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Right, yet again I'm after long travel advice from the Singletrack Wizards. Currently I've got a Trance x2 with a Pike in't front which is great for most of what I ride. It performed brilliantly at Coed y Brenin last weekend, Tarw was awesome 😀
I also want to venture into DH. I do a little DH lite (only 1 calorie) on this but have bottomed out and I don't want to ruin the bike from using it inappropriately (!). More air in the Float is likely to compromise the ride quality of the bike, so I don't really want to do that.
I also have a Dialled PA rigid 69er which I built up as a training bike, I loved it but was planning on selling to finance the buying of a starter DH bike. I almost got an Orange 222, but the guy has tried to rip me off. Looks like the money's being returned. That's a whole other rambly rant of a thread. I digress.
So I've seen a 2010 Reign X2 at Paul's for £1299 and considered selling both to buy it. Same maestro magic but with more cush, coil at both ends (roco in frame, 55r up front), tapered HT, 12mm rear axle. I'd be swapping over my wheels, brakes, bar etc from the Trance and selling it with the Reign's parts.
There are pros and cons to the 1 bike approach, from this point I'm either going to get an old DH/freeride bike or overhaul completely for the Reign X. I can see pros to each, I'd love to hear from Reign owners!
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Here it is.
I rode one at a demo day, they actualty pedal pretty well, although the Demo one was Fox at both ends, so had pro pedal and Float 36's are a big chunk lighter.
I wouldn't want to ride it every day, unless the local riding was propper DH tracks, but saying that my Pitch is heading towards the same weight now (32lb with sektors and float, it'll be about 36lb with lyrics and a coil shock) and I do day rides on that, they're just reserved for special occasions where the decents will be worth the slower climbs.
Personaly I'd keep the trance and if it's bottoming out try some air can spacers or smaller can, or get it tuned, a tenth of the price and it'll climb just as well if not better than before.
I've just bought one to build a mini DH bike. Way too much bike to be riding on singletrack in the uk.
Keep the trance and get a dirt cheap DH bike.