[Closed] New long travel 29ers .... What's about.

In true recommend what you ride.  Orbea Rallon, I got my M10 for around that and it's awesome.

Trek Slash

Transition Sentinel

I was very recently in a similar positoin to you (had a Transition Bandit 29er, v similar to a Codeine as far as I can tell) and was looking at these.  Ended up getting a secondhand carbon Slash frame and building up from there.

+1 for the RocketMax, Sentinel and S150, all are superb bikes, doubt you’d be disappointed with any of them. Of the 3 it’d be between the S150 and Rocket though, rode the S150 earlier this year and it felt really good and if the RocketMax is anything like my new Soul it’ll be a riot!

ridden all but the whyte of your list, and i'd get the Bird. have also ridden the foxy 29, sentinel, stumpy evo, and i'd still get the bird. good value too.

Nukeproof Mega 290

Cotics, purely from personal experience are a bit bendy. A family member broke two 2018 Rockets within a few weeks of having each, the Alu Nomad has yet to bend - no cracks either - or any Santa Cruz related adverse events like Audi ownership.

Also, if you break  a big companies bike, you are less likely to have said companies snivelling sycophant mates at uplift days ratting you out for riding certain jumps.

I prefer bikes that don't bend, so the S150.

sentinel would get my vote. 2017 slash was rad but seat tube was too long for a decent length dropper, and i think now they use sucky trunion mount shocks?

Demo the Orange Stage 6 as well, it's got a really distinct style that's more lively than a lot of LT 29ers.

You might love it, you might hate it - but it's worth trying and you can probably get one in budget in the sales.

I could quite fancy a 29er Capra.

Orbea Rallon R5. Just brilliant.

Another vote for the Rallon from me.

@howsyourdad1 - yes 2017 Treks had the Fox X2 shock, 2018s they have a RockShox with some wacky new ideas in it, may be great.  Same frame, and for 2019 as well I think.  If my budget had run to it I would have gone for a carbon Transition Sentinel, but it didn't and the ali Sentinel frame apeared a bie heavy for my purposes (not particularly looking for that big a bike).  Getting a decent drop in with the Slash frame is an issue because of the interrupted seat tube.  I have a 32" inside leg and can just get a 125mm travel Reverb to fit the Slash (size large, but it would have been the same with a medium).

I test rode an am9 and an s150, both great but went am9 as a frame only. Both big old bikes that are more enduro than trail in my opinion, but if that is what you want they’d hit the spot. I think the AM9 is great value.

The 2019 radon swoop looks the dogs pods to me. Well cheap also.

I've got a Capra 29er and I'm really happy with it. However, if I had a bit more cash if have loved a Orbea Rallon.

Similar scenario a while back and got a Transition Smuggler. I recon it is the ultimate bike for the UK. Don't let the rear travel dictate what this bike can do as it rides way above it. Yes it isn't a plow bike but should you choose your line carefully this bike is a hoot at full tilt.

I've ridden the S150, Rallon and AM9. All were great- the S150 is a pretty direct/gravity oriented, and the AM9 more so, but even more chuckable. The Rallon seems to hit a sweet spot of weight and playfulness, but still equally capable downhill.

However, I'll probably go for the AM9- but I'm looking to replace a Banshee Rune, and I have a 110/130mm travel 29er besides, so I'm looking for something at the rowdier end of the scale.

Stumpy evo. Or a stage 5 or 6 are amazing.

I've ordered a bergamont trailster 10....

Intense Carbine Pro? Slightly over budget, but great spec and £800 off at £3700 currently.

You could buy an XL Rallon 29 frame (cough cough) and do a great build on it for that budget...

I'm looking at these too, as well as the above I have the following on my not very short list.

Nukeproof Mega

Vitus Escarpe 29

Marin Alpine Trail

Kona Process 153 29

Intense Carbine

Commencal Meta AM 29

Scoot Ransom/Genius

Rocky Mountain Instinct BC Edition

Norco Range (Evans though)

I’m a very happy AM9 owner. I bought mine in Feb as a frame only but a £3K budget would get a pretty decent full build.

