Anyone admitted that they're not that rad anymore and bought a sensible bike? – Page 2 – Bike Forum

mindmap3 · 2013-05-22T20:09:48Z

Firstly, apologies for what may be a long post... I currently ride a 2005 SX Trail which is a great bike but is looking a bit knackered now so I want a new frame. I've cleared it with the boss, so started looking at Transition Coverts and Banshee Rune v2's both of which are 160mm bikes that are designed to be ridden up and down things (although the Rune is a bit more aggro). I rode DH a lot when I lived in Sheffield and have always enjoyed getting down stuff as fast as I can. I'd say I'm an OK rider - I'm faster than some people whilst others are faster than me. As a result I've always been drawn to the more aggro bikes. I was pretty set on one of these frames, but I'm starting to wonder if either will be a bit OTT for what I actually ride on a regular basis, especially living in the midlands. I know that the purists on here will flame me, but I do spend a lot of time at Cannock Chase because locally there's not much else that guarantees a bit of fun. I also ride in the Peaks a fair bit due to having family in Sheffield. My usual rides up there are Stanage, mucking about in Wyming Brook, Ladybower etc. I also occasionally head over to Wharncliffe to ride the DH tracks. Although I enjoy the descending part of riding, I'm not as fast as I was nor do I hit loads of big jumps any more. This got me thinking as to whether I would be better off with something like the Banshee Spitfire v2 which is a 140mm travel trail bike with slack angles and designed round a 160mm fork. It seems that these kind of bikes are pretty solid these days and will take a bit more abuse than you would think. I love the look of the Rune and the Covert, but I am starting to wonder whether I'd be lugging around a very capable bike that is not getting used to its fullest. But then I think if I start king a few more uplift days, would I be better off with he Rune or Covert? Has anyone else been in a similar position and done the same thing? Cheers

mindmap3

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I liked it and basically thought sod it, you only live once! If there had been more available I'd have waited until the Spitfire demo arrived, but even Ison aren't expecting many in soon and apparently most are spoken for. I also got a pretty good deal on it which helped...so far I'm a happy bunny.

I wrote some more detail about how I thought the Rune and Covert rode compared to each other on my thread asking for people's experiences with Coverts.

Posted : 26/05/2013 9:02 pm

q232

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[b]mindmap3[/b], which size of sx trail did you use and which size of banshee rune did you buy? and what is your height?

Posted : 30/10/2013 8:53 am

Lester

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buy an ibis mojo hd
you then get the choice to run it as 160 or 140 by swapping the rear shock
you can just about get away with running a 150 fork, which is a small compromise but makes the swaps quick and easy.
mine weighs 291b in 160 mode and is possibly enough for all you need

Posted : 30/10/2013 9:23 am

brakes

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deep down I'm very happy shredding singletrack without worrying about psyching myself up for a gap jump over a pit of doom - I did more miles doing practice run-ups to drops than anything else...
big bike is still in the shed though for the odd trip of mince to a DH track.
perversely I'm fitter now in my mid thirties than I've ever been and I get my kicks from that.

Posted : 30/10/2013 9:29 am

DrP

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I'm falling into this camp...
I [b]AM [/b]happy blatting down a DH run or taking moderate gap jumps..but it's not all that floats my boat now.
Really, my 29er SS scandal is now my go to bike, whereas it always used to be my 150mm Commie meta 5..

Heck - setting up a tarp and having a cuppa is now becoming as thrilling as donning the full face and 'shredding things to the gnar core max...'

DrP

Posted : 30/10/2013 9:32 am

gwaelod

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Love Neil Cox picture above

I really want a cargo bike.

Posted : 30/10/2013 9:44 am

Marmoset

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I don't miss the gnar as I never had it in the first place! I guess being a wheels on the ground guy has left me less conflicted 😆

Posted : 30/10/2013 9:46 am

PJM1974

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Right up until I discovered mountain biking ten years ago I've been a gnar-free zone all of my life, the closest I've ever come to gap jumps is when I rode a borrowed Raleigh Grifter over a makeshift ramp consisting of a plank and three bricks.

So now I have a 160mm skills compensator that is a darn sight more capable than I am. The best thing about it is that it actually pedals very well indeed and will happily climb most things without complaint. Weight-wise it's a sturdy 33lb and at the tender age of thirty-nine and a half I'm finally learning to drag both wheels off the ground, kicking and screaming. Yay me!

Posted : 30/10/2013 10:27 am

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