[Closed] I Want - Very, very, VERY, fast HT frame

Scale 899.

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Agreed, any carbon scale is stupidly quick.

I believe Meridas are quite fast.
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Scott scale 899?

No such thing as a fast bike.

Fast rider? Yes.

Are you one?

Or Cannondale Flash. Don't buy the 899 though unless you are stupidly rich, buy the 30 and sell the bits. It's the same frame, just a slightly heavier one.

Orbea Almas used to be fast.
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As others have said, Scott Scale?

Either that or some custom framebuilder jobbo to get the geometry to your taste...

No such thing as a fast bike.
Fast rider? Yes.
Are you one?

Not particularly...

But I am after the sort of ride that only normally come with short travel, long TT race type geometry.

I like a bike that feels like it is always faster than your lung capacity, always scarier on the downs, but quick as a whippet up hill. With a bike like this, I push myself every ride. With other bikes I sit back and enjoy the ride

Zaskar?

Whyte 19 Carbon. Sounds like it meets your spec.
Love mine.

Check out the LOOK and TIME hardtails, my dream HT if i was to buy a high end one. They have the seatpost as part of the frame like high end road bikes, very swish.

[IMG] [/IMG]

I have a carbon Scale, love it. My bro has a carbon Zaskar and that feels very 'racey', probably more so than my Scale.

cynic-al - Member
No such thing as a fast bike.

Fast rider? Yes.

Are you one?

Cannondale HT's are nice

aren't all the fast riders on 29ers now ?

Cannondale Flash for sure!

Whippet?

Heh I was indeed being cheeky - interesting anecdote.

Did anyone else think "GAZ" - what a crap bike brnad-name?

Wondered why the frame had dimensions marked up on it....

my old rocklobster was a nice light xc machine 23lb an could shed even more weight quite easly!

on £300, throw a long stem on & bingo!

but if moneys no thing then I'd co cannondale flash or the scott - built as race bikes!

So, Scott Scale 30 then...?

What's their weaknesses?

Having broken the Ti framed Lucky Strike, I rather dubious of combining speed + rocky Welsh trails + carbon fibre...

But would be happily convinced

So you want an ultralight bike, then say you're worried about how it'll handle your local riding 🙄

No real 'weaknesses' on the Scale, it's a lightweight carbon hardtail, there's not really anything to do wrong...

It's not what you asked but have you ever sat on an S-Works Epic?

I had a early scale 30, felt super fast and surprisingly playfull, it's only weak point was it didn't have a replaceable mech hanger, apart from that it was solid, the newer ones do have one though so I wouldn't worry
From what you've said I'd say newer scale or flash for light and fast

Just buy one of those cheap carbon jobbies from China

So you want an ultralight bike, then say you're worried about how it'll handle your local riding

More a question of - are there any snapping frame / stone impact type horror stories?

Haven't come across any, but haven't looked previously.

IIRC one of the other carbon race HTs was getting bad press for failures 6-12 months or so ago - RM Vertex perhaps??

It's not what you asked but have you ever sat on an S-Works Epic?

Quite taken by the 29er Epic when in the US earlier this year. To my surprise, I would say over 60% of the Spesh stock was big wheeled.

[url= http://www.on-one.co.uk/i/q/FTWHIPSID100/on-one-carbon-xc-whippet-frame-rockshox-sid-rlt-100mm-forks-bundle?utm_source=Planet+X+and+On+One&utm_campaign=0100166b01-21st_August_2011_Block_Version8_15_2011&utm_medium=email ]Whippet + sids £599[/url]

Merida 0.Nine
Sub 1kg weight, lifetime warranty, and ridden to world cup and world champs victory by Jose Hermida.
Also apparently coming in a 29" version for 2012 if that floats your boat...

"I like a bike that feels like it is always faster than your lung capacity, always scarier on the downs, but quick as a whippet up hill. With a bike like this, I push myself every ride. With other bikes I sit back and enjoy the ride"

Have to say, this is what a Giant Anthem feels like, not scarey on the downs though just encourages you to go quicker their too. OK not a HT but easily as quick IMO

Anthem's are disappointingly heavy for the money though. With the exception of the top XX equipped one they're all a fair bit porkier than the alternatives.

Not the be all and end all, but a shame IMO.

I'd still say the Scale 30 is the best compromise, although I did look at the Whippet/SIDs deal with interest!

More a question of - are there any snapping frame / stone impact type horror stories?

Haven't come across any, but haven't looked previously.

It's carbon, it will eventually crack some time if you ride it hard, possibly during a race. Ive seen a cracked Scott full sus before, snapped at the head tube.

Wondered why the frame had dimensions marked up on it....

Pronghorn, really nice bikes.

njee20 - which other full sussers are <26lbs for £2k?

😳 I have an Anthem, and love the feel of it.

Ride feels very close to my beloved Lucky Strike. Not as fast on the climbs, but the 100mm rear travel allows far more speed to be carried on descents.

Sadly, having not bent a thing in 15+ years of mtbing, I cracked the LS last year, and suspect that the Anthem is now cracked as well.

Creaking, groaning Anthem is not confirmed as cracked just yet (and I have my fingers crossed that it is not...). Giant dealer suspects BB / pivot or mech hanger creakage. I suspect the rock dint just above the BB 🙁 Needs a full strip and re-grease to fully check out

Lots of nice carbon HT frames around these days!....

Cannondale Flash would be a good choice - I just got a 29er Flash Carbon and it feels like cheating 😀

It IS quite a compliant frame though (VERY stiff but floaty at the same time - gives in the stays, seattube and SAVE post) from your thread title it sounds like you want something with no flex at all anywhere...

michaelmcc - Member
It's carbon, it will eventually crack some time if you ride it hard, possibly during a race. Ive seen a cracked Scott full sus before, snapped at the head tube.

Followed by the same logic

It's steel, it will eventually crack some time if you ride it hard, possibly during a race. Ive seen a cracked steel frame

It's aluminium, it will eventually crack some time if you ride it hard, possibly during a race. Ive seen a cracked aluminium frame

etc 🙄

Oh dear, gonna incur the wrath of the Anthem crowd now 🙂

I didn't say Anthems weren't good bikes, they have a huge following, and I don't doubt they're excellent, I just know from weighing lots of friends ones that they're not all that light.

njee20 - which other full sussers are <26lbs for £2k?

You say other, but on my scales I've not seen an Anthem meet those criteria! A number of friends have 2011 Anthem X Advanced SL 1s, and they're over 25lbs stock, which is a bit disappointing I think for the money. Weighed one with Podium wheels and what not, pretty tricked out, and it was still nearly 24.

It's a bike [s]carbon[/s], it will eventually crack some time if you ride it hard, possibly during a race.

FTFY

Have always been concerned about alu fatigue life and cracking...

Re stiffness - the LS was Ti, so had a good mix of quick geometry and trail buzz soakage.

njee20 - My Anthem cost £1800 is is approx 26lb. Its well known that the plastic frame one is only fractionally lighter than the metal one, but you pay alot of extra cash when the components are not much different. So on my reckoning buy a cheap Anthem and spend another £1.5k on very light stuff and you could get sub 25lb very, very, VERY fast FS bike. (but its irrelevant because OP doesnt want a FS) 🙂

Followed by the same logic

It's steel, it will eventually crack some time if you ride it hard, possibly during a race. Ive seen a cracked steel frame

It's aluminium, it will eventually crack some time if you ride it hard, possibly during a race. Ive seen a cracked aluminium frame

etc

Its different, you get more warning with alloy or steel, and often they bend or dent before cracking. Little to no warning with carbon, they just snap straight through.