Also, if you break  a big companies bike, you are less likely to have said companies snivelling sycophant mates at uplift days ratting you out for riding certain jumps.

ooft

This. I'd buy [url= https://www.tredz.co.uk/.Rocky-Mountain-Instinct-Carbon-50-29er-Mountain-Bike-2019-Trail-Full-Suspension-MTB_128682.htm ]this[/url]

I think if I was on that sort of budget, I would probably be buying the Bird.

I've seen a few Sentinel carbon frames for ~£1900, Could build something up around that for around £3k quite nicely. Not quite 'long travel' though.

@hobnob Where? (sentinel frames)

I have a smuggler from 2018 and it is the absolute t*ts.  150mm fox 36 and coil on the rear. Love it!

If you don't mind me asking - How much did you sell your codeine for? I'm about to sell mine (it has the CCDB Air shock) and i have no idea what to ask? Did you ebay it??

I've just gone for the Santa Cruz Hightower with 150mm 36s on it that helps? 2018 Model in the sale 20 - 30% off at Stif Cycles.

@hobnob Where? (sentinel frames)

Wildside Cycles. They are 2018 run out frames. Might have to give them a call & I think they only had L's left when a friend was after one.

Black flag.... sold for £875 in the end. that was with pikes, hope etc etc.

in the spirit of recomending what youve got.......

Kona process 153 29, climbs waay better than my old process & feels like im cheating on descents

CRC have some on sale right now

Budget for an 11-46 casette, posher damper for the fork & lighter wheelset & its so much fun

OP, didn't you say you didn't get on with long travel bikes previously? I recall you saying you didn't ride the terrain to justify it, or often enough. Have you moved/ride a bit more now?.

Hi Nobeer.

Ive moved closer to FOD and wales and ma planning a trip to the alps next year.

I get on fine with long travel. Its hardtail that kills me because Im an old fat knacker.

The Codeine was 150mm upfront and was a good bike but the lack of length (42cm reach) and the fact the seat tube was soooooo long meant I cant get a decent sized dropper post in it.

Superb, sounds good.

I went through something similar and picked up a Transition Sentinel recently.

It's superb, but it is a lot of bike, and it does seem to need steep/fast., It's not a just-riding-along bike if that makes sense. I'm very pleased with it - goes very fast indeed!

ooft

Its a great read: https://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/how-strong-should-an-enduro-bike-be/

mmmm...

Je James have a 2018 NX sentinel for £2399

Geometron.

They are selling off the demo frames now. G13 with longer stroke shock or the G15.

https://www.wildsidecycles.co.uk/product/transition-sentinel-carbon-frameset/

FFS hob nob stop it!

brink  have  NX sentinels for 2249

https://brink.uk/transition-sentinel-2018

Haha, sorry 🙂

I sold my Sentinel, as I wanted something the equivalent of an XL with a bit more travel, but it was still a great bike though.

How tall are you hob nob and what size Sentinel did you have ?

Knowing a bit about you Renton, and at the risk of sending the haters into meltdown, I'd recommend an ebike ("there's nothing wrong with him, he just needs to get fit! why won't you let him get fit? Why are you encouraging him to cheat??!!" etc etc) I'd recommend an ebike. I reckon you'd absolutely love it and would ride way more than ever (assuming you have the spare time)

Test winning 2019 Vitus E-Sommets are out soon

GW approved 2019 Vitus E-Sommets are out soon

FTFY

Its a great read

https://www.pinkbike.com/news/cotic-flaremax-review.html

The frame did get a little heavier for 2018 because I decided to up spec the down tube and seatstays, based on feedback o̶f̶ ̶w̶h̶a̶t̶ ̶p̶e̶o̶p̶l̶e̶ ̶a̶r̶e̶ ̶d̶o̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶o̶n̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶s̶e̶ ̶b̶i̶k̶e̶s̶.̶  *cough* *cough* people are breaking them *cough* *cough* so we added more material to make up for a shit design *cough*

Davo......... Thanks but I'd rather do it under my own steam mate .!

raybanwomble haven't your gripes been dealt with already, rather brilliantly it seemed, by cotic?
https://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/how-strong-should-an-enduro-bike-be/
Renton given your record of changing bikes, i'd suggest a decent test on any you choose. You liked your old orange 29er didnt you? That should be easy to demo. Cotics also easy. Bird available to hire at Swinley etc.

