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I've finally nailed it down to one of the above and just wanted to hear your thoughts and opinions on both.
Would be looking at XL I'm both frames
Hightower r build or Ripmo af slx build.
Dw link vs vpp.
Where would your money go and why ?
Bird Am9 😉
Never ridden a VPP so can’t comment on that. The spec on the Ripmo AF SLX is a lot better than the Hightower IMO. DVO Diamond and topaz better than the lyrik rc and fox performance shock. Plus the ibis wheels, Assegai tyres and full SLX is spot on.
Neither... Evil Offering FTW!
Or get another S-150, but get a Large not an XL, as the XL you had was too big for you... Absolutely awesome bike for the money, but riding the wrong size isn't going to help! 🤷🏻♂️
Ripmo AF, they are brilliant. Plus you dont want to be one of those santa cruz types
Mboy : I found the length and reach etc perfect.
Just the seat tube length was too long by 2 or 3 cm. The ripmo and hightower are both shorter tubed than the s150 but have very very similar reach, ett and stack numbers.
Did actually try a large s150 but found it too cramped and needed the seat moved all the way back on its rails.
How tall are you?
Transition Sentinel v2
Just under 6 foot 1
Shorter legs and longer body. So shorter seat tubes and longer reach etc suit me.
My hatred of pivots that run on bushes would keep me away from the Ripmo
What colour are they?
I'd repeat the AM9 suggestion already made above, but if for any reason you're not fond of it, then the Ripmo AF would definitely be my first option.
Don't mean to be a buzz killer, but can't really find the appeal of the Hightower AL. I look at it, IMHO, as an overpriced, overweight aluminium mock-up of a carbon frame that seems to get generally lukewarm reviews.
My hatred of pivots that run on bushes would keep me away from the Ripmo
The bushings are covered by a free lifetime replacement for the original owner.
I think if you are spending £3.5k there are a lot of very good options out there, but it might well come down to how soon you want it and what is going to be available.
I’ve a raf on back order since late April in nx flavour brought an xt 12 group and code rscs for less than the slx upgrade and I can see the nx and guide ts on for a few hundred . If you don’t have one on order deore 12 will be new base and might also be spec’d with the new onyx you will be waiting till September apparently
I’ve a raf on back order since late April
I was lucky to get in when I did (ordered mid April and got it end of April). My local ibis shop (Evo cycles in Eastbourne) actually told me to try sunset cycles as they had none and had an inkling the dates they were getting from 2pure were unlikely to happen due to Ibis being on a state lockdown. I got my NX build for £2850 as sunset were doing 10% off and I’ve swapped from NX to Shimano XT drivetrain and SLX 4 pots and that’s worked out cheaper than the SLX build. In fact with what I’ve recouped from selling the swapped parts, I think I’m only just over what the NX retails for.
Hmmm that's interesting.
I was put off the base as I really don't like NX.
However if the new base model is going to be deore then I'm quite happy to wait. However September is a long time !!
I think (if it's in stock) I can get a slx build for £3600 or thereabouts.
Or do I wait for the jeffsy pro to come back in stock in August.
Choices choices
muggomagic
Subscriber
The bushings are covered by a free lifetime replacement for the original owner.
That wont help if/when they're squeaking away under me as conditions are too wet/dusty (even the bike Enduro mag were given to test was squeaky)
Got mine from moose as close to me sadly I want silver and jade x as they have a large orange topaz nx in stock . Been told end of the month by moose as on back order for so long but 2 pure have been telling people September.
Is that more expensive than normal Muggomagic or am i missing something.
I think the RRP is £3199 so a bit more. If moose has an orange one then I’d get in there sharpish
I need an XL !
I'm sure they're great bikes, but that's bloody uninspiring looking!
I'm 6' 2" and waiting for a large AM9. Looking at the geometry of the bird and the ripmo, the large am9 and the XL ripmo are the same size (st, ett, reach, wheelbase).
I’ve heard the Ripmo is great, but it’s just a bit underwhelming to look at. I can’t quite put my finger on why.
Equally I don’t think I could bear to spend around £3500 on an alloy framed Santa Cruz with Yari’s / NX Eagle / not a great wheelset for the money.
I think I’d keep looking for a better option. This probably isn’t much help!
I understand about the bird and how cheap you can spec it up but for some reason I cant get passed the reviews Ive seen saying its a bit flexy. As a bigger rider frame strength is important.
No beer that was my thoughts exactly - but reviews price point and a go on a pals changed my mind it’s certanly a sleeper
As a bigger rider frame strength is important.
Flex and strength are two very different things
Ok well lack of frame flex is important then.
NX Ripmo is a bargain if you can still get it. I bought mine back in March from Sunset with 10% off. Sold the NX and all parts except wheels+suspension. Bought xtr/xt 11s and carbon bars/crank, revive dropper for £150 after selling all the originals!
