Not for me I might add.
Mates got a 456 and a Sanderson geared hardtail, and not sure which one to take.

neither,you need a full bouncer for the lakes if your doing anything techy.. 😉

I’v got a 456 and a sanderson life (run ss though).

I’d swing towards the 456 as the sanderson is a great bike for going allong stuff, but the 456 is better going down, sanderson is nicer to climb on but the 456 isn’t bad either.

Of course, if you’re doing something REALLY TECHY, then a fully rigid hardtail is easier to carry 😉

Sanderson. Is the 456 SS? If not, they’re pretty similar bikes!

If it was me I’d take the 456 with some 130/140mm forks fitted.

ride a 456 and 5 and live / ride in the lakes, fine on either.

both fine. if riding up and over mountains i’d take the lighter of the 2 for the carries.

cross bike is all you need mind over matter

I’d take the one with the best forks. In the Lakes for the techy stuff my first priority would be forks, then brakes, then frame. On slow techy stuff I don’t think FS adds anywhere near as much as it does on faster trails.

When i rode off Old Man of Coniston I culdn’t get my new FS built up, so *had* to take my 456C, the lack of rear suspension didn’t matter at all.