[Closed] Recommend me a 29er XC/Race/Trail bike.

Lurcher?

Ooooh I really really dislike them aesthetically... they just look like bulbous horrifc things.

Lurcher +1 😉

weeksy - Member 

The obvious answer is of course a Solaris... but they're a pile of change...

On the xc race / endurance thing, I'm not sure it is that obvious given the response I got here 😉

http://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/anyone-used-their-solaris-for-xc-racing-or-endurance-marathon-races

On a more positive note, Cotic now do 0% finance!

Stop stop stop... I'm not buying one !

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I don't like the looks.... at all.

No love for that Inbred ?

N.M. I don't want to or need to 0% it currently, I'm selling a motorbike for £3500 this weekend, so it's not the money aspect that's holding me back on the Solaris... I just don't know if it's worth £500 more than the Giant, £700 more than the CUBE or £800 more than the Inbred.

Even the used Solaris' are doing or at least wanting, ridiculous money

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/271633924740?_trksid=p2060778.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

The Lurcher is on their site at 13kg !

Agreed. Lurcher looks bluuugh 😕

What about a German bike. Some Radons might fit the bill

http://www.bike-discount.de/de/kaufen/radon-zr-race-29-7.0-237701/wg_id-117

I just tried a Cube Reaction Race 29er this weekend.
Bloody horrible thing, I'd avoid them if I were you.

Weeksy that Solaris was on the other week with a BTN price of around £1400 too iirc.

I'm a bit taken by mine so can waffle on about it way too much 😆

notmyrealname - Member

I just tried a Cube Reaction Race 29er this weekend.
Bloody horrible thing, I'd avoid them if I were you.

Elaborate ?

In the age old style of recommending what you ride, I'd say a Kinesis FF29 would tick a lot of the boxes you mention. It's light and stiff enough to race XC and endurance, certainly makes a great trail bike. (Yes, you could find a lighter 29r HT, but would you want to ride the West Highland Way or do a multi-day bikepacking trip on it?)

It's super-capable on techy stuff (read that as good geometry), great fun on fast trails and very agile, easy to bunny-hop, manual, endo. I've had one for nearly a year now, and love it.

I like the FF29 to look at, slightly over my desired budget though at £1500 and very rarely come up used. Certainly one of the 'maybe' list though.

I'd go secondhand, something mainstream but well sorted like a Trek Superfly hardtail?

A Stache with a light 120mm fork would also be good, though more on the trail side.

My Inbred is excellent, would always recommend them to someone looking for a 29er steel frame.

I've just picked up a Cube Reaction GTC Pro 29er for just over a grand. Not tried it offroad yet but the spec is good for the money. I've got it for longer/XC/easier terrain type rides, and I fancied trying carbon. It's obviously not really built for big gnar stuff but it'll be interesting to see how far I can chuck it.

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/sunn-modular-s1-29er-hardtail-bike-2013/rp-prod121787

This was ticking many boxes, the 15mm front makes it easy to swap for my Hope Pro2 evos', the Formula brakes mean I have pads the same as my Commencal, so only 1 set of spares needed. 120mm Revs are good, the weight isn't terrible and should lose .8kg from the hope swap anyway...

But I don't know much about them.

Price is of course also excellent.

Superfly is a good shout. Slacker head angle than a Giant XTC and still very rapid when you want it to be

My previous 29er was a Spesh Carve which I really liked but a little more XC than the Cotic. My son has my old one now.

Something like this:
http://www.certini.co.uk/2014-Specialized-Crave-Pro-p11506.html

The Cube was a really strange handling bike, seemed to have a really steep head angle so you felt like you were going over the bars but bizarrely it had a turning circle that the titanic would be proud of!
The OEM Schwalbe tyres were dire as well, no grip on anything that was even slightly damp.

