[Closed] Enduroist.... Recommend what you have

I find the top tube on the Commencal looks like it's about to snap.

Been reading my Wife around Finale for the past four weeks and despite having had it for a year now am constantly impressed by what it can take on. Loads of heavy going tracks and it's not felt it off its depth yet. Saint that, you'll probably find the same for most modern Enduro bikes.

Well I don't have a 160mm+ bike now that I've gone full 29er, but I can certainly recommend what I had last year - the Radon Swoop 170.

Check out the reviews on Dirt etc.

And I'll just leave this here...

https://www.pinkbike.com/buysell/2231958/

Been reading my Wife around Finale for the past four weeks

Is that what the kids are calling it these days?

Transition patrol

Bird Aeris 145 LT (now upto 160mm rear travel).

Threaded BB / Boost / external cable routing but takes an internal dropper / Metric rear shock / Aluminium frame / long and slack but with a steep seat angle so it still pedals pretty well. There is also a linkage to run it with 145mm travel and a slightly less slack head angle.

For £3500 you'd get something blinged right out.

"Is that what the kids are calling it these days?

Posted 21 minutes ago"

Fortunately I don't have kids

I’d check out the Bird Aeris 145 (or 145LT if you want even slacker, lower and 15mm more rear travel). Ioannis has got one! They’re only up in Swinley and their customer service is outstanding. Geometry, suspension design, all the details are bang on and there’s tons of configuration choices.

Fortunately I don’t have kids

Are you're sure you';re reading yr wife correctly then?

AirDrop would be worth a look although not quite 160mm travel but 3.5 k would get you a very nice build

The colours of that Mega are just amazing, get that.

I'm going to keep on riding my old Remedy 29, though. Not totally sure I could recommend it as a choice today, the angles are a wee bit wonky and it took some work to get it how I wanted it, but the suspension is just godly.

If I was spending that much on a big, long travel, fast bike, i'd be looking at a big 29er.

And I wouldn't be looking for something new, or being odd & discounting carbon.

There are almost new Slash29's for well under the budget. That, or an Enduro29, I've seen a Sentinel sneak in just under than now too.

So, I can't recommend what I ride, as its too short travel for what you want, but my endure race bike also has to race DH, trail ride and be used for fun blats in the local woods, so a big, honking, long travel 29er doesn't work.

Therefore I ride a short travel one with an attitude problem.

"Are you’re sure you’;re reading yr wife correctly then?"

Je ne comprends pas.

Having rode a 2016 Nukeproof Mega 29er and recently got a 2018 Nukeproof Mega 275 (frame only) I can honestly say it is an amazing bike and i'm glad I got the 27.5" wheels.

I only got it recently and I am loving it. The Super Deluxe shock is also really good and much better than the monarch shock on the older frames.

I went for silver / red as the one you are looking at is just to bright for me.

A few rides into my new Hightower LT

staggeringly good. Can’t wait to get some racing done on it

Got the base spec meta am. Beast of a bike, handled whistler bike park, the backcountry stuff, uplift  local rides, not snapped the top tube its a decent thickness alu. Great bike

Bought an Stereo 150 HPA 27.5+ frame today at a "bike-discount" sale. Will be my fun bike - not really an Enduro.... But bike-discount has Stereo 160 aluminium and carbon frames in sale as well - means if you like to build your own bike...

Otherwise:

Radon Swoop 170. Great bike.

https://www.radon-bikes.de/en/mountainbike/fullsuspension/swoop-170/swoop-170-90/

2.8 k Euros for the 9.0 version

On our flow trail here nearby there is a fellow around with a Swoop 200. Fantastic bike - but thi 200 mm travel bike is more a downhill bike than Enduro.

But this Swoop 200 is in sale right now: version 9.0 now for 2.5 k Euros instead 3.6 k Euros...

https://www.radon-bikes.de/en/mountainbike/fullsuspension/swoop-200/swoop-200-90/

For the Swoop 200 you really need neat, challenging downhill trails - otherwise a 200 mm travel bike will be no fun.

What do you want aluminum for? They make coke cans out of it. You want steel..You want a Cotic Rocket.

