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Ok so I made the mistake of demo'ing a CF santa cruz bronson the other day and now my cube ams 150 seems a bit rubbish. The geometry suits what I do nicely and the XL was spot on size wise. The trouble is that I am not really keen to spend £5000+ on a bike (even the alu version is steep) so I am looking for a cheaper alternative, preferably second hand, that will do the same thing. The on one codeine looked interesting but no XL spoilt that one slightly. Any ideas on where I should be looking?
Intense Tracer 275/ Mojo HDR, YT Capra, or the new Alpine.... 
What about a s/h Blur LT? Intense bikes also have the same suspension design, but I wouldnt have another alloy one.
thanks for the suggestions, the blur looks interesting!
LT's are hard to find new, the bit that might be disappointing is the number of former LT owners who are now raving about Bronsons
http://www.santacruzbicycles.co.uk/demo_sale
£4k for an XL Bronson Carbon X01 Exdemo though
Shirley a l codeine is the same size as an xl Bronson, Santa Cruz come up very short
Kona process is non ally with great geometry
Yt Capra is the obvious carbon choice
The banshee rune got my vote and an XL is available. I'm looking forward to building mine up.
The Capra comes in a large as its biggest size and it is anything but a large large, if you get what I mean.
I can't see it fitting anyone over 6'2" at all, I'm afraid.
A large Banshee Spitfire on 27.5 wheels with a 150mm fork and in the neutral dropout position is very similar geometry to an XL Bronson, just half a degree slacker, slightly longer reach and slightly shorter top tube (due to the steeper seat angle). You can adjust the BB height and angles up or down by 6mm/0.5 deg with the nifty dropout chips. Arguably better suspension too... 😀
Rune may be a bit much v the Santa Cruz (have one ordered)
But the spitfire would be a great choice, anyone I know with one loves them
Yep, Rune is more like a Nomad - BIG bike!
thanks for the ideas guys, I'll have to get hunting!
As mentioned a Blur LTc is only a few degrees and few mm in the frame, and an inch and a half in wheel size, away from a Bronson. Will be significantly less £££!
I'm a happy Blur LTc rider.
Have you considered a 2015 Whyte G150? Good ride and good price.
Canyon Spectral (EX versions, with Pikes up front) would also be similar.
The Capra comes in a large as its biggest size and it is anything but a large large, if you get what I mean.
I can't see it fitting anyone over 6'2" at all, I'm afraid.
My mate Trev has one and he must be well over 6` and he flies on his.... 😉
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Santa Cruz Heckler.
If the Banshee is similar to the Bronson, then the Orbea is nothing like the Bronson! Orbea feels light, long and nippy (2 of my mates have them). My Banshee is a lot shorter, tough and not as zippy or light.
If the Banshee is similar to the Bronson, then the Orbea is nothing like the Bronson! Orbea feels light, long and nippy (2 of my mates have them). My Banshee is a lot shorter, tough and not as zippy or light.
Spitfire is longer, lower and lighter than the Rune. Rallon is shorter at the back, longer at the front, than either.
You can pick up a Bird Aeris from feb for £850 for a frame, £1550 complete. Sold a couple to Bronson owners (including carbon). Jock rides a carbon bronson for example: http://www.birdmtb.com/?cat=80. 🙂
OP buy a frame and put your components on it, perhaps upgrade the odd component here and there. Sell the old frame
If you want a complete bike buy a Nukeproof MEGA and chose between the trail and AM model depending upon your preferences. I love my Transition so you can look at used Covert/Bandit or perhaps one of the new models patrol/scout.
Dave are you regretting your banshee and have Rallon envy?
Kimbers, no not regretting it really! I was a little concerned over the weight, and will not be surprised if its slower on the flatter trails. After riding Jesse's Rallon, it felt worlds apart from my Rune. Just racier.
But the more I ride the Rune, the better it feels. On the downs its fantastic! I took it to my local DH tracks the other day and I felt loads more confident than my old Heckler. Went to Afan, did the Blade trail and set a top 40 UKGE stage2/final descent time (with being held up on last 1/4, by the Rallon!). The multi position dropouts are great. Its extremely planted on the corners as well. For Enduro racing, as long as there is a good amount of down, it will be great. The pedally bits I will suffer a little! (But less so than my Heckler).
650b wheels soon 🙂
Been looking at this and trying to justify what I really want, versus this price:
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http://www.commencal-store.com/PBSCProduct.asp?ItmID=14495293
Picked up a blur lt frame from santa cruz fire sale last year for £550, absolutely adore it, handling, weight, comfort, suspension. Wonder if any 26"ers will br on this years sale list?
Just about to sell my XL Santa Cruz 5010C if you're interested?
Either as a frame of a complete bike or frame with a few bits.
Let me know if you're interested and I'll send you some details.
As Bronson Owner, 2,my Son & I love them after many years of Snapierres, spesh & orange's, they really are that good & not just hype or 650b the latest new thing.
I've seen several Blur LTC conversions especially in the US & from the reviews it seems to work well, if a tidy blur was available it might be a option if you like the way the Bronson feels then a EVO blur might just fit the bill.
Cheers
Mark
I bought a Bronson back in July and one ride was enough to convince my mate he needed to make the move from his old hardtail to the world of full-suss fun. Like you, he's a tall fella and also couldn't bring himself to shell out Santa Cruz type money, so after much looking around and comparing of various options, he went for a Whyte G150. Very similar geometry to the Bronson, but doesn't come up as short as SC bikes do so works well for those with longer limbs (He's 6' 4" and went for a size Large).
Unfortunately I'm too short to put it properly through it's paces, but it felt pretty good when I took it on the obligatory 'car park test' and he absolutely loves it.
Orbea is a great bike. Fast as a fast thing! It is longer, lower and slacker than the Bronson. Put it into the LOWER suspension setting and it's very similar to a Nomad, put it into LOW and it's more useable more of the time. I'm loving mine. I did lots of comparisons of geometry on my site: [url= http://www.basquemtb.com/orbea-rallon-v4-review/ ]Orbea Rallon Review[/url]
Reign or E29/SJ Evo 29.