Hi, has anyone got views on the above bike, I am looking to purchase my first proper mountain bike and looking at a second hand one.

I am relatively new to mountain biking but want to buy a bike that I grow my skills level into. I am never going to be an expert but enjoy getting out and about on the bike so looking for more of an all rounder rather than a down hill.

I can’t see you going wrong with one. Very sorted geometry. 130mm travel covers all things very well. The carbon will drop some weight. Buy one. (I don’t own one).

I bought this model from new in July 2016 ..I love it .
The only things I have changed are the grips and saddle as they were worn ( the in house Whyte saddle split on both sides at the rear ).
Based on the riding you have described ..it’s capable of this and a lot more ..but test ride first

I had one of these. Its proper awesome and you should buy it.

Sounds a perfect bike for you, I’d consider alu if the price difference lets you book some skills days, or a wee break away instead, as I don’t think there’s a huge difference in weight over the carbon.

Enjoy, and let us know how you get on.

Thanks all, my budget is £2k and haven’t come across anything better in this range

Had mine since August 2016 and it hasn’t missed a bit. Changed the bar/stem/grips/saddle for preference reasons and changed the wheelset from stock to Pro4’s and Arch Mk3’s to drop a little weight, but the base spec is solid, reliable and the ride is very, very good. It’s done short xc blasts, a few DH runs and multi-day epics and it’s taken it all in it’s stride and done it with a serious amount fun, feels very agile when you want it to be but also has great stability at speed. Can’t fault it really!

For those who have rode it, would an XL be the best fit for 6ft3

Yep, definitely an XL at 6ft3. I’m just over 6ft and ride a large but have ridden an XL T130, it felt ok reach wise but didn’t feel as fun to ride as the Large, felt more stable but less agile thanks to the longer wheelbase.

I bought the alu 2017 RS in Aug. Love it – best bike I’ve owned.
Superb ride, fun, comfy, handles well – good up and great down – feels more than 130mm.
Changed bars, grips and tyre due to torn side wall – that’s it. With full XT, Reverb, RF Turbine cranks and Hope rear hub there’s little else to change. The C RS will be lighter but I don’t find it heavy – certainly doesn’t ride heavy.
Some people have put longer forks on and changed the shock – not fussed about doing that as already cost me enough! Do it…it’s a great bike 🙂

Oops nearly forgot ..also changed the chain ring for a 32t n/w oval..

I also wasn’t paying attention ..mine is the alu version.

Funnily enough I just bought one of these. My first full suspension bike, came from a 29er hardtail. Only ridden it once but was blown away by how it rides. It pedals and climbs much better than I thought it would. On decents it’s great fun very playful and super capable. Can’t fault it.

Check out the Guy Kesteman review