It's got a bit of aluminum in it mind. 🙂

Process 153 G1 was brilliant bike, my G2 153 29er is even better, (3500 will get u the bike with some decent weight saving & performance upgrades too)

I had a similar dilemma in dec. Bought a Vitus Sommet VRS & its a peach. Identical geo & spec to the 275 mega above but 650quid cheaper with a better / wider wheelset & a sweet SXG chainguide/bashguard.

http://vitusbikes.com/products/sommet-vrs-2018/

^ we have the frame size up from cha****ngs Radon Swoop, in 150 flavour with 160 Pikes, wide wheels and 'tings.

I'm impressed by build quality of the thing, and some of the small details that (for example) allow mud to clear the back and shock area.

It's chuffing fast, noticeably more than old Orange 5.

I would be buying a bronson for uk riding. Yep you may need/want something a little bigger for euroland holidays, but a bronson is the best bike I have ever demo'd.

2nd hand at your price point obviously.

Thanks for the response.

just to clarify some points. I’m not being odd discounting carbon, I’m being realistic. A carbon frame either pushes the budget up above £4K or you take a hit on the spec.  I originally started out thinking I’d get a bike for £2.5k but have now pushed it up another grand as it seems worth it because the spec is that much better on these bikes so really do not want to go any higher as it’ll just mean I’ll have to wait longer to get the bike.

I don’t want a second hand bike as for me this is quite a lot of money (for me) and I’d like some coverage with warranty. Plus I want it to be brand new. There’s something really nice about getting a new bike. The last bike I bought was an ex demo one and although it was great value for money and great condition it just didn’t have that new bike feeling.

I have a 135mm trail bike that I’ll be keeping for general riding duties, so this bike doesn’t need to be an all rounder but it does need to be able to be comfortably pedalled back up the hill again.

Thanks for the input Mike. The Commencal has really taken my fancy. I had one of the old Metas. A 2008 Meta 55 which I really loved riding.

I’ve been looking at the Radon Swoop and Vitus bikes. I think for me the 2 I’ve mentioned are just ahead of anything from them at the moment though. I’ll have a look at airdrop and bird, I hadn’t thought about them. The £3k Enduro is a possibility.

Nomad mk 3. You'd obviously be looking second hand but plenty to be had now the mk4 is out at some good prices. At your budget you'd be able to get a top spec and still have plenty spare to change any worn parts for new / get fork & Shock serviced. Best bike I've ever owned

Another Radon Swoop 170 user here (8.0 one) and it really is bonkers flattering

Must admit that Meta with the 36 and coil looks bloody lovely. I've ridden the shorter travel versions of the Meta and always liked them, this one looks like a monster.

Thanks for the input Mike. The Commencal has really taken my fancy. I had one of the old Metas. A 2008 Meta 55 which I really loved riding.

Well best to assume it's nothing at all like that 😉

As I say great bike, more poppy than some I've had due to not being VPP etc. fun to ride, just have to earn the turns on the way up

Yes, I would hope it's very different  😀  I just mean there is a sentimental connection to Commencal.

I think after checking out the recommendations here it's probably still in pole position with the Nukeproof, Radon and maybe an Enduro just behind.

and the pro version

https://www.pinkbike.com/news/yoann-barellis-commencal-meta-am-v42-finale-ligure-ews-2017.html

I was happy to get the base and swap stuff out, brakes/bar/stem/post swapped for less then the next model up. Next up is the Charge Damper to up the Yari to Lyrik levels and GX eagle to replace the NX as it wears out, can't shift the weight much from the 14-15kg area

Still some good deals to be had on the 2017 Specialized Enduros at Rutland Cycles

Just priced up a bird and an airdrop and both look good vfm. Shame you can't select a 160mm fork for the AM9, maybe that'd mess up the geo.

If I got an Enduro it'd be the 2018 version as the reach looks a bit short on the 2017 version. It is one of the things on the Meta that is a bit of a mark against it on paper, as it's a bit shorter than most of the others, but it'd still be 30mm longer than my trail bike. The Bird on the other hand looks really long. Nukeproof seems to be the middle ground.

We have both the 2017 and 2018 29er Enduros. It very difficult to notice the difference in reach on the trails.

'We have both the 2017 and 2018 29er Enduros. It very difficult to notice the difference in reach on the trails..'

Not sure how I feel about that TBH as I demo'd a 2017 enduro and although it was a nice enough bike, i just didn't get that feeling that this was the bike for me. Would you say the 2018 version was noticeably different from the 2017 version at all when riding?