Holy balls, you can get an end-of-line Horsethief 3 for £1150. There's a lot I'd want to change in there but holy balls nevertheless. And it looks like a bike, too, not like a tool for removing rocks from hooves like some of the others. Wee bit steeper than I like and the chainstays are a mile long but still.
The same amount (though I also got 4% cash back) I just paid for a Ghost AMR 2955. Bit shorter travel agreed, but read the Bikeradar review. Without sounding like a magazine hack, the bike is reckoned to be more capable than its travel would suggest. 440mm stays are a bonus, the low BB with the supplied 110mm fork suggests that it'll take a 120 or 130 happily. I've known people with 26" Ghost AMR's fit 20mm longer forks for the desired effect with good results. Planning on putting a 120mm fork on mine straight away anyway...
Have you looked at the Whyte T-129? A ridiculously capable bike beyond its price point. A few quality issues with the back ends of the first production run so I understand, but get a ride on one if you can.
Oh, and I'll agree on the Pyga's seat mast, my first thoughts were that it's a bit of an afterthought. But if they ride even half as well as the reviews suggest, I'd quickly be able to forget about the ugly seat mast!
The Ghost looks lovely... But having trouble getting over that head angle. I think if I was looking for more of an allrounder I'd be all over it.
The Whyte... it looks brilliant, shorter travel than I really want but the numbers all make sense. But tbh I couldn't get on at all with the 146, just something completely weird about the front end, and I hear from people who've had both that they're quite similiar in ride. I'd love a go but I am skeptic.
BMC Trailfox would be top of my list to try... if I didn't have a Nicolai Ion 15 on order after my test ride 
(very similar geometry, slack head angle, low bottom bracket, short back-end).
The Trailfox does look ace but value-wise it seems awfy expensive, comparing like for like with frinstance the Cube Race which is £200 more but is mostly better specced and Reverb'd up, though I prefer the numbers on the BMC
I love Nicolais but I'll be realistic there, it'd run my budget absolute to the limit- probably means trimming some other parts. Using it as one of the benchmarks though. Not light either (not too harsh a criticism, I expect it's strong like ox)
The Ghost looks lovely... But having trouble getting over that head angle. I think if I was looking for more of an allrounder I'd be all over it.
Don't get hung up on numbers. 69 degrees was par for the course on 26" 120mm travel bikes until very recently, on a 29er it's relatively slack.
The Whyte... it looks brilliant, shorter travel than I really want but the numbers all make sense. But tbh I couldn't get on at all with the 146, just something completely weird about the front end, and I hear from people who've had both that they're quite similiar in ride. I'd love a go but I am skeptic.
Totally different from the 146 I'd say. My opinion of it was that it felt like a short travel
DH bike, but without the weight or the compromises. 120 front and back is plenty with the bigger wheels.
Was looking at the Commencal meta 29er until recently, but decided I'd rather trade some travel for a shorter chainstay. The 26" Ghost AMR is also a properly quick and fun bike to ride, numbers just looked right to me with enough money saved to then work on speccing as I please.
NW, we're a fair few miles yes, but I don't mind driving if you've got some fun trails to play on 🙂
My 'thief is a 2012 one.
I don't care about the "long" stays, as I said, I wanted it to ride like my old DH bike - stable. Also I'm big (6'4") and it comes in a proper XL which is nice, so I've got the leverage to move a long bike around. I suspect stay length maybe matters more for smaller riders?
You can also insert some bollocks about being "in" not "on" the bike.... 😉 But I'd basically read that as "a bike that fits, rather than one that's too small...sorry I should've said chuckable" 😉
Cool, ta for that- I think the Horsethief maybe loses out by being outrageously good value for a full build but with a lot of stuff I'd change anyway. Need to work out the numbers for that. Shame the higher end ones aren't still available and also with a 50% discount 😉
What is so bad about the horsethief full bike? i know the parts aren't the best but they are all good quality and functional aren't they?I ask because I've been considering one myself but keep reading "would have to change all the parts"and its putting me off!
Has anyone seen anything else that can compete on value for money?
Nothing wrong with it whatsoever- I'm just a tart. But also I'll be bringing over some favourite kit from the old bike and I think some of the bits on it might be hard to get a good return on in the classifieds.
Not a criticism of the bike at all though. Reflects worse on me 🙂
Right so where are we at...
Slowly writing off the idea of buying a whole bike then changing bits, I'm too picky, I'll change too much and end up having a frame. So sadly that seems to rule out the lovely Cubes.
(incidentally, if anyone wants a full-carbon Cube here's a silly-cheap one:)
http://www.bike-discount.de/shop/k1861/a80507/cube-stereo-super-hpc-140-race-29-blackline.html
Any love for the Kona Satori here? Seems like another good one, the numbers all look decent and there's a few knocking around.
Oh and is it just me or are all the white Pikes DPA? Highly annoying that, I found a cheap Covert 29 in white, it needs white Pikes, it does not need DPA 🙁
Slowly writing off the idea of buying a whole bike then changing bits, I'm too picky, I'll change too much and end up having a frame. So sadly that seems to rule out the lovely Cubes.
