I’m looking to swap my ASR5 to something that is more capable of racing. It must be FS as I want the comparable comfort over my HT – which I’m using for short events – during 24hr events, I suspect its a short travel 29er. Importantly, this is not an exclusive race bike but also my weekend trail bike. My trails are primarily woodsy single track (Epping Forest) with some annual Wales/Peaks/Somerset/Chilterns/Surrey outings. So it needs to be competitive for 5-6 events per year but fun. Budget circa but not much above £3k, no issues with it being cheaper…

Here’s my current list for testing in my perceived order of race>fun , what have I missed?

Whyte M109CS
Giant Anthem 29
Canyon Lux
Trek SuperFly
Spec. Epic
Whyte T129 works
Giant Anthem Advanced 27.5
Salsa Spearfish
Santa Cruz Talboy
Spec. Camber Carbon
Devinci Trail 29
Orange Segment Pro
Whyte T130 Works

Epic Evo (do they still do it?)
Anthem SX
Pivot Mach 429
Pyga oneten 29

You’ve got to decide on your priorities first I’d say. Most of that list is not going to be a “competitive” XC race bike. Any of them will be fun on the trails, just some more fun than others.

Whyte M109 is the obvious choice (they’re a lot more fun than you might expect too), the Trek or the Spesh the boring yet predictable choices, the Canyon an unknown really, and anything from the T-129 onwards is definitely too heavy and/or long travel IMO.

Got a T-130 works on order myself currently, as a trail centre and big mountain rides toy. It won’t be used for racing!

Cannondale

You’ve got to decide on your priorities first I’d say.

Well…

Most of that list is not going to be a “competitive” XC race bike. Any of them will be fun on the trails, just some more fun than others.

I did, see? But it depends on the rider MBOY, I took the ASR5 to 8th in Vets & 27th overall in the Bonty24/12, without really releasing I was doing so. Now, by really making an effort on that M109CS I might do ok, eh?

But I appreciate I won’t be troubling Abselon or Schurter anytime soon…

ChunkyMTB – Member
Cannondale

Which one? The racing ones seem very expensive, the Trail bikes are – well VERY much trail bikes…

Canyon Lux.

Get shot of that heartthrob ASR once and for all, just bite the bullet, you’ve been deliberating for over a year now.

What about Intense Hard Eddie or Santa Cruz Highball.. Both HT’s but then that’s a good thing right?

I have a race HT already – which isn’t going anywhere. Hence the ability to compromise the FS toward “trail” a bit.

Rocky Element MSL
Rocky Instinct for a less XC more trail version
Tallboy or LT

Should probably add a Scott Spark to that list.

You could probably rule out a lot of those choices on budget alone where frames are upwards of 2k.

I just don’t like Scott’s, there always seems something not quite right about them for the money IMO, but Ive not go to travel far to test one so…

I’ve been playing with google. That Whyte 129 SCR Works just scored 5/5 at Bikeradar, and by removing & replacing the dropper with a Thomson elite I already have is only 1lb heavier than the M109CS. Perhaps maybe a longer-than-stock Stem – which I also have – could be added for racing (although the TT is long at 637mm for me). Single front ring with alternates available, life time bearing warranty hmmm I could be onto something…

Seems a lot of bike to be hauling around for a 24hr race. Looks a great trail bike though.

Having ridden both and currently got a T-129 on demo, I’d agree with MrB
Fantastic trail bike but not the mile muncher the M-109 is.

How did you find the m109 as a trail bike Z1ppy?

It was only a limited demo of the m-109, it just flew though the demo loop, like cat with it’s tail on fire (I spent 60% of the loop in the outer ring of a triple set without realising). Rode the T-129 on the same loop and it was efficient enough and more relaxed about it (more fun)… Got the T-129 on a proper demo (at home), as that’s what I think I want/need but am constantly thinking the M-109 would actually be fine for 99.9% of the stuff I ride. So is the t-129 worth it for that .01% of the time I’d need it?
Getting another ride in on it tomorrow, now I’ve gotten the suspension setup right and am getting to grips with the bike
So I really can’t answer your question with any real authority about it’s trail bike potential, but if I wanted a fast bike to cross ground quickly, the M-109 would be my instant choice. Ask your local Whyte dealer about getting a demo bike in

Thanks. Hoping to organise a demo of both on my local trails over the next few weeks. I’m am stuck with a fear of missing out if I took an m109 to Afan though but I guess it comes down to the majority of its use as you say.

It’s a strange one, some of the guys I rode with always say I was faster at Afan (Dh direction) on my Superlight, than my Prophet . My Prophet was my fun bike though & the one I preferred.. hmm maybe that’s the answer I needed for my own choice (no help to you though). Or maybe I should just get both 😳

But it depends on the rider MBOY, I took the ASR5 to 8th in Vets & 27th overall in the Bonty24/12, without really releasing I was doing so. Now, by really making an effort on that M109CS I might do ok, eh?

But I appreciate I won’t be troubling Abselon or Schurter anytime soon…

My point entirely.

I did 24/12 as a 12hr solo last year, my very first one. A 29er HT with light wheels, fast rolling tubeless tyres and a good spread of gears was the perfect tool for the job. I wouldn’t have wanted to cart around an extra 4-5lb worth of 120mm FS bike for that length of time! The rider is 99% sure, but why would you intentionally slow yourself down if you had the choice not to?

