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Looking for a new MTB for trail and occasional bike park use. Want carbon, for various reason, ideally wanted a bit of a head turner, but this is probably not that... But can't fault the value, except for the aluminium back end.... https://whytebikes.com/products/t-140c-rsx-my23?variant=44577687503123
My alternative is the 2nd hand market, where I'd get a 2021 ish 5010 for under 3k, maybe with xt gear on it, but unlikely to have ultimate written on the suspension.
Thoughts?
Carbon is a tiny bit over budget
https://www.paulscycles.co.uk/bikes/mountain-bikes/rocky-mountain-slayer-c50-freeride-mountain-bike-2022-goldgreen__9132
Bit less travel but alu
That Whyte is probably a decent bike but I just think they look gopping with the bent seat tube.
Would rather have the Rocky Mountain that Weeksy linked tbh.
My mate has a v3 5010 - it’s a good trail bike but it’s not very slack and it batters him quite a bit when we go to Dyfi / Antur. I get a much easier time on my Sentinel.
Few other ideas if it has to be carbon below - but at £3k I personally wouldn’t rule out alloy as you’ve got more choice / a better spec.
Vitus Escarpe carbon 290 CRS
https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/p/vitus-escarpe-290-crs-mountain-bike
XL Nukeproof Carbon Reactor Elite
https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/p/nukeproof-reactor-290-elite-carbon-bike-slx-2022
2XL Mega carbon elite:
https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/p/nukeproof-mega-290-elite-carbon-bike-slx-2022
Large carbon reactor RS
https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/p/nukeproof-reactor-290-rs-carbon-bike-x01-eagle-2022
Cheers both,
The longer travel feels like I'll be overbiked for the vast majority of my riding. I'd probably go for the intense primer at 3k, but 150/160 feels excessive... 130-140 rear with 150 front just feels right in my head.
For comparison, I'm replacing a 2013 orange five, 140/160 with 26" wheels....and I'm 5'9 so not many of the chainreaction options work as I need a medium
130/140 rear tends to be a bit harder to find options for these days. Trail bikes are tending to be around 120 Downcountry style or 150 which seems to be the new standard. Many 150 bike are pretty efficient to pedal around these days so don’t discount one on travel alone.
I’m with Joe on the Whyte, the aesthetic is just all wrong, stomach turner rather than head turner.
Quite a few bikes on sale at the moment if you search round.
Alloy but Ohlins
For s/h Santa Cruz drop Pedal and Spoke a line. They take quite a few in as trade and may have a good option within budget.
Sorry to jump on your thread but I might know someone with a Medium 2022 Carbon CC 5010 with Pike Ultimates and Hope brakes,for sale. 1 careful owner (MrsReady)
Just waiting for the new bearings to turn up befote i put it on sale 🙂
@ready let me know, tried to message you but it didn't send
@razorrazoo many thanks, I'll take a look!
Does that Canyon feel like they've spent the budget on the suspension?
GX drivetrain and average wheels for the price?
Ariel 30 https://www.saracen.co.uk/collections/trail/products/ariel-30-pro
There's a lower spec one too if you want to save a bit more
Stumpjumpers are £3600 at the moment?
May be able to negotiate more off in a shop.
130mm rear, full carbon, 140mm fork which is just about perfect for the riding you describe.
That Occam @razoroo posted is only £300 more than the Alu H20 I bought from Sigma last year and a better spec with XT vs SLX.
The are long travel at 150 but “trail” efficient and comfortable with it, it’d be a very good buy and before it’s mentioned, there’s the other colour available on the same page at the same price.
I would strongly suggest looking at the bird bikes page.
Some absolute bargains to be had
(went from long time orange 5,patriot,stage 5 to bird)
That Whyte looks decent value, but it's not a 29", so I wouldn't even consider it.
@Conan257 - I've private messaged you, but not sure it has got through?
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Vitus Escarpe carbon 290 CRS
I've got the CR version (Deore, slightly heavier frame, missing the accessory mount above the shock)
It feels like a very progressive 140-150mm, I've never bottomed it out despite trying, admittedly nothing bigger than badly landing Swinley's meager drops to flat, so I'd have no worries taking it out all day.
Personally I've never liked VPP bikes, felt like I could feel the suspension trying to do it's job and it was distracting. Putting them in some context, to me a horst link bike generally feels like it's doing it's job without being able to feel it, there's no weirdness or feedback from the suspension, like riding a hardtail but magically smooth and faster. Single pivots feel like you can feel the suspension preload when you pump it, and you can feel it moving around over the ground, to me that's a fairly neutral "this is what a suspension bike feels like" (DW/maestro seems similar but firmer when reacting to rider inputs). Then VPP is just weird. Gives the feeling of moving around like a single pivot, but feels like it's moving all over the place, like the amount of travel bore no relation to the size of the impact. So I'd test ride one before you decide, you might prefer one over the other as well.
