[Closed] Which trail bike for 5k?

Remember Doddy gets paid to like his Nukeproof Reactor (not saying it’s not a good bike).

With that budget and local area the least you can do is head down to pedal and spoke and test a Santa Cruz or 2. I tested a Rallon last year, rode lighter than the travel it had.  YT mill is also fairly local for test rides.  Spesh Stumpy Evo and Transition also worth a look.

Personally, riding that area, a longer travel enduro is over biking, and the right 150mm ish trail bike will give you the best of both worlds.

I wouldnt be spending 5k on a pedalbike these days.
Bypass the uphill slog and get a levo or similar. Would be ideal for what you have described.

I’d buy a spur.

Mine says something like the Rallon, in a 27.5 flavour, i can't be doing with big wheel 29ers, i don't approve.

What is probably more relevant is, when do you want it and what is available? I've had a new frame on order since December 2020 for delivery in June, looks like that will be pushed back a few weeks yet.

The ralon is a big enduro bike, although I’ve seen it climb well in the peaks, maybe the rider. Consider the orbea occam 150/140 (fox36 upgrade).
I’ve gone from a 5010 v2 to the occam, the 5010 was definately lighter and faster in the woods, but point the occam downhill and a straighter line, once it gets going it’s faster and more composed.
Uphill they are both efficient climbers, with the 12 speed shimano I’m climbing techier stuff far easier than my old 11 speed on 5010.
140mm rear travel feels big.

A tallboy short travel trail bike maybe a good option by Santa Cruz,

Ps. Can you order any of these bikes,

I was after the same thing last year and with your budget the Transition Spur was what I would have bought if I could find one. It gets rave reviews everywhere and on the forums from owners.

I didn’t have your budget though and bought a YT Izzo Pro and I’m delighted with it.

It’s quick on the ups and flats but still planted enough on the descents for the riding you describe.

130mm front and back is more than enough for me and saves lugging something like a Mega/Capra around for the 90% of riding I do that isn’t rocky downhill.

Have fun choosing!

There is also the Ibis Ripmo / Mojo bikes though perhaps they are made from unobtainium right now ...

Orbea Occam M10.

Climbs like a rocket and is planted on the descents. Comes in at 14kg or so. Absolutely love mine for long climbs in the Ochils, steep descents and blattering through the woods.

Surrey hills and no one has mentioned Bird Cycles?

Well..!

£5k = 2 bikes to suit both of your wants and needs.

I'm about the same age, height and weight, currently on an old stumpy 29er. If I had 5k spare for a trail bike now I'd either be buying a newer stumpy/stumpy ST or an aether9 with a few extra trimmings...

Heading into my 40s I'm less bothered about lots of travel, I want a comfy bike that handles well, and if I was spending that sort of budget some lightness would be desirable...

I'd also ignore comic's review scores and Doddy's paid for dribblings, and try to get some test rides in for myself (granted not the easiest time for such things)...

I am a Surrey hills regular and local, know all the trails you have described well. I would suggest from my experience that it’s not worth fretting to much about being ‘overbiked’. I got a 160/150mm trek remedy two years ago and it has brought my riding and my confidence on massively. Now hitting bigger jumps, steeper lines, faster and with more flow than before. Longer rides aren’t a slog either, done 60k+ round Surrey hills on it fine. But I would say weight and pedalling efficiency matters, so IMO get a ‘big bike’ but one that gets good mentions for climbing by efficiency and get it as light as sensible (ie 30lbs ish)

Sunset cycles had some Ripmo v2s and AFs in store last week.

I have a Ripmo AF and ride in the SH as often as possible and for me it's the perfect bike as it blurs that line between long travel trail bike and mini enduro bike. It's a great climber for the weight and travel too, so with your budget I would imagine the carbon version would be even better.

A mate of mine has the Occam and loves it and it sure is a pretty looking bike.

TBF there are loads of fantastic bikes out there at that price so personally I'd shop around and see what is in stock and just grab one.

Sounds like you're a perfect match for the 'Downcountry' niche - for the trails you mention you don't need huge amounts of travel so I'd be taking a good look at the likes of the Spur & Izzo (and Aether 9 and...)

