So the time has finally come where I can spend a few quid and get a new bike. Yay! Only problem is no one seems to have any stock. Bugger.
So having spent the last year looking at what to replace my gravel bike with I'd narrowed it down to a Specialized Epic / 8 / Evo of some description or Transition Spur (+ Santa Cruz Blur / Orange Stage Evo if I could find a bargain, like you could six months ago!). It has to be extra large but it seems like the Epic and Spur are only available in black or dark grey, if they're available at all. The green Blur is out of stock and the Stage Evo no longer cheap so out of the running.
What else should I be looking at? Has to be XL in a not boring colour, has to have a decent stack as I like a higher front end, wants to be pretty light, say sub 29lbs, don't really want to spend much over £5k although could for the right bike and I want it around 120mm travel give or take. I wouldn't rule out a hard tail providing it was properly light and a very good price.
I know the answer is the Epic but can't find any.
Answer....xl with some bright to balance the black. This is a proper down country trail muncher.
https://www.99bikes.co.uk/bikes/mountain-bikes/2023-scott-spark-st-900-tuned-mountain-bike-in-yellow__49764
Under max budget, well under max weight.
Cheers mate, that's certainly a lot of bike for the cash! Not sure it passes the colour test unless the green is brighter in real life but I'll certainly look at the geometry.
Rhubarb and custard chisel fs frame? But guessing from your shortlist you're set on carbon.
Not necessarily although when I last looked at them you could still get discounted Epic's for not much more.
Rhubarb and custard chisel fs frame? But guessing from your shortlist you're set on carbon.
Good call actually, that new yellow one looks nice.
Orbea Oiz M21.
Trek Supercaliber.
Buy a Spesh Chisel FS frame and build up a bike to your spec/budget.
There are some brighter Epic colours on european sites like Bikeinn. There's a XL Spur frameset on ebay, new from Windwave.
Got a Stage Evo for sale on ebay, but it's a boring colour. Could be a tough gig getting one below 29lbs as well.
I'd be getting in touch with Carbon Wasp and having a look at their Truffle. It's frame / frame & shock only (although, when I was enquiring, they could get some reasonable deals on forks/shocks/group sets etc) Comes in XL, and has customisable chainstay lengths, and other aspects of the frame can be custom too. Instead of being painted, you can specify/customise a wrap finish, so potentially any colour/pattern your imagination can run away with.
Trek top fuel 9.8 would be an awesome bike. The new one has 130mm upfront with 120 rear. I have the cheaper alloy bike and it really is very good, just a little heavy whoch I think the higher end carbon bike would address.
Orbea make some very nice bikes also...
Have you thought about getting a boring colour bike and then getting a wrap in a fancy colour? I'm presuming ride wrap and invisframe do that sort of thing.
Thanks all, some stuff to look at. Seen that Stage Evo at Start but it's the older model with no bottle mount inside the frame and this bike is for XC blasts from home with minimal kit as well as longer rides so need a sensible bottle option.
Very good spec on the Stage Evo at startfitness and a over 50% off
came in to suggest the latest top fuel, seems hard to find any so maybe not :p
ive got the previous gen @120/130, new one is a bit lighter, can go a little more suspension travel if required...
Evil Following LS is just inside your budget, in black or non boring "Foam Roller"
Thanks all, some stuff to look at. Seen that Stage Evo at Start but it's the older model with no bottle mount inside the frame and this bike is for XC blasts from home with minimal kit as well as longer rides so need a sensible bottle option.
If that's important I'd be careful to check with the shop when buying as some newer models randomly come without the top tube mount. Even two of the same model ordered at roughly the same time. One came with, one without. A few different parts as well.
It brighter than boring, plus, that's the only bit of the frame you'll see on any bike you're actively riding.
