I am nearly convinced to get an fs after many years on ht, what im after is some views on the following bikes from those that have ridden them.
trans bottlerocket
Orange blood
nukeproof mega
Mountaincycle battery
Jamis parker
maybe even, scott voltage fr
What i want to know is how realistic it is to, whack the seat up and head out on a big ride. The priority, obviously, is playing around but unfortunately i am not blessed with the disposable income to have a quiver, i spend this much on a bike , every other bike related item i own has to be sold, it will be my only bike, well may be able to knock up an ss ht for real xc and rides with the missus.
Would be interested in any experience anyone has had with the above bikes and any alternative suggestions, or will i regret going bouncy? but i have an itch that needs scratching…
Bottlerocket and blood are faves at the mo
i thank you

I had a demo of the Blood riding near Ambleside (so a decent test). You can winch it up hills OK, but it wasn’t very confortable. Great fun riding back down of course.

I’d get a more conventional 6in FS myself for long rides and as an all-rounder, but I’m not you of course. Off that list, is the Nukeproof more of an AM than a play bike anyway?

So based on your test, would you buy one?
Yeah nukeproof is more AM i guess, just looks like it could be alot of fun if i dropped a size. Dont know much about it really being so new, so its on the list really to get opinions on it.
6″ all rounders arent really for me, small, chuckable and stable in the air is what im looking for but like i said, it has to be at least reasonably capable of putting in a few miles too, even if it is hard work, as long as its not pointless.
Another one for the list, i forgot to add is the DMR bolt, does look a little homemade though and what is the deal with the linkage, will it not pedal bob like crazy? dont know if id buy it but i would like a spin on one.

The DMR Bolt was apparenly designed to ride like a hardtail, so I’m not sure about pedal bob on that. Will be interesting to read some reviews as I think it looks awesome!

So based on your test, would you buy one?

Not as my only bike, no. It was one of the most fun bikes I’ve ever ridden though so once I’ve made my millions who knows… and if you’re more into jumping and freeride stuff then it might be spot-on for you.

Did you see this?
http://www.probikeshop.com/orange-blood-frame-blue-dhx-3-0-2009/23115.html

Hooja I’d second what chakaping says and look at a slackish 6 inch all rounder. I’ve had a few play bikes which I’ve ridden proper rides on too and it’s bloody hard going (patriot w/ custom shock length, transition dirtbag w/ danger boy links, commencal mini dh). You CAN do it, don’t get me wrong but for me it’s worked much better to start with a decent 6 inch bike and burl it up a bit rather than start with a big bike and try to rein in the weight and improve the all-day stuff.

I picked up a spicy316 in end of season sales, sold wheels, brakes, shocks, chain set, controls etc. and bought coils, better wheels etc to my spec and still ended up with exactly what I wanted for less than the original rrp of the bike. I doubt I could have done that if I started with a burly bike.

Stuff like the angle adjustable headsets will make it even easier to build the bike you want from an all-rounder starting point too…

I have a Jamis Dakar (The same as a Parker I think)2007.
It is a fun little 5″ bike, was a little short on the long climbs, but I happily did Clic, 24/12 and days in Wales on it. Jack the seat up and get over the front! It built up to exactly 27lbs with a fairly standard Xt build. It’s also for sale,17″, with some 140mm dual air revelations, Thompson post etc…..PM for details.

I have a Blood and I think its ace. It is super fun on the DHs but, I find, totally acceptable on the climbs. I’ve done >1000 m climbs on it on big day rides. Hard work but still possible. I’ve got the RP23 shock on it and wouldn’t really want to climb much without it.

I’m lucky enough to have a couple of bikes but if there could be only one, it would be the Blood.

I’ve not ridden any of the others but would think a Bottlerocket not suitable for all day riding.

Cheers all,
i hear where your coming from with a more AM based frame and build to suit, just seems like too big a leap from ht’s.
Im still not sure about going fs, but after two major back ops and a broken neck, im starting to think i should go for a bit of cushioning.
cheers for the link chaka, that is a very good price!
good to hear that you are loving the blood jemima and Dakar YGM…

You probably won’t regret getting a full suspension bike. You might regret getting the wrong full suspension bike though. I might come across like a complete arse here, but it’s not intentional.