As above, a 140/150mm bike that climbs well would be perfect. I ride the surrey hills quite often, plus other local Kent spots with rooty natural trails, with a large dose of the lakes/peaks/scotland per year - my main FS bike is a 150/160mm 29er YT Jeffsy with a coil rear shock, a mini enduro bike that also climbs really well. It's heavy at 15kg but the weight doesn't matter. I do also have a hardtail.

Bird aether9C would be just the ticket I would suspect. Give Bird a call and you can pick one up for a day's demo then hit all your local favourite trails. They are not too far away. With your budget you will be able to spec a fantastic bike with everything to your tastes.

Sounds like a Spur would be perfect if you can find one. A lot of the confidence people find from the 150mm travel bikes is more down to geometry than travel, you're just adding weight and suspension for the sake of it a lot of the time. Short of black runs at the likes of BPW/Stiniog or super, super steep hand cut trails like Macc forest/llangollen, I'd be happy riding my Spur on most things in the UK. The beauty is in it's weight and geometry, it's XC bike rapid but has the geo to really let fly on the way down. I adore mine!

https://raawmtb.com/pages/jibb

I love my Rallon, I'd not take it out on the trails you mentioned in the Surrey hills, it's too much bike. An Occam would do for the vast majority of my riding and if I was buying now that's where my money would go.

But for what you describe I'd be looking at something like a Spur or an Izzo. If you wanted to go a bit longer travel could you get a forbidden druid in budget?

As above, a 140/150mm bike that climbs well would be perfect.

+2 - and possibly with a 160mm fork.

Something like a Jeffsy, Stumpy Evo, Stage 6, etc.

The Reactor looks really good as well though, and the new Mega pedals so much better than the older ones if you are looking to go more enduro.

Really interesting topic, especially as opinions seem so divided. I've no idea what or where the Surrey Hills are, beyond what it says on the tin, but my assumption is that they're in that relatively flat serene area to the [very far] south east of Cannock.

In which case getting an Enduro bike to ride there seems nuts. Getting one to ride BPW once s year is nuts.

This all the way:

Sounds like you’re a perfect match for the ‘Downcountry’ niche – for the trails you mention you don’t need huge amounts of travel so I’d be taking a good look at the likes of the Spur & Izzo

All that happens if you get too big a bike is that it makes easy stuff boring, uphills horrible and downhills faster. This vicious circle continues until the point where the following actually seems like good advice:

Bypass the uphill slog and get a levo or similar.

_----

Orbea Occam M10.

Climbs like a rocket and is planted on the descents. Comes in at 14kg or so. Absolutely love mine for long climbs in the Ochils, steep descents and blattering through the woods.

I got a M10 just before Christmas and have mixed feelings about it. As above, it is a thing of beauty downhill, but I would never describe it as climbing like a rocket. It's just too big and long for that.
I was always planning to buy something 130mm at both ends but then bought the Occam after using one in the Lakes for three days. For most of my riding in the Peak District and Scotland it is too much bike. It's only when I do tech rocky descents in the Lakes that I feel it's the right bike. The idea of going up to a Rallon for SH seems bonkers.

Having said which, I am very much an XC, wheels on ground type of guy, so appreciate your circumstances are different.

My concern is that the 125mm rear travel might not be enough.

You mentioned rocks, where exactly do you find any of those in the Surrey Hills?

I use to be South East based, but now live in the Tweed Valley - we've rocks and seriously touch/steep trails on a totally different scale to the Surrey Hills. My Cotic Flaremax with 120mm travel is more than good enough, I'd look to be not 'over-biked'.

“ I’ve no idea what or where the Surrey Hills are, beyond what it says on the tin, but my assumption is that they’re in that relatively flat serene area to the [very far] south east of Cannock.”

They’re only little hills but they have plenty of steep moments and sizeable jumps and drops and enough roots and rocks to justify a big bike. But conversely, as with pretty much all riding, if you’re not racing you could do it on a hardtail etc.

“The idea of going up to a Rallon for SH seems bonkers.”

So useful based on your previous statements. Would any fish like to contribute their equally well-informed suggestions on bicycles to ride?

The idea of going up to a Rallon for SH seems bonkers.

You certainly can use an enduro bike properly in the Surrey Hills if you're so inclined, it's probably best not to give too firm an opinion if you've not even ridden there.