Lurcher doesn't look anywhere near as bad in real life. I put off getting one because of that for ages. Tried lots of other stuff in the meantime but eventually built one up from a frame. It's awesome. Spearfish is gathering dust in the garage while the Lurcher gathers mud.....

How about a kinesis frame? I had an Xc pro2, and it was a really nice XC bike. I'm not sure if the new 29er frame has the same lightness/carbon bits though..

Edit: just checked the website, unfortunatly Kinesis are more into 120mm travel trail bikes now, rather than the XC weapons they where making a few years ago.

I'm selling a motorbike for £3500 this weekend,

Blow the lot on a [url= http://www.radon-bikes.de/bikes/mountainbike/hardtail/black-sin-29/black-sin-29-xx0/ ]Black Sin[/url] 😈

Good shout on the Kinesis up there though, FF29 meant to be a nice compromise between race and trail, especially in green!

The Cube was a really strange handling bike, seemed to have a really steep head angle so you felt like you were going over the bars

I've known that before with Cubes yes.

My lurcher weighs a shade under 23lb its rigid and has decent wheels but full groupset is deore and finishing kit isnt light so i could easily lose more weight but mine was built with cost/longevity as a priority rather than purely weight. And i think they look great 😉

Blow the lot on a Black Sin

If I drop about 3 stone and lose about 20 years of my age, it may be worth while, for a fatish oldish duffer like me, it's mostly wasted on me.

Personally I'd spend the extras on this @ £1500 from Pauls:

[img] [/img]

Well it looks like I've sold the Road bike this morning, so the Meta AM29 will stay. Which means the Giant above would be massive overkill and too close to the Commencal.

So it's now completely an XC/Trailsy 29er HT.

I must admit, the Sunn above is winning based upon spec/price currently unless you guys are going to put me off it ?

I,m thinking of selling my Scandal 19.5 if you're interested in s/h? Had my shoulder replaced in May so I think I need to stop riding sadly. I'm only in Thatcham and I know you're local if you fancy popping round for a look?

Rob.

The Solaris is the bike you want so it's worth the extra 😉

There is a used one for sale on here for £900 I recall (might have been a Soul though, large 26er for sale in Brighton for £850)

robbieh - Member

I,m thinking of selling my Scandal 19.5 if you're interested in s/h? Had my shoulder replaced in May so I think I need to stop riding sadly. I'm only in Thatcham and I know you're local if you fancy popping round for a look?

I've got nothing against S/H matey of course. throw me a mail etc with specs and pics if you want and i'll certainly have a look. I don't know a lot about them.

Just get a solaris. You know you want to.

How about a[url= http://whyte.bike/gb/models/crosscountrytrail/x29-performance-xc-hardtail-29er/729-2/ ] Whyte 729[/url] for £1500? Reckon it'd be a nicer bike than the Sun, certainly nicer aesthetically 😉 Banjo's down in Newbury does them too and could probably sort you out with a decent test ride.

[img] [/img]

I've got a large FF29 frame that I keep meaning to list for sale if you're interested

How about a Whyte 729 for £1500? Reckon it'd be a nicer bike than the Sun

Double the price nicer though ? that's the question...

I don't mind spending more than budget.. but if it doesn't really give me anything in return, I'm not sure there's much point.

Have you got any geometry for that Sunn?

Looks quite nice, spec is v good for the money - but obviously it's a bit of a gamble hence the price.

If it's tickling your fancy then go for it. You could always swap the frame later if needed.

Id probably take a punt on the sunn. Worse case sell the frame on and transplant all the bits across to another frame (lurcher 🙂

Can only see what you can mate. But the Geo 'looks' fairly relaxed which should theoretically suit me really.

Looking on the WWW I rekon Sunn have gone into Liquidation, so very little about on the bikes. However, does come with generic 1 year warranty from CRC which is fine with me.

And don't forget the cardinal rule of bike bargain hunting - click "buy" [i]before[/i] you post the link on STW.

