You don't need to be an 'investor' to invest in Singletrack: 6 days left: 95% of target - Find out more
I've owned only hardtails for a few years now, and am starting to realise I should probably get with the times and get another FS.
Currently, this is as far as I've got. I'm also feeling very lazy, so was hoping some STWers could point me in the right direction for my research. I'm also selling the road bike, so there will be an empty wall hook and some cash in my pocket (if anyone ever buys the darn thing).
I have a Stanton Switchback, for BPW and the like, and a Cotic SolarisMAX, for everything else. I'd like to end up with a FS and a HT. I did tell myself that the Stanton was a forever bike, as it is absolutely fantastic for what it is, but practically speaking that's the one that would get replaced. Maybe I'll cross that bridge when I get to it.
Anyway, here's what I"m after:
Something that is not too averse to a sloppy ride now and then (I live in Wales, after all)
Something that I can mostly maintain myself, and without any pernickerty bells and whistles
Something that can handle the tougher local trails, is not terrible at climbing, and comfortable on BPW reds/easier blacks.
My buddy has just got a Bird Aeris. Is that the obvious choice for me too??
Yes. Buy mine.. 😉 😂
Well I live in South Wales, sold my full suss in 2016 and then rode hardtails (currently a Pace RC529)until I finally ordered a Propain Hugene in February this year. It arrived yesterday and after one ride I love it.
Would I wait 7 months for a bike again? Probably not !
The Bird Aeris looks like a great choice if it’s a available.
Are you looking for a new full bike, or a frame to fit everything from your Stanton?
Bird are a good shout. If you are going new, the aether line might be more suited to your proposed trails, especially if you currently do the same thing on a hardtail.
Orange five (or new 5 evo) fits the low/simple maintenance criteria.
Check out sonder too
Are you looking for a new full bike, or a frame to fit everything from your Stanton
I think I'd leave my current bikes out of the equation, especially as the only thing I'd want to transfer would be the fork (and maybe the wheels). I usually buy 2nd hand, but not averse to looking at new bikes for this.
especially if you currently do the same thing on a hardtail
I'm currently failing to do some of those wishlist trails on a hardtail, which is where the FS comes in. Saying that, I take your point - if I'm currently doing ok, then maybe I don't need to go too far with a gnarly FS.
Pipedream Full Moxie?
If you’re keeping the Solaris then I’d go for a mid-travel FS. Short travel would be too much crossover. For simplicity the Orange 5 is a good shout and both Bird and Sonder make great value bikes. If you really like Stanton why not opt for one of their FS bikes or a Cotic Jhet.
There are always the bigger brands too. Trek Remedy always seems to be popular or something similar from Giant or Specialized.
You probably need to decode what it is you want in terms of travel and geometry as there is so much choice out there (except the obvious issues with stock right now).
The Aeris your friend got (of new) is an AM9 presumably - so a 150mm rear / 150-170m front 29er enduro bike. If secondhand it could a 27.5” wheel bike with travel between 120-160mm depending on which model it is.
I’ve had an Aeris 145LTnwhoch is full enduro really - and now have an Aether 7 which is more trail but still with slack / long geometry. I prefer the Aether for 90% of my riding and it happily does uplift days. I tend to do the same as you - blues / reds / dabbling with some easier blacks but not full gnar.
There are quite a few bikes in this area that would most likely fit the bill:
Aether 7/9
Cotic Flaremax
Santa Cruz Hightower / Bronson
Transition Scout
Trek Fuel
Giant Trance
Whyte T130
Just to name a few.....the list is endless.
Probably worth you trying to line up a few demos just to get a flavour of some options.
In the spirit of recommend what you have, Cotic Flare Max.
Something that is not too averse to a sloppy ride now and then (I live in Wales, after all)
Something that I can mostly maintain myself, and without any pernickerty bells and whistles
Something that can handle the tougher local trails, is not terrible at climbing, and comfortable on BPW reds/easier blacks.
Over 3 years old and only just done the bearings - +3k miles in the Tweed Valley.
Will get up and down anything, and all day rides (Weds was Golfie/Glenbenna/Inners - 30 miles and 6500ft).
Is it possible to buy a bad bike these days? Choose one with the right travel, that you like the look of or a colour you don’t hate.
Till I got the best bike ever second hand, my list was Bird, Cotic, Canyon. The only things I’m not keen on are the big names, as they seem not so good value, but I imagine are also awesome.
Just focusing on the “maintain it myself” idea…
If you get a multi pivot bike then doing the bearings is an involving job - absolutely in the grasp of most competent home mechanics.
The bike is a sun of parts - so the less parts means less to maintain which does point to a single pivot bike.
Such as an Orange.
I have ridden them for years and they are all generally very capable pretty light bikes.
I have moved away onto a transition due to repeated cracking issues with oranges - this is resolved now so don’t worry - but as the transition is multi pivot it requires a lot more maintenance.
Just my tuppence.
Orange stage 4?
Given your taste for quality steel, low maintenance and living near such great trails, perhaps a Starling Murmur?
It's the only bike that's almost managed to lure me away from my Orange, though I have resisted so far.
Or on the more budget-y side, the previously mentioned Sonder Evol or the Vitus Escarpe - when in stock.
That fancy new Cotic Jeht might suit you, special edition with Hope bits (they don't have to be Orange).