But a trail bike will be a better all-rounder to handle the trails the OP likes now and allow him/her to stretch a bit as well as handling BPW etc.

You mentioned rocks, where exactly do you find any of those in the Surrey Hills?

There are a few IIRC, but it might be sensitive so I won't say where. However the OP was talking about taking the bike to Wales as well.

For that type of riding I’d spend the budget on a Tallboy or an equivalent. I just find shorter travel bikes much more fun and the Surrey Hills are not exactly Whistler or Finale.

“You mentioned rocks, where exactly do you find any of those in the Surrey Hills?”

That would be on the more eroded trails that cut through to the sandstone of the Greensand Ridge or through to the chalk and flint of the North Downs. It’s not rocky like the Peak District but it’s not just smooth loam.

In my mind, the jump from 140-150mm to 160-170mm is where bikes start to become unwieldy on gentler terrain.

150mm trail bikes are pretty decent for general riding but you could also take them to the Alps or Scotland for a week and hammer some uplifted trails. When you go down to 120mm you lose some of that versatility. When you go up to 160mm+ you're dragging dead weight around unless you only ever ride really choppy stuff.

150mm. Goldilocks. Hightower.

I'd say buy the bike for what you want to do, now what you currently do, so with that in mind, you sound like you're wanting to progress jumping and hit stuff with more features, whilst at the same time not hugely interested in going for 20 milers round XC woodlands or the likes, i'd point you towards a trail bike, so 150/140 style with the geometry to suit. The reason for this is if you are hitting bigger and bigger stuff over the next couple of years, having that extra 20mm rear travel lets you progress a little easier, yes you see guys hitting big stuff on hardtails, but they have practiced through the years to soak up the impacts and not get ragdolled on harsh landings.

Reality is that most bikes are pretty similar these days, so many good ones in the trail category, you have big ones from all the companies, Spesh Stumpy, even the Stumpy evo if you wanted that more travel trail bike, Orbea Occam is lovely, YT Jeffsy, Transition Scout/sentinel, etc, etc, could name 30 bikes you could easily go for in that price bracket that once set up for you would feel immense.

I'd spend a little time narrowing down what you want, do you want 27.5 or 29, do you want carbon frame or better spec, do you want a niche frame and lower spec, what geometry do you want, how much standover/reach/seatpost drop and so on, looks play a big part as well, you have to like the look for it to work, i'd start there and come up with a shortlist of what you like the look off, then see if you can throw a leg over them for a play, honestly this forum is great, loads in your area would be happy to let you scuttle round for 10 minutes to get a feel of a bike, same with shops.

£5k = 2 bikes to suit both of your wants and needs.

IMHO this doesn't really work unless you have two really discrete, different use cases at opposite ends of the spectrum.. You end up with two cheaper [ yes I know, not actually cheap] bikes which are reasonable/ good within their niche but nothing that covers the middle ground.
You can't decide which one to take if you go on a dual use trip.
You're worried about the second one getting nicked when you're out on the first one.
Because you're only using each bike half the time it takes longer for issues to arise, which means you're twice as likely to be outside warranty period.
Etc etc

Fair enough, if one use case is light XC, and the other is uplifted DH then fill your boots. But if one use case is normal mountain biking in your local area, and the other is gnarrly jumps and tech that you have to pedal up then just get one single expensive longer travel bike that does it all. Because it cost twice what the cheap XC bike does it is likely to have much better kit and so be not too much heavier.

If I was you I'd be after a Transition Spur, I'll likely never have 5K to spend on a bike so I can't see myself owning one. I say this as the very happy owner of a Nukeproof Mega, but A) I live in a completely different part of the country to you and have access to both the lakes and tweed valley for day trips and reasonably steep woody trails for evening short day rides, B) I brought it with the intention of using it on uplift days at DH tracks which it does beautifully, C) I've kept a hard tail for more mellow rides.

I've only been to BPW once but I don't think you really need a long travel bike, just make sure you have the right geo rather than the right travel.

TBF there are loads of fantastic bikes out there at that price so personally I’d shop around and see what is in stock and just grab one.

