Previously owned a 5 which was a 2010 model was going to upgrade to a brand new one but whilst I was in the bike shop havin a look a carbon Stumpjumper fsr Evo caught my eye, I’ve always liked the simplicity of the five but with technology moving on carbon being lighter I’m torn between the two any advice or other options 150/160 mm trail/xc bike..

if i were buying a new bike right no i’d be looking hard at a bandit.

I really like the stump evo.

But I tried a Yeti SB66 and thought it was pretty awesome up and down for a do anything trail bike.

so SB66C with fox 34’s would be my no limit budget bike 🙂

Why did you sell the 5, what was so wrong with it that you are now looking at the same (type) of bike, again?

And then take the reasons and see whether the Evo/Nomad etc are better/worse.

Evo’s the best trail bike I’ve ridden, if I could only have one bike for some idiotic reason it’d be top of the list for sure… Hugely capable but also instantly familiar and inspiring- similiar to a Five in that way but lighter and with suspension that works 😉

Latest Nicolai AC..

Loving mine,slacker,slightly longer..Amazing bike

Assuming it’s anythign like my Pitch, but lighter and with bigger wheels, I’d say stumpy Evo.

I’d not worry about simplicity, the bearings in my pitch seem to be holding up well. And on a limitless budget I’d just get the LBS to service them if needs be.

The best bike depends on what is important to you, and what traits you like.

Someone else mentioned the SB66 which Dirt loved, and pretty much every other review paints a similar picture.

Personally I think there are better bikes than the Nomad & 5 now. The Stumpy Evo being one of them. Sadly it’s let down by all the SRAM kit on it & isn’t available frame only here.

Mojo SL-R, XX1 group, carbon wheels, nice finishing kit. Done.

Never ridden one, but it’s what I’d have!

Interested in this topic a bit as well.
Had my Mojo HD for 2 1/2 years now, run it in both 140 air and 160 coil guises, wondering whether there’s anything since that’s significantly better as an all rounder.

150/160mm xc/trail bikes? You looking at the right sort of bikes?

Where you riding? what’s your style?

Plus there is no simply “best”, just ones that are better optimised for YOUR particular riding with compromises you deem acceptable.

You dont get owt for nowt.

Plus what’s up with your current bike? When was the lat time it had a complete rebuild and suspension services with maybe tuning and correct setup for yourself?

The best bike depends on what is important to you, and what traits you like.

This is spot on. Different people like different bikes. Most here will recommend whatever they own at that time.
Go out and ride as many as you can, there are plenty of people on here (me included) who would join you for a ride and let you have a good go on their bikes. It needn’t be expensive to demo bikes.

Spicy 916.

I love my stumpy Evo, it rides light but is great on the downhill stuff. Glad I didn’t fall into the trap of an over built heavier bike. I have the 2011 Expert Evo and cant see me changing it for some time.

If it was me I’d be tempted by a Pivot 5.7 Carbon..

I really like the stump evo.

But I tried a Yeti SB66 and thought it was pretty awesome up and down for a do anything trail bike.

so SB66C with fox 34’s would be my no limit budget bike

Snap – exactly what I have done. Stunning bike which suits me down to the ground. Long top tube, wide bars, short stem. 2×10, XT throughout, dropper post. Rides well on the trail, good uphill, stunning down. The only thing I’ve not done is go for carbon wheels. I’ve got Havens which seem pretty tight and robust.

I use Strava and I’m quicker everywhere on the Yeti (up and down) – so I’m happy. The only place I suffer is road sections where I run out of gears. But I can live with that.

I do admit its my midlife crisis bike and I won’t get the full use of it – but I don’t care 😀

I’m very surprised no-one’s said 140mm 29er!

OK, I will then.

Santa Cruz Tallboy LtC , Fox 34’s, Crossmax wheels, reverb etc. etc. being a luddite when it comes to transmission and considering the steep hills/advanced age quotient It would also have 3×10 on it.

Trouble is, the above is approximately twice what I could even hope to afford in the real world, but in my dreams….

A Five, but only because I’ve never owned one.