As for riding it, its the plushest suspension I've ever had. Just irons out the roots and grips to the trail incredibly well. I have a JadeX coil (425lb nukeproof Enduro spring. I'm 150lbs naked). If you are heavy and probably are with an XL, I would consider the Topaz as the coil appears to be better suited to lighter riders although a progressive spring may sort that. The bike is a little heavy, especially std NX build, but I've got mine down to 33.9lb which is very respectable for an alu 29er FS. They really did put a lot of thought into the spec of the bike. The DVO suspension is superb and the components, like the wheels and Maxxis Assegai tyres (setup tubeless as std) could belong on a bike costing £5k.
I'm off the the Alps on Sat. Cant wait to see how the suspension deals with the rock gardens 🙂
The Ripmo is certainly no looker, but the Bird is awful.
I don't know how good the aluminium Santa Cruz's are, but the carbon HT2 was a really good bike, very comparable to my SB130 as a trail bike, but with much better manufacturer support.
I don't like the idea of bushes rather than bearings, but then my experience has probably been tainted from the boxy Turner DHR's back in the day. That thing was either so tight it was like being on a hardtail, or baggier than a set of 90's rappers pants. The 2 days it was neither, was mint.
I know the V3 frames have a stiffer rear end but I haven't read anything about the AM9 having too much flex?
Just searched the pinkbike Aeris thread, 124 pages and nothing mentioned about flex.
That Ripmo in orange does look nice but I wouldn't buy a bike I had to change nearly everything on it!
The hassle factor definitely plays a big part in it for me.
What Superfli says!
Mine is down to 32lb since adding XT and swapping the tyres for Schwalbe MM and NN. Keeping the Assegais for days out on harsher terrain.
I’d also add that despite it being a bit porky it doesn’t ride like a heavy bike and climbs so bloody well. I did a 63 mile ride over the South Downs on it a couple of weeks back and that was when I still had the Assegai on it and certainly didn’t feel like it was hard work.
I’d also add, that I rode it for a bit as standard and it was great. Just with the money I’d saved with 10% off I chose to upgrade the spec straight away.
That Ripmo reminds me a lot of a Caliber bossnut
That Ripmo reminds me a lot of a Caliber bossnut
They’re the same bike just rebadged.
Awful?
Oops, double post
I think the Ripmo looks alright, I'd even go so far as to say it looked "purposeful".
Great to see Ibis move away from the dated Mojo styling anyway, and I'd certainly take one over a Santa Cruz.
I know you have numerous threads going Renton, but has anyone suggested that you might want to consider prioritising longer chainstays - if you're looking at XL frames?
This would likely give you a more balanced feel on the bike and help you stick with a frame.
Hi Chakaping.
It isn't the length of the bikes or chainstays that is the problem.
I'm finding that most XL have long seat tubes which then means you can't run a decent length dropper post.
The newer bikes like the 2020 jeffsy, hightower and ripmo all have shorter seat tubes but still have the same length up front that I like.
I'm 6 foot 1 thereabouts and have shorter legs but longer body and arms.
Why is the aluminium NX Ripmo so expensive?
Genuine question, I just don't get it.
Oh and the Bird looks sooooooo much nicer
It's not only the rear end that's stiffer on the V3 AM9s, the front triangle was also considerably reinforced
No large birds in stock until November!
Have you considered an ebike as well Renton? Similar money...
They’re the same bike just rebadged
That's what I thought. And that Hightower reminds me a lot of the Boardman if I'm honest..
There's large AM9s in V2 but only if you like lime green or blue! To be honest, the spec was so good on the bird that if I ride it through the summer and decide to change the frame at a later date it would still be cheaper than a lot of the other options and I'd get a bike to ride without waiting months.
I get some people don’t like the look of the Birds - I suspect mainly because of the big welds and the external cable routing. It’s a solid and decent quality frame and the external cables make maintenance easy - but there are prettier frames that hide the cable and either have smooth welds or carbon.
What was important to me was that the pivot hardware is decent - I had a Boardman Pro FS before and it rode ok but the pivot bolts were quite small and not the best quality. The Bird has locking collets and they’ve not given me any trouble. There are also frame sheets with torque values per bolt, bearings specs and even locktite specifications. All aimed at being easy to work on.
I don’t have an AM9 as I’m not into 29ers - but if I was I’d look at the AM9 v3 when available. Although the weight is quite chunky - if I had the budget I’d probably look at carbon frames if it meant I could lop off a couple of lbs (not sure if that’s possible or not).
FYI I’ve had an Aeris 145LT and currently own an Aether 7 and been impressed with both and the backup from Bird.
That spanish place that did the cheap Santa Cruz frames still going? worth a look, you could build yourself a very nice alloy one up to a better spec than NX if you take your time, and you still end up with the incredibly good SC warranty and free bearings.
Awful?
To me yes. Looks like catalogue tubing & a nasty logo/branding.
