[Closed] Which 29" full sus for under 2.5k?

Bird AM9?

I've had mine for over two years (live in NE Scotland) and it's proven to be a great all-rounder. £2.5k should get a nice full build.

I'm not looking for a full suspension bike right now but the Bird AM9 would be on my list if I were. Depending on your geometry preference, maybe a Canyon aswell, although they do seem to have shorter reach.

Whats the budget?

2020 Orbea Occam alloy / carbon
Sonder Cortex
Marin Alpine Trail / rift zone
Vitus Escarpe

Best thing to do is to hit as many demo days as you can, and take notes about what you like about each bike and also note their geometry. You can geek out on this....and then you know why you like a particular bike. Maybe next year....

Personally I'm not convinced theres THAT much difference in them given most designs are 4 bar with a pivot above and behind BB and a linkage actuated shock. The way they ride is more a function of slight geo differences and shock choice. Get the best shock you can afford.

The VPP bikes like santa cruz do ride differently as do single pivot bikes like oranges.

Obviously that Highlander is a special case, not sure I'd be buying into that level of complexity though.

Jeffsy 29 Comp at £2700?

I'd suggest 150-160mm travel for you, should be plenty out there in that range.

The Highlander is frame + shock at £3k so probably out of budget!

160mm travel 29er for the UK?

I mean, if you're racing and all.

OP - 2500 will get you a pretty much top end all the bells bike from a year or two ago. E.g. a 2018 Fuel EX 9.9 with every bling addon went recently for 2.2?

If you want a hardtail, a steel do it all, look no further than the Cotic Solaris. I built one really nicely for under 2K as I wanted a specific spec but Cy has built options on the site.

EDIT: Sorry thought the second comment was the OP. Stands as an option though - its a superb descender and climbs better than the 29 full suss I've tried (a very limited number). FlareMAX would be on my list if I were changing.

I'd suggest a 130-140mm 29er.

Last time I was riding at Kintail (but the Beinn Fada loop, not Falls of Glomach) I was on a 130mm rear/150mm front 29er and it was excellent for the mix of long rides and gnarly rocks you get in the Highlands.

Jeffsy is a good call.
Ibis Ripmo AF maybe?
This Vitus would definitely be worth a look, much better spec than most at same price point...
https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/vitus-escarpe-29-vrs-bike-slx-1x12-2020/rp-prod182718

160mm travel 29er for the UK?

I mean, if you’re racing and all.

OP is riding scottish mountain natural descents and singletrack. I'm using a 150mm travel F&R 29er and I'm in Kent! Pedals brilliantly, so a modern 29er with 140-150 rear and 150-160 front would be perfect for some 'proper' mountain biking in Scotland.

FlareMAX would also be a great bike for that part of the world, but compromises would be made on spec to get it close to budget.

OP is riding scottish mountain natural descents and singletrack

Which were perfectly doable on 2000's 100mm 26ers! A 160mm 29er is probably a more capable bike than a full on dh sled of about 5 years ago. I've no idea what you're doing with a 150mm 29er in kent; perhaps hucking to flat in parking lots? If you put it in the car and drive to the alps though - that's also cool. And if it makes you happy - that's also cool.

I mean; it's fine - people buy track cars to drive on the road, but in can't help but feel that you'd go further, use less energy and perhaps have more fun on something a little less like a downhill bike. Maybe you could have done two of the peaks, or a bigger loop if you weren't so excited to be riding a bike to race on. That said - if you're racing; go ahead!

Something like a 120mm 29er would be ideal? Lots of scottish singletrack has technical ups as well as downs?

I also quote OP - albeit unfashionable to actually hit what the OP wants rather than pushing an agenda, but:

As most of the day is spent on the climbs I need a good climbing bike too.

Whyte S120 if you're a medium? S120

Whyte S-150 might be a good choice for the OP actually.

Always seem to be deals about on them and reviews are positive, and suggest it's efficient for pedaling. I think MBR measured the actual rear wheel travel less than 140mm, which is not necessarily a bad thing at all.

A couple of years ago I'd have agreed, but 140-160mm is now 'trail' or 'all mountain' bike territory, bikes that can do everything. If I was suggesting a 170mm travel 29er (aka a current enduro bike) then maybe, but a modern 29er with 140-160mm travel is more than capable of doing big days, big climbs, and big descents.