This. Pretty much all 140+ travel bikes are really good these days. Don't get too hung up on weight. It really makes very little difference in trail / enduro bikes. Personally, if I was looking for a similar bike (which I sort of am but most likely next year when stock levels gets back to normal) the list would include things like Orbea Occam (I have a 2018 Rallon), Pipedream full Moxie, Bird Aeris, Cotic & Santa Cruz equivalent models, top spec Sonder Evol.

However the OP was talking about taking the bike to Wales as well.

Yeah, once a year. Compromising his everyday riding for that is crazy.

Yeah, once a year. Compromising his everyday riding for that is crazy.

Not as crazy as giving advice on a riding area you know nothing about.

There is definitely stuff in the SH that I wouldn't ride even if I was on a DH bike.

The trails the OP mentioned above would be perfectly fine on something like a Spur or an Izzo (good luck finding either though).
If I were in your position I would ring round or look on the net to find what bikes are available this side of Christmas and then decide which is best suited from those.

Utimately a 130/140mm trail bike or thereabouts is going to be fine and it will just be a tyre or maybe a wheel swap to take it from local loamy/rooty trails to holiday rock smashing.

Stock is low everywhere, so demo what you can now and then get an order in.

Sounds like a Spur would be perfect if you can find one. A lot of the confidence people find from the 150mm travel bikes is more down to geometry than travel, you’re just adding weight and suspension for the sake of it a lot of the time. Short of black runs at the likes of BPW/Stiniog or super, super steep hand cut trails like Macc forest/llangollen, I’d be happy riding my Spur on most things in the UK. The beauty is in it’s weight and geometry, it’s XC bike rapid but has the geo to really let fly on the way down. I adore mine!

^^ I couldn't put it better myself

I :heart: my Spur. Best MTB I've ever owned for UK riding

Just out of interest... The people that advocate a 160 Enduro bike for SH, what do they use for Lakes, Finale, Alps etc?

----+

loads in your area would be happy to let you scuttle round for 10 minutes to get a feel of a bike,

If you're up in the Peak then let me know and you can try my Occam

Without wishing to dip my toe into the 'how big a bike do you need' pond, I can comment on a few of the bikes mentioned in this thread.

Mate recently bought a Reactor. He's come off 'bigger' 29ers (like a niner WFO) and similar sized one (Orange Stage 5). That Reactor is a great bike for here (FoD/Yat) which - having ridden in the SH a few times - is similar in having lots of mellow trails, but also lots of really stupid stuff and everything in between if you know where to look.

I think my RipMo (V1) is a bit 'over-biked' for most of it but I love riding it here. It's light enough to do the 1000m+ / 60km+ (including some road) days, fun enough in the mellower bits and very welcome on the steeper/rockier (of which we have a bit) trails. I've ridden it in Finale and Malaga and I never felt I was short of bike. Short of skills and bravery for sure.

I also have a Mojo4 (and had a 3 before) and that's equally fun here but in a different way. it doesn't have the safety margin of the RipMo but it does make the trails feel more immediate and maybe a bit harder. And I like that.

Oh and another mate has a Spur. Lovely thing, feels fast everywhere. I wouldn't swap my RipMo for it tho even tho the geo is similar.

So TLDR; for that cash a 30lb-ish bike with good geo that climbs well with enough travel to be used anywhere but not riding like a big sofa seems the way to go. Lots of choice if you can find one.

As is the STW way I will recommend the bike I own...

Have a look at the Banshee Prime (135mm rear, 140-160mm fork) and the Banshee Paradox (115mm rear 120-140mm fork).

I have the Prime and I'm very pleased with it.

“The people that advocate a 160 Enduro bike for SH, what do they use for Lakes, Finale, Alps etc?”

I’ve ridden the Surrey Hills on hardtails with 140/150mm forks and 140-150mm full-sus bikes with 160mm forks and used the same for trips to uplift venues etc. I’m not the bravest rider so although I like getting airborne I don’t hit the bigger stuff.

I’ve noticed one of my most skilled riding mates swaps between his short travel 29er (Intense something) and his Nomad (170/160 I believe) for the Surrey Hills, going with the Nomad if he’s planning on riding the bigger jumps and drops. And the Nomad is the bike he takes to the Alps etc.

The Surrey Hills is the kind of place where everything from an XC hardtail to a freeride bike makes sense, depending on what and how you like riding there. I can see if you’re a “wheels on the ground” Lakes/Peak rider that may be very confusing.

