Hi All,

A mate of mine has asked if he can buy my trusty 2010 Epic off me as he borrowed it recently and loved it. I haven’t used it much since getting my Bronson so am happy to let it go but obviously this presents a perfect bike buying opportunity!

I mainly ride Swinley and Aston, with the odd uplift day in Wales and an annual trip to Europe for some uplift action. TBH, the Bronson does all of the above with some aplomb (it’s very light with XX1, Enve and 160mm floats) but I like having two bikes for when one is off the road for whatever reason, and I don’t massively relish the prospect of winter gloop and swinley sand on the flipping expensive cassette.

My current erring is towards and 100-120mm travel 29er which will be ideal at Swinley and the Chilterns and then save the Bronson for more gravity focused stuff, but I am not sure it will be as much fun as the Bronson as I like to play around on the jumps etc and hitting big rock stuff with the Enve’s makes we wince a little, so the alternative is to build a mini DH bike that would be more fun for Aston, uplifts and Europe, and then use the Bronson for the rest of the stuff. Something like the new Nomad with some 180mm forks and burly wheels has a certain appeal.

Budget not massively important – I just want to get something that will complement the Bronson and am unsure whether I should go bigger or smaller!

I don’t fancy a hardtail – looked into some a few months ago when getting a new station hack but ended up with a belt drive Trek Soho which is perfect for that role as I just didn’t enjoy hardtails off road anymore (must be getting old!)

Anyone been in a similar predicament? I know I need to do some test rides first and fully intend to, I am just unsure where to start.

Bump.

I’m kinda in same predicament when funds allow, thinking ti xc ht or carbon evo 456 or DH rig but have since realised I prefer having one steed which is a 127mm rear / 140mm front heavy duty trail bike.

But if I were in your precise shoes, I would choose something to cover ground quick i.e. The 100-120mm 29er.
Perhaps a Transition Smuggler would be a good but to compliment the Bronson…?

Thanks for the input. Hadn’t seen the Smuggler before – that looks very interesting indeed! There’s a very well priced Trek Fuel EX 7 29er in the classifieds but I think it weighs circa 31lbs so I think it will feel very lumpy after the 26lb Bronson.

If anything I’d want to put some weight on the Bronson and fet circa 25lbs or so 29er

My Trance 29 was out of service for a couple of weeks recently and not really being in love with my Scalp DH bike at the moment I decided a back-up trail bike was required. I wanted something simple that I’d also ride by choice rather than just necessity but nothing was lighting my fire.

Had a brief flirt with Surly Krampus and then, don’t laugh, got curious about fat bikes. The interest grew and with On-One doing there Limited Edition Fatty for £800 it was worth a punt, thinking that if I didn’t like it I could get out without losing too much. However, I love it and the last three Sundays I’ve jumped out of bed like a kid at Christmas.

On paper it’s heavy but judging by my position in the pack, if anything, I’m faster both up and down hill. I ride 2 or 3 times a week off-piste at Cannock and it’s just as good as my Trance, better in current conditions. For away days to trail centres I’ll almost certainly leave it at home but natural rides, Lakes, Peaks, Long Mynd, I’ll happily take the Fatty.

Singlesteed – unsure I’d want to add any weight to the Bronson – I flipping love it, especially since I had the 34s tweaked by Mojo and they now feel like Pikes! However, having largely only ridden poncy, XTR etc equipped bikes for the past X years, I think a low spec 29er would annoy me and so a 25lb 29er does have a lot of appeal.

Stu – hadn’t considered a fatty at all TBH – saw some out in Dubai last month and was rather intrigued. Hadn’t seen the On One bikes until now – please tell me yours has the pink tyres!? Maybe I need to try one…

For Swinley I’d definitely be getting a short travel fast XC bike. Why didn’t you use the Epic more? Seems silly to get anything that would replicate that…

njee20 – don’t know why I don’t ride the Epic more really, it’s just that the Bronson is so much more fun and get’s around Swinley at a faster pace generally. I rode the Epic there for the first time in about 8 months a few weeks ago and just didn’t click with it again. It has always felt a bit on the small side for me and after I lent it to a mate last week who loved it and asked if I’d sell, it got the new bike mindset underway!

Maybe a 100mm 29er, the Bronson and a DH bike would be the perfect combo….

Yes mine had pink tyres but it wasn’t seen in public until they’d been changed for black. If you’re used to riding sub 25lb bikes then the weight penalty may put you off at 37+ lbs. For me it’s only 6 lbs over my Trance and until recently I was carrying 16 stone of my own around so less noticeable. My mate rides a 23 lb Niner and really notices the extra 10 lbs on his Fat Bike. Like I say, I tried it and have a blast but it won’t be for everyone.

Well just popped into the local Evans and did a city centre in work shoes test ride on a Fuel EX 7 29er… actually quite liked the bike as a whole – didn’t feel overly heavy at circa 30lbs and the rear suspension felt lovely, but the Float 32 Evolution forks were horrid! Very sticky feeling with seemingly no damping at all (tested off kerbs and by hopping around etc so where forks often feel OK even when they suck on the rough stuff). I do fear I have been spoilt with my current bikes though (the Epic is a 2010 model but has Reba Team forks with BlackBox damping and are super plush)…

Amusingly the assistant initially told me that the Trek Fuel EX had a chromoly frame, before glancing at the spec sheet and then saying it was platnum aluminium but still light as the tubes are hollow…. bless!

Might need to just treat myself to something shiny and carbon!