[Closed] Spesh Pitch to Bandit, would you?

As much as I love my Bandit that is a toughy! I guess it depends whether your riding warrants the Pitch's capability and, if not so much, whether you're OK with riding FS all year round. Is it a Bandit 26 you want and can you still get one?

I'm not a Pitch expert but is it that much more capable than a Bandit? Many Bandit reviews praise how stiff the bike is and for riding like it has more than the stated 130mm travel.

My limited experience of the Pitch was in some pretty rocky terrain in Spain. I currently own a Bandit. Using my extensive non-scientific methods of analysis (hazy memory versus current experience) I'd say the Pitch was definitely more point-and-shoot. The Bandit strikes an impressive balance between remarkably good climber and solid descender, whereas the Pitch, to coin a STW phrase, seemed to be more "winch and plummet".

If you're looking for a more all-round "do it all" bike than the Pitch I think you'll like the Bandit, but in my experience it's not quite as sure-footed downhill. The Pitch was quite remarkable in how planted it felt for what it was.

Take everything I've said with a pinch of salt and go with your heart. Far more important 😀

Shock at magazine review stating abike feels as though it has more travel than it really has, no doubt thatnellusive bottomless feeling! Strangely I heard the back end was flexy?
Do what ever floats your boat, its ONLY a bike after all!

^lol

as an addendum to my previous post, my Bandit has a Fox CTD shock fitted. It gave up its travel very easily, so in my experience it never felt like it had "more than the stated 130mm travel". I even fitted a bigger spacer to make the travel more progressive; it had the second biggest spacer fitted from the factory already. I'm no airborne rad freeride downhill kid either, but I was coming from a 150mm full susser.

That said, it is probably the ideal bike for me and the riding I do.

Reading that back I'm sure it still helps you not one jot 😀

I have a Bandit and a good riding buddy of mine has a Pitch and we've both got very similar riding abilities. He is more fitter than me but technically we are the same.

As said above the Bandit is the better all rounder and the Pitch the better descender. The Bandit seems to climb better than the Pitch and deal with tight twisty trails better. On smooth to mid sized bumps I can happily keep up with my mate, but when the going really gets rough the Pitch's extra travel and geo helps and I have to try a little harder to keep up.

We recently did a little tour of South Wales trail centres and when doing Cwm Carn DH and Bike Park Wales we were both very closely matched. I don't think either of us lost the other one when leading, both bike started and finished together.

Its quite easy to get Transition demos, the distributor will send a demo bike out to your nearest dealer. Take both out for a spin and see how you get on.

The Bandit seems to climb better than the Pitch and deal with tight twisty trails better

Yes. Yes. Yes. Totally agree. I'd forgotten about how good it is in the tight and twisty stuff. I find it remarkable how balanced and poised it is when the going gets a little slow and technical.

No idea about the Pitch but my bandit is looking pretty mint in stealth with pikes.

Are you guts with Pikes on the Bandit running 150mm Pikes? How does it ride?

I've never ridden a bandit but I have owned 3 pitches and everything I've sold it I've ended up regretting it!

For cost to grin factor I don't think the pitch can be beaten!

Slants at 140 on mine. I tried rev 140s and rev 150s and preferred the 140s. That, and the price differential, persuaded me to go Slants.

I have a set of Revelation U-turns on my bandit, occasionally wind them out to 150mm if doing something like DH for the whole day.

Feels fine, looses some climbing ability as the head angle is slacker and front end has come up a bit but its very slight. Once spent half a XC ride with the forks at 150mm because I forgot to lower them after doing DH a few days earlier. I didn't really notice until I looked at the fork half way through the ride.

I'd check the A to C length of a Pike is the same as Revelation if so should feel OK at 150mm. But it can be lowered down to 140mm by Loco if you want.

Lars from Transition told me that running a Pike was no problem.

I've never ridden a bandit but I have owned 3 pitches and everything I've sold it I've ended up regretting it!

Don't you ever learn? 😆

You have two very different bikes there, how much do you ride the Specialised ? The Pig is quite DH orientated too though. How about trading both for a Covert (still available in 26 I believe) which in true stw style is the bike I own. FYI I ride my BFe mostly in the UK, if I had only one bike it would probably be a choice between Bandit and the Covert. The Covert has that point and shoot feel but it's also very good a technical descending and pedals more than well enough for me (ie bike is not limiting factor)

How about just keeping what you have?

[dives for cover...]