This does depend on the rider to a degree. I want to get fun and technical interest from traversing and climbing and I'm prepared to put the work in, but others are all about the climbs or gravity.

The problem with todays enduro bikes, particularly if you're a trail hacker - is that despite the bigger descents from more elevation, generally the bigger the climbs are too. You spend even more time not enjoying the ride. Even traversing on these pedal able DH rigs is dull.

The classic lakeland passes day ride on an enduro bike? No thanks! Borrowdale bash? No doubt an enduro rig would be a bit faster smashing down, but the rest of it, including the lovely tech climbing would pants.

I'm happiest on the right shape trail bike with a 140 to 150 fork, but I've never felt the need for more than about 130mm on the rear.

I'm content on that size bike up to the BPW lesser blacks, which is about my skill limit anyway.

Personally, buy the bike that you think is going to make you laugh the most. I ride a Spesh Enduro with 160mm coils, and fo'shure it's a big beast of a thing, but it's heaps of fun, it's solid as a rock, will get me out of most stupid situations I put myself in. Sure it's a bit wearisome after 3-4 hours in the Peak/Calderdale where I ride , but that's mostly down to my legs.

I don't need to think about what to do to it on the week abroad trips to the Alps/Pyrenees, and it will go all day at the Bike Park without missing a beat, but at the same time, last weekend I did 80km along the TPT just to see how far it was there and back, mostly locked out, and with a bit of a faster tyre on the back, it's cool.

But mostly, it just makes me smile.

For majority trail riding, bit of XC, occasional uplift, I think a 29" with around 130-140 rear and 140-160 front is the sweet spot. I'd look at a Hightower based on standard "recommend what you own protocol".

You see the lakes is one of the places that I feel that my Mega is really at home. I mean clearly you can get way with a shorter travel bike but given the nature of slog up and bomb down fairly chunky descents I have no problem dragging the bigger bike up the hill.

Holy moly - thanks for all the responses! Loads of really great info here, going to take me a while to digest it all.

In case anyone is interested, there'll be a Nukeproof Reactor ST Large available here shortly:

https://shop.oneplanetadventure.com/bikes/mountain-bikes/nukeproof-reactor-290c-st-factory--2021--depressed-aubergine__7788

I had reserved it, but based on these responses I've decided to do a whole lot more research before committing, so it's now available.

I ride SH on a 150mm travel (170 fork) 29er that I also use for enduros and everything else. I've been on 150mm+ travel bikes for SH for over 10 years. I wouldn't recommend this as necessarily everybody's normal, but it lets me keep one bike as my everything bike.

The OP's favourite SH trails aren't the steep ones. BKB, Yog Pots, John the Baptist.

Having capability to extend beyond these trails and not get out of depth isn't a function of suspension travel numbers. With 5k bikes, there can be a lot of hard selling on perceived value like carbon, lightweight and bling transmission but I think you need to concentrate on the factors that will really bring on your riding and nothing brings on your riding as much as confidence:

1. Having a really good balanced position in the centre of the bike (don't confuse this with just picking an extra long reach). I mean a sensible balanced chainstay length for a bike fitting a 6 footer combined with an ok modern reach watching out for the distortion in reach numbers you get from weirdly low stack numbers; Avoid too high a stack - you can easily add spacers or handlebar rise but you can't shave mm off a head tube.
2. A seat tube geometry that permits a dropper post with 175mm drop.
3. Brakes (big rotors, no mucking about, not a pissy XC combo)
4. Just normal tyre sizes - 2.35/2.4/2.5 better in my book than anything bigger
5. Suspension components with a sufficient level (i.e. not too much) of adjustment that you're confident you can dial them in - no point in having adjustability that just means you get lost.

Pretty much any use you're likely to put the bike to you can adapt with tyre choice if you get the basics right. Although tubeless has been the rage for years, fitting a tube gives a different, damped feel. Experiment with sturdier carcass tyres - they'll be slower on the flatter trails but hold up better in the steeper stuff.

That reactor will be more than fine for most of your riding - obviously if you start taking it down some welsh mountains (vs the BPW trails) you'll start to feel the limitations of the fox 34 and shorter rear travel, but it sounds like a decent bike for your sort of riding.

