Full Sus advice

Wouldn’t get the Remedy - that’s 2016’s geometry and wheel size for me. Have to have a whopping tall seat tube to get a sensible reach. Shame as it has a decent spec broadly.

Escarpe has much better geometry and you can get it in 29er. Bomber z2 is ok, as is deore 12 speed. Everything else is serviceable I’d say.

Specialized Status looks decent. Better shock and fork than the Escarpe plus better brakes too. It’s NX which isn’t great but a GX mech to put in when the nx one breaks isn’t a biggy.

Just no to the Whyte as I have eyes. That kinked seat tube is horrible and it has quite a long seat tube vs reach and I bet seatpost insertion is tight.

So for me it would be:

1st - Specialized Status 160
2nd Vitus Escarpe 29 cr

The other 2 I just wouldn’t buy personally.

Might be worth seeing if Bird are still selling off any Aether 9’s or AM9’s (depending on how rowdy a bike you want) too. There were some good deals recently and geometry is decent.

Have a look at the Ibis deals at Merlin linked in the other thread.

Lots of viewpoints on the Remedy here:
https://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/tell-me-bad-things-about-trek-remedy-8-or-good/

Got a Slash in the end. Yet to be ridden, but will let you know.

Did whizz round the llandegla car park on a Ripmo AF and it felt good.

It’s NX which isn’t great but a GX mech to put in when the nx one breaks isn’t a biggy

Apparently you can modify them for $10 which makes it perfectly acceptable.

https://www.pinkbike.com/news/one-year-on-the-specialized-status-140-under-a-guest-editor.html

I'd get the Vitus as the most-balanced all-rounder from that lot.

Or an Ibis as suggested above.

Yeah a Ripmo af would be right up there with the Status for me.

Specialized Status is a good bike, but more orientated around being an uplift/park bike IMV. Bit of a pig uphill from what I’ve seen from people I’ve been riding with.

Probably the Vitus or a Ripmo AF for me too.

I'd chuck a canyon spectral into the mix,the longer travel one is £2,300 with fox 36 (admittedly the cheaper damper) but 12 speed deore and decent geometry

From your list i would go with the specialized status

The last time I looked there were quite a few bikes available on the YT Industries website in the sub-£3000 range. I've never ridden one but I know folk who have Capra/Jeffsy and they're all very happy with them

I loved my V1 Jeffsy. Only thing I’d say is that they’re definitely built to a price point, and start to look a bit tatty after a few years.

Thanks for all the input. The YTs are just out of budget. I'd go for a Slash but again, just out of what I can spend. The Ripmo is only coil in the size I need and I'm not too keen.

I'll mull it over for another few days and see if any crazy discounts pop up. Looks like I might get the Escarpe and still have enough over to get some Fox 36 Factory or Lyrik Ultimates so that's sorely tempting... Thanks again!!

Just been through this with a mate. Answer was a Polygon Siskiu T8 from Go Outdoors. 15% off using the Bank Holiday discount code so £1,700. Fox 34, Fox Float DPS, SLX group, Schwalbe tyres.