I had ‘the talk’ with my wife the other night and it was agreed that I can pour away silly money on a bike next spring.

I currently have a 26 hardtail, 27.5 norco from 2013 150/140mm as a trail bike and a DH shred sled.

I think i want a light ‘aggressive’ short travel 29er to replace the Norco (like a smuggler) for trail riding, ideally carbon frame, and a lighter build so say pike /fox 34s instead of burlier 36s or lyrics and so on.

whaddayareckon? suggestions? possible for budget? I am open for second hand parts but want new 2018 frame and forks really.

Well firstly thanks for the £900 in VAT you’ll be paying to keep our country running 😉

If you must have Carbon that will take a big chunk of the budget (£1000+ Carbon vs Alu / Steel). I can’t comment on newer Transitions but my 2012 Covert is very well made and a super design. A company that knows what they are doing.

I have to say having played on a Solaris Max the idea of the plus vs normal wheel options was an interesting one.

So .. I think if you price Carbon Tranny plus Fox forks you have a massive chunk of your substantial budget gone. Depends how much you want those core bike parts an are oreparwd to compromise elsewhere. If it where me I’d be on a steel Cotic Rocket Max with non-Fox forks and have a decent amount for wheels (maybe new Plus and used 29) and other finishing kit

Carbon hightower, spend the rest on a week in the alps….

thanks, I aim to keep the UK functioning in my absence!

I don’t want steel and it would need an XL in a Santa Cruz mind, but thanks.

Carbon isnt essential but I tend to keep bikes four 3-5 years so want to be satisfied with it and not itchy for something else. My current itch is carbon…! Don’t mind cheap second hand groupsets etc.

I reckon i can do it, just wondering what other options there are

I’d wait for the new transitions to be released in a couple of months if that’s the route you want to take. Me, I personally wouldn’t buy another transition until their 2 year warranty gets better. 2 years is not enough given the fails they seem to have.

The new 2018 transition frames can be bought with the custom offset forks for their SBG. However, their carbon is bloody expensive and the smuggler is alu only, the new sentinel looks alu only as well.

That may be a good thing if alu only, forces my hand a little . Apparently the embargo on details for them is until later this month.

shor travel 29er alternatives then?

I’m interested in this too.
There doesn’t seem to be many 120mm aggressive trail bikes out there.
I loved my T129, but they never made it in Carbon and they’ve discontinued it now.

You’ve got:
Evil Following (thought QC and CS seems flakey)
Santa Cruz Tallboy (not aggressive geometry)
Whyte S150C RS (150mm travel..)
YT Jeffsey (150mm travel)
Intense Primer
Spec. Camber Carbon
Trek Fuel EX
Yeti SB4.5C

The new Orbea Occam TR would be a solid bet, all the key bits are within a few mm of a Smuggler, 2018 version has all the changes we made ourselves to last years demo bike. Fox 34s at 130mm, wider rims etc. 4.5k would buy you a bling spec carbon with full lifetime warranty. Really, really nice bikes.
TR need to hurry up and make me a carbon smuggler or I will end up with one of these or a 2018 Rocky Mountain Instinct.

You say XL Santa Cruz, what sort of reach are you looking for? We have one last 2017 Occam – 2017 Occam TR M10

STW ‘clear my basement’ price £3399 :p

Ooh Orbea added to the list for further investigation. The TR 4.2k one looks good

Basque MTB run Orbera bikes, that’s a strong endorsement in my book

Itz cos the spanish tho innit?

If you want Carbon for lightness imo it’s best to get good quality wheels too, no point saving weight in the frame and then giving it away in the wheels (as they spin and are at the “ends” of the bike the impact of their weight is greater).

jambalaya – Member
Basque MTB run Orbera bikes, that’s a strong endorsement in my book

Spanish bikes in Spain? Whatever next 🙂

If ok with aluminium, a codeine?

£4.5k and you’d buy an on one?

I would not.

😆

Hei Hei DL?
http://singletrackworld.com/reviews/review-kona-hei-hei-dl/

I bought an on-one frame to hang bits on while I decided what I really wanted.

I’m keeping the one on, Its ace and I love it to bits. (45650 not codeine though I do want a go on a codeine)

Second for a RM instinct. My 2014 is probably a bit short compared to the latest trends. But, the guys that design and build them have one of the world’s best testing grounds on their doorstep. I think they know a thing or two more about bike design and geometry than I do.

I know it fails the 2018 and carbon criteria but a 2017 Orange Segment RS with Fox Factory upgrades (34’s & DPS) is currently £2880 at Start Cycles.

Was also going to suggest a Segment as I think mine is ace.

Yes it’s doable for sure, if you want carbon you might have to make some judicious choices when it comes to parts but sounds like you’re OK with that.

