You don't need to be an 'investor' to invest in Singletrack: 6 days left: 95% of target - Find out more
Just sort of free associating here but interested in opinions...
Basically, I've had a Trek Remedy 29 for years (bought it from Singlespeedstu, cheers!) and I love it. It's an old bike but has great parts and it's been able to keep up better than most by adding an angleset, bigger fork etc. It's built up fairly chunky- coil'd 36s, big dropper post, sticky tyres and wide rims, all that sort of thing, ideal for tweed valley thrashes, alps trips, stuff like the mega.
Just recently, I bought another frame in the next size up, just to add a little length, and that's worked out great. So now I have a complete frame spare.
Today I was out on my Solarismax, and tbh I wasn't really digging it and not for the first time. It's a great bike, really capable and has the bits I want on it but we just don't click like I'd hoped for, not like my old Ragley or Soul. I don't love it. I can't quite say I'd always rather be on the remedy, as it's a wee bit of a blunt instrument, but overall I'm happier on the Remedy than the Cotic.
And, well, I have a spare frame. I could port over most of the parts from the Solarismax to that, and I'd end up with a much lighter, more trail focused version of the big bike. It wouldn't take a lot- I'd need a headset and it'd want the fork lengthened. (there's other things I'd want to do but that'd get it working well) It'd not have the same lovely upgraded shock as the big bike, and it'd miss that extra little bit of length, but it'd all work.
(and really, Trek designed it as a 140mm trailbike, it's just that it turned out to be the most succesful enduro race bike of all time, pretty much by accident)
Sooooo. I reckon it'd cost £100 or so as an experiment, which ain't bad. I don't think I'll hate it. I worry that it'll effectively be a downgraded version of the #1 bike (and realistically, no way will I be able to find another of the uprated shocks). And if it does feel like that, then the fork's going to probably feel like crap (it's a Pike with Luftkappe, not bad, but the 36s are bloody awesome). Like maybe the familiarity will breed contempt...
So... Any thoughts? Anyone tried it, or taken a bike from one role and rebuilt it into another?
As you're already most of the way there and know you love the frame, I think it would be a safe bet!
I quite like the idea, reckon you should go for it. Providing you fit it with faster rolling tyres and lighter components, it'll feel different enough to warrant.
Your bigger version can be completely uncompromised for the more "downhill" focused stuff too.
@northwind and if you were selling the solaris max frame i could be interested price and size dependant
I say build it back up.
Think it's great that it's still going after all this time.
Seems like a cheap experiment...what's not to like? At least give it go.
@karnali, that's definitely part of the logic, the Remedy frame's worth about 50p and the Solaris is worth actual money 🙂
Thanks folks, helps to confirm what I was thinking myself, now to gather some parts!
As you’re already most of the way there and know you love the frame, I think it would be a safe bet!
This.
Wheels, tyres, forks & shocks (and angle adjusters) can make much more difference to how a bike feels than the frame.
It's a good idea IMO.
I tried this a while ago. I just ended up smashing the lighter build, particularly wheels, because I rode it no differently to the more aggro build!
The only fly in the ointment I can think of, is the danger of ending up with another bike that's "almost, but not quite as good as the big bike". And if it does turn out like that, are you honestly going to ride it much?
I can see the benefits of having radically different bikes say; a HT and a Enduro, or an Enduro and a lightweight snappy little 120mm FS...but having two bikes that are "As good as you need" and "Not quite as good, but a bit lighter"...
I have a full suss and a hardtail.
I could ride either of them almost anywhere I ride regulay, no bike parks close to me!
The hardtail is built a bit lighter, full suss a bit heavier.
If you can see the need for two I'd go for it.
I can't imagine needing a massive full suss in the pentlands. I can't imagine wanting to ride a hardtail at inners.
For £100 give it a go untill the bearings need doing. If one frame never needs bearings ever again you have your answer and can sell it🙂
If nothing else, there’s a magazine article in it!
I wanted to do a both bikes together pic but I kinda slightly killed the rear wheel in the Big Blue Remedy so here is the Little Orange Remedy on its first proper ride. It's borrowed the nicer shock from Blue, just to save me setting up 2 lots of suspension at once.
