Canyon Lux trail. Its what I have and it would probably fit the bill. Fun for messing around at trail centres but also competent at racing.
Echoing others I've just bought a 2022 Oiz H10 TR for £2855 due to C2W overheads. Haven't had chance to ride it yet but sure looks pretty.
Intense Sniper T currently on sale..
I've a Sniper XC & it's brilliant though on occasion for trail riding it 120mm would be better than 100.
https://uk.intensecycles.com/collections/sale/products/sniper-t-1
Right then, a bit of a list so far...
ARC8 Evolve FS
BMC Fourstroke/ LT
Canyon Lux
Carbon Wasp Truffle
Evil Following
Fezzari Signal Peak
Ibis Exie
Intense Sniper T
Lapierre XRM
Nicolai Saturn 11
Nukeproof Reactor Carbon 290 ST
Orange Stage Evo factory.
Orbea Oiz
Revel Ranger
Rocky Mountain Element
Santa Cruz Blue
Santa Cruz Tallboy
Scott Spark
Specialized Epic Evo
Specialized Stumpjumper
Transistion Spur
Trek Top Fuel
Vitus Rapide
Yeti SB115
YT Izzo
I was on the verge of going for a Trek Top Fuel 9.7 this week on sale at £3200 linky
Then I realised the frame is a whole 1kg heavier than an Epic Evo and it wouldn't build very light even with very XC parts. Theeeen I discovered it has a stupid 55mm chainline. Why oh why is it so hard to build a simple straight forward frame nowadays. I have knee issues helped by a low q-factor on cranks and pedals and the heel to frame clearance is already too tight with the super wide Shimano cranks on. More grumbling ensues
In light of the above lack of inspiration I would like to propose a new bike category
DADCOUNTRY (MUMCOUNTRY also available)
DADCOUNTRY bike should have a slacker than 66 degree HTA, long wheelbase (long reach and longer rather than shorter chainstays) and a STA which doesn't put you over the back wheel. There is no reason why good all around handling should restricted to heavy, sofa like long travel bikes.
A DADCOUNTRY bike should have enough suspension travel to flatter you when you are riding like a sack of spuds after a 60 hour week, but have a good enough pedaling platform and be light enough to make you feel like a hero in the rare week when the kids actually let you get some sleep.
A DADCOUNTRY bike should have no weird standards or sizes, be easy to maintain and work on because when the rare opportunity arises to ride there isn't time to faff around in the garage.
With every penny earned going in to little darling's whoknowswhat and the part of the house that house yet again leaked or failed, a DADCOUNTRY bike should be somewhat affordable and be a bike for a long time not just a good time.
It sounds simple. Maybe it is that inevitable "just a mountain bike" a lot of us search for. But why can't the best of longer travel categories not be applied to short travel, light, sprinty, climby bikes?
The Spec Epic Evo is still the only one which is close to my DADCOUNTRY specs and I hope to take a look at one this week. Something like this would go down nicely... within budget... somehow 🙂
I looked at Oiz TR, Blur TR, Epic Evo…
…And bought a Cannondale Scalpel SE1. Seemed like the best value and was lighter than others at its price (although availability played a part too). No complaints with it so far. Perfect for my speed-mincing around the Peak.
Like a lot of bikes the Scalpel SE comes close but has a couple of weird let downs. I would have to be on an XL for the fit I want, which comes with a ginormous 52cm seat tube! That shouldn't be the case at 175cm tall. I'm not massively keen on a long dropper but that is such a fail. My custom steel frame has me completely sold on pushing the LLS trend for all types of bike, not just big, heavy long travel bikes
Wow. I’m 186cm on a large Scalpel, but it sounds like you know what you want geo wise.
Do Scalpels have weird prop features in their shocks? I heard a mechanic at my LBS swearing at one last month for that reason. (I think!) - certainly the lead time on a required part.
Cannondale do like a weird / proprietary standard on a lot of bikes so it wouldn’t be surprising.
If the Reactor is on the above list I’d also add the Bird Aether 9 a / c too. It’s probably trail rather than downcountey but ticks boxes on fit (reach vs seat tube height), no dodgy standards, relatively affordable, available either as a whole hike or frame only.
Both of those plus the Evil Following sound like more bike then you want though. I reckon the Orange Stage Evo falls into trail.
The Epic Evo seems like the option here really.
