Really enjoying my hardtail (a Voodoo Bizango) so much so the Bandit (27.5) isn’t being used- so tempted to consolidate them into something light (perhaps not the Phantom, 30lb+ standard build I believe) and fun.

I can demo a Phantom, hopefully a Smuggler too. What else should I be looking at? It’ll do everything so keen to get it right!

Kona Process 111.

Cube Stereo.

Rose Root Miller.

Have a look at this thread:

Best 29er full suss for £2000

Orange Segment, hmm light you say.. the Whyte T-129 it is then, SCR version if you like 1×11

These are very good full stop, let alone for the money…

http://www.blueflowbikes.com/hammerhead-thumper-closeouts/hammerhead-thumper-frame

Salsa Horsethief 2 is another option if you don’t mind a little more than 120mm up front, some deals to be had on the “frame only” option too

BH Lynx 4.8 comes in 27.5 or 29er & in carbon

I haven’t weighed my Phantom but it is definitely lighter than my 30.5lb Heckler in my scientific “putting on the roof rack test” (used all of the same parts bar the wheels and no carbon involved). It certainly doesn’t feel heavy when riding either, but it does feel solid, probably a good thing given how you end up riding it for a short travel bike!

If money is no object then the Evil following and Canfield Riot look tasty.

The Smuggler looks great but the BB is very low considering it’s designed to be run at 35% sag (330mm static, 290mm sagged). The Phantom is 335-347mm static, Process 111 335mm and both designed to run a bit less sag. Depends on your style and trails whether you suffer from too many/severe pedal strikes though.

Kona is almost certainly the heaviest frame, then Banshee and Transition but there’s very little between those two. Transition and Banshee are efficient pedallers, much more so than the Kona.

Supposed the Pyga oneten29 deserves a mention too, that BH Lynx looks interesting.

Cheers Shackleton, had spotted yours.. Money is an object but I know I want to custom build- most of the parts I can swop over, so most likely frame only.

If you ever happen to be near Dundee you are welcome to have a play on it. I’m 6ft on a large if that helps.

Evil The Following is in the same category as the other you mention. Short travel, short chainstay, slack 29ers.

Camber, camber, camber.

Well that’s just what i’ve got.

I went through the process/smuggler/pyga/segment debate, initially wrote off the camber due to the “steep” 68.5* HA and “long” 450mm+ CS and the issue that the 2k model was not good enough spec wise for me, then jumps up to 4.5k, saw a ltd edition one for 3.2k with a build i wouldnt change out the box and took the plunge, i simply can’t big up the bike enough.

Since i got the camber, been getting many comments along the lines of “didnt know 29ers could be ridden that and on that stuff”. I’m a life long BMXer that treats the trails as a set of DJs, a skate park or a pump track, so the more “fun” end of the spectrum, lots and lots of jumping and making shapes, bike feels so good for it despite big wheels.

Camber jumps amzaing, grips amazing, pedals amazing, chuckable and stable (i dont know how, it just does), setting consistent PRs in winter on it both up and down. This is comapred to a kona entourage, yeti sb66, a mega tr and occasional faster on some climbs than my 29er HT.

Process/segment seem too heavy to be used as a true trail bike, the smuggler just seemed a little bit too expensive at 3.8k for the build.

Demoed a whyte 129, felt like turd, like a flimsy XC bike.

Have a look at some of the threads i started.

Camber is on the radar already but some useful reading from you..

Intense Spider Comp :)…. Er yes I er do have one!

I’ve had a Phantom for 2 weeks.

I’ve never had a slack bike before, or a dropper post, or anything with more than 100mm travel, or anything with a 50mm stem. In 3 rides I’ve had to totally reassess what I think of as descending quickly. I’ve had to relearn braking (i.e. don’t) and have spent the day today at Swinley learning jumps. It’s a brilliant bike. Mine is 28.3lbs (actual weight on scales) so not heavy at all, yesterday and also last weekend I rode 70+ off road miles round the Surrey Hills on it so it’s perfectly capable of being a long-distance trail bike as well as a point and shoot descender. The dropper post and 50mm stem are absolute revelations to someone who has always ridden 100mm stemmed, arse in the air XC bikes.

My build is 120mm Reba RL, ENVE bars, Rental Stem, Reverb, Halo Vapour Carbon wheels, XO cranks, XTR brakes and gears and 2.25 Nobby Nics. The tyres and fork are what I had spare, otherwise I’d have built it with an MRP Stage and 2.35″ Hans Dampfs if I had to buy those bits. The reba is surprisingly capable though.

Another +1 for the Phantom.

It’s certainly not a light frame but it doesn’t ride heavy, whilst feeling like you could throw pretty much anything at it.

Weighed in at 30lb with XX1, Fox 34s, Reverb and Flows (Chunky Monkey / Smorgasbord), a bit less with LB rims and Mountain Kings.

Also at Swinley..