I'm guilty of being overbiked a lot of the time (although a session at my 'local' which is hella rooty on my hardtail made me realise how good FS bikes are!) but my FS bike is aimed at the type of riding I do 5/6 times a year for a few days at a time - long days on natural wild trails, often 3/4/5 days back to back on properly rocky stuff, often at or close to the limit of my comfort zone. Yeah it's complete overkill for Bedgebury but it's perfect for the lakes (which I'm off to in a couple of weeks for 5 days of riding!).

I had reserved it, but based on these responses I’ve decided to do a whole lot more research before committing, so it’s now available.

Might be too late now, but I'd not be unreserving anything until I was sure it wasn't the bike I wanted.
A mate of mine has the fancy pants carbon 29 reactor with the full axs set up and it's a great bike. He rides it pretty much everywhere (the only place he wanted something bigger was when he was off to Madeira), but he is extremely good at riding bikes though so that's why I ride a 160/150mm bike 😀

I live down south and used to run hardtails and short travel full sus. Then I went for a 160/170mm bike (Vitus Sommet) after hiring something similar (150mm Trek) and never looked back.

It's no slower than my older bikes, no less fun on boring stuff, but so much more capable when I'm in the mood. Even done 50 mile xc rides and towed the kiddy trailer with it.

I actually sold my hardtail as I never used it and use the Sommet as my only MTB.

People make too much of being "overbiked" and what category each bike is in.

Having capability to extend beyond these trails and not get out of depth isn’t a function of suspension travel numbers.

This is a good point, we used to ride long-travel bikes in certain places because they were the ones with the right geometry.

Now trail bikes have largely caught up, hence the general agreement here that a 130-150mm rear bike should be spot-on.

Good point about geometry balance as well, are you of unusual proportions OP?

> are you of unusual proportions OP?

Height 182cm. Inseam (crotch to floor) 84.5cm. Torso (crotch to top of shoulder): 70cm. Not sure if that's unusual?

Trail + Surrey = yeti or Santa Cruz

I think an sb130 would cover your needs nicely

“ Height 182cm. Inseam (crotch to floor) 84.5cm. Torso (crotch to top of shoulder): 70cm. Not sure if that’s unusual?”

Pretty average for your height, so a large in most modern geometry (about 480mm reach and 620mm stack) bikes will fit in reach and the seat tube will have room for a big dropper.

Might be too late now, but I’d not be unreserving anything until I was sure it wasn’t the bike I wanted.

I've just had a go on my mate's Reactor 290 Alloy Pro (130mm rear/140mm front) and that confirmed it for me that I'd want that much travel as a minimum. Also, the ST comes with thinner rims (25mm) which seem suited to 2.3" tyres. I'd want to run a 2.5" on the front as a minimum for the wet/muddy conditions round here. I was slipping about all over the place this morning even with my Maxxis Minion DHF 2.5".

Trail + Surrey = yeti or Santa Cruz

I think an sb130 would cover your needs nicely

Over biked is an interesting one. I had a Whyte T-130 then bought a Soul HT with 130mm travel.

Once I bought that the Whyte was never ridden - even ended up preferring the Soul @ BPW as the bikes felt so close in terms of ability the FS didn't get a look in.

I have now bought a Rocket which is too much for my local trails (but there are plenty of places to take it for a play) but I'm hoping will be great fun to take away.

I’ve just had a go on my mate’s Reactor 290 Alloy Pro (130mm rear/140mm front) and that confirmed it for me that I’d want that much travel as a minimum.

Fair dos.

Sunset have this in stock in XL, £4.6k seems like good value to me (especially atm) for carbon frame, DVO Onyx fork and Fox Factory X2 and deore 12sp drivetrain. The wheels are the same as I've got and they're pretty light and they've withstood a lot of abuse.

https://www.sunsetmtb.co.uk/shop/index.php?product_id=10864&category_id=402

I currently have a 2013 Whyte M-109 (100m front and rear travel) which is a great XC bike, but gets jittery down rocky descents and over large roots. Several times I’ve bottomed out the suspension going over jumps. It also feels heavy (it’s 15.2kg).

Basically I think I need something which isn’t going to be “too much bike” for all the XC riding to trails but I can push it hard down rocky/rooty runs and over jumps without fear that I’m going to bottom it out or shake my arms/legs off.