My Ghost arrived this afternoon. It has already been stripped, and tomorrow will start to be built with other parts. Sometimes that's what you gotta do to get the bike you want!
(incidentally, if anyone wants a full-carbon Cube here's a silly-cheap one:)
Damn that's a good price! Not tempted? Only thing that would stop me if I hadn't already bought a bike would be that I don't think I'd need/use 140mm of travel on a 29er.
Oh and is it just me or are all the white Pikes DPA? Highly annoying that, I found a cheap Covert 29 in white, it needs white Pikes, it does not need DPA
Thought about the X-Fusion forks instead? Getting rave reviews...
Oh and mailed you about the DT 10mm end caps when you have 5mins to respond.
If I had a spare £4600 lying around...
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The Ghost looks lovely
Borrocks! You're just being nice, it's mucho ugly. That Enduro [i]is[/i] lovely.
p.s. BS Bingo! - Just need someone to mention square-edged hits for a full house.
Any love for the Kona Satori here? Seems like another good one, the numbers all look decent and there's a few knocking around.
I've got one, but I haven't had it long enough to give a rounded review. Only been out on a couple of big rides so far (in the Peak), and it seems pretty planted and confidence inspiring. Can't wait to get it into bigger mountains. Current build is around 29lbs.
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On-one Codeine? Single ring only and not available yet, but it sounded like it would be a good deal for the frame only.
Cheers Benman
mboy - MemberDamn that's a good price! Not tempted?
Very! Still tempted in fact but I don't think the "spares" would raise an awful lot so it starts out cheap but ends up expensive for the bits I want. They've got a slightly higher spec one in manky green too.
Oh and I am having a disaster with the end caps, somehow lost them- sorry should have emailed. Will find them though!
Codeine looks interesting.
What about a rocky mountain Instinct BC Edition?
The Codeine looks interesting but I have emo-raged On One so it's off the list 🙂 Besides I don't really want to be a beta tester and I can't wait til the revised version with [s]all[/s] most of the issues fixed
Nobody seems to sell the Instinct here unless I'm being stupid
Fairly sure Steve ay I-Cycles has an RM Instinct in at the mo?
FWIW I liked the Covert 29er but it weighed a ton(not scientific measurement) for the middle spec one I tested, not sure the lighter wheels/better spec on the £4k version would've made a huge difference to that? In the end I went for a Sultan(another one!)
I've got the Yeti SB-95 and love it. I had pretty much discounted 29ers and was in the market for either 26 or 650B until I demoed the SB-95. Its so much more versatile than I thought it would be and pedals incredibly well. I'm hitting stuff faster and with so much more confidence than I had on my Nicolai for example. If you find yourself down North Wales way, you're welcome to try it.
I got the Covert with the build kit 3 (lowest spec one) and it weighed in at 33lb's but its no lightweight build, the wheelset alone is 2kg, but in the ball park for this kind of bike based on the research I did when I was shopping for a bike. Since then i've gone 1x10 (with direct mount N-W ring so no retension) and ditched the superflouous parts, gone for a lighter crank and rear mech and brakeset, so maybe saved a pound or so. I was alot slower up hill on it compared to the lightweight XC hardtial I had before (to be expected) - it was a bit of a shock initially, but since then i've got fitter, lost about 8 lbs in body weight, and now i'm not bad up the hills. The good thing about the Covert is it pedals well, so is quite efficient and capable of taking on all day XC rides if you're not trying to break any records, so much so I never use the Climb/pro-pedal mode on the rear shock unless i'm out of the saddle, there is just no need to. So it doesn't feel like a lardy bike.
Visit to Steve's then, he's got one of my wheels so that works out nicely 😆 The Transition frame/shock is one of the heaviest I've looked at, which means that even with really nice kit it'll weigh in about the same as the bike it'd replace, psychology says NO! But it's a really strong contender otherwise.
ironically everyone says the Commencal is heavy but the frame seems pretty competitive, if online figures are to be trusted
(ooh, Freeborn have a brand new medium Covert in rootbeer for £900 incidentally. lots of good deals around, you feel a bit sorry for the folks trying to sell nearly new bikes for more than they now cost)
Very! Still tempted in fact but I don't think the "spares" would raise an awful lot so it starts out cheap but ends up expensive for the bits I want.
Ignore that. For just over £2k you're getting a top notch, carbon fibre frame, with the geometry and travel you want, a top notch fork thrown in, and a smattering of usable (or saleable) kit. If you just kept the frame and fork, and sold the rest, they'd probably owe you about £1600 I reckon. £1600 for a decent carbon full sus frame, and a fork worth about £800 isn't bad going at all! It's cheaper than most off the shelf ally full sus frames on their own!!!
They've got a slightly higher spec one in manky green too.
Not quite as good a bargain, but does come with a Reverb. Personally, if I wanted a 140mm travel FS 29er, I'd struggle to look past the Cubes at those prices... Still a few Commencal Meta AM 29er's kicking about at good prices too though.
