…..best spec full sus MTB for trail, intermediate bike park, cross country riding etc? Looking at buying next month. Currently have a Specialised Camber (2015) 29er but am also considering 27.5 / 27.5 plus.

Many thanks in advance as new to this forum!

Currently in a similar boat and the YT Jeffsy 29 CF One is hard to ignore, Large not available until mid august though.

3K gets you so much bike, that I wouldn’t just base it on spec.

That said, the Bird Aeris 120 or 145 would be very high on my list.
Their ‘Ultimate Editions’ are around 3k.

https://www.bird.bike/product-category/complete-bikes/

I know it’s not all about wheel size, but I’d be looking for a 29in bike for that kind of riding for sure.

That narrows the field quite drastically.

Jeffsy is a good shout if the sizing works for you, the new Fuel EX is nice but a bit pricey, Cotic FlareMax with a custom build would probably be my choice. I would have bought one if they fit my short legs.

Cotic FlareMax would be my suggestion too. For £3k you could build it light enough. They don’t ride heavy anyway.

And you’ve got a nice steel frame that will last forever and be worth something when you get bored of it.

Was looking around for same criteria and similar price 6 months ago. Was close to going for a Flare but ended up with an Anthem 1, which for me fits the bill perfectly.

Whyte S150 is imminent, July I understand.

YT Capra and £1k change.

Radon Swoop 170?

Had similar requirements and for me it was between a Jeffsy (29er option only at that time) or Whyte T129RS.
Went for the T129 in the end as could try the bike out for size and local support in he case of any issues.
Very pleased with it so far and world of difference from my previous bike, but that was a 2005 Yeti 575.

Focus Jam is another option. Just demo’d one and liked it so much I now have one on the way!

Next year’s bikes are rolling into shops in the next few weeks, so expect to see deals on last year’s bikes / frames. I picked up a fully XTR’ed Santa Cruz 29er this time last year for this sort of money as a heavily discounted “last year’s model” bike. Unsurprisingly, it’s a lovely bike 🙂

Couple of friends have had issues with YT’s support from Germany – not any complaints about their service, but more about the fact that everything was more difficult when you need to send it back to Germany. Both of them ended up with their bikes off the road for an extended period because of the Fox shock issue – much longer than they would have with an LBS, who would have probably slapped a spare shock on the bike to get them riding. Just worth bearing in mind…

Was in the same position too, had to go for the jeffsy and really happy with it.
I’ve heard a few stories of people sending their fox shocks back to the Germans for recal, being without a bike for a few weeks when you can go direct to mojo wales and get it done in an hour if booked in and dropped off.

Alpine 6 and upgrade the rear shock. Don’t get too hung up on fancy spec.

At £3k, it’s all about the Airdrop Edit V2

Super chuffed with my Jeffsy. Absolutely brilliant bike…best I have owned in years in fact. Probably the cheapest too!

Flare’s a good call, but might as well go the whole hog and get a Rocket.

2018 Trek Remedy 8 looks nice for £2700

I’ve just ordered the Jeffsy CF2, it has the reverb unlike the CF1 and was in stock. I will be converting to 1x at some point though.

Best 2017 Orange Five you can find for the budget.

£3k will get you an ibis mono hd3 with fox 36 forks and 1×11 groupset.

Why are you considering changing from what you have, or is this an additional bike?

Only on STW do people recommend 170mm travel monsters for trail, XC & a little bit of bike park 😆

A swoop is clearly what you need for a bit of xc riding

Onzadog – Member
£3k will get you an ibis mono hd3 with fox 36 forks and 1×11 groupset.

Link?

http://www.ubyk.co.uk/undefined/68543

Even factoring the

BoardinBob – Member
patriotpro » Onzadog – Member
£3k will get you an ibis mono hd3 with fox 36 forks and 1×11 groupset.
Link?
http://www.ubyk.co.uk/undefined/68543

Even after factoring the dropper post in that’s impressive value

Most of the above

Rose Uncle Jimbo, Granite Chief, whatever the new Carbon one is called.

Commencal Meta

Orange Four?

If you haven’t bought an Alpine 6 yet, or you’re not sure about 170/160mm of travel, I recommend you check the stunning deals on 2017 Orange Fives. Sunset were doing them cheap. It’s a mint all-rounder, but obviously a bit more trail then bikepark.

Bored at work on a Friday so thought I’d chuck in the Bird Aeris 120. I’ve got a 145 and it’s fine pedalling on the flat / up – but guessing the 120 might be better for the type of riding you do.

£3k gets you a fair amount of bike spec.

Edit -£2873 gets you an Aeris 120 with 2018 pike rct3, Sram GX eagle 12 speed, RS deluxe rct3 debonair shock, RF dropper post, DT Swiss spline wheels etc.

Forget 3K, 2 is all you need.
Good deals around for Orange 5S.
Jeffsy. I thought Id made my mind up on a Jeffsy AL version but wasnt sure on spec and didnt want to spend that much and not be sure. I bet I would’ve been happy with it though. Went for Orange instead.

Don’t be sucked in by Eagle. There seem to be a fair number of dissatisfied real-world users. Glad I went XT instead – saving a fortune and swerving the hassle.

Not tried Eagle, but if Ben at Bird has found it ok then I’d think it was generally ok. What have you heard is bad about Eagle (other than cost of cassettes etc). Only heard good things about the fancy expensive Eagle really.

I’m on ‘old’ GX 1×11 and it’s fantastic. Same with my 2×10 X9, and 1×10 with GX bits.

Was in a shop the other day and they had a wrecked rear mech that was going to be mega bucks to replace. They said there have been a few issue with reliability and vulnerability. Some of it might be inherent to the precision set-up you need for running 12 gears smoothly. Great when it works, but more prone to needing fettling. And when things break or go wrong, it’s massively expensive to sort unless you downgrade. Got the impression it wasn’t nearly as fit-and-forget as cheaper systems, especially if you ride tight stuff that knocks the mech a lot. No experience of it myself – I can’t avoid it and wouldn’t take the risk even if I could. XT 11 speed with Hope cranks works perfectly for me, and it’s proved super-reliable in all conditions.

New Whyte s150 looks good , UK warranty if anything goes wrong .

Recently picked up a lightly used 2016 trek fuel 9.8, 27.5. For general hacking about it’s absolutely blooming brilliant. Paid £1850.

Play your cards right with a good local dealer and the Whyte 160rs can be had for less than 3k Lyriks and eagle 🙂

YT Outlet has some good deals on 2016 Jeffsys. Bits and pieces better than 2017 I reckon.