Hopefully the collective knowledge of the forum will provide me with some ideas and guide me in a future purchase.
I am looking for a hard tail XC race frame which is preferably some kind of Aluminium (Scandium seems to be the best bet from my searches but suggestions please). It should be light and not just a frame from one of the big bike builders (Giant, GT, Specialize etc) but something a bit special, something you wouldnt normally see.
I currently own a Kinesis XC Pro 2 (feels a little short on the top tube length but great to ride and fast, I have size a medium) and a Manitou HT (loved riding her from new) so it has to sit along side them without looking like a generic Asian ripoff with fancy paint job.
I am currently looking at a BMC TE01 Ali frame, a Tomac Cortez (I like the history linking to my Manitou) and possibly the Azoinc AZ-7. Some help deciding which of these would be great and possibly some other suggestions.
Overall it should be a frame that I can build into a light, fast and highly steerable machine, plus have that something a little different. I now leave it in the forums capable hands.
