Time has come to get rid of my 2005 sx trail. Got a trip to morzine planned for august and I’m now looking at suitable replacements.

My lbs showed me the new specialized status for £2500 which comes with triple crown boxxers and decent rear shock, brakes were gash though so would need swapping out.

I’m not sure on what’s good with these type of bikes now, result of not looking for years, and mainly riding Xc.

What would you guys recommend and why?

Cheers.

Get an ironhorse sunday off pinkbike and slacken it with a works components headset.

If you have 2.5k just finance a dh bike and stick 2k in a savings account/ISA.

Do you want a freeride bike or a DH bike? They are two different things.

Well, it has to be spring and not air can suspension for a start, so that rules most free ride bikes out. Looking for as much travel as poss without turning it into a pig to handle. Tried a kona 10″ thing in 2008 and it cornered like a ship. Awful.

http://www.saracen.co.uk/bikes/downhill/myst-pro
Carbon rear end, Shimano. Same frame as the team bike different spec.

Cornering will be more down to the geometry than the travel.

I’ve got a Morewood Kalula that is a single-crown DH bike with 180mm travel front and rear and I love it. It is out of your price range, but many of the manufacturer’s make similar style bikes.

http://www.yt-industries.com/shop/en/Bikes/Gravity/Tues2.0-Comp-2014

^ That and a spare mech hanger while your at it and id say your done. They started off pretty rare but are building a half decent name for themselves now, and I saw plenty out in the Alps in 2012. Yeah, your buying direct but i’d go as far as to say, bar any frame issues i’d use the cash you’ve saved to buy your way out of any issues such as brakes needing bleeding.

Looking good so far guys, the YT looks very nice, however that Saracen looks great, been a long time since I rode Saracen, 1988/89 to be exact.

What about long travel single crown bikes?

This is what I’ve got:

But as I said, it’s out of your price range. My brother has the Kona Entourage, which is a similar type of bike, and that is really nice.

I can really recommend a single-crown DH bike, but I have no experience other than my own one.

Mikey. I didn’t say that was my price range mate, only what was offered. I have a habit of spending too much on bikes as it is,lol. S-works epic, global ti hardtail, not to mention the road bikes.

If I like it, and it meets my needs I’ll have it.

Ah, fair enough. Well, the Morewood is £3600, if it floats your boat.

Go for a Commencal
http://www.commencal-store.co.uk/PBSCProduct.asp?ItmID=12501308
http://www.commencal-store.co.uk/PBSCProduct.asp?ItmID=12501126

But it’s got a air can. In my experience air cans need more expensive maintenance and don’t last as long as springs.

If I was buying a whole bike, I’d almost certainly be buying a Tues. Yes, you can’t try it out first- but then it’s really hard to demo dh bikes anyway. The reviews are brilliant, the owner reviews are brilliant, the spec is brilliant and the price is silly. Think the only downside is an excess of BOS.

Northwind – Member
If I was buying a whole bike, I’d almost certainly be buying a Tues.

This ^

You’d actually be quicker to make a list of bad DH bikes as there are so few these days. Everyone seems to make one, and they are all good (with one or two exceptions….. which I’m stuggling to think of). Helps if you know the general sort of geometry you’re after, or the suspension layout you prefer. At least you can then start to narrow down the list

In the fashion of recommending ones own bike – what about a Scott Voltage FR?

The FR30 has the middle shock mount so 150/170mm rear travel. FR 10 comes with additonal mounts and dropouts (I think). FR20 has the long travel mount. Front can take 130 – 200. Rear can go 110 – 180 (200 with a custom shock mount)

Light wheels and a 1×10 set up can get you down to 31lbs. Easy to put the weight on to beef it up. Running a Vivid r2c coil with 160mm van rc2s and it’s great for all mountain (about 33lbs but I’ll be changing the wheels out soon)

Can go air shock front and rear to really drop the weight down (vivid air and pikes would be a nice AM / Enduro set up with vivid coil and 180 fox forks for bigger stuff.