Depends how much the OP wants to enjoy the downs, but something in the 130-160mm range will be fine - at the lower end for more climbing speed, at the higher end for more descending speed. 🙂

https://singletrackmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/canyon-neuron-al-7-0-how-can-you-make-a-best-seller-better/

I really liked this and reckon it ticks your boxes.

Climbs well. Comfortable ride. Within budget. I have ridden the Highlander too and based on your stated requirements, I suspect the Canyon would be the better bike for you. Well that and it is a lot cheaper!

Alternatively, the Canyon Strive is a corker of a bike. Climbs brilliantly. Actually, I would be hard pushed to say which of the two is better at climbing.  More capable on the downs. An all round bloody brilliant bike. If you want something that is more capable should you want to do more gnarly riding at some point, the Strive would be a winner.

I had one last year and it struck me as a bike that anyone could ride quite happily whether for long XC days or big mountain epics. Quite possibly the best 29er I have ever ridden and I don't say that lightly.

Cheers

Sanny

The Strive is a great candidate, yeah.

Worth ponying up extra for this model IMO...
https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/vitus-escarpe-29-vrs-bike-slx-1x12-2020/rp-prod182718

Canyon call it an enduro race bike but it appears to be more of an all-rounder, or even an "all mountain" bike (as referenced above).

I'm really happy with my S-150. Yeah it rides great on the descents as to be expected with something long and slack but what really impressed me was how well it climbed. It resists bob really well and also has great traction.

I got a 2019 S150-S with the alloy frame for £1,900 so it was also an absolute bargain.

for 2.5k, my money would be going here :

https://alpkit.com/collections/sonder-cortex/products/sonder-cortex-gx-eagle

Bird are great value and pretty good peddling bikes for the travel. Depending where you are in Scotland I’m sure the Scottish centre at Bennachie Bike Bothy can sort you out.

Norco sight aluminium starts at £2.3k and on paper the geometry is very on trend.
Hard to buy a bad bike for that money. I made the leap to a long low slack 29 with the calibre sentry at the end of last year and it has performance in spades for the money. All sold now though I think.

Orbea Occam. I've had my new one since lockdown so not been out on it yet. It looks nice though

Mad that people are suggesting bargain basement 35lb horses with gx, when accepting a scuff or two gets you 25lbs xtr and carbon everything and you aren't responsible for the ecological destruction, waste and co2 of building a brand new bike.

How about a Giant Trance 29. The 2 looks like a good bike for your budget.

Sonder Cortex demoed one for a week in the Lakes and it was good, fortunately for my bank balance  my Sonder Evol 27.5 plus keeps giving me smiles!

[url= https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48375677836_e41b3c302d_b.jp g" target="_blank">https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48375677836_e41b3c302d_b.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/2gGMZCY ]67164522_10157612892126474_3685179422840717312_n[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/145353521@N03/ ]Richard Munro[/url], on Flickr

seconded for Giant Trance 29. Short travel 29ers rock for all round enjoyment on natural trails. My rift zone is fun up, down and along. not quite as keen on the spec of the new ones though and I've spent a few quid getting this one right. So if buying again today I'd have the Giant.

Another vote for the Jeffsy 29 Comp - unbeatable value for money, great on climbs, amazing on downhills. The finish on this bike is also excellent - lovely thick glossy paint.
If you can get it on bike to work - put the whole lot on B2W and it comes in at around £2K which is truly insane value for money!

Playing the recommend what you have game

Canyon Neuron. Fox rhythm 34, gx eagle, dt swiss wheels. In budget. The frame is carbon. Although I didn't know if that's better. In budget

https://www.outdoorgearlab.com/reviews/biking/trail-mountain-bike/canyon-neuron-cf-8-0

I've ridden a cortex and liked it less. But that was probably setup

my orange Five29 was £2200, but it was reduced, and 4 or 5 years ago.
Its great tho.

I do the same sort of riding as the OP - long days of natural Scottish trails. My bike of choice is a Specialized Epic. Hardtail efficient on the climbs, but hit a bump and it's fully active.

I got mine second hand for a grand, and just changed the fork for a 120mm travel which gives it a bit more capability and slightly slacker head angle. It's around 11.5kg so light enough for long rides and hike a bike stuff.

