I’m happy with those compromises. As it was I just wasn’t riding my RipMo anymore. So I bought a Giga to give me lots of points of differentiation!
You are a man after my own heart Alex.
Change one bike and it inevitably sets off a domino effect because the other points on the spectrum have moved.
😀
It’s just marketing bollocks
All-mountain was marketing bollocks from 10 years ago, and was actually reasonably useful in that you could ride them up and down a mountain or round your local woods and they were pretty good everywhere.
'All Mountain' at least reasonably descriptive as the to the aim of a bike in this category.
'Down Country' utter marketing buloxshizzle. What is Down Country? Do they mean Southerners? Just a bike they've added different stickers and a grand to the price?
I await 'Mullet Country' bikes.
If it's secondhand and AM and Orange you're after then I reckon you need the Five frame I'm about to list for sale 😉
Or an Aether 9, which is the reason the Five is for sale
Lots of Alu bikes in this list.
I want carbon this time round.
What is Down Country?
Bikes for folk in the South Downs. Or maybe the north ones. It’s a little ambiguous.
If I ever get a trail dog I'm going to call it Country.
Just so I can shout Down Country when it jumps up at people on XC bikes with a longer fork.
I think it's just called playing on a bike, perhaps "mountain biking" if you are in adult company. Anything else is marketing BS 😎
I tested a Reactor 290 & a (Bird) AM9 before settling on the AM9. I felt it pedaled much better than the reactor despite the extra travel.
I was tempted to wait for the Aether 9A (it wasn't out at the time), but after a couple of fun days at Dunkeld I went for the AM9. Also glad I didn't wait as I think the reach has gone too-long for my riding.
As has been mentioned though, tyre choice will make a bigger difference than a bit more/less travel.
Also, Bird customer service, rightly IMO, has a reputation for being 2nd to none.
my default response is Cube Stereo
A Stereo 140 is not to be found in the UK as far as I can see (having checked 4 websites haha). Bike 24 have them but don't ship them to UK 🙁 they look lush
It’s just marketing bollocks
Well, yes and no. It's helpful to categorise bikes so you know what to buy or look for, but where does useful categorisation end and marketing bollocks begin? There has to be some marketing bollocks otherwise every bike conversation would be:
"I'd like a bike, please, to ride where I ride"
"How much travel would sir like?"
"Travel?"
"Oh, do you mean the 'bikes with squirly handlebars' bikes? For use on tarmac."
"No, I need something that's a 24" frame because I'm over-estimating my height, and I ride in the woods, so I need something like Steve Peat rode, in his competitions."
"Ah yes, his riding down the hill competitions.... have a look at this....."
Carbon wasn’t something mentioned in the initial brief I don’t think.
Reactor 290 can be bought in carbon as can the Bird Aether 9C. Same for the spectral and Jeffsy and Fuel Ex.
If you’re slightly budget limited (you mentioned possibly having to buy secondhand) then wanting carbon doesn’t necessarily help you cause.
I always worry about internal damage to carbon on secondhand bikes that can’t be seen as it’s not obviously crash damage. Some companies provide a manufacturers warranty that can be passed onto a second owner of the bike is sold.
Nukeproof definitely don’t have this as I looked at a secondhand reactor frame so I ruled it out unless really cheap.
Bird do have this on their alloy bikes - I assume they do the same on their carbon ones.....as long as it’s less than 2 years old. Doesn’t cover crash damage obviously. Not sure about trek / canyon / yt with their warranty offering.
Some brands carbon isn’t much lighter than alloy, but others are very different. I know my Sentinel alloy is a chunk heavier than the sentinel carbon - but with the Bird Aerher I think there’s only about a 300-400g difference in the carbon vs alloy.
Privateer 141 too heavy.
Too heavy for what?
Its a great bike to ride. Not heavy at all and long trips and on the way down you can huck some pretty big stuff.
Short travel 29er? All the bike you’ll ever need if coming from a HT for the terrain you describe riding. (Whispers it) I reckon a short travel 29er is the ideal bike for the vast majority of UK trail riding.
Just had an email from Vitus introducing their 2022 range!! The Escarpe deffo mentions the words All Mountain in both 29 & 27.5 flavours!!! This AM mularkey is making a comeback I tell you. (No idea whatsoever what AMP stands for in their model names though.)
Privateer 141 too heavy.
Too heavy for what?
Normally wouldn't care about weight much, but for riding actual mountains there's a fair chance it's going to be carried at times, the 1kg over many other options might matter. Similarly for my comment about low BBs.
I know for a barely used Orange Alpine in Large that a mate needs to move due to his back giving out. An Alpine must be All Mountain by definition, shirley?
