Yeti 5 to me seems to cover pretty much every base from XC racing to all day big mountain stuff to Alps – I’d happily XC race on it (okay I wouldn’t win by a long shot) but also be happy to do something like Trans Provence (if I was brave enough)

Gradually being seduced into the way of the big wheel

Is there a 29’er equivalent? tried and liked Whyte 109 but can’t quite get fact it is “only” 100mm out of my mind. Whyte 129 a possibility, Transition Bandit for some reason just feels more All Mountain to me, Yeti 95 and Tallboy alloy both couple of pounds or so heavier than the 5. Not willing to cough up 2.5k on a carbon frame which I probably couldn’t sell in a few years time (rightly or wrongly)

thoughts on a post card pur-leeze

There’s an SB95 and a Tallboy frame on eabay both at £1250 with buy it now or best offer.

I’m with you on the carbon frames.

I rode both Whytes at the weekend, I found the M109 a bit too XC for me, seriously thinking about a T129S but it’s not a race bike in stock build.

Does it really have to be 1-bike-to-rule-them-all? If you can possibly get a 29er XC HT (or rigid) under the radar – call it a winter bike or mud bike – then you have more latitude to go ‘trail’ at the other end of the spectrum.

Matt – guess that was at the mountain trax demo

I missed the 129 due to m25 carnage – how did it compare to 109?

nope, Cycleworks.

I found the M109S fast under power but a bit harsh. The T129S was slower (heavier wheels) but more fun in the ST.

Caveats:
* obviously the M109S s a grand more expensive, what with its carbon wheels, and it didn’t have a dropper
* the M109S had skinny mud tyres (looked to be about 2.0), and I didn’t check the pressures but I bet they were rock hard, that’s not how I would ride it
* the T192S was about right for me, as a counterpoint to my rigid SS 29er. I dropped the tyre pressure quite a bit from when it was given to me.

The loop was about 4 miles on trails I know very well. (Holmbury Hill, Park Life then Telegraph). Not a long test so all my impressions must be taken with a grain of salt.

The bike I wanted to want was the M109S, but I came away thinking the T192S was more my bag, for what I’m looking for. How much of that was down to the M109S tyres and pressures was hard to say. On my SS I run 2.25 Schwalbes, pretty damn soft.

I can’t help thinking if I was going to drop 3 grand on XC bling, I’d go carbon HT with all the trimmings, not alloy FS.

Pivot 429

SB95C?