I think you need to take a much closer look at the geometries of the bikes you listed, and consider how they will translate to real world riding. The fact that you’re also considering the DMR sets off alarm bells for me. Unless you intend to do most of your riding on local berms and dirt jumps, and other man made type features I think you’re barking up the wrong tree ever so slightly.

You may well end up with something that is very very heavy, and fun in an extremely limited context. You can pedal any bike all day, it’s just a question of strength and willingness. I think most of those would quickly become a chore, and ultimately be frustrating. In the real world, I think most riders would get a lot more out of an enduro or a five or similar. If I was you I’d get an enduro, or from your list the mega, and build myself up a dmr trailstar or similar for mucking about.

EDIT: FWIW I have ridden a few bottlerockets, and a battery.

After the birth of my son I realised I just wouldn’t get the chance to ride enough to justify all my bikes. My beloved Demo 8, dialled Alpine and mmmbop are all being sold leaving me my modified pitch pro.

It is built up with coil shock, u-turn Lyriks, 50mm stem, wide bars, lG1+ chainguide with 34×34 gearing and dropper post. For most of the riding I manage to do it does a great job and is a lot of fun. I have spare DH wheels for uplifts etc and tubeless for XC. Most of the riding I do is the likes of Woburn freeride and for that it is great.

So if you are going down the burly one bike for all route the pitch or enduro will tick most boxes.

i get what you mean but really im not after an all rounder, im after a play bike that on the odd occasion i may want to take a few miles with friends. I would rather sacrifice climbability than playability. With regards to the bolt, its not really a consideration, im just interested in what its like, looks different and coming from a ht background it makes you stop and take notice.
I think i need to spend some time on a couple of these bikes and decide if whether to go down this route or stick with a ht. Im yet to own or even ride an evil sov, maybe i should forget it and buy one of they!

What about something from Banshee/Mythic? They do some smart looking play bikes that are meant to be decent and probably cheap.

I had a bottlerocket for a while. Great fun on the downhills and it could actually be pedalled uphill as well. Wouldn’t want one as an “all day” bike though!

I have an Orange Blood and of course it is good fun. Whether it can be an only bike, only you can say and will be determined by your riding. I sometimes take it on XC rides with friends but only if I know it will be short and we will be riding steep stuff. Also goes abroad where there is climbing and traversing etc It is definitely possible but would not be my choice as an only bike but I also do quite a lot of XC for which I have a Soul. If you don’t ride much XC then it will be OK, but be honest with yourself!

hooja – Member
I would rather sacrifice climbability than playability.

I think i need to spend some time on a coupe of these bikes and decide if whether to go down this route or stick with a ht.

If I was looking for a hardtail substitute, for nothing more than razzing about on I’d be looking at the transition double, or perhaps a Foes 4x if money was no object. No I wouldn’t I’d get a spesh sx.

With regards to the bolt, its not really a consideration, im just interested in what its like, looks different and coming from a ht background it makes you stop and take notice.

I hate to dump on bikes I’ve not ridden but seriously, it looks like an accident. What’ll it weigh? 9lbs? I think I’ll have a specialized SX instead please. In fact, I think I’d take one over the two I’ve just mentioned as well.

Oh yes.

hooja, my pitch is as much fun to mess around on as my sx trail was, but the sx was absolutely miserable to XC on. My bikes are always built with the emphasis on enjoying the descents, jumps and drops.

Mythic Spitfire?

There was a reasonable thread on here about the mega and how the very steep seat angle makes it a good all dayer but with the slack head angle to make the downs and jumps fun.

Is that a correct assumption – i dunno about this angle stuff really. I have a 5 built with coil lyriks, double and bash, flows and that seems to do as a do it all bike enough for me. Innerlethen, glentress, local woods, local XC loops.