I haven’t ridden the lower shock style SC 5010 - but the v3 with the shock higher up feels like a hardtail vs my Transition Sentinel. On flowy blue / red style trails it accelerates really well and gets a good head of speed. On steep tech it feels too steep at the front and on roots it gives you a bit of a hard time I thought. Back to back with my precious Bird Aether 7 it was noticeably harsher and steeper. My mate loves his 5010 though - it suits his riding more than mine where he tends to do a lot of loops round the Surrey Hills. I believe the newer style 5010s are meant to be smoother and a bit slacker.
Personally I wouldn’t buy a brand new / full 650b bike now - I’d want 29er or mullet.
That Vitus Escarpe I linked above seems a great option the more I look at it. 150f / 140mm rear travel is ideal for all around trail riding and will do the job at uplift days. Personally I think you’re limiting your options a lot insisting on it being carbon frames at your budget.
That Vitus Escarpe I linked above seems a great option the more I look at it. 150f / 140mm rear travel is ideal for all around trail riding and will do the job at uplift days. Personally I think you’re limiting your options a lot insisting on it being carbon frames at your budget.
I'm probably the wrong person to judge as I didn't go out looking for a carbon bike, I just stumbled across it on marketplace, the geometry looked like what I wanted, the reviews were excellent and the price was right. but the stays don't scream "ewwwwww, poor" to me.
but it’s not a 29″, so I wouldn’t even consider it.
why?
https://whytebikes.com/products/t-140-rs-29er?variant=40269946781765
Latest version is a 29er, I bought the S150 a few years back, it is a brilliant bike, has given me much more confidence in my riding.
Canyon Neuron? The alloy versions are all under the £3k mark. Seem really well-specced. I'm quite taken with one myself, just need to work out how to get it past the missus 😂
why?
To borrow and butcher the phrase used by a certain Sheffield based bike company in a shiny marketing video for their "beefy" bikes months before they announced they wouldn't be ordering a new 26" batch.
27 is dead.
To take the Escarpe CRS as an example, the 29er is £3049, the exact same build in 27" is £1999. That makes the 27" version a bit of a bargain, but definitely shows that they're struggling to sell them.
Usual "obsolescence" caveat is that the 27" version is no worse than it was a coupe of years ago when it was launched. Its undoubtedly a good bike, but people spending ££££ on new bikes are generally quite happy to make choices to get what they perceive to be the best they can get, and "almost as good as a 29er but similar to those obsolete 26" bikes" just doesn't sell anymore.
TINAS - as a rider of various iterations of VPP your comments on it as a platform do not fit with my experience, though the VPP platform and kinematics of individual bikes has evolved over time. I'm on my 3rd SC VPP bike. I'd say my first (Bronson V2 Alloy) was closer to what JoeB described, but the latter 2 (with the lower shock layout) are neither 'firm' or 'move around all over the place'. My current bike is a Megatower V2, it's a big bike and not what OP is after, but it feels pretty neutral on the trail and climbing, but swallows the hits as you'd expect an enduro focused bike to do. It's probably less plush than some 4bar bikes with similar travel numbers, but it's designed as a race bike to give a level of rider feedback, if you want a plusher ride I could coil shock it or get a Nomad which is designed to ride more in that manner, but for me that makes a bike too wallowy on less extreme terrain. BTW I'm not sure that any drop riding round Swinley would even bottom out a hardtail 😉
BTW I’m not sure that any drop riding round Swinley would even bottom out a hardtail 😉
I think we can agree on that 🤣
I think the last one I rode was a (mk2? 2018ish) 5010. I'm sure it has it's positives, it just didn't work for me. My advice would be if the choice is a 4-bar and a VPP then ride both as clearly some of us prefer one over the other.
If you want another Orange there are some decent deals about. Love my Stage 5 having come from a 5 29 and 5.
https://www.sunsetmtb.co.uk/shop/index.php?category_id=21
https://www.orangebikes.com/model/2023-summer-sale
27 is dead.
Is it though? Plenty of smaller sized bikes still being offered in 27.5 and lots of mullets around too. Considering you can still get a few decent 26" tyres and rims it seems like 27.5 should be fine for a while.
27 isn't dead when companies are pushing MX as the new best wheel format....
I think the last one I rode was a (mk2? 2018ish) 5010. I’m sure it has it’s positives, it just didn’t work for me. My advice would be if the choice is a 4-bar and a VPP then ride both as clearly some of us prefer one over the other
I think you’ll find the newer lower shock mount SC versions more to your liking.
Leisure Lakes worth a look - quite a few deals to be had there as well.
Another very content Vitus Escarpe owner here. I got one of the blinger ones last year on special.
Right enough it's more than I need for weekday rides in the south downs, but not to the point of making them boring. It just goes a lot quicker on anything downhill than my 2014 stumpy evo 29.
The few trips I've been able to make to more bumpy and rocky places have made me really happy to be riding it. It's in its happy place as things get gnarly.
I haven't regretted it since opening the box.