But, it's not my bike - so that doesn't really matter 🙂
The welding does look better than the Ripmo's tbf
That spanish place that did the cheap Santa Cruz frames still going? worth a look, you could build yourself a very nice alloy one up to a better spec than NX if you take your time, and you still end up with the incredibly good SC warranty and free bearings
Where was this mate ?
Was on here a while back, worth putting a thread up to ask, I can't recall the name of the place.
Are you thinking of Granary Bikes which became The Online Cycle Shop?
https://www.theonlinecycleshop.com/
They are British but I think the owner also had a shop in Spain.
i bought the hightower v2 despite it being a santa cruz and all the bell end jibes are worth it as its a great bike. i couldn't get over how bad the ripmo looks and never fancied a bird myself.
That name doesn't ring a bell Yetiman.
Edit - thread here - https://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/anyone-bought-a-santa-cruz-frame-from-ltm-racing/
Cant find any Ripmos or Hightowers in stock anywhere.
If anyone knows of some please let me know.
Frames in stock in XL here, and bike listed as 2-7 days
https://www.bike-components.de/en/s/?filterSize=XL&keywords=hightower
Frame only is £1933 from there. is that a good price?
Or get another S-150, but get a Large not an XL, as the XL you had was too big for you… Absolutely awesome bike for the money, but riding the wrong size isn’t going to help! 🤷🏻♂️
all 150's are sold out, and discontinued for next year
Discontinued because it'll be replaced with an S-160 or something
I was trying to help pre-empt your next bike change, with the chainstays comment.
I was trying to help pre-empt your next bike change, with the chainstays comment.
Haha fair one.
Ive still got the bfe max, waiting on the pike Ive ordered for it.
Frame only is £1933 from there. is that a good price?
AL frame only is / was £1899 RRP in the UK. Demand is outstripping supply at the moment so 'good price' is the one you can actually get the item you want for..
Do you think it's possible to build a decent hightower frame up with decent kit for £3400??
With frame only at £1900?
That still leaves £1500 for the rest of the build. Say £600 for a decent fork new if you look around, £400 for a full XT 12 speed groupset - leaves £500 for wheels and the other bits. If you build your own wheels it’s still going to be tight.
Depends what you class as decent I suppose - if you could drop to a deore 12 speed groupset that gets you back about another £160 which covers your brakes if you go for 4 pot deores or maybe guide re.
I think you’d need to go secondhand on the fork or find a proper bargain to make it work. Maybe specialised might have some half price tyres etc etc
Do you think it’s possible to build a decent hightower frame up with decent kit for £3400??
Yep. There is one for sale on Pinkbike at the moment. it's a new XL CC Carbon frame for £2k.
Could easily build up a nice spec bike for that amount with some considered purchases.
In stock here for 1800
https://www.bike-components.de/en/Santa-Cruz/Hightower-2-0-AL-29-Frame-Kit-2020-Model-p73371/
leaves you 1600, if you shopped around I reckon you could, but mibbe used for some stuff?
1933 Frame
£500 ish for a Pike from R2-Bike
£300 Hunt Wheels
500 SLX 12sp groupset with 4-pot brakes from R2Bike
100 Brand X Dropper
77 for whatever's left from saddle bars, stem, tyres that you don't have in the shed.
Appreciating that I'm bound to say this but:
Don’t mean to be a buzz killer, but can’t really find the appeal of the Hightower AL. I look at it, IMHO, as an overpriced, overweight aluminium mock-up of a carbon frame that seems to get generally lukewarm reviews.
All the reviews I've sen for the V2 Hightower have been that its a really good all round trail bike - I bought one as soon as it was released so had it a while.
The alloy frame is £1899 - whic is less than a Stage 5, less than a Transition, less than many of the other alloy options. I actually didnt WANT a Santa Cruz, but it turned out to be the best bike for me when I ignored my preconceptions (no Audi here).
As for spec though - the Santa Cruz off the peg builds are dump. I build mine for less than the figures quoted and its miles better specced. I absolutely love it.
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Buy a frame and build your own!
Swap your bits from your existing bike.
In stock here for 1800
https://www.bike-components.de/en/Santa-Cruz/Hightower-2-0-AL-29-Frame-Kit-2020-Model-p73371/
leaves you 1600, if you shopped around I reckon you could, but mibbe used for some stuff?
How are you getting it for £1800
Posted for me by PayPal is £1933
Haven't got another bike mate so can't use the bits off it.
I only looked at the headline cost, not searching your postage etc, you want me to make your dinner as well? I'll not bother next time, ****.
I only looked at the headline cost, not searching your postage etc, you want me to make your dinner as well? I’ll not bother next time, ****.
I think you've misunderstood what I meant.
I was just wondering if you had done something different like a different payment method as opposed to PayPal. That was all. Apologies if you thought I meant something else.
Comes out at 2,096.14 including shipping to Ireland for me, that's 1,877.17 sterling.
It's a fiver more to ship to UK than it is to Ireland, but that's what you lot voted for, I guess.