My FS frame is getting a bit long in the tooth, 06 Enduro FWIW, and I was just thinking about a few things.

I dislike the way Specialized use silly sized and mounted shocks to their bikes. Yes they might think its a better design but its not good for the end user especially a few years down the line when shocks that size/fitment arnt available.

I quite like the way my mates 5 rides, lets stay away from looks. And was thinking about an Alpine as I want a bigger bike than a 5. I was also looking at the Blood, yes I know they don’t make them any more but I wouldn’t buy new anyway.

On paper the Blood looks more fun slacker HA, lower BB, shorter stays and wheelbase all add up to a fun looking bike. At the same time as this the TT and effective TT are both the same length as the Alpine and the SA is the same too.

However the Alpine has more suspension and a longer ST so would probably be better for bigger rockier stuff and longer climbs.

The build I have at the moment is suitable for either frame, Lyriks, big discs, 1×9 and Gamut, 721s on Pro2s.

So has anybody ridden/owned both? What did you think, how did they compare? Educate me.

Thanks

The Transition Bottle Rocket is very similar to the Orange blood. I think Jedi has the Bottle Rocket so he might be able to steer you in the right direction.

I have a Blood, never tried an Alpine though, sorry. Did use to have a Prophet MX – I definitely loved the slacker HA and lower BB when I switched to my Blood.
The build I have is very similar to the one you’ve described, and I’ve ridden the Blood all the over the shop – it’s a lot of fun to ride 🙂

what about the nukeproof mega ? think its a bit lighter than the bottlerocket (certainly the older ones) but similar to both bottlerocket and blood
I loved my BR but it was too heavy for all day use

Got mates with Bloods and they love them – very fast bikes on anything pointing down, and steady climbers too. Simple and robust. I’d have one. Mind you, I’d happily have a Five or an Alpine too.

If you want a UK all-rounder you will have most fun on a 5 I think, great fun bike if you like the single pivot ride. If only they made one long and low I’d still have one. Perfectly good down most stuff you just need to see how fast Joe Barnes goes on one to know they are a good bike.

I agree with the 5 as a do it all bike but as I have a BFe now I don’t need a do it all bike. I see climbing as a necessary evil and love the DHs, I use my FS bike for the rougher stuff and take it to DH tracks. I would prefer a bike built for what I find fun but one that can also be ridden back to the top for another go.

Jo Barns is bloody quick on a 5 but I am a lot heavier and clumsier than he is.

Bottlerockets look great but I think they are a bit heavy and they are quite pricey.

TBH I think I prefer the look of the Alpine and it certainly has a better reputation as an all day bike. But the Bloods are cheaper which is why I had a little research and have asked this.

I’d stop thinking if I were you. Obviously not good for you is it.

Iv got a five with 36s on double etc and it fantastic all round but ESP when pointing down. Tried a mates alpine and genuinely preferred my five. It felt more nimble and can’t say noticed a difference on the rear travel. Both ad 160 36s.
Also got a 224 and it hardly gets used anymore as.

A)you have to take it to dh course to use it
B) I’m getting older and can’t use it’s potential anymore.
C) it’s right at the back if the workshop

I hav considered getting a blood to replace it but apart from maybe an alpine trip I reallywouldnt get the use

Bloods aren’t light. Mine only got under 30lbs with some carbon wheels (which it no longer has). Expect it to run to early 30lbs. Great fun bikes and surprisingly tenacious (if scruffy) climbers. Not really an all day trail bike, but if you want to suffer for your descents and if that’s where you mainly get your kicks, then they’re pretty fun. I’m looking at something a little lighter/uphill friendly now though…

chipps you must have ridden an Alpine, doesnt one of the lads in the office have one? How do they compare?

Own a blood and tested an alpine 160 for a couple of weeks (before getting a nomad) so these are my thoughts. The blood is a firecracker of a bike. The 125 travel feels like way more. Not as plush as an alpine 160 but seems to be lighter. Not great for an all day in the uk bike but neither is the 160. The cable routing also really sucks, but there are workarounds if you trawl the interweb. If I had to choose and could only have one bike I would choose the 160 or maybe a five, which I guess I why they stopped making the blood. Think of it more as a really good play bike. If that’s what you ride (short and fast and jumpy) then it is ideal. If its relevant I owned a nomad and a blood for a while and the nomad gathered dust….

got an Alpine, love it, better than the Mk1 Nomad it replaced (which climbed like a dog with a broken back in the granny ring). Not ridden a blood. but it seems to be loved by its owners (think Mildred on here has one and considers it the perfect bike).

If you are considering sticking 160mm forks on it, do the job right and get an Alpine, rather than ruining a Five.

i tried the blood but the linkage was sharp and cut my leg when jumping. its a skinny bottlerocket.
love my bottlerocket 🙂

’06 frame long in the tooth?

Riding an orange full-sus frame build in 2000 over here… 😀

Demo them to decide. Alpine fits just like a 06 enduro with a 160 fork which is what you have. The Alpine is a little longer feeling in the tight stuff. I prefered the Enduro as the Alpine felt caught up on square edges but that could have been down to the rear shock alone. The Alpine was not nice if you feathered the rear brake in high speed corners (not that you should be anyway so maybe it teaches good habits :mrgreen:)

The noise of an orange is “special”. I don’t think you will feel much difference between the two tbh if both are setup well.

Hey xiphon sell me the van rc, regards john

How about a newer Enduro…the x-shaped frame maybe..

I know someone who has had an ‘Alpine’ as long as i’ve had my Pitch (about 3 years) and he loves it. He mentioned the other day he was thinking of changing as it happens tho so let me know if you decide to go ‘Alpine’ and I shall put you in touch. 😉

It’s a small btw.

