So I have damaged my cube reaction frame. I am waiting to see if I can get a deal on just aframe from cube, but I am debating whether to go for a carbon frame again. I have been quoted just under £200 for repair but unsure about getting a frame repaired.

Been doing some googling and searches and have come up with the FF29 from Kinesis, you can get the frame for less than £400.

Any thoughts?

Thanks.

Do you just want to race on it or is it an all round bike with a bit of racing that your after?

Race – well best I can!

Other bikes in the range are more suited to pure XC but seems like the FF29 could be a good allrounder. Gets good reviews but someone on here doesn’t like his/hers.

It’s on my radar screen as a one broke fits all type.

The FF29 isn’t an out and out race frame by any stretch of the imagination (you’d be giving away 2lb in weight in the frame alone to the very lightest carbon HT frame), but it’s a highly versatile frame that’s stiff and responsive, and covers ground very quickly. It’s also built to shrug off the worst a trail might throw at you too, so it’s not a bike you need to be careful with.

Frame is designed around a 120mm fork, but can run with 100 for steeper, racier angles.

As for £400? Think you’ll be lucky now, couple of online places were selling off the remains of the older colours for about that, but now should just be the 2014 colours in stock most places I’d have thought. If you’re in the Midlands, give me a shout… Currently building up a Sync for myself too as our “demo” bike… Can’t wait til it’s finished!

What mboy said is accurate. I’m running mine ss with a tensioner. E-mail me if you want more info (in profile).

I raced XC on mine, didn’t do too bad either.

Built light with 100mm Rebas it’s a bit of a rocket ship if I’m honest, the whole bike weighed 22-23lbs tyre dependant.

Thanks for replies. Will see what price a cube frame is first I think.

Raced an FF29 round last years Big Dog, what a cracking bike! Haven’t ridden hard tail for about 18 years and hadn’t ridden that bike until the morning (it was a loan) and it was excellent both up and downhill. If I needed a budget XC bike that I would be happy to thrash round some black trails then it would be one of those.

Surely if you’re fast, you’ll be fast on a slightly heavier frame than a slightly lighter one?

Throwing stupid money seems pointless, it’s not like you’re pro… or are you? 😉

I had one for a while and agree with mboy – you could easily build it into a very racey trail bike but it wouldn’t really be an out and out xc racer. Having said that you could happily change the build and use it for stuff which is a lot more “gnarr” than you’d probably use a full on race bike for.