yes cwm carn would be the most DH I would hit, I basically ride anywhere within a 2 hour drive from bristol so quantocks etc I was just usinf 20ft drop as an example, my only concern is 15 QR on the zesty vs a 20mm on the spicy
Bike Forum
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All Day Trail Bike Zesty vs Spicy............ + others
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Posted 2 years ago #
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15QR is great! Massive improvement (others argue not mind) over a normal QR fork... I've owned 9mm Floats and 15QR Vanillas and have tried 15QR Floats. I'm all for 15QR
Posted 2 years ago # -
My remedy is perhaps a little much to get the best out of flatter, singletrack riding. But having the pro-pedal shock & floodgate on the fork means you can lock it out for harder surfaces, making it much tighter, but still giving it some leeway if you hit harder stuff. Very adaptable.
Posted 2 years ago # -
A - Its better to be over-biked than under-biked. Plus whatever travel you have you'll find somewhere, somehow to use it all - by riding faster or just hitting bigger stuff.
B - A heavier bike will mean you'll just get fitter.
C - Don't underestimate the benefit of the slacker geometry of longer travel bikes.I'd go for the Spicy: I test rode one for 6 hours in the North Downs and had a great time. I would say the Spicy is the more versatile of the two.
Posted 2 years ago # -
I've said it before and I'll say it again.... Roscoe. Rides like a short travel bike when there's no need for long travel, has all the suspension you'll need if you ask for it. What's not to like?
Posted 2 years ago # -
I have an 18 inch Medium Orange 5 AM 08 spec model For Sale
with a Fox Talas 160 adjustable fork up front.
Thompson finishing kit
and Hope Mono 4's brakes
all top speconly weighs in at 29.5lbs
If intrested e-mail me
grantway01@hotmail.comPosted 2 years ago # -
A - Its better to be over-biked than under-biked. Plus whatever travel you have you'll find somewhere, somehow to use it all - by riding faster or just hitting bigger stuff.
Depends on the rider. I've seen a lot of people mincing about on long travel bikes that would never be able to ride them to there full potential or travel.
B - A heavier bike will mean you'll just get fitter.
You'll only notice the benefits of getting fitter on a heavier bike if you switch to a lighter bike.
C - Don't underestimate the benefit of the slacker geometry of longer travel bikes.
Most all day bikes are adopting slacker geometry these days...
Posted 2 years ago # -
I have had a zesty for nearly 6 months now, I would heartily recommend it for fun riding and general stuff, I certainly couldnt imagine myself needing any more bike for what I do. Bear in mind though that most of the reviews I read before I got it said that it was "adequete and ok for riding up" and thats exactly how I'd describe it, It copes with the uphills rather than loves them. It certainly is no whippet up the climbs, It has quite slack angles and puts you way behind the bottom bracket, so you arent going to be able to fly up the hills with the guys on more race orientated bikes, unless you are super super fit. I never rode a Spicy but I guess that would be even slacker and therefore sluggish.
But the payoff is brilliant stability and out and out fun on the descents, so I wouldnt swap my Zesty for anything at the minutePosted 2 years ago # -
I now only have 2 bikes (having recently sold my dh bike after years of racing). One is a kinesis maxlight xc whippet thing, and the other a spicy. Basically the spicy replaced the orange 5 and sunday i used to have. I kept the 5 after selling the sunday but kept getting urges to do proper dh. The 5 just isnt up to dh like the spicy is (which is why i got it, well that and it was cheap!). If i still had a dh bike i would have a 5 or a zesty.
Should add that the spicy is a bit more of a handful than the 5 on the flatter stuff. So much so i mostly run the forks at 130 to keep the head angle tighter.
Posted 2 years ago # -
I'd vote for a Zesty to (I have one) unless I had the money for a 916 Spicy, in which case I'd be tempted to go for that rather than a 914 Zesty.
Posted 2 years ago # -
I've seen quite a few guests on LaPierres out here this summer (including one guy who used to design bikes for them!). We've had someone come for a chairlift week and ride a Zesty, equally we've had a guy come for a backcountry week (good bit of pedalling) and ride a Froggy!
