as it says guys im looking to change my frame in the new year from a cube fritzz to another long traveled bouncer.
iv looked at the nomad,tracer 2 and the nukeproof mega. im more drawn to the nomad but also like the tracer also with the tracer i dont have to buy a new back wheel, iv heard some bad storys about the mega snapping etc.
there was a problem with the seatstays snapping on the megas, but nukeproof have now sorted this and sent anyone who brought a mk1 brandnew set of seatstays. which i think is fantastic customer service.
Personally id opt for the tracer, simply because i love my mk1 and i can only see the mk2 just being even better. it takes everything you throw at it and more.
On the Nomad carbon road.. Why would you want a 6 inch travel bike that’s completely carbon? That’s too much heartbreak waiting to happen.
I was in love with the Nomads when the mk2’s came out. But, they are significantly overpriced for what they come with. And.. kind of look like a rainbow.
Plus, VPP may be a total pain to deal with in the peaks.
It all boils down to what the OP wants out of his bike.
Personally, I’d rather haul around 10 more ounces of frame and the 2k difference in my pocket.
So I shall still suggest. “Have you checked out the covert?”
>Why would you want a 6 inch travel bike that’s completely carbon? <
This. If you’re big enough to need 6″ going down you should be big enough to crank another .91 lb up the hill.
I’ve got a Fritzz – it’s no better or worse than all the other bikes mentioned above and I doubt there’s hellish much real world riding difference between them all anyway.
Look at the Canyon Strive – very similar to the Fritzz but better value.
It’s pretty hard to buy a bad bike these days, at any level of travel. So many of them seem to work so well, have great specs and warranty support etc, that you could pretty much boil your choice down to what you particularly like the look of.
My own recommendation would be the bike I ride, obviously.
A Nicolai Helius AM. It is very neutral in its ride characteristic; it’s not the plushest ride around, but it is the least obtrusive. By that I mean it has no strange quirks and behaviours in the way its suspension works.
I’ve spent time on both the Carbon Nomad and Ibis Mojo HD.
The Nomad works slightly better to isolate you from big inputs; the Mojo HD pedals better and both (in carbon guise) are 1lb lighter than the AM.
The Yeti 575 is light, well balanced and the suspension works very well, but it’s a little less planted at speed than the Helius AM.
Having seen what an Orange Five/Alpine can do first hand and in the right hands, I cana also say there is something intrinsically right about those bikes.
The idea that a multi pivot/bearing bike isn’t going to hold up as well in the Peak I think is nonsense. My AM has been all over the place and through equally as corrosive winters here in the SE as in the NW and apart from one service a year, it’s pretty much faultless.
What I like most about the AM is its versatility.
You can set it to travel anywhere between 142mm and 172mm (it can go shorter, but I don’t think it works at all well in that guise) and with prudence it can be built sub 30lbs.
Mine weighs 28lbs 11ozs with air front and rear. I also run it coil front and rear for the Alps and Peak/Welsh rides.
If you would like a test ride, I can offer you one on mine, depending on where you’re located.
Spoilt for choice in todays market especially at Nomad price range.
I have a covert built up with X9, SLX, Saint brakes (200mm rotors), Hope Hoops, Lyriks Solo Air. No idea how heavy it is but it copes fine with 50km xc in the dales. 2011 frames can be had for around £1k if you shop around, only difference in 2012 is the 12mm rear and colours.
Please don’t get one though as they are becoming too common!
If you’re on a bit more of a budget, have a look at a YT Wicked 150 YT Industries
£1450 for a complete bike with really good spec and weighs in about 30lb. I’ve only done a couple of rides so far but very impressed.
i find my Fritzz goes through the travel way to fast on the first stroke. iv had the shox serviced and tinkered with the air pressure,i do really enjoy how it descends BUT it climbs very slugish. another reason is that have snapped the rear chainstay once and dont have much faith in it along with snapping bolts twice on the drive side.
i ride in south wales by the way mainly do natural trail but might do cwmcarn as its on my doorstep
I had a Fritzz and couldn’t get the suspension right either.
Went to a Foxy, which turned out to be wrong size for me and I missed the Fox 36, so then got a Dune.
Obvs I’m recommending the bike I own so you need a pinch of salt, but I reckon it’s a really underrated gem.
Very light, amazing geometry that climbs fine and does actually descend a bit like a DH bike. Feels balanced front and rear and has very composed suspension – my main problem with the Fritzz was how it would pitch and yaw after any little drop, messing me up for the next section.
BTW Nukeproof have recalled the dodgy chainstays on the Mega now, so not a concern if buying new.
Trek Slash and Orange Alpine and maybe Spesh Enduro would all be on my list if buying again now and Dune was unavailable.
what you were feeling is probably more to do with shock setup than suspension design itself – sounds like your shock was softer than his so your bike climbed worse and blew through its travel too quickly?
Never properly rode a single pivot bike before the mega, thought they’d all be horribly bobby. It’s actually really good. There can be a lot of difference between seemingly similar suspension designs too based on location of pivots, types of shock, etc. I now wouldn’t rule a bike out just based on suspension design.
This is a Medium frame from 2010 with 1.5″ Headtube and HammerSchmidt mounts. Free options… no Nicolai’s are stock since you get to spec things for free.
I run air or coil shocks on it depending on what the ride deserves (or if I can be bothered changing them).
I’ve had it nearly two years and it’s an extremely nice bike. I have nothing to complain about, as Geetee says above there are no bad habits and hence nothing about the frame I would change.
6′ 1″ and ride a large. If anything I could do with it being slightly longer in the top tube but stand over height is about spot on. They are similar in dimensions to a Heckler, if that’s any use.