I’m seriously tempted by the current prices.

Any reason why I should leave alone?

I’d be putting Wotan’s on it and making it my ‘do it all bike’.

no reason at all its my do it all bike sold the full suspension and love the carbon 456 to bits.

lets put it this way if i ever crashed it or managed to break the frame in some way there would be another 1 shipping its way to me the same day 😀

Sounds good – it’d replace both my 2005 Reign (too heavy) and my Kinesis Maxlight (too steep and too low BB and too sounds like it’s going to break at any minute, the way I ride!)

I can’t get any info on BB height – I like it as low as possible without constantly hitting rocks – I live in a very rock part of Spain. Any info?

the BB has good clearance as its classed as an all mountain frame its 300mm from the floor to the bottom of frame. this is with 2.35 tyres which are quite fat.

I like the clearance i have not hit my 44 chainring on anything yet.

certainly this frame does not feel like something you can break cannot wait to throw it down some welsh hills in afew weeks 😀

Check my previous threads and read the one about tapered steerers if you’re considering using a tapered steerer fork…..

EDIT

http://www.singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/interesting-headset-problem-tapered-steerer-carbon-456

Love mine too, although its way too fast for me 🙂 Mine is a midges over 13″ to the centre of the BB spindle with 140mm revs and 2.25″ tyres.

I’ve had a ti and steel 456 and enjoyed both.

Currently I feel that they would be better balanced (cockpit to saddle relationship) if you were to put a 53cm axle to crown length 140/150 fork on them…ie Sektors or new Revs. The Pikes/32Talas and RC41s (all with 51cm axle to crown heights) I’ve used seem to leave the front end too low for me, making the effects of the high bb more apparent when you are chucking it down real steep stuff. There is no false advertising tho, they say from the start that they are aiming to produce an arse up, front down bike. Did climb real good in the forms I had them. Quite possibly a higher fork at the front would compromise that.
They are also quite long, so a size down on what you’d normaly take might be good.
And the seat angle is a bit slack leaving you further back and unless I shifted the saddle right the way foreward my knees gave me jip.

BUT they are hugely capable and I really enjoyed mine(still do….Ti one is having a frame makeover at present tho)

I found the Sanderson Blitz and Pace 303 better at descending and twisty singletrack.

has taken me 6 months of riding to find the correct positions for the saddle and bars etc.

I run 130mm travel forks with flat bars but i dont have no problems going down steep stuff i always find if i get over the back of the saddle that descents feel brilliant.

Can the Rev’s be wound down to 120mm on the full build from on-one?

So my 1 1/8″ steerer Wotans – 120-160mm travel – would be perfect then, that’s a done deal – now to put it past the missus…

I am also very tempted with one of these frames, i’ve heard good and bad reports, not sure if it would be safer to go with the steel version. I also thought about a dialled alpine, again not heard much about them though

Had one for about 3 months, great bike. Had 2 steel 456 SS before that in 16 and 18″ but got rid of both and got the carbon as the steel was a bit slack with Lyriks on. Have run it with Lyriks and Revs, great on both but better downhill with the Lyriks.

Was a proper carbon sceptic before buying it so the cost was a factor but love way it rides and couldnt give a toss how it looks.

Fantastically tough frame but really light – feels a bit wrong!

The tapered steerer on 16″ frame that Pete mentioned is on the way to being fixed. They sent me some alternative crown races and will be sending me a new headset top cap (all free of course) to resolve the issue.

took mine for its first ride today….loved it. light and quick

Hard crash on mine the other day as it made me do a very steep and rocky decent I wouldnt normally attempt – did my usual stuff and it was too easy.

I ended up with broken ribs – not a scratch on the frame!

The tapered steerer on 16″ frame that Pete mentioned is on the way to being fixed. They sent me some alternative crown races and will be sending me a new headset top cap (all free of course) to resolve the issue.

Yes, I’ve got the new crown races now too (See my thread, link above) which seems to have fixed it.
I’m hoping to get the new top race too. This will be good for me if only becasue I find the front rather low and I’m running a lot of spacers and a taller top race will get rid of some of those! 🙂