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Hi,
I currently own a Vitus Escarpe full suspension bike which is great for my trips to bike parks and trail centres. However, it is a bit of a weight to drag round the local bridleways when I go for a ride directly from home.
Had been toying with the idea of getting a reasonable XC-Hardail for local trips and longer distance XC rides, particularly in the winter when I don't fancy getting the full-squish caked in mud.
Suspect secon-hand or in the sales may be the way to go but not really sure of what sort of brands/models to be looking out for. Want something light if possible but keen not to get some sort of hard-core hardtail that is too beefy for the sort of gentle doddering i'm imagining!
Any suggestions for models/brands in the £1-1.5k bracket?
Thanks
J
On one whippet has been good for me
very much enjoying my Sepcialized Chisel Comp. Full retail is £2300, but i managed to get one for around £700 off.
Not sure what there is available used, but its a great frame, begging for a few upgrades.
I had a Scandal that I used for what you want to do, and TBH it was perfectly fine for those sorts of long-ish XC gentle terrain rides. It was a bit heavy, and after about 80km a bit jarring, but it was cheap and well(ish) specced and all I did in the time I owned it was wash it and run an allen key over it every now and again for very basic servicing and to tighten everything up, it was super reliable.
I've been out on the SDW on my whippet today, it's great for that type of riding. Mines rigid and I've got 27.5 - 3/2.8 and 29 - 2.6/2.4 wheels and tyres for it. I did the SDW in a day on it last summer with the 29 wheels and it was perfectly comfortable for the whole ride.
Id like some lighter wheels and am thinking of going for a mullet set up that would let me run up to 2.8 front and rear. I think that would be the most fun fit and forget option for me
I know nothing about xc bikes but this looks like it has a decent spec,
https://www.wiggle.com/p/vitus-rapide-29-vr-mountain-bike
Scott Scale, Cube reaction sound like they'd work.
I had a whippet with 100mm sids, now have a scandal with 130mm z2 as I couldn't abide the head angle
I've dropped you a PM OP as I'm looking to sell a decent XC bike i don't use
I've got an Escarpe and a Scandal (currently setup SS).
The Scandal is a good compromise between ride all day fun, and stable when it gets gnarly fun. Not super slack, but slack enough to be stable without making the other 95% of the ride a chore.
Early ones came with a nice Fulcrum wheelset and proper full GX groupset. The 35's are good but a bit harsh when it gets really rough and they're a bit heavy. I'm keeping an eye out for a set of Z2, 34 or Pikes to upgrade them.
That said the Vitus Sentier VR 29er is currently £750 at CRC with a Z2, and frankly it would be really hard to look past that if I wanted a whole new bike.
Whatever 29er Trek are doing?
My Superfly constantly surprises me, I don't even know what weight it is but it rides light, fun, agile, and it's only got boggo standard parts (it was a bike to work special from several years ago). Think I've had the Rebas serviced once.
Fitted some Mezcals recently and am now thinking worrying thoughts about exactly what I need the gravel bike for when the Superfly is so good at general XC and gravel duties...
Another vote for the vitus rapide vr HT. Mine has been awesome
That Vitus looks a pretty decent deal but I'd be more inclined to look towards ragley
I've had a few in 29'er form from the original Kinesis FF29, through two KTM Aeras, a KTM Myroon and now a Scott Scale 910. Prior to that I had 26" Cove Handjob and a couple of other random GT's in my formative biking years.
The two KTM Aeras were built light, with Stans Crest wheels, 1x drive trains, Easton EC90 finishing kit and good forks and they were very good bikes that I don't think you can get any more, the KTM Myroon was similar but with nice wheels - DT Swisss XR1501's and is still rolling under it's current owner, again a nice bike, but the Scott is far better than all of them, it just rides nicer and is perfect for exactly what you describe, plus they're always coming up on eBay too.