I started a thread a few days ago about 130mm XC/Trail bikes, I have (I think) got down to two bikes that I could buy locally, within budget, but more importnatly, back up.
One is the Merida OneTwenty7
The other is the Spesh Camber Comp 650, (which I guess is made by Merida anyway), what interests me is that it sits somewhere between XC and bigger bikes so could be an ideal compromise for local riding, and with a few careful tweeks could come in a nice amount under 30lb. But, they don’t seem to sell many, people either go for the Epic XC machine or Stumpjumper. What I want is something fast, lively and playful though, and don’t need 150mm travel, but also don’t want an out and out XC racer.
Reviews are sparse, so any real world experiences? Finding one to demo looks like it’ll be hard.