Bottoming out isn't inherently a bad thing once in a while, why not just add a volume spacer?

Depends on your preferences, I'm happier rattling down descents than slogging up climbs, so the tradeoff for me is I'd rather have efficient climbing suspension that's just enough to help keep speed better than a hardtail on the descents rather than a completely plow through everything DH bike.

I keep looking at the YT Jeffsy, a lot of reviews of it as an Enduro bike score it down for having overly progressive suspension, but the flip side of that for me might be that it pedals and behaves more like a 5" travel frame, but without ever bottoming out.

It's one thing having a bike designed to get you to the top of a long gradual logging/fire road in the Alps, Rockies or BC where you pedal up for hours talking rubbish with your mates before a 30 minute descent, that sort of pedaling is easy to deal with. The more typical for the UK 1in3 out of the saddle for 50 vertical meters fire roads, arrive at the top gasping for air then have catch up with your mates followed by a 2 minute descent and repeat 20 times are a different kettle of fish.

I’ve no idea what or where the Surrey Hills are, beyond what it says on the tin, but my assumption is that they’re in that relatively flat serene area to the [very far] south east of Cannock.

To give you an idea, it's pretty much the only place in the south-east that Welsh riders make an annual weekend trip to ride. And it beats Cannock into a cocked hat. 😉

Pretty average for your height, so a large in most modern geometry (about 480mm reach and 620mm stack) bikes will fit in reach and the seat tube will have room for a big dropper.

To add to this, I'd suggest looking for chainstays (sometimes called rear centre on the geometry chart) of 440mm or longer - to get that aforementioned front-to-rear balance.

Yes there are exceptions, before anyone interjects, but I feel that's a good rule of thumb for a "large" bike.

Two bikes that would be near the top of my list: Vitus Escarpe 29 & Sonder Evol 29 (when in stock, obvs), but my budget would be lower than yours.

it’s pretty much the only place in the south-east that Welsh riders make an annual weekend trip to ride.

I make an annual pilgrimage from the north of England. It's always one of the best rides of the year and there's always great new trails.

Lucky to have local pals.

I ride SH on a 150mm travel (170 fork) 29er that I also use for enduros and everything else. I’ve been on 150mm+ travel bikes for SH for over 10 years. I wouldn’t recommend this as necessarily everybody’s normal, but it lets me keep one bike as my everything bike.

This is pretty much my set up on a 27.5 bike, V3 Bronson, not the fastest trail muncher on the more pedally tracks in the SH, but as I only have one mtb it's fine for an XC blast, and perfect for the bike parks and can handle the odd alpine holiday.  Good trail bikes are so dialled these days you need to be riding a lot of rowdy trails before you need more.

Pretty much any use you’re likely to put the bike to you can adapt with tyre choice if you get the basics right. Although tubeless has been the rage for years, fitting a tube gives a different, damped feel. Experiment with sturdier carcass tyres – they’ll be slower on the flatter trails but hold up better in the steeper stuff.

I've just managed to win a second set of wheels, I'll be setting these up with inserts and heavier tyres for uplift / park days and keeping my nice, lighter XM1501s set up with Exo tyres with Rimpacts for trail days.

If you are serious about looking at a Santa Cruz option (5010/Bronson/Hightower depending on your choice of wheel size) have a chat with Pedal and Spoke as they seem to have a steady drip of stock coming in judging by their insta, and are great to deal with (and one of the main reasons why SC bikes are synonymous with the SH).

To give you an idea, it’s pretty much the only place in the south-east that Welsh riders make an annual weekend trip to ride.

Amazing how many top level gravity riders grew up riding in the pancake flat SH!

OP are you keeping your Whyte? I run 130mm Fox 34s on mine and it's so much better than it was. It was always a quick bike but now it feels much more confident. It's a fair bit lighter than stock now too - which obviously helps.

I have a Jeffsy too. The Jeffsy is lovely - rides nicely, soaks up all the lumps and bumps and feels very confident etc but, god-damn it feels so slow on anything flat or up hill compared to my Whyte.

Just been through something similar, my list before thinking about stock was Pace RC295 (sentimental reasons, always wanted a Pace back in the day), Reactor, Ibis Ripley, Spur, Tallboy.