Sure more travel might help a little bit on the downs, but my other bikes are a Solaris, or a 140mm travel FS and the Epic gets about twice as much use as the other two put together. When you are climbing for 5 hours in a 7 hour ride weight and climbing efficiency really count.

Anyway, just my thoughts!

Commencal Meta TR or AM?

Ahhhh, this thread has reminded me of the good old days of this forum... It's far too polite mostly these days, but a good set of heavily vested interests in the bike that you ride and no hesitation to recommend it to the OP whether it's entirely suitable or not... Bingo, we're back! 😁😂😉

FWIW, I've just ordered one of these for the purpose of bigger days out, lots of climbs, but still good fun on the descents...

But then I already have a 140/150mm trail bike for riding more deserving terrain. I've gone down the 160mm route before and just found it too much bike, too much of the time, even though they now mostly pedal very well I just prefer a lighter more responsive bike more often than I'd prefer the longer travel.

Meta is a good shout too.

The OP seems to have wandered off though.

Thanks for the responses, didn’t expect this amount of input and it has taken me a bit of time to tune into the various options people are suggesting and their pros and cons. You have opened my eyes to some options that I hadn’t considered and even some brands I wasn’t aware of. I have tried to express some of my thoughts below on the various bikes and how I think they would suit my riding and narrowed it down a shortlist of bikes I would like to demo later in the year.

I am open to buying second hand and have been keeping an eye on the classifieds, both here and elsewhere. I appreciate I can get a much higher spec and lighter bike if I can find a used model that fits the bill. I am however limited by the need for an XL frame and the wish to go 29. I have seen a few bikes that I might otherwise have gone for. The is a YT Jeffsy for 1.5k at the moment but it is 27.5 and a small frame. Have also looked at a Santa Cruz Tallboy, Commencal Meta AM, Yeti SB4.5 and an Orbea Occam from last year. As nice as they all are, there is a compromise with each one and considering this will be my main bike for the foreseeable then I don’t want to go down that ‘almost’ route. I will keep watching what comes through over the next wee while and would be pleased to buy a suitable option should it present itself.

The bikes suggested and my thoughts are as follows;

Bird Aeris AM9 – Loving the fact they are a UK brand and the model looks like it fits the bill. It is always reassuring that the bike was designed with our climate and terrain in mind. Nice looking geometry and reviews suggest it finds a good middle ground of capable yet nimble. Price point is good. I will get myself up to Bennachie to have a wee shot on one when I next have the chance. Actually looking forward to this already!

Jeffsy 29 Comp. Pretty looking bike. Super stiff frame, but I’m no lightweight so perhaps this isn’t critical. Good value for money. Interested to ride this and see how compliant or not it felt through twisty techy sections. I like em stiff and responsive, wonder if I ride with enough gusto to make this come alive?

I don’t know anything about Vitus as a brand but the Escarpe 29 does look comparable to some of the other bikes suggested and cheap with what seems to be great spec. Compliant suspension on rougher trails makes it seem like it has more rear travel than it does. It has steeper geometry than some of the options which may suggest less stability at higher speed. Also read that the design of the suspension causes it to be wallowy on the uphill.
Always fancied a Cotic and would happily stay with a steel frame as find them very responsive and I have always enjoyed the feel of the rear end. Although I have always taken pleasure in this on my hardtail perhaps the way a full suspension 29 deals with terrain you would not have the same advantages from the steel construction? The FlareMAX has a very classic shape and look to it. Nice option and quite tempting but rather similar to where I am/what I know now for it to excite me.

Canyon Strive is a strong suggestion and amongst my top three that I want to go out and ride this year. Interesting option with its shapeshifting madness. Essentially it is quite a slack bike(73.5 seat tube) but with improved climbing ability due to the rear shock leverage adjustment system. I can’t decide if I like the sound of a downhill orientated geometry but with climbing ability due to this adjustment. Having a little extra bike to compensate during my ‘committed beyond ability’ moments on the down might be a sensible thing but it is hard to believe this proprietary climbing setup can actually provide as good an experience on the up as a more balanced geometry might. It would be good to demo this and feel how it behaves.

