Keep having this nagging feeling that i should look at something lighter with less travel ? Spicy climbs well and descends well it flatters me but…..Then again what to replace it with ?31 lbs is plenty enough to ride all day , wouldn’t want to go TOO light .

If it climbs well
Descends well
And you enjoy riding it.
.
Why would you want to change it.

Just that niggle in the back of my mind that something a bit nippier might fit the bill ?yesterday failed on a climb i usually clean , may have been an off day ?

What do you do with it? Spicy’s more or less equivalent to my main bike and tbh, on paper yes it’s too much bike for most of the stuff I do but in practice, it’s still fun even on blue routes. Totally surprised me.

Spicy climbs well and descends well it flatters me

It’s why I tend to ride my TranceX in company. Don’t skill compensation 🙂

“Spicy climbs well “
If you are genuiely happy with how it/you go uphill (and wouldn’t think, what if this was a zesty etc? .. ) then why not?

Though AFAIK Lapierre are getting failry pricey. There must be plenty of similar-ish bikes out there less expensive

You’ve just not been riding as much as you’d normally do Ro, so more of an off day, is climbing that much of a big deal when the fun is on the other side.

You could always go for a lighter option that descents well and nips along where the Spicy feels sluggish, but i’m willing to say it’s the legs that were sluggish, knottie mentioned you slipped off for a bacon roll at the layby, sure you didn’t have a full english and some cake?

I’m lucky enough that the Spicy isn’t my only bike, but there’s very little I wouldn’t be happy riding on it if it was. Have done 7-hour epics, the alps, trail centres, xc, everything on it, and never felt it was out of place anywhere.

yesterday failed on a climb i usually clean

On the whole (tyres and skill), you’ll climb ‘better’ with a lighter bike.

Shane , grub wagon wasn’t there barstewards !Went to the Plough and apparently they are changing hands again !

…there’s very little I wouldn’t be happy riding on it if it was. Have done 7-hour epics, the alps, trail centres, xc, everything on it, and never felt it was out of place anywhere.

.
That’s the kind of quote that a manufacturer would put on there marketing material.
.
I would say that’s the kind of thing most people would aim for when selecting a bike.

oldfart = mountain goat ! Nowt wrong with his climbing at all .(attention whore).

tis the Q’s I say is the issue

yer old bugger you know the place makes you bitch and moan

keep it yer daft bugger you KNOW you like it

well if you really dont like it Rolly then I suppose i’ll let you swap it for my road bike…

I have a Zesty that’s a similar weight and thinking about something lighter myself as an alternative but would probably have to be a short travel 29er to be different enough to make it worthwhile (like an Anthem 29er).

I dont really ride for the ups, dont get me wrong I dont mind them, just not the bit I find fun. Fortunatly the people who I ride with are mostly of the same mind, so we tend to trundle up on our over biked, over price, skill compansators (including a spicy) and chat all the way to the top. Then have as much as fun as is humanly possible (for us) on the way down 🙂

Ride what you want, how you want too.

I have a Helius AM by the way, probably (never wieghed it) weighs in at around 33/35lbs.

I think theirs little to choose between Zesty and Spicy. I ride 714. Both have virtually the same geometry. Can’t convince myself that extra weight would aid my riding although extra travel and a degree less on HA would be welcome. Waiting for 2012 model.

Not knowing the bike intimately (ooer) is there anywhere you can save weight? Lighter wheels, tubless, carbon etc.?

Could you not hire something like a Zesty, Fuel EX or Stumpjumper FSR and ride it back to back with your Spicy on a shortened loop to see how you get on?

I don’t really know what riding you do, but I find my FSR is way more capable than I am, up or down….It’s about my ideal bike I reckon.

I think theirs little to choose between Zesty and Spicy.

Eh? When I have ridden the Spicy the rake of the forks feel like a chopper to me which isn’t the case with the Zesty.

You notice the 1 degree difference and 20mm in travel difference? I might just add a 150mm fork to mine and it will slaken HA by aa degree I guess.

Interesting food for thought ,actually just finished fettlin’ and cleaning and i still reckon tis a looker ! despite my reservations !

I have an odd theory about mine that it doesn’t look good when it’s dirty. It’s usually dirty.

hey Roland. have you taken the spicy to triscombe? i was there at the weekend and i reckon it would be right at home on those tracks.

Mike was down that way Sunday !

i was there on Friday lol. Great place!! I really want to go back.