In the end, stock was a massive consideration but I got what I'd always really wanted through this process, which was a Tallboy.  My LBS actually had quite a lot of stock 2 weeks ago when I ordered mine, just waiting for it to be built now.

I don't have any actual recommendations as I haven't got it yet, but lets be honest, no £5k bike nowadays is bad, stock is probably your biggest consideration unless you don't want it till next year.

I make an annual pilgrimage from the north of England. It’s always one of the best rides of the year and there’s always great new trails.

Where's the centre of it @cha****ng, is it Dorking? Train down from civilisation is 4 hrs but I'd do that as a one off, sounds a great place to ride.

OP are you keeping your Whyte? I run 130mm Fox 34s on mine and it’s so much better than it was.

Nice idea but there's too many other things I want in a new bike (single front chainring, lighter frame + wheels, space for more than a 2.2" rear tyre). Will hopefully get a few hundred quid for it secondhand - they seem to hold their value pretty well.

It's the non-carbon version of this: https://www.bikeradar.com/reviews/bikes/mountain-bikes/whyte-m-109-s-review/. Differences are Deore/SLX groupset and Easton Heist 29s alloy rims.

Where’s the centre of it

Peaslake

You would say that.

😉

I don't usually start there, but it's as good a place as any.

The best advice on this thread so far has been to buy a bike that makes you smile.

I've said it before - my old Orange ST4 had a certain je ne said quoi about it that just made me smile, pedal harder and enjoy it more. It wasn't the longest travel, it wasn't the lightest, or latest geometry. It was just a hoot. Plus you never saw anyone else on one and I always wanted an Orange.

Yep, something you like the look off and does the job you want it too, i wouldn't get too hung up on being overbiked, i'm not even sure how that term is even used these days, personally i'm a bit like you a couple of years ago, had 130 full susser, was more than enough, but wanted to push more BPW, DH and enduro, so went 170/160 enduro, yes it's not exactly the best bike to use going around a blue or red trail like in FoD or the likes, but i'm not racing, i've got time and i tend to focus on more fun stuff in a ride than miles, i do enjoy XC, but it's kind of the stuff i do between trails or runs, or just to clear the mind, which in both situations isn't pushing it for strava PBs!

Save yourself some dosh and get the Remedy on the classifieds (not mine). Superb bike
One a these https://www.trekbikes.com/gb/en_GB/bikes/mountain-bikes/trail-mountain-bikes/remedy/remedy-7/p/24481/

Thanks for all the advice. I test rode, and loved, the Bird Aether 9C but I couldn't even get on a waiting list for one. I also test rode a Transition Spur, which although a beautiful bike, didn't feel quite enough bike for me. I felt similarly about the Reactor ST.

In the end, with extremely limited choices, I went a bit over budget and bought a Reactor 290c Factory from my LBS (Ace Bikes - who were fantastic btw). I'm well happy with it - it's an absolute beast!

[img] [/img]

I like that Nukeproof, lovely clean lines.

Sweet ride. 👍

Excellent choice. A mate of mine has the pro version and it's a great bike.

Bike looks superb. Love the colour, congrats.

Looks fab.

Bit concerned about that brown patch on the lawn though.

In my mind, the jump from 140-150mm to 160-170mm is where bikes start to become unwieldy on gentler terrain.

150mm trail bikes are pretty decent for general riding but you could also take them to the Alps or Scotland for a week and hammer some uplifted trails. When you go down to 120mm you lose some of that versatility. When you go up to 160mm+ you’re dragging dead weight around unless you only ever ride really choppy stuff.

150mm. Goldilocks. Hightower.

I'd be inclined to agree with this.

A mate of mine has several bikes... HT, Downcountry, and a Ripmo v2.
This is a GREAT selection as he can pick the downcountry or ripmo bike, ride the same trails, jsut in a different way.

However, if you're looking to spend 5k which nowadays is just one decent bike (which is quite frankly, stoopid right!! but I was in teh same boat!), then i reckon a 140-150mm trail bike would be great.

I sold my hardtail (kept my rigid singlespeed though) and got a stumpjumper. It's a 146mm rear, 160mm front, and is GREAT. Can do big XC loops on it..jump it..bike park it.

I'd look in that territory..

DrP