[img] 
[/img]
Funny, I rode this for years and it never felt small, literally a couple of months on the larger size and now it feels short. And yeah as expected the Pike feels a bit shit, compared to my awesome coil'd 36s, but it's good enough (I sneaked in a newer damper mid build, which helps). It was an odd ride, it never really felt amazing but without really trying hard there's a couple of personal bests in it and even with a bunch of added faff time the total loop was pretty much exactly as fast as normal on the Solaris. So, it's definitely decent at the job. Next is a wee trip to glentress, I reckon a black with bonus offpiste should be a good test.
Weight in this form is about 27.5lbs which is not bad- these frames are pretty light, which does help explain the dents. The wheels are probably too light, but the tyres are probably too heavy, so it balances (the supergravity rear especially should keep the lightweight rim intact I hope). So it's about 4lbs less than Blue which is kind of a disappointingly small number, but does make a meaningful difference. Blue feels like much more of a hammer, for sure (and has a bit more money sunk in it). It's nice to have the similarities- same brakes, grips, saddle, pedals, very similiar bars and only 5mm less dropper, well worth the weight penalties.
The "two bikes the same" idea massively paid off in Wales though, I took both and broke Blue's rear wheel and I could just nip to the van and steal the spare out of this. From beloved main bike to van trash in 30 days, sorry Orange. I had some mechanicals with the blue one and just knowing I could wave a magic orange wand and fix everything was so reassuring, especially in parts shortage times.
Same bike, different day
[img] 
[/img]
Northy
If you take little orange to GT give us a shout.
Would love to see it again.
Aw, that's so sweet 🙂 Yeah will do, might try and nip down tomorrow but otherwise probably this weekend
How the hell do you get a 29" enduro bike to 12.5kg?
That's insanely light. A £5k Occam, which is only 140mm travel, with carbon rims DTSwiss 240 hubs, titanium pedals etc is 13.5kg....
I'll buy the bike from you for 2 grand
Ah fuggit, I'll buy the goddamm scales from you for three grand 🙂 that way I can make the whole family's bikes unfeasibly light. 😛😝🤨
might try and nip down tomorrow but otherwise probably this weekend
I'm over Golfie tomorrow showing a couple of guys on eebs round.
Should be at GT at some point over the weekend as a load of our mates from down south are stopping in Inners for a while.
I bet Mrsstu won't believe it's her old frame now its orange.
Let's see if we can get the weekend to work then Stu, seems to make more sense. But there'll be plenty of chances.
thegeneralist
Full MemberHow the hell do you get a 29″ enduro bike to 12.5kg?
It's not really an enduro bike, is the answer- I've switched it back to being the trailbike Trek meant it to be. The wheels especially wouldn't last if it were doing big bike duties, and the forks would hold it back for sure. The blue one is built as an enduro bike and is 4lbs heavier- and it's still built light other'n the fork.
(I had a quick look at that Orbea and it has 36s, heavier wheels (much stronger and wider I'm sure), heavier gears and brakes... Basically they've built it light, but for a harder job and also for the whole range of riders, I've built this for a 10 stone rider who won't sue anyone if it breaks.)
Not sure how much it was in the pic from the mega, I stopped weighing once it had the DH tyres on 🙂 Most of those parts are on the blue bike now, except the wheels and tyres
That does seem crazy light - like carbon top fuel light.
I’ve got a steel marino hardtail with a 3.1kg frame - but then pike ultimates, erase components hub (really light), xm421 rims (fairly light for strong ish trail rims), carbon descendant dub cranks, carbon bars, dmr deity stem, full gx Eagle, Maxxis exo tyres (Forekaster / dhf), code brakes (maybe a bit heavy) etc. And that comes out almost bang on 30lbs according to my scales. For context my aether 7 with coil / lyriks etc is 33lbs on the same scales. My road bike comes out about 18lbs. So I think the scales are reasonably accurate.
I’m sure my mates carbon top fuel with carbon xx1 cranks / AXS / 100mm travel Rebas / light ish wheels (i9 hubs), mezcals etc isn’t much lighter than that.