How tall are you hob nob and what size Sentinel did you have ?

6'2" & was on an L.

Probably should have just gone straight to an XL in reality, but I did it as a bit of a cheap experiment to see if I wanted something bigger with a steeper seat tube angle & XL's were hard to come by second hand.

raybanwomble haven’t your gripes been dealt with already, rather brilliantly it seemed, by cotic?

Wow, just wow.

I am running offers on some LT 29ers just now..XL Sentinels, Large alu and carbon frames, large Stage 6 frame etc etc

https://pedalsbikecare.co.uk/product-category/instocksale/

Let's keep this to shameless pluggery and less cotic bashing 🐈

More than a little amazed by the length of grudge raybanwomble seems to hold...

Without going back through the thread, I seem to recall that there wasn't an awful lot of honesty and plenty of hyperbole in the claims, and that the person whose bike it actually was (not rayban) didn't even have a problem with the resolution provided by the manufacturer?

I'd be trying to forget a thread like that rather than dragging it up apropos of nothing.

Oof, you could have warned us about that Orbea Wild FS though Pigyn!

While we're plugging, I've got a large Smuggler frame and bits I'm moving on soon - just in case that's of interest.

The poster above was spot on about the way they feel bottomless, and mine can be tuned from "trail" to "enduro" with a quick shock and/or bushing swap.

More than a little amazed by the length of grudge raybanwomble seems to hold…

Some people just can't help getting angry about everything.

Reminds me of my 10-year-old autistic daughter, sadly.

autistic

Ableist.

That's pretty offensive to autistic people, I'm just an arsehole.

**** off somewhere else you miserable ****.

Some people just can’t help getting angry about everything.

* off somewhere else you miserable *.

I did wonder if mention of that thread would stir some problems! It was a very entertaining thread though!

Im very 29er curious, testing a rocketmax next week (coincidence I mentioned Cotic!) hoping to test a sentinel too

So......<b> </b>jist doing reading up on the sentinel and comparing it to the s150

Both larges have a reach of 475mm but the Whyte has a top tube of 640 whereas the sentinel has a top tube of 611 ??

Now that is shorter than the Codiene I am looking to replace.

Codiene had a reach of 420 though ?

So will the transition feel even shorter than the Codiene despite having a reach 5.5 cm longer ?

Should I consider a XL ?

https://www.pinkbike.com/news/the-new-radon-swoop-170.html

This looks nice, although I have said that 29ers are a fad this could be tempting.

Hi

I have a 2017 Slash that I built up from a frame and it’s fantastic but a bit of a steam roller and therefore I don’t use it as a general trail bike.

My Following is much more playful and involving and I have a Santa Cruz Tallboy LTc that is a better xc/trail bike than both of them.

I honestly can’t decide which of the 3 to use for the Ardrock next year. I ride in Reeth all of the time and any of them would do the job.

Have also owned a first generation Carbine 29er (with140 rear travel) and that is a fantastic bike which I would still have if I’d bought the correct size and could easily be used for the OPs intended use.

Im 6ft and bought a medium second hand and it was just too short. The mate I sold it to managed to pick up a large frame on eBay which I hadn’t been able to source and swapped the frame over and I would have that in a second.

The latest version of the Carbine sounds more like the Slash but I’ve not ridden one.

Cheers

Steve

Both larges have a reach of 475mm but the Whyte has a top tube of 640 whereas the sentinel has a top tube of 611 ??

Now that is shorter than the Codiene I am looking to replace.

Codiene had a reach of 420 though ?

So will the transition feel even shorter than the Codiene despite having a reach 5.5 cm longer ?

<span style="font-size: 0.8rem;">Should I consider a XL ?</span>

Because the STA on the Sentinel is steeper. it puts you in a more central position on top of the bike, rather than out over the back wheel (especially when you take into account seat post height).

Potentially you may find your position with regards to your knee to bar distance isn't actually much different, but you will be much more 'upright' on the bike, rather than hinging at the hips more. You will find the pedals are a lot more under you, rather than that feeling of pedaling a recumbent...

