Apart from the Alpine160, looks like they have stopped making the 5 and heckler in 26″, any I and missing?

Morewood Zula or Santa Cruz Superlight if 100mm is enough.

There’s this thing…

http://www.empire-cycles.com/shop/product.php?xProd=7

Morewood have the Zama & Izumu at the DH end, and Zula for XC.

Would you accept a linkage driven single pivot (e.g. Cotic Rocket)?

MDE Bolder 6

http://www.sps-distribution.co.uk/shop-online

Nukeproof Mega AM or the shorter travel TR model.

Linkage driven single pivot and had no problems with bearing life unlike my VP bike because the pivots are out of the firing line (mud flicked up by rear wheel).

transition covert

cue arguments about what is or is not a single pivot..

The only reason i can think of to buy a SP is to reduce maintenance costs/increase reliability. therefore that bumps linkage driven out. (in my opinion, or at least, my opinion today)

Ahh, thats mean Olly, I love SP better than any other linkage.
PS my covert is 2 1/2 years old, not changed bearings yet, still solid after a week at Switchbacks in spain.

Nice Morewood gone up on the classifieds

The only reason i can think of to buy a SP is to reduce maintenance costs/increase reliability. therefore that bumps linkage driven out. (in my opinion, or at least, my opinion today)

1) I find that single pivots ride more predictably compared to say a Santa Cruz VP bike.

2) VP bikes quite often have the pivots smack where mud gets thrown up.

Of course 4 bar is not much different in terms of maintenance to a linkage driven single pivot though.

My C’dale rush is 6 years old now and I’ve not had to touch the pivot at all.
Single Pivot FTW 🙂

Oh, and it’s not like it hasn’t had any use – the bike’s onto it’s 3rd fork, 2nd set of wheels, 3rd shock and about to get it’s 3rd new drivetrain.

MDE Boulder 6 if you can find one.

http://www.mdebikes.com/wordpress/portfolio/bolder-6/

Edit: bah someone beat me to it

We’ve still got a handful of 18″ Fives left at Sunset if they’re any use to you.

Do Bikescene still have any stock I think they were selling 2013 five frames at a discount

1) I find that single pivots ride more predictably compared to say a Santa Cruz VP bike.

2) VP bikes quite often have the pivots smack where mud gets thrown up.
I agree in some ways, the single pivot was more predictable just not as good, I knew it was going to squish when the power was thrown down unless it was locked to hell.
VPP with greaseable bearings/pivots? and free bearings

My heckler in anodised black, for sale soon. 2008 and not a scratch on it, looks and rides like new 😆

I’m not smart enough to know why, I just know that my (26″) Five gives me more grins per mile than any of the more “sophisticated” bikes that I’ve ridden.

Yeti ASR-5. I’m massively biased but I love mine. It’s obviously single pivot + linkage but one of the ‘links’ is carbon and maintenance-free and the others are well out of the way of any crap etc.

centurion lrs.

I have always run single pivot bikes. Patriot and prophet. Still quite fast and enjoying myself. I do not mind the shock having to make up for the drawbacks of the design as the shock is kind of essential what ever the design of the frame. I am prepared to be converted through so what differences would I see and what are the equivelent cheap, easy to maintain none single pivot equivelents?

Does the titus el guapo count as single pivot?

Cheap? End of line Blur LT, got my carbon for less than the price of a 5 frame. Grease ports on the lower linkage, free bearings from SC. 1 Kit to remove and fit them.

Differences?
Stability under pedalling, with the new CTD I have it in trial mode most of the time, getting out of the saddle would cause me problems on my single pivots it just seems to stiffen up and take it.
Floor hugging – the back seems planted all of the time, tracking well and holding a lot more traction. It doesn’t get bucked or stuttery like some single pivots do. It also feels bottomless with none of the “Folding in half” feel.

Just my thoughts/comments – started with a 04 S-works Enduro, went though 2 hecklers and now on the LTc. Demo’d loads in the middle including the Patriot, Prohet, Nomad, Newer Enduro’s, Kona’s and Rocky’s.

Not 26″ but this was a close second for bikes ridden this year
http://www.bikes.com/en/bikes/altitude/2013#/technology

Bargain 🙂

Santa Cruz Superlight if 100mm is enough.

only in 29er now.

MDE Bolder 6

http://www.sps-distribution.co.uk/shop-online
This looks good anyone got one?

