I was just about to hit “buy” on a Transition Bandit 29 when the Rocky Mountain Instinct 29 crossed my radar. Now I’m completely tied as to which to go for, so I’d appreciate your collective thoughts.
My current ride is an Orange 5 with a 150mm fork, which ticks most of my boxes. I get most of my grins pointing downhill, wheels off the ground every now and then – but still like the occasional map-covering big day out..
The Orange is great, but the thing is I really like the feel of a 29er: that low-slung, being “between” the wheels, carving feeling. So, I’ve decided to bite the bullet. I had just about decided that the Bandit was my ideal bike (2012 version, not the slightly steeper 2013 model), until the RM came along. I’ve always loved Rockies since my original ETSX70, but I don’t want my irrational brand loyalty to colour my judgement.
I know the right answer is to ride both and buy the one I prefer, but they’re not the easiest of bikes to find a demo for round here. And I appreciate that few on STW will have ridden either – particularly the RM – but internet fora would be boring if everyone stuck to only well-founded opinions!
So, what do you reckon?
