Looking for a do it all bike, to partner a gravel bike.
Ability to pedal up and across is important to me.
xl not as long as many (470 vs >500).
Should/could I do better.
Don't seem as popular as they possibly were.
Thanks
the alloy one is a little heavy and they are definatley more focused on going across and down as opposed to up since the last version. Poss something more XC based.
There's always the XXL one if you want it bigger. Many would go for a carbon one, or spend the same on a better specced carbon frame from canyon etc.
Much andybrad has a point, trail bikes in general are going that way and a do it all bike is always a compromise - I'd say this is a good one if you have a gravel bike already, this will do everything else. Go for something more XC and there's more crossover between the two.
Are you asking for an XL that isn't long, or are you looking for a 500mm reach?
I had a quick spin on a large Bird AM9 the other day. I wasn't expecting to like it, but they're local and I was looking at things like the Escape and Jeffsy so the Bird is similar.
Not sure if it's big wheels, new suspension or the geometry but even pointing it up big rooty steps it just flies. And that's with the shock and fork way too soft for me!
My last big/expensive bike was a Pitch with custom tuned shock and coil lyric RC2 mission control, so getting on for 5 years ago. But that just didn't dispatch technical climbs anything like the bird.
Need to go back and get a proper demo now to see how it does on longer climbs. If it's even half as good I think the piggyback will be raided.
As for the question of what type of bike in the first place. I guess that depends where and what you ride normally. Ive ended up with gravel, Xc and fat bikes as that's 90% of my riding covered even if the Xc and fat bikes are probably a bit stretched by the rough stuff. But I'm looking for something that will do that top 20% of the riding I do (and be pushed into bike parks, holidays etc). If you already have a gravel bike but no Xc bike then I'd cover that first if the bulk of your riding is Xc. Even if its cheap and simple. my gravel bike cost me £100 (charge plug SSCX) and my xc bike is a charge cooker SS (£150). So that's most of my riding taken care of.
They make a stumpjumper ST if you are looking for something more xc oriented but not an epic.