Borrocks! You're just being nice, it's mucho ugly. That Enduro is lovely.
I've owned Specialized Enduro's in the past, one thing you could never describe it as is good looking! They are "functional" at best. My Ghost arrived yesterday, by contrast it's a positively good looking bike compared to the Spesh.
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Most 29ers look like the wheels are too close to look [i]right[/i] imo. I prefer the raked out look of the Spesh. Much more purposeful.
edit: Is that pic even a 29?
Beauty is very much in the eye of the beholder, but funk me, that Ghost is literally gopping.
IMO the Spec' and the BMC are probably the 2 best looking bigger 29" on the market. The Stumpy Expert is a nice looking bike too, and, dare I say it, the Meta 29 is quite pleasing on the eye 🙂
The Specialized is nice. THis year's grey and blue is a bit less so though.
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Still on the list though 😉 The 26er enduro looks a bit odd by comparison.
mboy - Membera fork worth about £800
TBH the fork is a big turn-off, never met a TALAS I liked. And looking at resales it's probably worth about £250. Still, it is not a ruiner- of all the full builds I've looked at it's the favourite (Enduro Comp being runner up)
FWIW, just fitted a different fork to the Ghost this evening, an X-Fusion Slide RL2 in white at 120mm. Personally, I think aesthetically the bike needs a white fork, though that's not the reason I fitted it. Have raised the front travel slightly now, slackened the head angle (it now measures just on 68.5 degrees) marginally, and the BB height is barely altered (just over 330mm with 2.2" tyres fitted). And with the stem slammed, and flipped, and some flat bars fitted, I can still just about get my desired bar height too.
+1 for the Intense Spider comp... Love mine 😀
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I love my Tracer 29, and despite the fact they stopped making it, there's hardly anything out there I'd swap it for, Carbine 29 included. It's a large, and it's very long (47.5" WB) but it's very fast. With an angleset, I measured the headangle as 67, and the CCDB took it to another level, especially the Rob Cooksley's secret linkage mod. Second hand ones don't go for a lot when they come up, if you can find one. As has been mentioned, strong wheels are the issue with all these 29ers, I've broken a few...
Ah hah... The Intense website says it has a 70 degree headangle with 150mm forks, that always seemed a bit dubious... Very useful, cheers!
And yep, I'm not that hard on wheels but I think if I'm picking my own it'll be flow exes or 821s, or maybe carboncycles. But if it's OEM wheels I shall just batter **** out of them and see what happens 🙂 Most of the 29ers I've ridden have had cheap, hefty wheels and you really feel it (especially the Oranges with their wibbly wobbly wheelbuilds)
Why oh why have Spesh ruined the Enduro with that colour scheme?
More bike than I'd ever need, but I keep looking at them... local demo on in March, I'm looking to try it anyways!
Curse this thread - be damned.
My wallet just exploded, and bought me a Horsethief.
z1ppy - MemberWhy oh why have Spesh ruined the Enduro with that colour scheme?
And no 2013s to be found either, total sellout.
Damn, I 'wondered' if they'd maybe wouldn't sell out (no matter the reviews) & come up slightly cheaper..
If you can wait for CRC to restock the Vitus Escarpe, they only had it at full price for a couple of weeks (surprise), then had it reduced the rest of the year.. again more bike than I need but I kept looking at it 😀
damn too late to edit..
Seems they released it already "Vitus Bikes Escarpe 290 2014" already a £150 off @ £1440 but give it a month and it'll drop more... wider rims, shimano SLX groupset (fsa cranks/deore front mech), but nastier TK forks though. Not the slackest and long chainstays though...
Why oh why have Spesh ruined the Enduro with that colour scheme?
More bike than I'd ever need, but I keep looking at them... local demo on in March, I'm looking to try it anyways!
Maybe something to do with the fact that the nice looking one is £4600 carbon (Expert????) and the one with the gash colour scheme is the Comp?
Haggle on an Enduro.The carbon Camber has been rated elsewhere.
Oh, incidentally there's a "limited edition" Enduro comp that is MURDERED OUT with red details, presumably to suggest bloodstains.
Think if I was buying a new bike as a package it pretty much comes down to the Cube Stereo Race vs the Enduro Comp- Cube has the Enduro beat pretty squarely on spec but the Enduro is obviously the biggest and the honkingest.
I would put the cube in the same category as the stumpy evo not Enduro.
Haggle on an Enduro.
Good luck with that. Considering the lack of availability.
Serious bargain
For a LT full carbon 29er !!
Only needs a dropper....
Takes some beating IMHO
Butterbean, how many independent shops are going to sell lots of Expert carbon 29? It does not hurt to try,the one I rode last week was a lot under the rrp.
I've got a Stumpy evo comp 29er with some upgrades (Pikes, 1x10, stronger wheels)and it's a cracking bike (and still much, much cheaper than the carbon comp). I like how it looks as well 😉
The shop demo Enduro comp is all black from memory, so none of the blue bits. Maybe see if a dealer will part with one? I managed to get a bit of a deal on mine as well, so it is worth asking.
