You don't need to be an 'investor' to invest in Singletrack: 6 days left: 95% of target - Find out more
I want something fast and with a little 'give' for local riding in Somerset and the odd marathon. To complicate things I ideally want something that can also be run ss in winter and take a dropper.
I've had a Trek alu superfly and a superfly ss in the past and stupidly sold them. They were great for fast xc/light trail riding.
Currently I'm thinking SC Chameleon - possibly alu as can't stand the carbon colour and apparently due to chain stay position you can't run 32x18 on the carbon frame. Another option is a custom geo version somewhere between Sonder Broken Road and Signal.
What else are people using for this type of bike? I'm not averse to steel but suspect they will be heavier than I want.
Can you afford Ti??
Honestly, my travers angus SS (running rigid) is Sooooo comfy...
I know one of the travers riders is selling a whole russTi with lauf for about £2k...
DrP
Hello DrP!
I can afford Sonder ti, Travers is a bit more spendy. TBH the I don't like the look of the Travers frame, particularly the cable routing on the headtube.
Coolio... having gone from Alu 29er (which was fine and dandy) to a ti frame, the comfort is pretty significant..
Let us know what you go for!
DrP
Stanton Switchback
I've got a nearly new large chameleon in the sage green colour that I'm thinking of selling as a frame or maybe full bike - I've only had it a couple of months. I'm in Bristol if you want a look/go!
I can give a thumbs up for the chameleon in this context. Strava says it’s pretty fast round my local trails and with 29x2.35 nobby nics on it is a comfy place to spend a good few hours.
Thanks - ianpv I have pm'd you.
Giant XTC Advanced?
Can run 27.5, 27.5+ and 29 wheels and has sliding dropouts so can also run ss.
Trek Procaliber.
Trek Procaliber.
Ideal other than not a ss frame.
transition vanquish... no looking back. Also some great 2018 frame deals around, max 34T front.
Stanton Slackline for 650b, or Sherpa for 29".
Carbon or Ti if you want comfort and speed.
Stooge. Mk4 comes with ECB or can be spec'd with ti.
I wouldn't say the chameleon has give or is comfy. Sure there is some jiggery pokery at work when you slam the rear end into something but when you're just riding along it's as harsh as anything else. So as a marathon bike, not comfy per se, as a trail hardtail then it does have some give. By marathon i mean riding seated along bridleway/fire roads etc versus trail which is being rad to the max with jumps, smashing berms ya de ya de ya. I'm talking the alu model here. Certainly nothing like as comfy as my highball which i appreciate is carbon and also doesn't fit your spec but as a comfy comparison it's a different league.
Have you got the latest Highball Gotama? I like the look of the geo but no sliding drops.
There's a new Singular Pegasus available on pre-order but details are a bit sparse on the Singular website; I'm sure Sam would give you the details.
www.singularcycles.com/shop/titanium/
Have you got the latest Highball Gotama? I like the look of the geo but no sliding drops.
Yes, latest one. Santa Cruz rate it up to 120mm fork as well which would give it more of a trail orientation. The comfort in the stays/carbon lay-up etc is very noticeable when switching between hardtails. As you say though, if you want sliders/SS without a tensioner then it rules it out. Limitation with dropper as its a 27.2 post although the KS Lev i have seems to work perfectly well.
Not sure where your budget lies given you mention custom but a Pivot Les would maybe fit the bill?
Trek Stache?
The SC Highball is a great bike. I found it plenty comfortable for long rides. I had a brief demo of the Transition Vanquish, but wasn't so keen.
I find my canyon exceed pretty comfortable for long XC rides
I’ve got a Sonder Broken Rd and OH has a 1st generation Stanton Sherpa, both very nice but for me, I prefer the lighter weight and slightly softer edge of the Broken Rd.
Cheers for all the replies. Got a good offer on alu Chameleon from ianpv so will probably go for that. Giant would be a winner but as ever with their mtbs the medium is too small (sestpost past min insertion) and large too big (silly seat tube length/stand over).
Bowglie are you running 29er wheels on BR and how nimble is it in singletrack with its long chainstays?