I have a Blood too, it has an RC4 Shock and is built up quite heavy, I run it 1×9 and can quite happily pedal it around Surrey Hills. You could get away with it as an all day bike but it isnt ideal.

its worth noting a lot of this kinda bike only come in one frame size (in particular, one seattube length), so if you’re tall, that may be a limiting factor. The bolt is only available as something like a 13, for example

Anyone know anywhere in sw, with bloods or bottlerockets on test, i might, maybe, posibly, kind of be interested in the mythic spitfire too, as a bit of a wildcard!
Just for further reference, i am not an xc rider looking at getting into jumps, dh etc, that is and allways has been my background (i do enjoy a bit of xc though and as said earlier i will prob build up an ss xc bike out of bits i have). I am just thinking about going fs instead of ht. I really want real world experiences from folks who have ridden similar bikes, unfortunately i dont want to be told im looking for the wrong bike, i know what i want and the limitations. Hope that doesnt sound shirty, its not meant to, i just think some folks have got the wrong end of the stick. 😀
i thank you all again

the shop that’s nearest tavi woods (who I think run the Gawton DH uplift) had a blood in at some point last year – might be worth giving them a call

I ride xc on a 45lb 6-7″ travel gemini. Uphills are a bother but I’m never the slowest guy riding

cheers 5lab, i was in there this weekend drooling over a br, but they didnt have a tester, didnt ask about a blood. I’ll ask next weekend.

exactly, although 45lbs….fair play!

i rode my norco six, which is a similar build as an SX, as my only bike for a good while – weighed in at about 38lb at the last weigh-in. worked well for me as it handled all the DH & FR stuff as well as being able to go up.

i reckon you should go for what you want rather than listen to some of the advice on here.

have you thought about the mythic (banshee) wildcard? a mate has one – great bike, slopestyle orientated and bombproof so will handle everything you can throw at it/it at!

RE – MC battery . I’ve got one, its a great bike, dunno about its use as an all dayer though, its a tad heavy. It does have a steep seat tube, and it loves going down and being ion the air.

Cheers peaches, the wildcard does look nice, good reviews too!
just been checking out the devinci frantic, sounds pretty good also 🙄

Hello

I have a bottlerocket that i use for a bit of Dh and general titting around on. Its built up fairly chunky, 66 coil fork, double and bash, mavic 721’s, shimano brakes etc and it weighs around 38lbs. I do sometime ride it for an all day XC ride. You just have to cruise up the hills to save your energy for the downs. Its a weird bike in that for a 5 inch travel bike it weighs a ton but it gets up to speed pretty quick and i think is a good balance between dh stability and “chuckability” it jumps so well and is very confidence inspiring. Oh and feels bomb proof!!

I have also had a ride on a Blood (in verbier) and that felt very good aswell, i think it was better for pure fast Dh type stuff and could be built up lighter. Also the TT was a bit more roomy so would probably make for a better XC ride. I still think the bottle rocket jumps better though.

Try to get a go on them if you can, but reading what you want i reckon you would be happy with either a rocket or a blood.

Blood is the only bike I’d change my Blur 4X for. Had a spin a mates and its lovely. Not bothered about winching up climbs – I’m at the stage now where climbs are just a necessary evil – its the fun on the other side that counts and the Blood/Blur 4X are all about that.

Bottlerocket is meant to be heavy in comparison to the Blood IIRC. Should be a good bike though… rumour has it that Orange actually bought a Bottlerocket to play with when they were developing the Blood.

The DMR is previewed on SDH’s home page. Looks sh*t (IMHO) and is meant to be really heavy (SDH’s opinion). Sounds like a bike that has no use to anyone? A heavy full sus that rides like a hardtail (but lets be realistic, it won’t).

Had a fair mix of bikes and the most useless for all day work was a Cove G spot in 45lb 5th element and gert big DH wheel ‘n’ tyre spec. With lighter kit it was fine for lugging around the typical uk routes but the middle ground of my 140mm Prophet Mx with AM type kit is just a better bet most of the time. As was the early Orange Five and 130mm bolt through forks that preceeded it (this one was supposed to have max of 120mm up front).

