Looking at building my first new mountain bike in a long old while in the new year, and have narrowed it down to two options, Five with CCDB, or a Carbon Bronson.
Either would be built the same, Stan’s rims on hopes, Bo’s Deville forks, xx1, etc
The question is, how does the five fare against more modern offerings? I’ve not ridden one in a long while, but love the simplicity and dependability, and with CCDB I’m thinking capability too maybe? Whereas I love vpp, had a blur for a while, and it’s just a lovely looking frames with some nice features.
I don’t chop and change bikes anymore, with a few interlopers trying to muscle in, I’ve managed to keep my pace for 7 years, and is currently the sole mtb i own, after slimming down from 7 a couple of years ago, so I want the new one to put in a good stint.
Opinions?

I had a five with that setup, really enjoyed it, I built it up pretty tough so it would take some alpine abuse and it fared real well, swapped for a Mojo, I would be very surprised if the Bronson didn’t kill the five uphill and vise Vera down.

Haha, that’s almost exactly the bike I’m looking at building, you have good taste in components.
I’m thinking the Bronson will be better at everything,vim just wondering if I’d notice? Can you honestly feel the mojo working better than then five?

honestly for the money – demo the bikes

I’ll try but I found without sustained usage, it can be hard to judge on a test. Hence asking people for long term opinions….

I Put a ccdb air on my five this year after the squeaking from the rp23 became too much to take. It took around 5 rides and one day doing the same trails over and over again to finally set it up right. What it has given me though is a feeling which belies the amount of travel it has. I got it set up for ultimate traction, suppleness and with a nod to pedalling efficiency. I’m very happy with it but then I was happy with the five beforehand too. Its new party trick is that now it will climb up practically anything! I now point the bike and ludicrously rocky ascents and it crawls its way over them to the disbelief of myself and my pals. The ccdb is a serious bit of kit. One warning though and that is out of the box, untuned its a bit of a dog. If you understand how suspension works and how you want your bike to feel its a very worthy upgrade. If not then get a shop to set it up for you.

Can you honestly feel the mojo working better than then five?

Uphill on the rough stuff it’s more efficient, kind of ratchets you up as oppose to the half pedal strokes on the Five.

I’d look at the CCDB Air CS (climb switch) – looks a really great way to have a bike that descends AND climbs well.

I’ve got a very similar setup on my Five.
2011 frame with a CCDB coil. Flow EXs with Dual ply tubeless Minions, Marzocchi 44RC3ti, wide bars, short stem.
Downhill, it’s as good as you’d expect from that spec. An absolute flying machine.
The CCDB does take a lot of setting up and I found the baseline setting for the Five to way-understimate the HS rebound damping needed.
I got buckeroo-ed over the bars on the first fast downhill I rode whilst setting it up 🙁 ; on the second run I was getting somewhere near right; by the third I was getting much quicker times than I’d done before on an RP23.

Strangely, I also found that the Five climbs a lot better on the CCDB too, as it no longer wallows into it’s travel as you climb over sqare edged stuff.
Thoroughly recommended.

Chap at Orange used one for a while, the verdict from his blog seemed to be that if you ride it as hard as the shock will let it, you’ll break the frame. But then he used it for the endurance dh, big alpine downhill etc, which most folks wouldn’t.

Alpine with a CCDB is mint and might make more sense?

I can’t see me riding it as hard as the shock allows to be fair, although it would be nice to have the option. Needs to be capable all round, as it’ll be used for everything, with my Pace relegated to winter fitness and single track duties. Maybe the alpine would be too much bike, not weight wise as I’m the wrong side of 200lb at the minute, but I think it may sacrifice too much pedalability (if it’s not a word, it is now).
I used to run a mk1 Cotic BFe with 160mm forks and dh tyres and wheels for Xc duties, so can’t imagine an expensively built five or especially Bronson anywhere near that weight.

Northwind, that’d be this one then:
http://www.orangebikes.co.uk/news/view/cane_creek_double_barrel/

That’s not the article I was thinking of but yeah. He was riding the wheels off that thing at the fort, I can say “I did the race on my Hemlock and it didn’t break” but then again I did 4 less runs and I don’t think I ever actually hit that jump on the motorway at all that day, so… Probably case in point of why most folks won’t have to worry too much.

Wish they’d do a CCDB coil with the CS! (or a Van or RC with a propedal throw, for that matter)