Brewing thoughts of N+1 so lets see what you’re racing 🙂

Thanks.

Here you go, cleaned up post race and staying with me overnight. Anthem 29er with AC MTB Race wheels, quaxar rotors, KCNC post and Mt Zoom carbon bar. SLX will go to XT as it wears out.

I went FS as I like to comfort on long distance rides, and this is also my day to day trail bike.

Used this for a couple of 12hr races but 140mm 29er was a bit of a strugle now gone to a canyon nerve 29er

All round mile muncher im more into the endurance side rather than shorter xc races so comfort is pretty important

Epic Expert 29er. I bought it to use on bumpier race courses, but have found I prefer to race on a hardtail. I think I have only actually raced on it for a few hours in a 24hr race. Up for sale soon as I just don’t use it.

Specialized Epic S-works 29er, full carbon.
22lbs
Fantastic race bike although I don’t think I do it justice.
As above I think I prefer a hardtail.
[url=https://flic.kr/p/vYNUqR]Untitled[/url] by Mark Tilley, on Flickr

[url=https://flic.kr/p/vjqYS2]Untitled[/url] by Mark Tilley, on Flickr

Nice Epics. Tempted to pop down my local spesh dealer and see if I can get a spin on one. Interesting to hear that you think you are quicker on a HT, how so?

Nice Nerve there too, may have a peek at the new Lux when it’s out.

And Kryton, we’ve all seen a lot of that Anthem already 😉 Still happy with it?

Still happy with it?

Yep.

It does exactly what I wanted – at 24.5lbs as maybe a slightly heavy race bike, but sturdy and well handling enough for me to enjoy it around the SE trails. Fits the dual purpose brief perfectly IMO. Because those AC wheels have thin sidewalls I have some Kineses wheels (which I picked up yesterday) for banding around afan etc.

Hi
I didn’t say quicker just prefer the feel of a hardtail.
This is by far the fastest bike I’ve owned.
Up hill and down.
Brain works fantastic.
I’ve got this itch to own a carbon lefty 29er.
So maybe the epic will go up for sale.

Interesting to hear that you think you are quicker on a HT, how so?

Purely looking at my Strava times on trails I ride often, I can see that I am slightly quicker overall on a carbon hardtail 29er (apart from the frame it is a similar build) however the Epic is always quicker on the downhills. I am happy to be battered around a bit when I am riding, so don’t miss the extra comfort the Epic gives. I guess the difference is down to my riding style, as the likes of Jaroslav Kulhavy seem to make them go pretty quick! To be fair is an amazing bike, and if I could only have one bike it would probably be an Epic 29er, just because it does most things very very well. However I have several bikes and don’t have the space for the Epic.

Thanks guys, nice summary. Will keep an eye on the classifieds 😉

Previous generation (Ancient and heavier) in comparison to everything else here but:

Centurion carbon LRS

Now has a much lighter (and matching) set of American Classic disc either end.

Saccades, never seen one of those before!

Nice dirtyrider. Need a bit more mud on the front wheel to cover up those embarrassing logos 😉

My 09 anthem set with 120 up front its my normal trail bike as well as racey bike so its a bit jumbled currrently sits at 30lb so on a diet and changing bits when possible

MrBlobby – It’s a german race/marathon machine evolved from the Merida LRS that was used to win WXC races back in the day, Spec licensed the shock positions for the first Epics. Dropped now due to “rare” shock setup and the fact that it needs an additional 200g of frame compared to modern stuff.

I like it, fast and comfy and the single pivot with low ratio means the shock has bugger all bob even before platform valves and has so far lasted +7 years (I do have a spare JIC).

This is the 3rd version I’ve had.

Carrera bugaboo (60-70-80mm rear travel)

Merida transmission LRS (130mm “long travel” version)

It’s not a full on race bike, forks are too long (140mm should be 120) and the reverb weighs a ton (And I’m a heffer) but it’s heritage is there, it’s about 27lb, which is acceptable for a go anywhere.

What’s everyone’s thoughts on dropped posts on xc bikes??

Iv just got hold of a giant switch post seing as its my only mtb and I have come stuck on some of my local stuff with full length post how offer have ppl needed them at xc events?

Sorry…Couldn’t find a picture of the Turner Czar on its own, but does show the three bikes I race on as comparison.

The Czar has performed beyond anything I could have hoped for. The main reason its so fast (relatively with me on it) is that it allows me to ride more efficiently. Smoother my friend said yesterday. And this smooth riding means faster I’ve found.

Very expensive, but worth it IMHO.

Lovely that. Though that Niner sort of steals the show!

The Trek 69er is the “nicest” to ride. The Czar is quicker. The Niner,as set up, is road bike fast as long as I can cope with the hammering when things get rough!

What’s everyone’s thoughts on dropped posts on xc bikes??

Pointless. Not having one has never slowed me up, even that Anthem ^^ in Afan.

I really rate dropper posts for more technical tracks.

A lot of the stuff here is a big climb then a big descent, dropped post is much better when tired legging it down stuff.

Depends on the course. There are world cup xc racers who use them if the course demands it.