So I've long been entrenched in Steel for many reasons, not least aesthetics and always on the slacker end of things (Cotic Jeht, slightly older SolarisMAX etc.). I have had a hankering for a short travel lightweight full-suspension however and this frame/shock had been sat in my eBay watchlist for a good month or so but I couldn't really justify the price. I decided just to make a couple of offers to test the water and well...
A 2019 Blur CC Frameset appeared in a box, and I built it up with a Sid Select 120mm and XT 11-speed with some Hunt XC wheels and Forekaster V2 tyres (2.4", but closer to 2.25" in reality!). Due to having far too many bike bits in the shed "in stock" the man-maths has come in at under £1000 for the full build and I took it for a first spin yesterday around the local trails and bridleways.
The short version is I'm totally in love with it, if I hadn't known what travel it was I'd have said it felt like a 130mm trail bike on the descents but it climbs like the 100mm XC bike that it actually is. It's definitely more responsive/prone to direction changes on the way down compared to my Jeht which is expected with a 2 degree steeper Head Angle but not in a concerning/sketchy manner. Everywhere else it definitely flattered my tired legs and made the local trails feel fast and fun.
The plan was not to build it up to be too light or fragile (or expensive!) rather just a fast trail bike that is up for some all-day epics and local ripping about. I'd say it's mission accomplished so far! Also it'll be different enough from my Jeht to have a real separate purpose for each which was important too.
I like it, I don't need another bike but if I got an urge then something like this would probably be what I went for.
It appears to be alive and kicking, assuming that downcountry is just sticking trail tyres on a slightly overforked XC bike that is 😀
assuming that downcountry is just sticking trail tyres on a slightly overforked XC bike that is
Yep, despite what desperate marketing departments try to tell us as they try to shift their heavy, short-travel trail bikes.
downcountry is just sticking trail tyres on a slightly overforked XC bike
If only they'd marketed it like this I would have known it was just my sort of thing for a good chunk of my riding.
Nice bike OP.
That's exactly the conclusion I reached too, a light agile bike with chunky-ish trail tyres just works for me and 99% of my riding.
More importantly it gets me out the door for a local spin more often whereas I found I was saving the full-sus for chunkier terrain/trips to FoD and a yearly trip to the Alps which in reality means it gets used about 15-20 days per year at best.