Whyte S150. Is this bike any fun? I read a bit about it and it seems that all the reviews say how capable and balanced the bike is but nothing to note that it might be flamboyant and nimble when asked. It doesn’t really excite me, whether that opinion is justifiable is another question.
In contrast, the playful agile nature of the Sonder Cortex someone suggested sounds good. I am out on the bike to have fun, it needs to ride comfortably all day but I would rather have a playful bike which I can enjoy in the right moments than a boring, capable, well balanced bike that has to be nursed slightly through the gnar.

Looked at the Commencal Meta and think it is probably at the far side of where I am aiming for. It is relatively heavy and slack and perhaps will be too much of a step toward an endure machine and sacrifice too much flickability and climbability for my particular needs. Not ridden one so my opinion is an uninformed one but I am not massively drawn to go try one.
Orbea Occam was also one I have looked into in a bit more detail after a suggestion and seeing a 2019 one in the classifieds. I like this bike, but after watching footage of it tackling steep rocky trails and seeing it skitter about a fair bit followed by the reviewers feedback that the bike does not feel surefooted when the going gets rough isn’t very confidence inspiring. I would like to move towards a bike which was capable at the rough edges, one that would bolster my confidence rather than bailing out on me when I get in over my head.

After some consideration of the comments and advice on here and further reading/watching I have narrowed down a shortlist of favourites which I will try to get out and demo this summer. I am still watching the classifieds for a higher spec couple of years old bike but as mentioned above the limitations and criteria mean this is an unlikely route. So from best to worst my thoughts are;

Shortlist

Bird Aeris AM9
YT Jeffsy 29
Canyon Strive
Sonder Cortex

In a break from tradition of recommending what you have, I’ll recommend what I decided not to buy.

What about the YT Izzo?

Or you could do what I did and wait a bit and get an Ibis Ripmo AF. Awesome bike that climbs way better than the 120mm Scott Spark it replaced and is just amazing on the descents.

Dammit.

Whyte S150. Is this bike any fun? I read a bit about it and it seems that all the reviews say how capable and balanced the bike is but nothing to note that it might be flamboyant and nimble when asked. It doesn’t really excite me, whether that opinion is justifiable is another question.

Where on earth did you read that? I ran one for a while, and couldn't disagree more! Remember that everything is subjective, but I'm used to very exciting engaging bikes, and the Whyte was up there with some of the best IMO. It wanted for some lighter wheels than the stock spec to be fair (but most off the shelf bikes do, so no difference there!), but once I'd got the suspension setup well (needed a few spacers in the rear shock to aid progression) it was superb! Hugely capable, but lots of fun too.

Shortlist
Bird Aeris AM9
YT Jeffsy 29
Canyon Strive
Sonder Cortex

Good shortlist - the Bird and Sonder you'll have no issues demoing once lockdown is over as both have stores you can demo from.

For the Jeffsy you'll need to go to one of their 'Rolling Circus' demo days, there was only 2 in the UK last year, the only one listed for this year is Ardrock at the end of July. Canyon tend to be at other demo days (I tested one at the MBR demo day) so you'll need to find one of them to go to.

How tall are you? Guessing over 6ft with the needing an XL comment.

Orbea Occam was also one I have looked into in a bit more detail after a suggestion and seeing a 2019 one in the classifieds. I like this bike, but after watching footage of it tackling steep rocky trails and seeing it skitter about a fair bit followed by the reviewers feedback that the bike does not feel surefooted when the going gets rough isn’t very confidence inspiring. I would like to move towards a bike which was capable at the rough edges, one that would bolster my confidence rather than bailing out on me when I get in over my head.

The 2020 is a new design, still not sure about the LH bottle grab tho.

https://www.basquemtb.com/orbea-occam-2020-review/

YT Izzo?

I think the YT Jeffsy is more suited to my riding.

Ibis Ripmo AF.

OOOoo I like that idea. My budget is supposed to be pretty strict but is only money at the end of the day. This sounds like a fun bike. I will add to my list.

mboy, thanks for the feedback about the Whyte. Can't honestly remember the source that formed that opinion, have been reading far too many bike spec sheets recently! Maybe I ought to ride this if I get a chance.

ta11pau1, thanks for the info on demo days, really helpful. Yorkshire, Lake District and Bennachie plus a Canyon somewhere. I wonder if I will have the patience to get round to riding all of them if the first couple impress. I am 6'6, 17st so having an xl frame is a must.