Renton you need to stop reading too much and try a bike. £3000 is a lot of money to be making a decision on a forum. Just try some and take 2 demos if you have to. I'd suggest some of the options might be overbiked depending on the riding you are doing as well.

how tall are you renton?

Renton you need to stop reading too much and try a bike. £3000 is a lot of money to be making a decision on a forum. Just try some and take 2 demos if you have to. I’d suggest some of the options might be overbiked depending on the riding you are doing as well.

This. Lots of this.

If I didn't race, there is no way I would have the (bigger) bike I do. It's bit of a heavy pig to ride on anything more mellow. It's a combination of the travel & the more progressive geometry.

My shorter travel (& much lighter) Fuel EX is my main bike, but still fairly progressive geometry. It makes much more sense than a massive, long bike with a ~64 degree HA.

Still some great deals left on 2018 Intense Carbine. Well happy with mine at that price.

https://uk.intensecycles.com/collections/carbine

Take your time and demo a few more bikes, my experience is you can get away with a bit more travel on a lively pedaling bike and still enjoy tamer trails - but the trade-off might be the bike is less of a plough when things cut up rough.

But also geometry is way more important than an extra 20 or 30mm suspension in the rear. So I'd say demo the Cotic FlareMax as well as the RocketMax.

The new Radon Swoop 29 looks amazing, but it's not what you need Renton. Unless you wanna buy a medium and sell it to me in a few months?

https://pedalsbikecare.co.uk/shop/2018-transition-smuggler-carbon-frame/

do it!

Rizla tyre clearance on the carbon ones though?

To be fair, the clearance isn't much better on the alloy models. A 2.5 WT made a right mess of mine, and that was ridden only in the dry. 2.3 is probably the max IMO.

Im not rushing into things, just doing more reading up and research.

I like the look of the swoop but even I know it will be too much bike for me !

Im 6 foot 1 with a wide span.

Although i enjoyed riding it the codeine always felt a little small. I was on a large with a 60mm stem and layback post with seat right back.

i had a ride of a large s150crs and that felt really nice but could have been a little longer and a touch higher at the front for it to be perfect. As soon as you look at the Xl the seat tube lengths are to long to be able to run a dropper with a decent drop.

The Xl Sentinel looks good but Im not sure if it will be too much bike for everyday riding etc?

I have a 2017 XL smuggler with 170mm dropper & am only 6ft. It fits great. ST is 19.5” what old large frames used to be. or for lots more money the new Ripmo

The Xl Sentinel looks good but Im not sure if it will be too much bike for everyday riding etc?

Depends what your everyday riding is, but I'd expect it would be.

Maybe you need to try some slack, short-travel shred sleds as well as the LT ones - like the Flaremax as I suggested before. It's probably not the bike you think it is.

I’m going to be demoing the new Stanton swtich9er F.S. soon....

The Smuggler carbon frames are a bit tight on top, but not bad as the internet doom mongers make out. My girlfriends setup is 25mm rims with a new style 2.35 Hans Dampf and it's all good.

On the flip side, they fit 27.5x2.8 REALLY well with bags of room all round, when I get round to servicing my plus wheels they are going on for 'testing'

i had a ride of a large s150crs and that felt really nice but could have been a little longer and a touch higher at the front for it to be perfect.

Like I said mate... Change the fork shaft from a 150 to 160 or put some slightly higher rise bars on it and that's that fixed...

Been out again tonight on my S-150 C RS shop demo bike, it's an absolute weapon! A real grower, doesn't immediately reveal just how capable it is, but the more you ride it the more you realise just how fast/capable/confidence inspiring it is...

Just posted my large Genius tuned in the classifieds. I can bring it to the UK late Nov/early Dec if I nail down a buyer before I leave.

+1 Orange Stage 5 or 6 if you want a bit more fun, a bit less steamroller. Both very capable bikes.

wl - I was chatting with an Alpine owner last weekend (I have a Stage 6), saying the new bikes feel more like a scalpel than a plough to ride.

Not that I'm saying anyone should try to ride a scalpel, before I get sued.

I have a 2019 genius in XL at 6 1, they are well worth a look, 64.5 with 160 fork on and reach around 500mm. Find the rear travel adjust really useful and a decent weight as well.

Make me an offer for my XL Hightower 😉