i am currently running a newly-built Yeti Sb-66 with pikes etc etc and a very newly-built 20lbs Cannondale scalpel carbon with 650b conversion.
the yeti rocks for trail centres and the scalpel just laps up xc like nothing else.
i am however thinking that having the guts of £6k tied up in a pair of bikes might not be the best for my bank balance, so i’m thinking of moving them both on to replace with just one bike.
most of my riding is xc around the new forest, but the bike needs to be able to handle places like afan and a planned alps long-weekend later this summer.
so far i’m thinking 650b wheels, dropper post, circa 130mm travel, possibly carbon, 1×10 with range expander or 1×11 and circa £2.5k tops (new, custom built or second hand).
the obvious choice is a canyon spectral (if i can get hold of one) or possibly a Radon (effectively the same, but not really marketed in the UK and offering a spec similar to the Canyon).
what else should i be looking at?
(btw. i don’t want a Turner, a Yeti ASR5 or a Titus FTM carbon as i’ve done those already).