Santa Cruz, free bearings and no brand has a better warranty. Folk on here will hate you, but then they'll find something else to hate you for anyway! 🙂
Thanks for all the advice so far.
When I said "keep the Stanton", I meant "I'd consider keeping it even though my next bike might make it redundant".
If I did end up getting a FS, I'd do it without worrying too much about where it slots in, and instead focus on what's good for the riding I planned to do on it.
I'd also like to do it without so much of my usual obsession with keeping it cheap and using lots of 2nd hand parts, but some of those FS options are so darn expensive. Sonder looks to be a good option though.
Modern FS bikes on the whole are expensive to get decent forks/shock/ wheels/groupset.
Vitus do a great job of levering in good kit at a budget price. Sonder have a cheap frameset price vs pretty much every other manufacturer so a useful option to consider.
Some of the German brands were much better value in terms of kit for the price pre-brexit - I haven’t looked to see if that’s killed that route or not.
Santa Cruz, free bearings and no brand has a better warranty. Folk on here will hate you
The world has moved on, eebs now occupy the all-the-gear-and-no-idea sterotype SC once held.
Is it possible to buy a bad bike these days? Choose one with the right travel, that you like the look of or a colour you don’t hate.
Was about to say very much this. Pretty much all bikes are good these days. Decide broadly what price and travel you fancy then do a few demos if you can and buy something that you like the look of. 100 different posts on this forum will suggest 50 different bikes which are all legitimately good and all largely interchangeable to non pro riders. I say this as someone who has been riding an Orbea Rallon for coming up to four years, fancy a new bike and am slightly lost because there is so much choice that would all suit me.
As an example of the above, I would certainly recommend the Rallon for your needs.
The world has moved on, eebs now occupy the all-the-gear-and-no-idea sterotype SC once held.
And the single browed neanderthols are still in the iron age, sorry Orange age 😉
The Transitions in my lbs are absolutely stunning looking, and seem well regarded too, ditto Orbea.
Well, I am a bit of a single-browed neanderthal, so maybe I should get an Orange 😉
If you like hardtails can I also recommend an Orange stage 4. I have had FS on and off for 15 yrs and always ended up selling them, bought a four about 18 months ago and love it. Not the plush ride of others, but gives loads of feedback and doesnt have that disconnected feel that a lot of full suss bikes have. Also mate has the solaris and he bought a Cotic Rocket and buitl it up and loves it as well, as much as the solaris.
doesnt have that disconnected feel that a lot of full suss bikes have.
I suppose you could flip that argument and say "a proper full-suss actually smooths out the trail, unlike those thuggish Orange bikes" 😉 Although I know what you mean. A while ago I treated myself to a Trek Slash rental from BPW, thinking it would unlock new routes and speeds. I didn't do much better than normal, just because I had no idea what the bike was doing. Saying that, expecting magic on my first ride on a new bike was also probably part of my problem.
I see a couple of mentions for the Stage 4. I have one (with a -2deg headset) and it's the perfect short travel bike for a hardtail fan, but I'd probably go for the Stage 5 or 6 as an all-rounder in the OP's position.
The Stage 6 climbs and covers ground very well indeed and feels like less than it's 150mm travel IMO.
Probably not the bikes to get if you don't really know what you want though.
If the stanton is such a dream bike, then why not a stanton FS, ive got the switch9er FS and whilst not overly light it climbs pretty well.
What sort of budget are you looking at?
I’ll probably get shit for this but I wouldn’t bother with a Flare if you’re keeping the Solaris. I’ve had both and would definitely go for something with more travel if you’re keeping what is a very capable HT. Flare wasn’t much better, faster, comfier than a capable HT. At least for me that is
Hi twrch,if you take a look on the Bird facebook page you will find loads of great bikes second-hand.My son has the 145 with the 160 link and I'm really enjoying it,so much so its putting me off riding my own FS.
Wasn't that new Pace full suss frame considered good value?
Hi twrch,if you take a look on the Bird facebook page you will find loads of great bikes second-hand.My son has the 145 with the 160 link and I’m really enjoying it,so much so its putting me off riding my own FS.
See my post above.. 😉
I've been thinking about this, and I think I'm going with one of the Bird FS bikes - mostly for the cost. I would keep the Solaris Max, as it is so good on all of my local trails. I said I would keep the Stanton forever, as it's such a fun bike, but that's the one that my potential new FS would overlap most with.
I'm looking for something that starts with the Cotic and goes past what I can do on the Stanton (I'm sure it can do a lot more than I do with it, I'm just not good enough to get a HT down tougher trails. It also gives me much more of a beating! I can do most of the reds at BPW on it, and almost all if I miss out the qualifier ;-). I also want something that's fun, like the Stanton is.
It seems that if I look 2nd hand, there's a lot of similar options from Bird - the Aeris 145, the Aeris 145LT (which I think means 160mm travel?), as well as the AM9 and the Aether range.
Given my thoughts above, any comments appreciated! I'm 6'5", so definitely an XL. I'm also not on FB, but might have to make an account for the Bird group.
I did this, sold my switchback and bought a vitus escarpe, all bits swapped over.. Better than the Stanton on every level best looks
I wanted another short travel 29er but stretched up a bit to a giant trance x 29. Amazing ride. not too much travel. is a bit portly (34ish lbs) but feels more nimble and climbs better than the 29lb bike it replaced.