In the near future I’m going to be replacing my Trek Fuel and want to go back to a HT. I want a light 100mm, and have got my eyes on one of these
http://www.cube.eu/en/hard/cross-country/reaction-gtc-sl-29-blue/
They class this is a “racey” hardtail ? I know my bike classifications but I’m a little lost, what do they mean by racey ?
I ride a few trail centers and mainly stay local around the stroud valleys. I wouldn’t say I the fastest of riders but I’m not slow, but if I leave the ground, it’s usually a mistake !

By racey I can only assume it means the geometry.

I use a XTC 29er for everything from Trail centre to Peaks rides, and whilst in some instances I do feel a little under biked I wouldn’t change it, and the bike certainly copes well with most situations.

Once upon a time most people just had 1 bike and marketing jingo was less about having bikes to suit each aspect of your riding.

Looks like a nice tidy and very capable bike. nd for what you describe as your need shoudl fit the bill.

Steeper head tube angle?

The Reaction is 73 deg where as other Cube 29er HT like the Analog and LTD are slacker at 70 deg

29ers are versatile, but I don’t know if a steeper or slacker head angle makes them more versatile to you. Personally I’d go slacker as like riding downhill, but maybe you’re a racer who wants steeper?

I’ve got last years version of this….

I use it for everything….

I have changed the saddle (stock one is hard as nails), and got carbon contact points (bar, seatpost)…

I use it for the local trails (awesome), intermediate stuff like Cannock, Wyre Forest (perfectly fine, not out of place)…

I’ve been to landegla and Hopton Woods on it, my first proper big stuff outing on it, took some getting used to and the fork is on the edge of out of its depth (mines RS – don’t really like it) fox maybe better? But its 100mm – so you know . . .!

I also swapped the stem for a short one as its a very racey position and i was too far forward.

For 95% of what i do its great – for the 5% i go somewhere, like Coedy whatever, you wish for more travel.

I’ve considered a 120mm fork on it, i think it could take one easily.

get the fork right, get the cockpit right and you’ll have a blast.

The cables are a pig to change because of the internal routing, even my lbs hates doing it!

Cheers Guys, some good answers and opinions there. Deffo top of my list atm.

I use an El Mariachi for most of my riding, it’s not so much that suspension lets you ride more stuff, it just lets you fek it up and therefore ride at higher speeds making more mistakes* and letting it deal with it.

*anything from messing up a jump to just not absorbing every lump and bum though your arms/legs. So not just ‘mistakes’.

I can jump on it just as well as my Pitch, it just hurts more landing to flat!

stroud means woodland singletrack, steep and racey gets you through the corners faster, the downhills aren’t rough. steep can get a bit of a handful on steep decents but it is all about compromise.

Personally, I’d go for something less racey. ‘Racey’ usually means it’ll be uncomfortable for anything over an hour or two and be compromised on technical stuff.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure you’d manage fine on it on the sort of stuff you describe and you could always swap out bits and pieces but I suspect you’d be better off with something more trail-orientated from the off. The Kinesis FF29 or whatever it’s called looks like it would be perfect.

its all personal opinon – i ride a ‘racey’ 29er (its my only bike) and have no issues. I can keep up with my mates on their full sus bikes on the down and i’m usually faster than them on the ups.

like st says – once aupon a time we all had one bike, which would now be catagorised as a ‘racey’ hard tail.

TBH every time i go to trail centres i have a small snigger to my self at the amount of 5/6″ travel full sus enduro beasts that the manufactures / media think are all the trend.

If you can, take a test ride – thats the only way you’ll know for sure if its right for you.

I’m doing exactly this soon with a cannondale f29. Had a few racey hard tails as do it all bikes in the past just change tyres and bars to suit.

I ride stroud valleys on a niner mcr with 100mm fork no problems. I’m not sessioning jump spots, 3hr xc with up an down repeated flavour. I would like to add a full suss again for days in Wales etc.

I’ve got last years version of this….

I use it for everything….

Same here, I’ve found it to be a capable, reliable and (most importantly) fun ‘do it all’ bike.

Did a 24-hour enduro in really nasty conditions and it performed brilliantly 🙂

Changed mine to 2×10 (24/38 XT), changed the bars for ones with less backsweep, run Conti X-King 2.2 front and rear all year round and the job’s a good ‘un.

I think racey means comfort, and perhaps fun, compromised a bit for speed.

Most bikes can do most things but I’d look a little further from the left of the race <-> XC <-> trail spectrum.

Someone spoke about Niner MCR9 – that’d be a cracker.

Maybe take a look at the Ghost HTX2975 …..

Do it all 29er….can’t imagine DJ, 4X or Slopestyle would be much fun on it !! 😉

Well thats my mind pretty much made up, it’s going to be a Cube or something very much like it. Thanks 😀

I’m sold on the colour, how much are they?

£1799, bargain I think ? They make Canyon look expensive 😆

Using my Highball as the goto bike for everything. Love it.

DJ, 4X or Slopestyle would be much fun on it

Someone who plays records, a beer, and a haircut?

Mike this was a foregone conclusion before you started the thread I think.