😉

Having test ridden a lurcher, santa cruz highball aluminum and grand canyon aluminum this year, the highball was the best frame by a country mile.

No love for that Inbred ?

I love inbreds- 26er and 29ers. But as built up as per your link it will be heavy. I know weight is only one of many factors, but for me, it is likely over the tipping point for all day and xc. As a rigid singlespeed it would be lovely, light and would whip up gorrick hills just fine, but as built.... hmmm dunno.

I know its more faff, but if you've got a healthy spare parts bin, how about sourcing a nice frame and build from there. eg 2nd hand FF29s have been going for around £200, 2nd hand scandals are £120ish, new clockworks are £250 etc.... Then spend a bit on nice wheels and then parts-bin/sales/classifieds for the rest to get it under a grand.

highball was the best frame by a country mile

surely there is no way a build on a highball will get in under a grand?

Was looking in this space recently. Trek superfly 7 from rutland or evans is about 1 K for last years model if they still have one. Looks like a good option.

Parkwood not really a race bike is it? I did find the geo more natural that the 69/70 degree angle bikes like the lurcher etc. Lurcher is super light though. I had a little play on these 2 in the last week or so.

FF29's not a bad option. I did the SDW on that earlier this year, still quite steep HA but I'd spec the build myself the standard one was poor in many places. The video makes it look awesome but don't they all 🙂

Good luck.

I know its more faff, but if you've got a healthy spare parts bin, how about sourcing a nice frame and build from there. eg 2nd hand FF29s have been going for around £200, 2nd hand scandals are £120ish, new clockworks are £250 etc.... Then spend a bit on nice wheels and then parts-bin/sales/classifieds for the rest to get it under a grand.

PArts bin isn't too bad, I've got cranks, rings, spare wheels, seatposts, seat, brakes, grips.

How about a new solaris frame then if you've got spares esp.the wheels. There's 2 pairs of Reba 120 in the classifieds at the moment. Prices are 110 and 165. Keep scanning the classifieds for any bits you're missing. I bought my frame new but everything else is either second hand or in a sale somewhere.

2013 Sunn catalogue is here : http://issuu.com/cawdel/docs/catalogue_sunn2013_1__copy (I think the geometry is on page 14)

Sunn did go into liquidation, but seem to be back around judging by the rather bonkers concept DH bike they were showing at the Roc d'Azur salon: http://www.mtb-check.com/fr/le-retour-de-sunn-avec-un-concept-dh/

I wouldn't rule out the mainstream brands. Specialized, Trek and Scott all do racy HTs with reasonable frames, although fork and wheels might be on the lardy side.

Edit: Hang on, if you've a decent prts bin then why not consider a Chinese carbon frame and a fork in the sales?

Double edit: Why not buy this fork and take a risk on the frame that comes free with it? http://www.actionsports.de/en/components/frames/mtb/11289/droessiger-29er-alu-hardtail-frame-kit-h-29lite-with-rock-shox-reba-rl?c=407

Got to say that from what you describe, and given you've got some spares already and aren't averse to building yourself, the FF29 is the most obvious candidate. I've got a Kinesis Sync, which is by far and away the best HT I've ridden. To say that I love it is a huge understatement. I have ridden FF29's though, and honestly it's 95% as good as the Sync for 1/3rd of the price!

The FF29 is by some peoples standards a little short and upright, but in many ways it's all the better for it. You've got to remember that it's still a good degree or so slacker than an Inbred or a Scandal, so everything is relative, but a long/slack trail basher it is not. Built up with a modern 120mm travel fork (with 51mm offset if at all possible), flat bars and stiff wheels, it will get you into a whole lot of trouble very quickly! It's where the "FF" moniker comes from so they say. Faster point to point bikes exist, but you've got to drop lots of cash on a carbon XC race bike to get that kind of performance. For the average Joe that wants to do a few races semi competitively, and use the bike for thrashing round the woods at speed the rest of the time, it's hard to recommend anything above the FF29 IMO. Other than of course the Sync!

