Looking into getting a new bike….

I’m after something that will be occasionally raced at enduro events at a very “having a go fun” level rather than elite….

It will be mostly ridden round the peak, so needs to go up and down reasonably, but it will be a second bike to a 29er hard tail, so the downs are the priority, and I want a bike that I can take on uplifts and uk self powered DH. We also take an abroad holiday every year, the last three years have been, Canada and Alps twice.

I have the following demo rides booked…

Orange Alpine
Kona 153
Whyte g-150

Although getting the kona/whyte frame only may be an issue, Id like to get frame only and build it up myself…

I do keep coming back to the NP though, Ive ridden one and got on with it, and the value of the frames on CRC seem unbeatable compared to say, the £1700 Alpine…. is anything going to be worth spending 500-800 more on?

idle musings really…

CRC are knocking those nukeproofs out at pretty much trade, so unless you go S/H you’ll struggle to get something as good value.

get the Nuke, you won’t regret it, I Love mine.

I’m just building one up at the moment, seems nicely made and they look so much better in the flesh!

4 of my mates have bought them through trying mine 🙂

Think yt are just about to release an aluminium capra. That might come in around your budget.

price wise the nukeproof wins
but ive ridden one and my 153 is much more chuckable than the mega

Commencal Meta SX? Not sure if better or just different.

Nicer colour

got a np mega tr275 to replace my ’12 five..imo its waay better at everything even though it has less travel, im a lot more comfortable in the air and on the nadgery stuff so the mega AM will only be better than that..I’ve had a go on a mates 2012 AM and it didn’t feel out of depth at any point on the steeper dh trails at Gawton and rode back up the steep push up track with surprising ease.
get one you one regret it.

pricewise its hard to do better than the nukeproof, but a Titus El Guapo might be a good alternative around the same sort of price.

Other bikes with a similar ethos:-

– specialized enduro
– YT capra
– Orbea rallon ( this is what I bought, great great bike)
– GT Sanction

The 650b Codeine must be close to launch. I guess you will be looking at £800 for a frame with a CCDB.

I think that the YTs are all too small/short for me, I really need the bigger sizes available, looking for TT of ~25-26 inches.

I’m not necessarily after a cheap bike, and don’t mind spending a bit more on a bike that I will keep for some time if its worth it, short of the +2k carbon super bikes, just at the moment, I don’t think I can see many being so much better than the NP as to be worth twice the amount!

Add the Giant Reign to that list, build kit on the Reign 2 is very good.

Canyon Strive Race geometry bikes are nice and long – and very good value complete.

Not ridden one, just throwing it in the mix for you!

The rallon in size large has 25 inch (635mm) effective top tube, a fairly long wheelbase (1205mm) and a low BB (345mm or 338mm depending on the setting).

Rides exceptionally well especially downhill IMO, but whether its worth the extra over the NP is in the eye of the beholder.

frame only with fox shock is ~£1300, or with BOS shock is ~£1650. Full bike from ~£2k with fox suspension.

Getting some test rides in is a great idea. Also gives you a basis to compare numbers to other bikes too.

On a personal note, my next bike will be an(other) Orange, mainly because I’m sick of changing pivot bolts on my current linkage bike. (They’ve also redesigned their frames to make them longer and fit my gangly frame better).

Otherwise the Nuke owners I know love theirs, the new YT and Yeti SB66 owners are ranting (although it appears the Capra is the preferred bike by those that have ridden both).

Whatever, have fun testing!

OP, they are very good bikes at a great price even before a big discount

Yeah as I have ridden one already, I know they are good bike, also get rave reviews everywhere, and the bargain price makes me think I already know the decision I will make!

More idle musings around, can any frame be worth basically twice the price….
although I cant help thinking it will never “feel” special to me, and consequently I will “lust” after something else 🙂

we all lust after other stuff, but are you prepared to pay Other stuff prices for a bike that will do essentially the same?

Saracen Ariel 152. absolutely awesome bike

More idle musings around, can any frame be worth basically twice the price….

you’re definitely into the realms of diminishing returns. I suppose it depends how you define worth.

If you only place value on performance, then its very debatable how much faster (if at all) a frame costing twice as much will be, and theres pretty much no way to find out for certain unless one is clearly hugely inferior.

If you like the colour scheme of the more expensive bike, or like the brand , or like the fact that the expensive one has some feature that the less expensive one doesn’t , or maybe the more expensive one fits you better, then maybe its worth paying more. Whatever makes you happy. Its your money , only you can decide if its worth it.

if you have the time its definitely worth testing a few, only then will you have a proper view.

Rose Uncle Jimbo? No frame only option but everything can be altered to exactly what you want and I mean everything. Effectively you get the kit you want with a frame thrown in free. If you don’t like the frame, you can throw it out and buy an orange alpine frame and its cheaper than buying a full bike from orange!

I really like mine!

Well that Rose looks like it would be a pain to climb on as seat tube is very slack ! Well it is compared to yt and rallon !
( just my 2p worth )
Slack seat tube means it wants to lift the front wheel on climbs . But if you have a steep ST and slack HA with long front and short rear you get it all . Well I have with my Rallon

Its a 75 degree seat tube, so pretty steep!

It’s just the fact that the seat tube doesn’t go to the BB. So seat tube angle through bb is 75 which is pretty steep – just confusing to the eyes.

Ah ok same as rallon then it just looks very slack !
Hi Steve how was the weekend with Jim and boys ?

Transition Patrol? £1499 frame only with Monarch Plus. Nowhere near as cheap as last years Mega at CRC prices but then it’s not painted in horrid JCB colours either.

Saracen Ariel 152. absolutely awesome bike

Currently riding a ’14 151. Couldn’t agree more.

^^ and they do the 15X frame which is what i ride. some stellar deals out there on them