Forum menu
Rode the spectral at the weekend - guess it's horses for courses - was quite underwhelmed by it - great on the downs but not great at all on the climbs and felt really slow and not at all lively.
Guess it depends what you are looking for though and plenty of others seem to rate it!
I've been looking at the Bird Aries 120 as my next bike, mate has a Whyte 130 which is good fun to ride.
MBUK/BikeRadar Trail Bike of the Year: YT Jeffsy 29 CF
I test rode a Whyte T130 (was coming from a T129, so i'm a fan of Whytes in general) and it was really good fun, but I bought a 5010 instead because it's what I knew I really wanted deep down.
I know the spec. on the Whyte is better for a price point, but the 5010 just felt more capable/controlled whereas the T130 felt a little on-edge and more lively. I imagine another rider would choose the Whyte for that exact reason, it depends how you like a bike to feel and shows that the numbers don't tell the whole story.
I wasn't sure i was really a good enough rider to notice significant differences between two 130mm trail bikes, but they were very different.
Another SC vote here. I was interested in the 5010 and the Bronson initially, but after reading and YouTube viewing, I ended up with the Hightower at the top of my list. I decided the bigger wheels would give me more confidence and stability. They do. I'd probably be just as happy with the 5010 or the Bronson, but I figured the Bronson had more travel than I needed.
Mine oddly came with 150mm forks, but I've not found it an impact on climbing. It has made me faster and more confident on the descents than my Trigger did. I'm still a wuss as my recent trip to Comrie Croft showed.
Shop around - SC do some deals towards end of season. I got almost 30% off mine from Bike Treks - they maybe wanted to shift the XL though.
Another recommendation for the Primer here. I had a T-129 (which was a very good bike) and the Primer seems better in every way. It's just so light and snappy feeling. I got a 2017 Pro model (at a very good price) which has the lighter frame and wheels and an X01 groupset. I swapped the 130mm Fox forks for 140mm Pikes, I suppose that added a few grammes. However, I took the dropper off, so that gained me more than I'd just lost.