Full sus like that makes most things feel a lot more sanitized anyway but can add a fair chunk of extra weight that wears you down on a longer ride to the point you are a bit too done in to really enjoy the descents. It’s a trade off though as long rocky rides on a hardtail can have a similar effect

My advice would be to go with something not too over built and not masses of rear travel (4-6″max) to keep weight sensible but go for longish travel (or adjuatable) stiff forks that slacken up the head angle for playing. For what it’s worth I ride my Dialled Prince Albert way more often than my FS bikes. If I lived in the Alps or somewhere with less muddy conditions that would change but cleaning and maintaining expensive moving parts doesn’t float my boat.

Have a go on an Alpine 160 and use that as a benchmark if you can perhaps? It’s about as light as you would want, simple and perfectly capable of all day jaunts or playing on the gnarly stuff.

Looks sh*t (IMHO) and is meant to be really heavy (SDH’s opinion). Sounds like a bike that has no use to anyone? A heavy full sus that rides like a hardtail (but lets be realistic, it won’t).

I don’t really get the problem with the looks, think it’s quite nice and hardtailesque – imo this is better than a curvy full sus like you see from a lot of other manufacturers. And if it rides anything like a DMR hardtail then it’ll be loads of fun. The only problem I can see is the weight but the article says they may have plans to slim it down a bit..

Hooja, in the light of your subsequent post, forget what I said earlier. If you know that you don’t need it except for the occasional XC then a Blood should be fine. I came to mine from a 224 and have had no regrets. I bought it because the very low bb and slack front makes it feel planted and of course not as good at huge or rock gardens as a 224 but better for almost everything I ride day to day. Steep seat post does mean you can winch it uphill and mine is used abroad which includes a lot of climbing and traversing. It is not even heavy at just over 32lbs for something that feels so solid and of course a hoot downhill and in the woods. Some people have complained eloquently and seemingly very knowledgeably on here about blowing through the mid range travel on the back but I haven’t had a problem. Have mine set with a lot of sag to exagerate the angles and maximise grip and put up with a bit of gentle bottoming out occasionally but I am not doing anything too hard at the moment (if ever) because I am still coming back from injury. When I do use it for a bit more of a ride with friends then just up the pressure in the shock a bit to more normal levels and use pro pedal on the ups. Not a bike expert but have had quite a few and I am very happy with it and would not swap. From the range you are choosing from I am sure they will all be great and whilst I do love hardtails I have more fun mucking about on full sus bikes.

The orange is getting alot of thumbs up it seems…
Good info ed, cheers, 32lbs is very respectable. shame its so new, too early for any 2nd hand bargains!
anyone selling an ex demo?

Is the 2011 Blood still 27.2″ seat tube? I wonder if that will be updated later in year to pull it in line with five

i like the look of the blood.

I reckon the Blood looks mint and whilst Im sure it cant be as easy to ride up hills say as a full on xc bike it cant be that hard? I have a coil sprung Alpine in 16″ and its fine ride it up most things. I just always think I must get fitter! Rowan Sorrell Rides a blood for most stuff in the UK from his vids and he rides up EVERYTHING, FACT!*

HOWEVER without getting too fanatical; have you seen this! :-

ITS £1350 – For the full frickin bike!

Im getting one in March you have to either collect it or ship it yourself, but it’s still cheap and I fancy a roadtrip! My mate has one out in slovenia and he reckons its ace. Im sure you could trail ride it, I rode my hardtail round Brechfa and Im sure lots of people on here have done horrendous things on bikes with one masssssssssive gear so how hard can it be to ride for a couple of hours on a trail centre or out in the woods on a bike like this with gears?

for the webber click HERE

If you check out there Geometry (on the long) its pretty similar to my 16″ Alpine which is ideal for me at just under 6ft.

ps im not on commision!

*this statement may be complete hosshite

Or something like this

There doesn’t appear to be too much in it, in terms of frame design/angles for this type of bike. I’d go for a mixture of best spec for the money and a good warranty and aftersales. And I’d also forget any notion of all day xc rides. Get a cheap xc bike for that.

It won’t ride like any hardtail though, the DMR. Because its well over twice the weight of one or something.

Voltage FR FTW – got one – love it.