I think it’s got to be either a boxxer up front or fox single crown 170/180
Rear, has to be a van r spring ( no air cans )

Geometry wise,nothing too slack, so guess that’s all the big hit style DH out then. I like to be quick in the tight technical stuff.

Don’t get a commencal purely due to their awful customer care.

Personally full on DH bike. Vfm. Tues. Lifetime warranty trek or spec. I like my bikes to last.

Otherwise I’d buy a voltage and some 66s

Don’t buy a bike for a 2 week yearly trip. 160mm is more that enough for Morzine etc and way more use day to day

Canyon’s Torque looks lovely. Loads of models with reductions on their website.

Don’t buy a bike for a 2 week yearly trip.

Dont completely agree with that. Something like an old shape Glory can be picked up dirt cheap and will last forever. Not a bad beast to bring out for 2 weeks + the occasional uplift. Beats getting an unknown hire bike anyway

Yes, I’m a “bike for a job” man, so that’s exactly what it’s for, just for a yearly morzine trip and maybe the odd uplift at FOD or Cwm carn.

I actually wheeled the sx out of my garage for the first time in 2 years today and washed the French/ Swiss mud off it from the last trip lol

Maybe a bit too ‘full on downhill’, but this has great spec for the price…
https://www.canyon.com/_en/outlet/article.html?o=A1031849

build one of these up maybe?
http://www.bikeactive.com/orange-patriot-frame.htm

spesh status
kona operator
yt tues if you wanna go german
nukeproof pulse

Yeah those Canyon Torques come in about 23 different varieties and prices, look really nice in the flesh too.

Not a medium by any chance are you? I’ve ridden a Summum in the Alps for a few weeks and it was sensational…
http://welovemountains.com/mondraker-summum-pro-team-2012-black-blue-medium?gclid=CKnV6Y6BmrwCFUETwwod6xkAAw

Or see what’s on the PB classifieds, plenty o’ really nice looking bargains in the £1,200 – £1,500 sort of budget.

I meant buy a bike that is more useful in the UK than a full on dh bike. Not don’t buy one at all

Old 08/09 Iron Horse Sunday for a grand. Put some angle cups in it.

Ride the wheels off it. It will still be many times better than you.

Put the extra £1500 to an epic DH holiday.

My 224 replaced my 06 SX Trail and tbf I don’t think it’s significantly worse at anything (and the things it’s worse at are things they’re both awful at anyway) and it’s miles better at some things. I think the “uk downhill bike” idea is often a bit weird, with trailbikes being so ridiculously good now and dh bikes being lighter and more usable, it’s a pinched middle. And most modern dh bikes are better than my 224!

Yay! Hob nob agrees with me!

Ibis Mojo Hd 160 D/H all freeride to 140 trail bike in less than 15 mins for under 2k

+1 for a myst!
I have one and it corners like it’s on rails!, pedals well and handles steep stuff very well whilst still handling very well over/through roots and rough stuff. Relatively light too!

Ok. Decided on either the status or myst, preference is the myst as better specs.

What about long travel single crown bikes?

Probably some good Voltage FR10 deals around. Pre 2014 MY FR10 models had a 36 van and coil RC2 rear.
Super versatile frame that will become whatever you want it to be.
We ran almost every iteration from a sub 30lb build with Float 36/RP23 rear through to full DH park spec Fox 40/RC4 rear.
Very different bike and huge adjustability means you might end up tweaking it so you can use it for more than just an annual Morzine trip. (mini dh bike, slopestyle bike, muck about in the woods bike.. whatever)
I’m plotting a 27.5 DH version if can get my hands on another frame.

Out of curiosity – what size RP23 did you use and what shock mount?

Been trying to get hold of the mounts but had no reply from Scott dealers

215mm (8.5″) factory spec from 2010 Voltage FR frameset. Full build 2010 FR10’s shipped with longer i2i DHX rc4.