You've got to remember that it's still a good degree or so slacker than an Inbred or a Scandal, so everything is relative, but a long/slack trail basher it is not.

According to the geo charts I've seen they are the same ha at 70 degrees with recommended fork (FF29 120mm, scandal 100mm). Having ridden both I'd go for the Sandal - FF29 is not worth the extra other than on looks.

Lots of good deals on Genesis Altitudes second hand. Similar to a Cotic Soul, but cheaper.

I've got a medium highball al frame for sale - white - contact me for details

Weeksy - did you go for the sunn in the end?? how do you find the sizing?

Hi mate, I'm still debating. The buyer of my Aprilia bailed out so I've been left without quite enough in the 'spare' fund to get the Sunn at the moment.

I've sold my roadbike and have a spare £300 now and was debating getting one of these actually.

http://www.wheelies.co.uk/p66305/GT-Timberline-10-29er-2014-Mountain-Bike.aspx?gclid=CM6trZXStsECFW3JtAodlF0Atw

I've got a spare pair of Shimano brakes I could fit, along with a 1x10 crank and cassette, so I'd only need a 10 speed shifter to jump straight to 1x10 on it saving some weight (cranks/rings are SLX)

So I'm sitting and thinking "For £300 I get the GT, with 1x10 etc, once I stick the Hope wheels on there, is it really going to be any worse/slower than the Sunn?"

The answer is... Hmmm I dunno.

I've got 3 weeks before I plan on using it in anger at a Gorrick, so will give it another week as a potential buyer has come up for the Aprilia, which would then mean I'd jump on the Sunn, but if they don't and the Aprilia stays till spring, then I think i'll get the GT Timberline.

I'd give that GT a miss personally...

According to the geo charts I've seen they are the same ha at 70 degrees with recommended fork (FF29 120mm, scandal 100mm). Having ridden both I'd go for the Sandal - FF29 is not worth the extra other than on looks.

From someone that has owned both, they ride very differently. The On One was nervous and twitchy in my opinion, yet at the same time managed to feel long and cumbersome. The Kinesis the exact opposite!

I'd give that GT a miss personally...

I'd agree with that though. Seems like the OP is thinking "I have £300 burning a hole in my pocket, what can I spend it on?"... I'd hold off entirely until you know you have the money to buy what you want, rather than spending the money on something unsuitable and trying to make it suitable with more money.

Tis a fair point...

I've been offered a Lurcher in a large (black and yellow) with the below spec

The spec on the lurcher is not standard it was built from mostly new individual components around 2 months ago after the sale of my gambler. (Now sad i sold it and looking for another burly bike)
Large carbon lurcher frame
Reba sl 29 froks
El gallo stem and extra wide bars
Gusset cartridge headset
Charge saucer wheelset
Token bottom bracket
Elixir 5 brakes
Xt cassette 10spd
Xt clutch mech
Xt chain
Slx triple chainset
Slx shifters
Mountain king tyres
All around 2 months old appart from the brakes which are a couple of years old with a full oil change and new pads.

Whilst the spec isn't amazing, I rekon it's £800 worth of bike in that spec ? If I keep my Dropper post, which would go straight on the Lurcher, then throw on my Pro2evo's and stick it to 1x10 then I'd have a decent XC bike ? (I've asked him for a cash injection to make up the difference)

(p.s that's in a swap deal for my Commencal Meta AM2 29)

Hmmmmm

Had an offer last night at £1100 for the Commencal. It's very tempting I must admit.

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/s.../rp-prod121787

I could then get the Sunn for XC riding and something like a S/H Giant Reign.

Tricky thoughts and decisions. The Meta is the best bike I've ridden downhill (possibly apart from the Bionicon) but still, it's not the lightest XC bike.

And I though I was bad 😉

This was just over a grand from Paul's cycles a couple of months ago, can't fault it for that money
Rides well.
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