Of course if your color motivation is admiring from the pub picnic bench or mounted on the roof of your Audi, then yes, it may fall short 😉
I picked up a Rocky Mountain element from Paul’s cycles at the end of last year about a month before they announced they were in trouble. 130 front 120 rear, good geometry, two in frame bottle mounts on the xl and an absolute blast to ride. The alloy xl one I got weighed about 13.5kg out the box. Might be worth a look if you’re not too worried about warranty
I picked up a cube stereo 144 in XL recently from Paul's cycles, I went for the C68 slx with full GX axs transmission but it's debatable if the white meets your colour spec ... There is also the c62 spec in black or powder blue. Mine was sub 13kg out of the box (no pedals)
I picked up a cube stereo 144 in XL recently from Paul's cycles, I went for the C68 slx with full GX axs transmission but it's debatable if the white meets your colour spec ... There is also the c62 spec in black or powder blue. Mine was sub 13kg out of the box (no pedals)
How have you found the integrated headset cable routing. Is it a total disaster that rubs as you steer or unnoticeable?
I picked up a cube stereo 144 in XL recently from Paul's cycles, I went for the C68 slx with full GX axs transmission but it's debatable if the white meets your colour spec ... There is also the c62 spec in black or powder blue. Mine was sub 13kg out of the box (no pedals)
I've just got my lad one of the 144's in blue, it's the brightest blue bike I've seen, super glossy and it's a bloody lovely bike. Well specc'd, well put together from Paul's and by all accounts its an absolute hoot to ride as he hasn't been off it yet!
Surely the answer is a lime green chisel comp fs with left over cash for lighter wheels etc.
Stage Evo will be more like 32lbs, maybe 30lbs with light wheels and tyres.
If it's replacing a gravel bike and for pretty tame riding, I'd be all over the Chisel FS.
I picked up a cube stereo 144 in XL recently from Paul's cycles, I went for the C68 slx with full GX axs transmission but it's debatable if the white meets your colour spec ... There is also the c62 spec in black or powder blue. Mine was sub 13kg out of the box (no pedals)
How have you found the integrated headset cable routing. Is it a total disaster that rubs as you steer or unnoticeable?
I swapped out the brakes so took the opportunity to tweak the routing and installed foam sleeves and greased then liberally, I found that taking the cables from the left side of bars down the right side of the steerer tube (and vice versa) seemed the best compromise and don't notice any friction, can ride no handed with no problems. Looks really neat too.
It brighter than boring, plus, that's the only bit of the frame you'll see on any bike you're actively riding.
Of course if your color motivation is admiring from the pub picnic bench or mounted on the roof of your Audi, then yes, it may fall short 😉
More of admiring in my cold garage while trying to escape the noise of the house! Don't like Audi's and I've had a run of grey bikes so fancy a change.
I did spot the Cube but after having a road bike and carbon HT from them I've come to the conclusion they don't fit me very well.
The Chisel was the front runner until I realised I could move loads of parts over from my HT to the Spur, all of which is low milage so reckon I'll go for that.
Epic 8 is available in orange. May not have stock right now, but they seem to replenish every few months. Might be worth speaking to a shop or the main Spec UK to see when the next load is due to arrive.
In that case I need to go see Specialized before making a final decision as I like that one.
It usual Single Track fashion I'm going to suggest the bike I own. Pedal On have a Trance Advance Pro 0 for a year or two ago in XL and it's down from £11k (pandemic price) to £4k. The spec is amazing anyway but at that price it's exceptional.
I know Giant's aren't everones cup of tea but it's good fun to ride, really poppy and depending on skills it can get you into trails well beyond the modest travel. And the suspension seems to do it's stuff really efficiently
Only points to note but not negative are that while the Zipp Moto wheels that come stock are lovely to ride they are a bit heavier than many others at the price point and I find it hard to get the best out of the FOX Factory fork, it's almost like it has too much adjustment.
If you're bast in Newbury or surrounding you're more than welcome to sling a leg over my large.
https://www.pedalon.co.uk/acatalog/giant-trance-advanced-pro-29-0-2022.html
This a 1000 times over. A great deal and spec - Giant's aren;t everyones favorite but Traces are great trail bikes.
I have a Large size one, if your around Newbury area you're more than welcome to have a try.
You know you want an Epic 8.....so I'd just go and buy a dark paint Epic and get out and enjoy riding it. You won't have time to look at the colour when you're hooning around on it anyway!
An online search will find you a 2024 Yeti SB120 in XL for below £5k in a "not boring colour".