From what I've seen, the Spicy would be a fantastic all-rounder, but the Zesty is amazingly capable. Seen it used on DH courses and some proper gnarly rocky stuff. A wee bit light for the really big stuff, but very, very capable. If you're not going to be hucking drops, get a Zesty. If you do want to do a bit of that kind of riding, trips to the Alps, whatever, then get a Spicy.
Posted 2 years ago # -
whatever travel you decide on, you wont regret a giant.
bwarp!trance: 4"
trance X: 5"
Reign: 6"
reign X: 7"other than variation in the travel, and as the travel goes up, the bike gets slacker, they are all the same.
Posted 2 years ago # -
Blur LT?
Posted 2 years ago # -
Not really interested in anything other than a zesty, spicy or a nomad. I think I have owned most other bikes
really want to get something that I wont change again, I am leaning towards the zesty as I dont think I would get the most out of a Spicy or a nomad. I was looking at a remedy 9 but again perhaps a bit much, im trying to weigh up which one would fit my bill the most.... as long as the zesty can handle small jumps, rock gardens, all day rides and still fly down a hill then it probably is at the top of the pile
Posted 2 years ago # -
Don't discount the Alpine as being too much bike. I was in the same situation and tested the Spicy. It was a fun ride but I prefer the extra chunkyness of the Alpine. It climbs as well as any other bike I've ridden but you do have to be prepared to move your weight about on the really steep climbs/six inch plus rocks and roots. I wouldn't describe myself as especially fast but I've never been passed on a climb, and that's even fully loaded with sticky downhill tyres. The downhill more than makes up for the tweak in technique and I get the same kick out of the Alpine as I did with my Patriot.
Although I keep a hardtail for pootle days in the hills with the better half, I haven't taken it out since acquiring the Alpine - there's no point and it's too sweet to ride!
Posted 2 years ago # -
I've been running a Nomad as my only MTB for the last 3 and a half years. It goes up, it goes down and it goes along with no fuss! Its even, shock horror, quite good fun at trail centres (and no slower than my mates on their 4" travel XC bikes/5" travel bikes/long travel, pig heavy hardtails!)!!!
Posted 2 years ago # -
nico vou whasit came 3rd in this years mega on a zesty
you can't go wrong with a zesty
Posted 2 years ago # -
nico vou whasit came 3rd in this years mega on a zesty
Sure it wasn't the Froggy or the Spicy he was riding? As far as I am aware, and I am happy to be proven wrong, Nico has never ridden a comp on a Zesty.
Posted 2 years ago # -
nico vou whasit came 3rd in this years mega on a zesty
pretty sure it was a Zesty with Fox 32's - read that somewhere
Posted 2 years ago # -
Not sure if you picked up on my comment about the zesty feeling flexy out back compared to the nomad. Would be worth trying them back to back. The nomad is significantly better (imo) on stuff like afan's skyline descent (I rode them back to back on it), and I didn't feel like I climbed any better or faster on the zesty than on the nomad with the travel wound down to 100.
Could have been a shagged test bike though.
Posted 2 years ago # -
as long as the zesty can handle small jumps, rock gardens, all day rides and still fly down a hill then it probably is at the top of the pile
It can, will, very comfortably and the best of my ability do all of the above. Plus has made me a more confident rider and grin more hammering about the lakes than my other bike...............................which is a 100mm ali hard tail but still
GET ONE THERE ACE!!
Posted 2 years ago # -
Nico did ride a Zesty at this years Mega, but as with all pros it was highly modified. It has the rear linkage off the spicy to give it 160mm, and a shorter i2i length shock with a custom front shock mount. he was also on fox 32's.
I was very breifly behind him. he was rather fast!
Posted 2 years ago # -
Ahhh I stand corrected. Perhaps he's hit on something there: A 160mm travel Zesty
Posted 2 years ago # -
so that will be a spicy then
kind of like getting the back end off a nomad and putting it on a superlight front end..... to get ... yes a nomad....
Posted 2 years ago # -
kind of like getting the back end off a nomad and putting it on a superlight front end..... to get ... yes a nomad....
erm...think you've got your sums a bit wrong there
Posted 2 years ago # -
Go inbetween - 150mm, and light as a Zesty if not more so - Pronghorn Trail
Posted 2 years ago # -
Hi!
Sorry for hijacking thread, but my Spicy is up for Sale at the mo! Just sent you a mail in case you are interested!
Posted 2 years ago #
Topic Closed
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