group) we'll do a load of different stuff.  If there are a few that would rather do one thing than another the group may split but usually the days are about getting as much different riding in as possible rather than constant sessioning of a run.  IIRC most are not very 'jumpy', I'd happily stop and play on features but as most of the group don't usually go for that I expect that they'll just run a trail and then on to the next one.  It works really well as it means you get to explore a lot of the region rather than just focus on a specific bike park.  I expect we'll cover Pleney, Super Morzine, Les Gets, Chatel, Avoriaz, Linderets and over to Switzerland for a day.

Bike wise some will hire DH bikes.  I'll be on my Bronson. First time I rode with the group I was on a Five and coped fine keeping up, it was only on the really fast rough bits (usually long braking bump sections) that I'd be left wanting a DH bike.  Unless you're riding the steep off piste stuff or some of the blacks, then I think the biggest difference to say BPW, is the gradient (ie. you go a lot faster quicker), the length and the braking bumps.  I'd actually say that the tech reds at somewhere like BPW are rougher and more technical than a Morzine red.

Trail grading varies across the pds. Some reds are easier than a bpw red (zore reds similar to but easier than root manoeuvres imo), others are not - the reds at the top of chatel come to mind, unavoidable non-rollable low speed tech drops.
Plus there’s the pleney red which is harder than the black which starts at the same point, although this may have changed in the last two years.

Razorrazoo

I have no intention of riding blacks ! I break myself too often to risk it

I'll sort out Bike Hire in the next few days - I am guessing that Downhill will be better than enduro.
It was only a talk with some else who is going / Weeksy that made me think about buying

Weeksy - the YouTube you post makes it look not so bad