So ive decided my next bike is going to be along travel 29er, and im looking at all makes. The options ive found so far are:

Niner WFO9 V2
Spesh Enduro Expert
Cube Stereo 140 SuperHPC
Intense Carbine

The initial fave was the Cube, carbon frame and only weighs 25lbs, however ive seen nothing but bad reports about Fox forks for the last couple of years. The other 3 have this years Pike, which is a big plus judging by the reviews. The Niner looks fantastic, but at close to 30lbs, that’s a lot more to haul than the Cube. The Spesh looks great, and is good value, so its nudging ahead..but I cant find any weights, and it uses a 142+ proprietary rear axle…which limits future wheel options. The Intense is lovely looking but is seriously expensive. So the current fave is the Spesh, closely followed by the Niner. Opinions on these, and any other suggestions please…must be 29er, and minimum 140mm travel..preferably with Pikes.

There isn’t anything ‘proprietary’ about the rear axle/hub on the Enduro. I use an off the shelf 142×12 DT Swiss 240s on mine.

I’d add the Trailfox TF01 to the list too.

Tallboy LT?

This very recent thread might help (despite the odd title);
http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/so-what-are-the-big-honkin-29ers-then

HobNob, Im simply going by their own claim on their YouTube vid for the Sworks model..where they claim the 142+ is wider than standard. If it is compatible with the ‘ordinary’ standard then that’s good to know.

How about the Giant Trance 29er, I rode one all of last year, won a few of the Irish Enduro races and the championship on it, very capable bike.
I up-graded the forks to Fox 34’s to stiffen up the front end a little.

Anyway, shameless plug for the bike I am now selling,

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/giant-trance-x0-29er-giant-dublin-team-bike

142+ is some stupid Specialized thing, the axle and axle width is the same hub flanges are wider so a 142+ wheel is not designed to be compatible with any other frame apart from a 142+ frame. But! Any 142 wheel will fit a 142+ frame.

So basically, don’t plan on putting the wheels in anything else. But otherwise it’s all good. Still quite a big deal IMO as Specialized OEM wheels are often pish, so limiting resale value is annoying. In theory the wider flanges should make a stronger wheel mind but then it’s got an OEM Roval rim so it’s probably made of cheese.

For whatever it’s worth, out of my epic thread up there the Cube and the Enduro are the winning full bikes, and the Transition Covert is the outstanding standalone frame for me (on account of being cheaper than most). Salsa Horsethief the CRAZY BARGAIN ZOMFG.

I loved this so much I’ve ordered one.

Nicolai Ion 15.

Not the lightest option but in 10 years of riding them I’ve never broken a Nicolai… the same cannot be said of almost every other frame I have had.

So basically, don’t plan on putting the wheels in anything else. But otherwise it’s all good. Still quite a big deal IMO as Specialized OEM wheels are often pish, so limiting resale value is annoying. In theory the wider flanges should make a stronger wheel mind but then it’s got an OEM Roval rim so it’s probably made of cheese.

That said, if it’s one of the decent DT Swiss hubs re re branded, you can just change the end caps. I have done this with mine, I’m using the wheels on my HT now. (QR back end)

Been looking at these 29er threads with interest of late. I’m moving more towards the trail orientated 29er rather than anything to big hitting.

Wrangled a demo on a Stump FSR Expert Carbon Evo this weekend coming. The following weekend the same model in Enduro guise. Looking forward to both although I think the Enduro will be too much bike.

Currently own a Solaris and love how it rides. I also love the light, stiff, aggressive nature of my Yeti ASR5C so want something that has the qualities of both bikes.

I’m looking at a frame only option though with a mix of existing and new parts. Which rules some bikes out. Some bikes I’ve also ruled out on geo alone, like the SC Tallboy LT and bikes with short top tubes.

That Nicolai looks a beast! I liked the look of the Heius AC 29 but it seems to have been discontinued.

I think the Remedy 29er is 140mm rear travel.

I’ve not been impressed with Trek’s customer service so personally I wouldn’t buy a new one, but if one came up at a reasonable price secondhand…

Hob Nob – Member

That said, if it’s one of the decent DT Swiss hubs re re branded, you can just change the end caps.

Nah, it’s not an endcap thing, the entire hub is wider- so axle-wise I think the wheels will actually fit into any 142 rear bike, but, the rotors and cassette are further “out” so more likely to have setup and clearance issues. As far as I can see the Enduro Comp comes with a Specialized hub rather than an aftermarket Roval style DT-internalled hub but could be wrong.

(I’ve got a couple of sets of proper Rovals, they’re ace but these days it often means “we’ve put a sticker on some OEM crap”)

It’s not automatically a bad idea, but it’s a bike like the wacky wheel offset in Demos and SXs, just adds up to future hassle for a benefit you’ll likely never be aware of (it’s also a lot like 150mm rear wheels- the idea is you can build a wider flanged wheel which should be stronger, in practice lots of 150mm wheels have the same flange width as their 135mm equivalents, so the hub is wider but the spokes etc are much teh same.)

Don’t discount the Cube.

I ride the 2013 Stereo SL the wife rides a 2013 Race, neither have any issues with either the front or rear Fox kit, bloody awesome bikes.

FWIW I’m no Fox fan but I’m not put off the Cube for that, frankly at the price I can sell the forks and get Pike RCT3s and it’s still a good deal. Haven’t totaly decided if that’s the thing to do yet but mostly because I’m tight.

It seems that the Enduro Expert is completely sold out for the year, so that’s that one ruled out..which is a damn shame.

Based on my initial experiences with a Banshee Spitfire on middling wheels, I’d seriously consider a Banshee Prime if you want a 29er that demolishes descents but still climbs well. Running 160mm Pikes and CCDBA-CS with 140mm of rear travel on the Spitfire – the Prime’s 140mm front, 130mm rear – and the KS-Link suspension and stiff slack low frame make for a very impressive package.

but then it’s got an OEM Roval rim so it’s probably made of cheese.

Finally someone who agrees with me that Roval rims are pish – I got slated many times on here for saying the same when I bought/trashed some

I like my Traversees tbh but they’re “proper” Roval not the oem pish. Killed a rear rim a while back but it took a ridiculous amount of abuse for a 1550g wheelset.

There’s a Banshee Prime in the classifieds btw, lovely… Bit chunky mind but still.

Agree with Northwind on the Transition Covert, so much so that I have one arriving tomorrow 🙂 I’m not sure with the concerns over weight, I had a zesty 4 years ago and it was the same weight as the covert will be once built i.e 30-32 pounds. It never felt heavy.
Got the covert because most of the reviews said it climbed well, descended like a looney but was also very snappy and “playfull”, also, it was only £900 from Freeborn 😉