Spesh and Trek seem to be the go-to bikes at the moment. I went for a Whyte, which seem to have a very chalk/cheese ride, I love it myself aside from the SRAM drivetrain and Fox Forx and Avid brakes, but if you can afford to choose the good kit then the frame is epic, superlight, although you do tend to take off where you want to stick to the deck! But yeah, the specialized seems good from what I’ve seen, a little heavy for an xc jobby but good for a trail bike. Quite cheap too, can get them for about 3000-3500.

Got rid of my 2009 5, couldn’t get on with it at all, after nearly 3 years of tweaking and trying!

Got a Stumpy FSR Evo. Absolutely love it, from the first ride. Bought the ally frame from Bike Scene, and used existing parts and some new ones.

120mm Nicolai Helius AC 29r. Mine’s sublime……..

The trek slash would be my dream bike.

Nomad c, although aging a bit and having unfashionable geometry, it really is a cracking bike to ride.

T_l_r, did you buy it blind, or did you demo one?

As said above, it really depends on what sort of trails you ride and what you’re looking for. But if I could have any one bike, money no object, it’d be either a Tallboy LTc or one of the new S-Works Enduros.

I built mine 🙂

Minus the dogsh*t Hans Dampf’s now though…

Vinney , extended demooverva weekend from gravity sports….

Cost no option?

I’d lock Paul Turner, Horst Leitner, Spencer Owyang, Scott Nicol, Adrian Carter, Steve Wade, Dave Wiegel, Mert Lawill, Peter Denk and a few pros like Jonnny T, Lopes, Nico, Anne-Caro and Barel in a hangar and not let them out until it was perfect.

Minus the dogsh*t Hans Dampf’s now though

I thought they got pretty good reviews? What didn’t you like about them?

Just didn’t get on with them at all.

For a similar weight & size a Minion/Ardent EXO setup rolls almost as quick yet has a noticeable amount more grip in all situations. They also seem to clear the mud/soft dirt a lot better in the damp conditions I seem to mostly ride in.

Interestingly everyone who has had a go on my bike commented about the lack of grip over a big Maxxis/Conti of similar size too, as I wondered if I was going a bit mad, based on the reviews the HD’s have had.

To be fair all you have to do is put it next to a Minion & you can see why there is a big difference.

What does everyone think of this Specialized Rockhopper on eBay? Is it worth £380???

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SPECIALIZED-ROCKHOPPER-PRO-MOUNTAIN-BIKE-17-MEDIUM-MAGURA-FORKS-AVID-BRAKES-/230944806850?pt=UK_Bikes_GL&hash=item35c56217c2

Cheers

£378, not a penny more

Tallboy LTc, Fox 34s, ENVE and XXI

This one is top of my list.

http://www.silverfish-uk.com/NewsDetail/100605/Poster-Bikes—Yeti-SB66-Carbon%5D

Whatever it is, it MUST have ENVE AM rims and DH bars. For me, this would be on a LTc frame with slightly adjusted geometry, forks which haven’t been invented yet and those eye wateringly expensive new formula brakes.

The new Stumpy enduro carbon. Transition covert carbon. Some of the 29er long travel incarnations that are coming about. Defo bikes with slacker angles.

Maybe a Foes, always liked there bikes.

Pivot mach 5.7 carbon works for me, feels rock solid, suspension that actually works, lovely up and downhill, 26lbs with xt and sensibly light build kit.

However some people think they are a bag o’ shite, so as ever a test over relevant terrain yadda yadda yadda.

That said I rode a well worn test bike for 30 minutes, played with the shock pressure a bit, went back and put my money on a frame 🙂

Blur ltc? Rocky mtn altitude both seemed to go well this weekend.

Is this where we post pictures of our SB66’s again?
Standard XT (2×10) build with 34 160mm Float upfront, great bike that can covers lot of different riding which is useful as I only have space for one bike. Exceptional bike and fast, able to go up like a billy goat but you have to give it some English on the way down to take advantage of the suspension.

Sorry, typical STW response, the best bike is the one you are riding!