Transition Spur but might not meet your colour requirements.
Thanks all. Turns out there may be some non boring Epic's available although the Spur was right up there too and that ebay frame is very tempting! Yeti, will look at that due to me being a retro dullard and the name holding weight.
Santa cruz Tallboy.. simply put the xc riders DH bike... mine has left the Megatower in the study way more than it should have done. 29lb can climb a ladder and descends like a v10 .. Reassuringly brilliant
Have looked at the Tallboy but intel suggests it's more of a trail bike and a bit hefty?
Demo one .. not hefty at all , I find it really poppy playful and quick, And i mean quick of the mark. up and down. Its the kind of bike you can set out on planning to do some rights xc miles on only to end up high up in the Lakes and riding down some daft stuff ,only to ride the next 15miles back to the car smiling like a loon.
dont mean to over sell it but its proberbly the best bike ive owned and there have been a few.
Live near Stif so might well do that, if I don't buy a Spur first
Demo one .. not hefty at all
Dunno what you define as "not hefty" but a Tallboy frame inc shock in a size Large is 3.2kg (I know, I've weighed one) which is approximately 1kg heavier than an Epic 8, Rocky Mountain Element or some of the other leading "Downcountry" frames at the moment...
The Tallboy is an epic bike, but it's a LOT of bike for a 120mm travel machine... Which is why it gets the "downhillers' XC bike" tag, as it really is overbuilt for those who can ride it hard enough! But it's heavier than a lot of 150-160mm travel frames on the market, so by anybody's measure, light it is not!
Talking about the Tallboy, I'd put that one squarely in the Trail category. It's competing with bikes like the Smuggler, Evil Following, Stumpjumper ST, the new 130mm front Epic Evo 8 etc I have a mate who has one as well as an older Epic Evo (the model before the Epic 8). The Tallboy is noticeably heavier than his Epic Evo and my Spur, but much stiffer. It's a more stable descender on rough, rocky, janky and blown-out trails and I think that's partly down to the trail suspension (Fox 34 / Float combo). That's the only situation where he is faster on the downs compare to my Spur. Going up, the Spur / Epic Evo is much faster and you feel less gassed out on those bikes when doing winch and plummet style riding.
On Tallboys, I really rate mine (XXL Tallboy 5 with Mezzers and a DPX2 shock). Definitely on the burly side for something with 120mm which is great if you want that sort of thing, which I do. Honestly it descends like it's got much more than that. Blur TR probably more comparable to the Epic or Spur.
I really thought I'd end up buying a Spur when they first appeared but the short chainstays and HT length (and resulting short stack) put me off even trying one.
Tallboy vs Epic 8...
I have a high-spec, latest gen Tallboy as well as the Epic 8 Expert. Very different bikes to ride, even if there are similarities on paper. The Tallboy rides closer to my Hightower than it does the Epic 8... so much so, that I've "given" the Tallboy to the wife.
I really thought I'd end up buying a Spur when they first appeared but the short chainstays and HT length (and resulting short stack) put me off even trying one.
Interesting take as from what I've seen as in XL the Spur seems very similar to the Epic Evo on all counts and has a longer stack than most?
Interesting take as from what I've seen as in XL the Spur seems very similar to the Epic Evo on all counts and has a longer stack than most?
Compared to what I seem to prefer I considered the Spur's CS and HT/stack to be less than ideal in larger sizes. Admittedly I've never looked at the Epic. I favour longer CSs to balance off a front end and longer HT to get a higher stack without needing loads of spacers under the stem (which shortens the reach).
For comparison, my TB5 has 445mm CSs, a 155mm HT and 660mm stack on a 130 fork (although even higher with my 140 Mezzer).
If I wanted a less burly bike than my TB5 I'd still seriously consider a Spur over anything else similar though.
Thanks for that. Reckon your Tallboy is the exception though as it's XXL? I've made a nerd chart and according to the manufacturers figures in XL the Yeti SB120, Spur, Epic 8, Evo and Evo 8 are all 7mm in stack with the Blur + TR a fair bit shorter. CS are all very similar too.