I did think of the new enduro and I really like the look of them but they have another silly shock that’s even worse than the one I have now. It’s a shame really because they are supposed to be awesome bikes, I am still considering one despite the shock I would just have to choose wisely.

As for the size whatever I get will have to be a large, one of the problems with my current enduro is that its a bit short in the TT as its a medium.

I got on very well with my first ride on my 2012 at the weekend. Much better than expected. I am light and floats/RPs usually work well for me until they cavitate. Then the internals get launched for a Push to to get rid of the reliability issue.

Demo’d an alpine and it was “OK” climbed all right went down just fine. For the money I preferred the Nomad or the blur lt I demo’d on the same loops in the Lakes. For A Lot Less Money there are some very good frames out there. In ended up with another Heckler frame. 10mm less travel and as good.

Get out and try some new bikes there are plenty out there.

Thing is Mike if I do get one I wouldn’t be buying new so test rides would be limited. Coming off the Enduro I think I would feel under-gunned with the likes of a Heckler or a 5. I am after a quite burley bike that is equally happy being ridden or pushed uphill and bashed of every rock and root on the way back down.

I think I would feel under-gunned with the likes of a Heckler or a 5

Heckler at 150mm and 160 up front is a lot of bike 🙂

There are some organised demo’s around the place (free if you are looking at a new bike 😉 😉 if you know what I mean)

I am after a quite burley bike that is equally happy being ridden or pushed uphill and bashed off every rock and root on the way back down.

Sounds like you need to go back to the Pitch and slot your Lyriks on the front-end – BOOM 😉

I have a Blood and use it for most things, but it does excel at fast, sub-DH rig type descents. If you are looking for a tough, fun bike to plug some 160 forks into then you could do a lot worse.

Dave when I had one I thought my pitch was ok but on the flat stuff it was a bit crap compared to the HT I had at the time, an Evil Sov. The back end of the pitch was also way too flexy for me.

I bought a brand new Blood frame reduced at All Terrain Cycles, and can honestly say its the most fun bike I’ve ever owned. I currently have talas 36 rc2’s fitted and ride virtually everything at 130mm travel. However, for anything fast and DH I set them to 160 and it’s an absolute hoot.

I’ve fitted a CCDBair and it’s so good as a package I’m selling my Nicolai Helius ST. The Blood may not be as fast on full on DH courses or in the Alps but it’s more fun everywhere else.

It’s built with Deore brakes, xm819’s on Pro2 hubs, raceface deus cranks, 2.2 tyres, and wellgo flat pedals and weighs 32lb. It rides a lot lighter though. I had a 2011 5 and hated it – very sanitised and dull, whereas the Blood is just a laugh.

Lots of love from Blood owners, I’m surprised there isnt any more from Alpine owners.

I’ve ridden a Blood for the last few years on all sorts (trail centre every week, big Lakes/Highlands days, Megavalanche, other Alps), it is a great bike and will do anything. You do need to grind out the climbs at times, but it’s not the end of the world. I had a Five before it, and would rate the Blood above it for the grin factor on the bumps and downs.

Just ordered an Alpine 160, so give me a month and I’ll let you know*

*Absolutely no use to you I know!

Bricey it would be great If you could let me know when you have had chance to compere them. Are you swapping the components over or have you got a whole new build.

It would be a while before I bought one, I like to get my research done early.

Why wait when they can be had new for the price of 2nd hand:

http://www.allterraincycles.co.uk/product/122142.html

I’ve ridden both back to back around whites level. Took the blood out first and winched up slowly, not much fun but doable. Coming down was some of the most fun I’ve ever had, popping and bouncing of everything. Getting on the alpine afterwards was a revelation on the climbs, it absolutely flew up. The downside was that coming back down just felt a bit dead. Fast but no where near as much fun. A few days later I ordered the blood.

[shameless plug]The frame is for sale now due to a catastrophic loss of confidence on my part. If you’re interested you’ll find my old for sale thread somewhere in my profile, there’ll be a significant price drop over that shown in the advert too.[/shameless plug]

IAche, a bit of both. Swapping some stuff, and buying a few treats! Not getting frame until October unfortunately, but happy to give you an update then.

Keep looking at the Blood and wonder if I should take the plunge. Size wise at 6ft am I better on a 15 or 17 inch frame what do we think?
Rich

Tricky I’m the same height and I was thinking that 17 was the best option because of saddle height and tt length. And the tt is the same length as a 18″ Alpine.

I’m 6’2″ and went for 17″ with a long post. A lot of people prefer the smaller one though.

5’9 on a 15 with a lot of seat extension, I assume at 6′ the saddle would need torun low all the time.

I don’t believe the 160 was much better on the ups, or worse on the downs. It would depend on the type of downs.

I’m 6’1″ and I have a 17″ Blood – I test rode a 15″ and it was way too small.
Go for a 17″ with a dropper post FTW IMHO

I dislike the way Specialized use silly sized and mounted shocks to their bikes. Yes they might think its a better design but its not good for the end user especially a few years down the line when shocks that size/fitment arnt available.

So you want to change your bike because the shock is the wrong length, anything else wrong with it?

And surely you can buy a new shock, Yep.

http://www.socaltrailriders.org/forum/workshop/20899-specialized-enduro-shock-replacement.html

No I’m thinking about changing my bike because its a bit old now and a little bit small. That was more of a rant TBH. And I have managed to replace the terrible DHX Air with a Monarch+ without having to bodge anything like that bloke did.