I want a bike for messing about, summer in the big mountains etc and I am tempted by idea of a burly mid travel bike like the blood or the bottlerocket. Are there any other bikes that I should look at?

Although the bike will be mostly used for razzing, it needs to have a modicum of ability to go up hill and might be used as a trail bike from time to time.

Observations on the suitability of the orange/transition and any other recommendations gratefully received.

Thanks

How about Chumba XCL, Specialized Pitch or Enduro, Yeti 575

Cotic Hemlock here, superb with 36 Talas

SX Trail or Intense Slopestyle. Both awesome over the fun stuff, and can be built light enough for 3hr rides.

New Nuke Proof – looks pretty similar to Blood/BottleRocket but I'd expect may be a touch cheaper.

Second the Chumba XCL 😉

Ideal as a messing around bike, tough as owt and also does XC pretty well!

I have a few offers on a couple of XCL's frames atm 🙂

http://www.progressive-bikes.co.uk/news24082009.html

I always thought the Xprezo Gamjam looked well cool.

Available from these guys-

http://www.shore-lines.co.uk/

daveyboywonder, its a prototype and not expected for a while yet, still experimenting with different back ends apparently. start reading the mags and stop just lookng at the pretty pictures! 😛

Take a look at this month's Dirt mag, page 42 . . . prototype Nuke Proof f/s frame (140-160mm travel, 66 degree HA) which at first glance looks pretty similar to the Blood and Bottle Rocket tho' maybe slightly less burly – designed by Brant and still work-in-progress but does look interesting.

Reign X? Can pick 'em up cheap if you can find them second-hand, although they're not often sold on! I bought mine for £300 and made a nice profit selling it on 6 months later 😉 Fun bikes

mama, see daveyboywonders comment above..then read mine above… 😉

Well aware its not due for a while yet but it might be a lighter and cheaper (?) option that the Blood when it arrives.

I'm kinda half waiting for the hardtail version thats been knocking about around these 'ere parts for a bit!

note to self: read all posts before posting yourself 😉

the bike you already have is probably good enough, if only you could ride it better….

New Commencal Absolut SX?

"the bike you already have is probably good enough, if only you could ride it better…." cheers Di*k He@d!

The "bike I already have" is a 10 year old heckler that has had a hole worn through the downtube from cable rub, has forks that no longer hold air for more than 2 days and is in need of a full new drive train.

ianv, if you fancy a XCL, let me know, and i'll see what i can do price wise….

Wow cable rub will actually make a hole in a down tube!? Crikey.

Actually it was the seat tube, wrong nomenclature but point still stands

re the XCL, I read a review in a french mag that suggested that it was a bit steep and XC orientated. I am looking for a slack bike that will take big forks and a coil rear shock. What do you think?

Cheers

i like the look of lapierre bikes.the zesty for me if i had the funds.

razzing

. Haven't seen/heard that word in ages. First class!

I tested a blood recently ianv, with a view to getting a bike for the same reasons as you (already have a 5), and it ticked all those boxes. nice and slack, overbuilt to take big hits and very planted.

Im getting one as soon as i can raise the cash. Gonna swap the 36's off my 5 on to it and then just use it for anything very technical/the odd downhill course/foreign trips and a bit of summer riding. Im gonna whack the 140's i've got back on the 5 and use that for general trail duties/winter riding.

A lot of the suggestions on this thread aren't gonna be burly enough for what you're after IMO.

I had a demo on a Bionicon Edison at Laggan. Well worth considering.
Has the geometry of a '90s XC race bike for uphill and is proper slack and low for downhill.review

How about a Banshee Rune? I have one and ride everything from the Whistler bike park through to xc on it.

ianv – XCL will take 160mm up front there are rockers in development (about 4 weeks away) to drop the head angle 1 degree to about 66 with a Lyric which is the same slackness as the blood, pop a CCDB or Van-R and you've got coil and slack angles, the new rockers are recommened to be used with a coil shock.

The above is what I am going to do to have a Alps bike and keep the other rockers and air shock for the more local stuff.

I had an XCL and really liked it. The frame is pretty burly, I would not be very worried about it falling to pieces unless you start doing largish jumps.

However I would say it's more of a burly trail bike rather then a light freeride bike. A mate had a bottle rocket and I don't think you can talk about them on the same day. Looking at him pedal the bottlerocket seemed painfull, while the XCL is a joy…

From Chumba I think the EVO might be more what you want though. Still burlier then the XCL, but lighter then a Bottlerocket. People have even been doing ok with an EVO racing downhill.

http://www.chumbaracing.com/evo.shtml

Alpine 160 – Better climber, and nearly as good down the Alpine slopes!

Intense Uzzi also looks interesting. Reviewed in this months MBUK. I noticed Siverfish advertising it with Totems on it, whereas the test had it with Fox 36s I think.

However I still have an '05 Enduro SX Trail for "all mountain" duties and I still havent found a bike i would rather have yet! My SX trail now is kitted with Lyrics and climbs fine. In its FR incarnation I used to have Marz 66s on it(that greatly reduced my climbing ability on it).

2nd hand Spec SX trails can now be had fairly cheap second hand(or old model new frames from dealers)…i'm not selling though!

The orange Blood has 127mm rear travel. Doesnt seem a lot for "big mountain" rocky stuff…if I was getting an orange for that it would be the alpine 160