No carbon Smuggler in 2017 and given the other changes which have been leaked, does it seem likely there’ll be one in 2018? All will become clear in a few weeks but I’d not advise holding out for a 2018 carbon Smuggler (wish I could say more!).

Pygas will hopefully be available in the UK again after Eurobike so a Stage or Stage Max would tick all your boxes.

Carbon Smuggler. Denied!

I reckon it’s probably doable if you stay sensible with the gearing and wheels. My 2017 alu Patrol build came to just over 4k but that was with the top spec lyriks, Hope tech wheels and M8000 XT. Would have been another 1k for the carbon frame which I couldn’t justify 🙁

If light is what you are after then, as much of a fanboi as I am, the Smuggler is not for you!

If I had that money I’d be getting an Evil Following from the EU distributor so the price is a bit more reasonable.

What does your smuggler weigh munrobiker?

I’m not obsessed with weight but plan is for it to be lighter than my current Norco, which I’m guessing with the right build it would be

Any Transition I’ve ever ridden, including the carbon ones, have not been what I would call light.

the more I see of the treks at the moment the more I like them

Carbon Fuel EX is the obvious choice, if you can handle all the acronyms and marketing jargon – but I wouldn’t pay full whack for one.

The Evil isn’t a light option, and it’s tiny.

I have a Fuel EX, it’s a great bike. Frame is very light. Sizing is good, it is very low though so not the one of you like to pedal everywhere. It’s a lot slacker than advertised too, which makes it a bit of a hooligan 🙂

It’s a lot slacker than advertised too, which makes it a bit of a hooligan

I don’t get this, are you saying Trek are advertising it as having steeper angles than it actually is for some reason? Or do they measure angles differently? or is your frame out by a couple of degrees?

I have zilch experience of £4.5k bikes, but if I did have that sort of money to spend on a bike I’d work almost entirely backwards to your criteria (and to be fair, I’d work backwards with a £500 budget too).

Pick a frame design you like, and ride as many as possible on demo days, even if it costs a bit paying for a days hire of several bikes it’s money well spent if it helps get the right one. Better to spend £500 demoing 10 bikes and keeping it until it breaks, than spend £4.5k and lose half of it in 18 months because there’s something better.

Then put money aside for the fork and shock choices as they’re going to make the biggest difference overall. And a dropper post probably.

Then wheels and tyres as that’s where money spent get’s the best returns.

Then bars, stem, groupset, saddle that you want as those are going to have similar cost per gram saved, and are personal preferences.

Then, and only then, if I’d not wiped out the budget I’d see if I was getting the alu or carbon version.

I’d not buy something off the shelf, because in reality you always end up spending hundreds more tweeking it. That’s a false economy and wastes the first 6 months of ownership fettling!

I don’t get this, are you saying Trek are advertising it as having steeper angles than it actually is for some reason? Or do they measure angles differently? or is your frame out by a couple of degrees?

Yes, they advertise it as having a 67.7 degree in the high setting & 67 in the low.

little bit tyre dependent, but mine currently is sat at 65.5 in the low, for example. The shop I ride for has a demo bike which I measured to be the same, someone else I know who has one, theirs is the same.

Lots of people on MTBR measuring to similar number also.

I guess Trek were conservative with their numbers 🙂

I have zero experience of 4.5k bikes either but I’ve been a good lad and saved my pocket money fo 4 years.

Agreed , I’d rather buy the frame and build it up. Unless it was a banger of an off the shelf bike with everything I liked.

Not up for an Orange , until recently with the Slash I thought treks were a bit dull . Evil looks interesting mind

Is the 4.5k to spend just getting the bike or is that including any servicing/customisation required throughout the ‘season’?
I’m clearly out of touch, but that is an eye watering amount to spend on a 4th bike…can you not sell the rest to use 1 bike? Scott do some clever stuff to allow their bikes to change travel…sell everything and buy a Scott (unsure of model name) and save some cash for something else – entries to bike events, biking holiday, etc.

Obviously it is your money and spend it how you like but as I don’t follow much mtb press, I’ve no idea of bike costs, hence my reaction to that amount on a 4th steed!

I’ve no idea of bike costs, hence my reaction to that amount on a 4th steed!

He’s replacing one I think, leaving him with a hardtail, a DH bike and whatever short travel trail bike he spends 4.5k on.
He’s missing a commuter bike and a pump track bike by my reckoning.

My alloy Fuel Ex measures 66.5 high and 65.6 low. Bought the frame for 1400 and with the build I have on it reckon it’s about 4.5k worth, includes Hope E4s, hubs, stem, Ohlins forks, 170mm reverb, LB carbon rims, 1×11, Renthals and that

I have zilch experience of £4.5k bikes

I should’ve stopped reading at that, as the rest of that is utter nonsense. 😆

I have never been a Trek fan, but really fancy one now, great looking bikes, very capable.