Quite a few people are now talking about running 26″ inch wheels on a 27.1″ frame, I believe a Bronson with 26″ wheels is only 2.5 mm lower in height BB than a Yeti SB66. So you could get a new heckler or bantam etc, and run your wheels as they are. Lots of people with lots of money tied up in really good 26″ wheels, I’d be more interested in trying to keep them, than investing in new ones that are something likely half a percent quicker.

My new Liteville is 26 or 650b compatible. I’ve just transferred all my 26″ stuff onto it for now but at least the choice is there in the future.

I can give some thoughts on the difference between the Maestro (4-bar?) equipped Trance and Single Pivot Five, having spent a fair few months on each. Unfortunately I’m not smart enough to know what is down to the suspension and what is due to the various other differences, but here goes:

The Trance certainly gives a plusher ride. You can almost disregard the terrain and just focus on smoothly putting the power down. Where the Five will nip at your heels like an over-enthusiastic dog, the Trance is more like a magic carpet. Basically I’d say that the Trance is better 95% of the time and faster overall. The problem is that the 5% of the time that the Five is better is the 5% when you really appreciate it. I can get up a few technical climbs on the Five that I’ve never cleared on the Trance and coming down the Five gets fun at just the point where the Trance got scary. Since I don’t race and am just out for a bit of fun I’m happy to put up with the rougher feel most of the time for those few extra grins.

However, I am a very limited rider. It may well be that somebody with more skill would be more bothered by the shortcomings of the Five. Brake jack, for example, isn’t an issue when you are mincing down trails at my speed.

It’s also true that the Five relies much more on the shock (a Factory Kashima CTD-A unit on mine), but I like to fiddle and the shock is very handily placed for fiddling on the Five. Those who prefer to just set up a rear shock once and never touch it would probably be less impressed.

That rockrider is £619. Strip it, sell all the parts, buy an air shock with the proceeds and you will have a decent frame for 1/2 the price of any of the other options.

Lets face it, its not that hard to design a decent single pivot and I am sure the decathlon designers will have got it right as their downhill bikes are actually pretty good. If its not boutique enough you could always respray it and get custom graphics, it will still be cheap and no one will know where it came from 🙂

That rockrider is £619. Strip it, sell all the parts, buy an air shock with the proceeds and you will have a decent frame for 1/2 the price of any of the other options.

Lets face it, its not that hard to design a decent single pivot and I am sure the decathlon designers will have got it right as their downhill bikes are actually pretty good. If its not boutique enough you could always respray it and get custom graphics, it will still be cheap and no one will know where it came from no 😉

Lets face it, its not that hard to design a decent single pivot and I am sure the decathlon designers will have got it right as their downhill bikes are actually pretty good. If its not boutique enough you could always respray it and get custom graphics, it will still be cheap and no one will know where it came from

Could this not apply to any bike design out there?

I was thinking about a Giant to try as they can be pretty cheap to pick up but if they are not as much fun on the downs and not as good on techy climbs that’s me out as bumps on flat I can cope with.

getting out of the saddle would cause me problems on my single pivots it just seems to stiffen up and take it.

I run my seat low most of the time on the Prophet and stand up pedalling and never found this a problem. In fact maybe I find the opposite and that is why I stand up most of the time. Or maybe I like this and find I can pump the trail better on all the stuff might get ironed out with “better” designs. I did have a 4 bar Giant AC ages ago and as I recall it was much more magic carpet but not as good to pop about.

Buy a Mount Vision and a posh shock. I love mine.
Also have a 29 Superlight which is the same but a bit more of everything!

Thats my Morewood in the classifieds, if you do want any more info let me know 🙂

Thats my Morewood in the classifieds, if you do want any more info let me know

I had a Morewood Shova ST for a bit, I have a prophet at the moment. Looking foe a 2013 or new really

What’s up with your Prophet or do you just fancy a change?

What’s up with your Prophet

Nothing I love it, I will never sell that frame, been riding it since 2008 and fancy trying something newer. The other option is to respray the prophet and get custom graphics.

I think you should sell it to me 🙂

I love it, I will never[/u] sell that frame 😉

I was thinking about a Giant to try as they can be pretty cheap to pick up but if they are not as much fun on the downs and not as good on techy climbs that’s me out as bumps on flat I can cope with

Don’t rule out Giants on my account. As I said, a more skilled (or just a different) rider may come to a different conclusion. The truth is that the Five is the only bike that I’ve ever actually enjoyed riding down a hill, which shows you how atypical I probably am. I should also point out that I only ever rode the Trance with the stock 125mm fork. Maybe if I’d tried it with the same 140mm fork that I have on the Five I’d have liked it just as much.

Brake jack, for example, isn’t an issue when you are mincing down trails at my speed.

FTFY, etc.