Cannondale Scalpel
Mondraker F-Podium DC another possible for anyone else considering options. Looks like it should be a great ride, but so expensive! No Large on Pauls Cycles 🙁
Salsa Spearfish would be up for consideration if not for a SuperBoost rear end and a silly 55mm chainline limiting low Q-Factor cranks
Wheelbase in Staveley in the lakes are selling scalpels for £3k down from 4.5K
Intense Sniper rider here - deffo consider the Sniper T, LLS-ish but still XC-light. I was riding a Santa Cruz Highball v2, which is fairly trad angles and I still ride for more gravelly stuff. Sniper was bought as I had a Kona Process and loved the geometry (although of course it's a bit dated by current Enduro/Trail standards) - Sniper is identical geometry but much much lighter. Must be one of the earliest downcountry bikes?
2022 Epic Evo here, used for everything (other than Chisel for local ridge from door). It's light and capable. I do use the shock lockout quite a lot, but it doesn't detract from the speed with which I'm able to cover ground on it.
The Intense looks like good value, but comparing my saddle position on a sagged HT to the slack STA on a sagged Sniper/ Sniper T it is going to be hard to get the saddle far enough forwards. The cable routing under the BB and towards the rotor would annoy me, as I’m sure gritty mud getting trapped in between the multitude of links would. Another close one, but not quite for me.
I’m off to see an Epic Evo today and try not talk myself out of it as it does seem the clear front runner for what I’m looking for 🙂
List above seems to miss Pivot Mach 4, there are some deals available and even Live valve upgrades included. I have only had longer travel bikes from Pivot and they have been excellent.
I’m off to see an Epic Evo today
Just buy it - you'll not be disappointed.......
not sure if we can say this here and if you are considering second hand options but there's a large Mondraker F-Podium DC for sale on Pinkbike buysell section...not mine by the way.
List above seems to miss Pivot Mach 4
There's a very nice one for sale in the classifieds.
Do you have any links to the Pivot deals? I’m struggling to find much
I was looking at a similar type of bike & very nearly pulled the trigger on an Epic Evo, but then got swung over to the Izzo Uncaged when they were on sale. Similar type of bike with full XX1 AXS for £4700 (I think the Epic frames are £4k alone).
The Intense looks like good value, but comparing my saddle position on a sagged HT to the slack STA on a sagged Sniper/ Sniper T it is going to be hard to get the saddle far enough forwards. The cable routing under the BB and towards the rotor would annoy me, as I’m sure gritty mud getting trapped in between the multitude of links would. Another close one, but not quite for me.
One of the most comfortable bikes I have, despite a slack seat angle. I do agree with the cable routing under the BB though. That is a bit naff and something I have experienced issues with. If you can accept it is a Californian bike and the limitations that come with that in terms of mud.... it is a fantastic ride.
Oh... dub bb. SHITE.
...very nearly pulled the trigger on an Epic Evo, but then got swung over to the Izzo Uncaged when they were on sale.
I'd be interested in people's thoughts on these. Couple of things:
- They have no stock of almost all sizes at the moment. Anybody have any idea when they are likely to have new stock?
- Is it really much more of a trail bike compared to something like the evo? I already have an XC hardtail so don't want something too similar, but would still like something relatively quick for big days - I'm more of a mile muncher than trail rider? And is the uncaged massively different to the standard Izzo - it's just 10mm less travel, right?
A bike for a decent amount of UK miles which isn't mud friendly is a big no for me.
The YT Izzo Uncaged is just lack of availability of the correct shock length and making a "new model" with shocks they could get ahold of as far as I can tell.
Spec Epic Evo today still seemed decent albeit expensive still. Really underwhelming experience in the Specialized Concept Store, having to answer my own questions with a poke around, being told I was a definite medium despite my assurances I'd done my sums and I'm sure I'm a large... only to find the saddle didn't raise high enough with the stock dropper for my saddle height and I was pretty bolt upright despite a 60mm stem 🙂 OK, so can I order a Large Epic Evo in Raspberry please... erm no we don't have any... they are available from the Specialized Concept store site... no, sorry we are a separate entity and can't order anything in. I can see why given how the businesses are set up, but what a fail from Spec to make it difficult for shops to either get stock from a central warehouse or share stock between Specialized branded concept stores.
Contrast to the Trek shop who let me have a spin around the block on a 10k Top Fuel, knocked £2000 off the price of the cheapest carbon model, furnished me with as much coffee as I could handle, chatted jump spots and singletrack, and could access a stock of 30+ bikes in this model from the warehouse in Germany any time I like.
I was looking a few weeks ago for a similar bike, but went hardtail in the end (Yeti ARC). I agree that the Epic looks like a good package and generally there seem to be more decent deals out there at the moment, but the Spesh factory builds still seem like poor value even when discounted.
I don't know how much of an XC mincer you really are, OP, if you're settled on a 66deg head angle!
@Ben_H 66 degrees is quite xc mincy these days surely? 🤣 When I ride my mates Santa Cruz 5010 v3 CC with that sort of head angle it feels very steep and flighty (my bike is 63.7 degrees)
