It wasn’t that anything is bad exactly - climbing was the worst on the Tranny compared to the bikes they tested so far and they commented how it felt too large on technical stuff when climbing especially (turning etc) - it’s not that I feel I would have hated it and perhaps I was using poetic licence to over state my attempts to justify the bike I bought
I’d be interested to see what people think of it compared to trail bikes like your ripley, instead of converted xc bikes.
I dare say the scalpel and that Specialized would climb better than a ripley too.
I quite like PB’s reviews, they tell the “feel” of each bike nicely and list pro’s and con’s. You want a bike that descends really well in this category? Tranny. Like a more comfy ride and have tight technical terrain? The yeti’s a good choice. Want to win XC races? Specialized or Cannondale.
Hate yourself and like stupid stiff bikes? Canyon.
Honestly I think you’d be stoked on any of the bikes you were picking from. Your ripley is awesome. Problem is they all are ahaha