FWIW, sounds like you’ve still got a perfectly good, raceable 29er HT anyway. So why not just get a specific fun/trail bike, and not worry about being able to race on it? I can highly recommend both the T129 and T130 from your choices with that in mind. And the M109 is definitely more fun than a 100mm XC/Enduro bike should rightly be on most trails too.

Anthem SX

Agreed.

Short travel back end for the speedy days, and bigger front end, dropper post, wide bars and fat front tyre for the fun days. Brilliant looking bike for the money, IMHO.

mboy my HT is a 22.5lb ti 26er….

CFH – that’s only above this much <-> different from my asr 5 no? What’d be the pioint in swapping it?

A friend has the Canyon Lux. Very well made and light, with 100mm travel it is a very good all rounder, he really rates it. The specs do say that you should not do drop offs or jumps bigger than 600 mm though

all I know is that he reckons it has made him much quicker

Saw Anthem SX today – felt nice to sit on but colours are crap and cheap unfortunately. The advanced looks better but don’t know price yet.

Waiting to see camber evo 29 in 2015 colours too.

Kryton, we in v similar territory (as noted before). Really need to decide two bikes or what compromise to make.

My favourite ride in an epic but want a bit more gnarr!! Loved the old trance and anthem 29ers but not keen on new wheels. Hated whytes oddly.

Think I will compromise on race ability (1-2 a year max) and go for more trail version. Camber evo looks like most likely now.

How are you testing these bikes? Are you going to just ride them or is there a bit of white coat, data gathering going on? It sounds like the latter to me, which also sounds eXtremely boring and amybe a bit OTT for just buying a bike. If it’s the former, then that’s a lot of bikes to ride (you’ll not be doing 12 hours races in the test, will you?) and you might want to re-ride some of your favourites. So even without the half day riding tests, that’s still a few months of just riding before you’ve tried them all and picked the one you’ve liked the mostest (or came out with the highest overall score on the test).

If it were me, i’d pick the Whyte M109CS (never heard of it btw) as it’s first on the list, and go ride it competitively a few times and for fun the rest of the time.

Teamhurtmore, I don’t see the Anthem as any more than a tiny difference in wheelsize over my yeti. I could get an Advance 2 for £2k but it doesn’t seem different enough.

Euro, I’m probably not buying until next March, so my intention is to narrow it down to 3 or so between now and then. You’ve interpreted my list correctly – that Whyte is where my heart is.

I’m happy to ride my HT competitively for Iong as well as short events as I’ve ridden it for HONC & BORS, it’s only for 24hrs and fun I’d use the FS, why is why the t129 scr appeals. But if the m109 was to ride in a trailsy fashion that’d change my view.

Yes it’s a big list though!

doesn’t seem different enough.

Maestro.

Anyway, this wasn’t a what bike thread, I’m just trying to endure I haven’t missed anything important from my list.

CaptainFlashheart – Member
doesn’t seem different enough.
Maestro.

Maybe , but I’d take your maestro ang give you a re valved race tftuned shock..

Anyway, this wasn’t a what bike thread, I’m just trying to endure I haven’t missed anything important from my list.

You’ve definitely not missed anything. You’ve actually named every bike on the market 😉

Yes it’s a big list though!

Yes it is. I had a headache with just two to chose from 😀

Ibis Ripley…. probably not for 3k though…

Sheesh. Pauls seems to have a new stock of Anthem 29 X1 at £1500. Almost worth buying one and keeping the yeti….

The XTC Advanced SL 1 would be tempting me. I’d love a blast on that Anthem SX though.

I’ll have another go then, the Anthem.

Having steered no where near Giant in the past I’m a total convert to their bikes. The TCX I have is the bollox and the Propel I tried was a total whoosh.
Only thing I haven’t tried yet are the MTBs, but then you lot have, so im going along with what you lot recommend and second it.
The Anthem, great bike by all accounts.

I’d drop the Segment from your list. I specced one up this morning on Orange’s website and with some sensible things you’d want to change (Pikes, 1×10, Reverb, Maxxis tyres etc), took the price from the base price of just over £3000 to £3800.

I wouldn’t go for the Spearfish, it’s too heavy… quick enough and capable enough.. but still, it’s heavy. Even with a reasonably light build/spec, it was heavy.

sell everything you have and chuck all the cash at a 100mm carbon FS with all the trimmings,

sell everything you have

Have you not been following these threads? 🙂

If you are leaning towards the Whyte M109CS I guess you should consider some other carbon 100mm 29ers. How about throwing the Pivot Mach 429 Carbon and Turner Czar into the mix? I think both are available as a frame, so a bit of shopping around and raiding of the spares bin might get you somewhere near your budget. Just a thought.

Have you not been following these threads?

i have, and i keep telling him to tell his mrs as mice as the gesture was a few years ago for the frame, he doesn’t feel its up to the job of where his riding is now, and where he wants to go,

don’t even have to sell the frame, just strip it and box it up

i have, and i keep telling him to tell his mrs as mice as the gesture was a few years ago for the frame, he doesn’t feel its up to the job of where his riding is now, and where he wants to go

this, except sell the frame. It is only a frame.