The 2020 is a new design

Orbea Occam. That review from basqueMTB does praise the bike highly and the terrain that I have seen at Guara is pretty rough. If it had a decent bottle cage I might consider this bike.

In the STW tradition of recommending what you have. I had the same dilemma as you with the same budget. In the end I narrowed it down to 2. Jeffsy 29 Comp and the Occam. I bought the Orbea Occam 2020. Mostly as I got a 15% discount on the H20 Shimano version. I liked the Jeffsy but the Shimano kit and discount swung it. Not a great fan of SRAM drivetrains. Plus the discount gave me enough money left over to get a set of Hunt Trail Wides which I can use on my other bike as well.

Love it. The suspension has taken a bit of tweaking and it's still not completely setup but that's more due to the lack of riding. It feels very planted and stable. The only thing I really need to sort is the small patter you get from the dry sort of broken up ground we have at the moment. I'm expecting the wheels tomorrow and I'll let you know how I get on with them?

Pinkbike's take on the S150:

Whyte's S-150 Carbon RS is as up-to-the-minute as a trail bike can get. It's carbon, it has big wheels, it ticks all the long, low and slack boxes, and hey, that's wonderful, but what makes the S-150 stand out in the present long-travel trail bike mosh pit can only be experienced by riding it. It pedals, steers and handles less like a bicycle and more like you have zipped on a mountain bike super power suit. In less flowery language: "For sale: 150-millimeter-travel dual-suspension 29er that will make you beg to ride every day. Needs nothing – $4,799."

Okay they were reviewing the carbon one but you get the drift.

To be honest any of the bikes on your shortlist will be great

At 6ft 6in, you should try to get the longest bike you can IMO.

Most of your chosen options are around 500mm reach in the XL, if you could get a bit more that would probably be preferable.

The Bird is 520mm I think, so as long as you're not riding too many smooth tracks (you want to make use of that 150mm travel each end), that could be the best option.

https://www.deporvillage.net/bergamont-contrail-9-mtb-bicycle-grey?gclid=CjwKCAjw5Ij2BRBdEiwA0Frc9UugW9McW51_Ee1fpEw_-SnmAOg8LzeG1ZTcRb6F7H-IVjkQe_9rjhoC4FIQAvD_BwE

Left field suggestion

Yep, at 6ft 6in I'd prioritise geometry, the AM9 in XL is long at 522mm reach, the Jeffsy in XXL is 510mm reach.

Not sure if they'd be in budget but you could look at geomotron sized bikes with 530+ reach.

Also, get something with a steep seat angle to stop you from sitting over the rear hub when you put the seat up to proper pedalling height.

I'd be dismissing anything with a SA slacker than 75 degrees and reach less than 500mm instantly.

Would that new Pace 29er be worth looking at? Would be over budget with a full build from Pace - but so is stuff like the Cotic. Could get closer to budget with some prudent buying and 2nd hand forks / wheels etc.

Also not sure when Bird will release their new trail 29er (aether 9) but that could be a strong contender as it’ll be quite long and likely slack - but not quite as much bike as the AM9 so will likely be a better climber. The Aether 7 which I have (27.5” version) climbs well and so far descends well and is a lot of fun. Only issue maybe price as Bird have hinted it’ll be carbon rather than aluminium.

I think I’d be more looking at the Whyte s120 than s150 if there is a lot of climbing involved in your routes.

Also, Orbea often come up in these types of threads but I haven’t tried one myself.

What do folk think of Trek’s current offerings in the FS 29er area?

Look well spec’ed and light enough, is the ride bad or are we just bored of them?

Hi!

I’ll be transparent from the start here - I’m the Bird demo guy in the NE of Scotland 🙂

From what you’ve said on price / size etc. I’d be fairly confident that an XL AM9 will tick your boxes.

Give me a shout (Bennachie Bike Bothy) when you are ready and I’ll sort you out with an XL for the day.

I ride an AM9 myself as my ‘proper’ bike (between messing around on the Zero 29 and Aether 7) and being semi lanky (6ft 1) it was the first bike I got on and thought ‘this actually fits’

Low seat tube even on the XL (I ride a large) and the decent reach make it awesome.

There is a short travel 29er on the horizon too that Bird have posted a teaser picture of, however - I gather it’s a while off and your budget will build a pretty nice AM9 - especially with the new Deore groupset offering, birds own brand dropper and Bars