I recently bought an On-One Big dog hardtail, which is designed to be my multi day bikepacking/can still ride a trail if I need to bike. I like it, it’s comfy and capable.
Riding it has made me realise my Canyon Nerve FS is a) a bit dated in geometry and b) a bit small for me.
The FS is for fun days out, where I might be on the bike for 4-6 hours, there might be some swoopy singletrack, a few small drop offs and a fair bit of climbing. I also live in Twickenham so there’s 10km of “boring” before I get to anything so it has to pedal well.
So, I think my criteria for a new bike are:
29er (boost)
No more than 140mm travel, probably 125-130 would be better.
Modernish geometry, reach – 460 ish in a large to match the Big Dog.
No more than £2500
Ambivalent on frame material. Carbon probably out of question due to cost.
Something like an SC Tallboy (maybe over budget), or a Marin Rift Zone (if I can find one) could fit the bill.
Any other suggestions in the “shortish travel but modern” category?