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So, I will be looking to buy a new bike in the next few months. I've had my Santa Cruz Nickel for 7 years and it has served me very well - been on biking holidays to the USA 4 times and even did Foxhunt twice on her! I'll be keeping it as a second bike as the wheels and drivetrain are still relatively fresh.
I don't really keep up with every new standard out there so could do with some advice on what to buy that will be future proof for at least a little while! Ride mainly trails so don't need huge travel. I'd go aluminium or carbon frame. Not really leaning towards canyon/yt etc. Can anyone suggest either a bike or frame as I'd be open to custom build - this is what I did with the Nickel as I got the frame at a massive discount. My budget would probably max out at around €3000 as I would plan on running this bike for at least 5 years and low maintenance is preferred! I loved the build/longevity of the Nickel.
Any advice greatly appreciated!
Hiya, well I had a SC Butcher, the longer travel version of the Nickel and moved on from it a couple of years ago.
On the plus side in terms of ease of finding a direct replacement, the suspension was a linkage single pivot IIRC and there's still lots of options with a similar approach and around 125mm suspension travel - it seems a popular and expanding market for shorter travel trail bikes.
On the flip side, a few changes will make a direct replacement trickier. Obviously things like wheel sizes will affect the choices, but if you're buying a complete bike most things (like wider boost hub spacing) aren't a big deal, unless you plan on swapping parts you already own (sounds like you aren't if you are keeping the Nickel intact).
The biggest change that might affect you would be geometry trends. My Butcher was quite short, low front end and slack seat tube. Trend now is for much longer bikes, 29ers tend to have higher front ends and seat tube angles seem to get steeper year on year. I like the changes and newer bikes fit me much better than the Butcher did (I'm 6'2") BUT it sounds like you really like your Nickel (which is cool).
So it might be worth demoing a few bikes, separating out manufacturers with more traditional geometry from those embracing the long low slack trends and seeing what works for your riding. I suspect that directly replicating the geometry of the Nickel might limit the choices quite a bit, if that is what you find works for you. Big demo day to try a few brands back to back might be a good choice?
You might find a Santa Cruz Hightower fits the bill. Start fitness had some for under 3k not too long ago.
Sorry just over £3k https://m.startfitness.co.uk/santa-cruz-hightower-c-s-plus-full-suspension-mtb-2018-orange-schtc27s18o.html
You could a set of 29r wheels as funds allow
That hightower looks like a bargain for a Santa Cruz, lifetime warranty innit!
Thanks that's some great advice, I definitely found the nickel low at the front and was lucky I left the steerer long on the fork when building it first day. I'm open to new geometry etc. what really appealed to me about the Nickel is it has been absolutely rock solid, never developed creaks or play and I've only done bushes, bearings etc. twice in 7 years! What did you change to when you retired your Butcher?
Hightower is definitely on my list, also I've spotted some Tallboys reduced, would be good to get some owner feedback but don't see much on the tallboy
Kona Hei Hei trail 29er was my choice, short travel but with fun angles.
Now, Orbea Occam or Whyte s120 would probably be high on my list...too much choice!
Hightower was the most disappointing bike I've ridden. It was a top spec model with carbon everything and only felt good when going uphill. Everywhere else it felt like it had way too much anti-squat.
JP
Like OwenP, I used to have a Butcher, changed it to a Bronson and I'm loving it. Maybe look at a 5010?
Prices for all Santa Cruz stuff seems to be eye-wateringly expensive these days! I'm planning on waiting for a few months to see if any end of season discounts come into play! Thanks for all the advice guys - looks like I'll be going for a complete bike - €3000 for a frame alone is a p**s take!
I hear that Stif have a lot of ex demo and clearance 2018 models... Especially in the smaller sizes