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Hi all,
I'm in the market for a trail / enduro full suspension frame.
My requirements is 29 wheels, 150mm or so front travel, burly construction and as "progressive" as possible geo without breaking the bank. Want something durable that can also pedal a fair bit.
I currently ride a longer Pipedream Moxie and absolutely love the geo, but those numbers aren't easy to find in a FS at a lower pricepoint.
The Bird Aeris AM9 and the Vitus Escarpe 29 jump to the eye.
The Bird has a great geo in the paper, close to perfect to me. The Vitus is €180 or so cheaper and can improve the geo a bit with an angle headset, but not quite the same.
Any opinions on these frames?
Thanks
I don't own a AM9 but i do own a BIRD and can say everyone who has one says they are outstanding,Plus the CS from the guys at Bird is second to none,Lifetime transferable warranty on the frame,
If there's only 180 euro between the Escarpe 29 frame and the AM9 frame then AM9, every single time. It is a thing of beauty!!
I own an Escarpe VR 27.5 and it's a brilliant value bike, but the frame isn't one of those frames that you long after - it does the job well, but compared to the AM9, well... there's no comparison. I saw the AM9 at the London cycle show and it's stunning.
I will say though, check the prices on the Bird site AFTER you've chosen the options, the 'from' price is the cheapest possible option, i.e. no rear shock and not the RAW finish (which looks the best IMO) - to get a Deluxe RT and RAw finish it's £1250, vs £999 for the Escarpe. However, I'd still go for the AM9 at £250 more.
Thanks guys,
Yes, I was comparing the Bird already with shock, etc.
By the way, was specking the RT shock. Is the RT3 worthy?
I'm not a sucker for too many adjustments, only want rebound and something resembling a lockout
I have the RT on my Escarpe, I think the RT3 adds a fully locked out mode to the open and pedal on the RT, tbh the pedal mode is pretty bloody firm as it is and I've used it twice... maybe? Both have rebound adjustment.
There might be an extra bearing instead of a bushing too.
I don´t know much about the vitus, but the AM9 is a monster and has had really good reviews.
I´ve got the 145, but if the two had been available at the time would have picked the am9
Thanks again
Any more options besides these two frames?
Whyte is not selling frames, afaik, but that S150 is nice
I have test ridden the AM9 the other day and it was bloody fast! Never ridden another 29er so this was my first experience of one.
Quiet possibly my next bike.
I would go for that over the Vitus for sure
Thanks for all the input
Decided on the Aerial AM9!
Just trying to choose the shock now, RT Vs RT3
There's always a http://www.cotic.co.uk/product/rocketMAX
and they're on sale at the mo if you're a large or XL
Just trying to choose the shock now, RT Vs RT3
One thing to note on my Aeris 145 size large I can only just fit a small water bottle in the frame as the shock piggy back gets in the way.
With the rt or rt3 on the 145 I can easily fit in a 750mm hi5 water bottle for comparison. Piggy back shocks probably only needed if you’re caning really long downhills regularly.
I went rt3 as there wasn’t much price difference. You get an extra bearing in the shock mount as well as the extra shock damping lever position.