Advice on F/S XC bike

S

sinkas

Likes Bikes
Hi All,
I have just returned to some MTB riding,
I am currently on a roadside pickup Giant Alias
I am on the lookout for advice on F/S bike,
With so many models on the market, its bloody hard to navigate.
Im chunky 6Ft1, 100kg, long body
so was told to try and find looking for about 130mm travel and, boost hubs and at a 34 front fork with slack geometry?
a neighbour has a Yeti ASR which he loves and was also recommended a Instense Primer
Looking to do WA's Karri cup and possibly Cape to Cape, so mostly xc type stuff
are there any other model people think I should check out?
Im hoping to buy second hand $2-3K

any advice would be greatly appreciated

sinkas
 
Z

Zaf

Guest
Just checked your budget!
You'll probably only have enough to buy the front triangle.
So failing that, second hand Top Fuel (or Fuel EX in a pinch) should do the trick and be found within range. If you got a Specialized, I'd be inclined towards the Camber rather than the Epic unless you're really frothin for all out XC smashing. Camber, again, is just a bit more solid in construction and wonderful trail mannered bike, should be easy to find them well priced second hand as well.
 
S

sinkas

Likes Bikes
I have looked at top Fuel and Scott spark, aslo epic,
but was worried about the whole Brain thing
who sells Nicolai,
can see any Aust distributor
 
Z

Zaf

Guest
sinkas said:
I have looked at top Fuel and Scott spark, aslo epic,
but was worried about the whole Brain thing
who sells Nicolai,
can see any Aust distributor
Click to expand...
There isn't one, you need to import and they build to order. And you want to take your current budget, and then change the AUD sign to a € to get the price on the frame only option...probably without a shock as well.
 
hifiandmtb

hifiandmtb

Sphincter beanie
Yeah, but you'll be the only W.A. resident with one!

Just keep your eyes peeled for anything second-hand you like the look of & revisit this post with the details...
 
ozzybmx

ozzybmx

taking a shit with my boobs out
You are asking for an XC bike but hinting towards a trail orientated bike.

XC race bikes stop at 120mm (usually 100mm), Spech Epic, Trek Top Fuel, Giant Anthem and Scott Spark RC. To name a few of the more common ones.

130mm is right in the trail cat, a lot slacker geometry and you WILL feel the difference over an out and out XC/Marathon bike.

Trail would be Spech Camber, Trek Fuel EX, Giant Trance and Scott Spark (non RC model) ect

So really it depends on what sacrifice you want to make, the slacker trail bikes might be more fun going down but going up hill will be a noticeably harder slog.
 
S

sinkas

Likes Bikes
ozzybmx said:
You are asking for an XC bike but hinting towards a trail orientated bike.

XC race bikes stop at 120mm (usually 100mm), Spech Epic, Trek Top Fuel, Giant Anthem and Scott Spark RC. To name a few of the more common ones.

130mm is right in the trail cat, a lot slacker geometry and you WILL feel the difference over an out and out XC/Marathon bike.

Trail would be Spech Camber, Trek Fuel EX, Giant Trance and Scott Spark (non RC model) ect

So really it depends on what sacrifice you want to make, the slacker trail bikes might be more fun going down but going up hill will be a noticeably harder slog.
Click to expand...
yeh TBH my favorite bit was always climbing back in the 1990s I think last race was in SA in 1996, so maybe I need to look more toward the shroter travel stuff
 
FatMuz

FatMuz

Likes Dirt
ozzybmx said:
Very nice ! And rare as hens teeth.
Click to expand...
Not so (well kind of o_O). Up here (Sunny Coast, Qld) there's at least 3 or 4 of us getting around on Nicolais... A couple of G13s and a G16 amongst my riding mates. But true, I haven' spotted a Saturn-11 anywhere in Oz... certainly on my wish list though.
 
ozzybmx

ozzybmx

taking a shit with my boobs out
born-again-biker said:
Norco Optic or Revolver?

Sent from my LG-H870DS using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Interesting comparison, there is only 10mm travel difference in these 2 bikes, but the Revolver has a 70° head angle and the Optic (29er in Med or above) is 68°. That change in geometry is massive compared to the 10mm travel change. Badly tuned suspension could see you using only 90mm of 130mm stroke and the only big difference is the slack head angle.

May be a happy medium for the OP but also could be an overkill if he is happy with small/med jumps and good climbing abilities.

We all have suspension envy but feels shit to spend a lot of cash on a bigger bike to feel overgunned on most rides.
 
Oddjob

Oddjob

Merry fucking Xmas to you assholes
I know the OP is asking about fs bikes, but to be honest a good hardtail 29er is going to be all you need if you love the climbs.

A 100-120mm fs bike will be more comfortable and forgiving on the downs but won't really help you on the ups.

I haven't done any of the multi day epics but I've done some of the single day 100+km events. You can easily do them with a hardtail and there are often cx and monstercross bikes up the pointy end.

For fs bikes there was a tasty Norco revolver in xl that was for sale on here that looked to be god value.

Sent from my SM-G900I using Tapatalk
 
Ultra Lord

Ultra Lord

Hurts. Requires Money. And is nerdy.
Sweet jesus that nicolia is brilliant. If all xc bikes looked that good I might maybe kinda consider an xc bike. Maybe.
 
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redbruce

redbruce

Eats Squid
sinkas said:
I have looked at top Fuel and Scott spark, aslo epic,
but was worried about the whole Brain thing
Click to expand...
Epic is a stellar ride for XC.

The big issue with them is the brain shock which is both expensive to service and unreliable with age. If you are a bigger rider, the damping is also not great (under damped) if you choose to run the brain open for technical terrain.

Also Spesh legacy parts support for their proprietary shock is poor. No parts available for pre 2014 brains (as of 2016!).

With a new design out for 2018, one wonders how much longer 2014- 2017 units will be supported.

The good news is with a bit of work, aftermarket shocks can be made to fit. https://www.dirtlabs.com/specialized-brain-epic-replacement-rear-shock/

I 've now got a Rockshox Monarch RCT3 fitted to my 2012 and it is better than the OEM fox based brain shock in every way.
 
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rangersac

rangersac

Medically diagnosed OMS
To add to the various second hand options, you could go new with a Canyon Neuron 6.0, or at your weight I'd stretch the budget a couple of hundred coins and get a Neuron 7.0 as the Fox 34 will flex less and the brakes are better. They have a pretty hard to beat spec that that price, with SLX/XT drivetrain, LEV dropper and a Mavic wheelset.
 
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