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Well not quite, but starting to feel a change coming on and fed up with my current bike due to the hours (and difficulty) it takes to change bearings.
Looking for a full suspension bike/frame, cross country but still fun to ride, something that's easy to change the bearings on and will last a while before wearing out.
Fast-ish handling, 100-120ish travel, not weigh a ton, low and long...i.e I need it to be between a 18.5"-19.5" seat tube (20" at a push) and a 24"ish top tube...
Prefer metal but could be swayed towards carbon...maybe...
Want it to look good, no horrible swoopy down tubes like on gary fishers and specialized bikes, to me, the look horrible, but maybe thats just me.
Don't want to have to break the bank but might for something special...Any suggestions and comments on bellow ideas? I.e if you have one ride and maintenance problems
So far I have considered:
Titus racer x, looks great in smaller sizes horrible in larger sizes...
nicolai Helius RC, or CC, nice looking, i think, no idea what they are like to live with, on the pricy side of things
Orange st4, a little on the tall side but like that it's made in the uk, like the look, would wait for new version with rumoured stiffer stays
Orange 5, obviously a bit "bigger" than I am really looking at but like the one pivot.
Commencel 4 and carbon 4, carbon one looks great but carbon does scare me a little plus might be very expensive, plus hoping revised geomertry means lower and longer. Is the single pivot, rocker activated system easy to live with? Same goes for st4
Turner flux, not sure about all the load bearing pivots but then turners have a good repituation...plus pretty expensive these days
Maybe Trek EX
Any help?
SC Superlight?
Giant Anthem X?
What is your current bike if your considering horst link frames (Titus, Nicolai) and a DW bike to be lees pain when changing bearings? The same goes for the Trek EX.
IMO you should be looking at a ST4 or a SC Superlight as the 5 is bigger than you want and while it would run fine on 120mm forks the frame is a lot heavier than a Superlight and might even cost more. The ST4 is probably more of a trail bike and the Superlight is probably more of a XC race bike but I'm sure both could be used for either purpose without worry.
I have owned 2 nicolais and both are/were very nice frames. I haven't owned one long enough of had to change the bearings but I know some, whos bearings are 3 years old and are still going strong. build quality is excellent, you can get them in pretty much any colour you want, and if you know exactly what you want then you can always choose custom geometry for an extra £250.
expensive frames, but imo, if you can afford it, ell worth the money
Have a 5 myself and the pivot bearing change is very quick and simple indeed. Although it might be more bike than what you are looking for from the spec. Due to its single pivot simplicity what about a Cannondale Rush?
I currenty have a SC Blur, I guess a horst link and DW would be just as bad really. Just really fustrating to line everything up, I guess it didn't help that the pivots got stuck in, so a lot of hammer use was required, quite enjoyable for 5 mins not much more. I guess an SC superlight would be a sensible choice but have fallen out of love with Santa Cruz a bit...
Thanks for the comments so far.
ellsworth truth, or even better, tiruth. 🙂
Not trying to be a smart arse but why not try to buy the correct tools for the job rather than using a hammer? I changed the bearings in a FSR when I had it resprayed and they were a pain in the arse and that was with a bare frame cant imagine doing it with the bike built up. But by buying the correct tools you would save at least £900 thats if you actually like your bike to ride. Or if you are set on a new frame try the blur 2 as it has grease ports so the bearings will last longer.
I do have all the tools, bought the bearing press, (mind you very unimpressed with the quality of the press) but the axels had got stuck though corrosion, the instructions do say use a malet...I did use one, not actually a hammer. And just getting everything lined up is a pain, it doesn't slot together as nicely as I thought it should. I did do it properly, not that much of a dumb ass as to try and install bearing's with a hammer, on a costly frame 😉
Blur 2 is a nice looking bike but far too much money and still not sure I can break my carbon fear...I know people say it's fine I just fear it.
Sorry just sounded like you were using a hammer and a block of wood. I didnt really have the problem of lining axles up when I did mine as the bolt going through the pivot was also acting as an axle. Different sus setups do things different ways.
That's ok, could see why you would think that
JensonUSA have Titus ML framesets on offer at the mo - IRO £800
I have the Turner Flux - and you'll not go wrong with them at all. Their reputation is well deserved.
Then I went off and tried a 29er. And bought it. Still delight in every ride - it's so very different - every ride is an event and far from the madding crowd.
It's not for no reason they're gaining serious reputations & winning events.
Hope this helps.