Help me decide on an XC bike

Hi all, following on from my last topic, I have come up with a list of bikes, that I would like some advice on. I cuurently have a Whyte T129, Im keen to take up some XC racing, and wonder what you guys think of :

Scott Spark – any model, thinking of the 740
Whyte M109 or 109 c
Whyte 29 C

Or any other ideas?

I may keep my Whyte 129, so it probably wont have to be my only bike. So I can probably go a bit more racey, as the T129 will be my trail bike.

cheers

Giant Anthem, 29er Ftw.

Canyon Lux? Rockshox RS-1 fork…

I’m a geologist too, so I know you need a Rocky. Mountain Vertex 950 or 990. Amazing bike, I took mine to a race series victory here in Norway but also plenty of big mountain rides. Plenty of reviews on the web but I am unsure of uk availability.

Cannondale F-Si. Fast as hell

Another vote here born the giant anthem 29er. Chuffing fast.

I’ve ridden a fair few hard tails and a few fs, and nothing touches the anthem for speed and fun, it combines the two very impressively.

I’m looking for a similar bike to your description, I always end up coming back to the rocky mountain vertex! Shame they are so hard to find and expensive in the UK!

I’ve had a test ride on a spark 900 and it didn’t feel anywhere near as capable as the element, both when climbing and descending.

I’m tempted with a canyon lux though, as it’s a seriously blingy bike for under 1/2 the price of the element 999 and my theory is that I could always swap the frame out should a element frame come up used!

To Late to Edit Edit: I meant RM Element not RM Vertex. (100mm FS vs 100mm hardtail)

Anthem is a great bike, climbs like.a hardtail but better as it’ll soak up some chatter so better traction.

I got a Rock Mountain Instinct 130/140mm travel – probably more travel than you’re after but it’s great fo XC lite and gnarcore.

Just echoing the other shouts for RM on the thread.

If you are keeping the t129, get a hardtail. I race a scott scale. Brilliant bike. Often good deals on them out of season.

The lightest carbon ht you can afford imho

Just bought an M109c as whyte have no 29er cs’s left….
Its rapid and should be a little nicer on the longer days in the saddle.
It feels a little hard work if you let the gear get on top of you, but once you give it a kick it really flies… Gives me a safety net over the hard tail and is a little more compliant when doing trail centre days.
Lots a lot of weight by moving over some xtr and going tubeless on the carbon wheels.
Maybe not the best short course xc race bike but it’s going to be fab come the longer summer rides!

Still have my 829 which I might make 1*10 for the shorter stuff however it’s got a old fox evo fork which isn’t great and it means switching end caps on my hope wheelset. Shame they don’t do a 142*12 set of dropouts for that….

Tricky. I love my Whyte (19 Carbon) and also run a Scott Scale which performs faultlessly.

Think the Whyte 29C looks fantastic and based on my experience with their other products would have one at the drop of a hat.
Don’t think you can go wrong with anything on your shortlist.
Currently have my eyes on this 2012 Lefty at Pauls ’cause it’s such a bargain but struggling to justify another racey hardtail…

http://www.paulscycles.co.uk/m1b65s2p4340/CANNONDALE-FLASH-CARBON-1-2012

Need these to show “out of stock” so I don’t have to have that n+1 chat with the missus.

I rode the 2013 scale, whyte 29c and flash back to back as well as my 26er anthem at a demo day. Kept hr as similar as possible. Scale was fastest so thats the one i bought. Whyte felt slacker and a bit more fun. Flash tried to kill me and too much of a handful (wet muddy conditions). All the 29ers were faster than the anthem which was pretty well specd. It was a pedalon demo seem to remember it was roughly this time of year so you might be able to try them all

On one whippet was my 26 race bike

Thinking Planet X Dirty Harry next

I ve just ridden a spark 710, it was outstanding. Ive been offered a bit of a deal on it as its ex display… hmmmm, Think Ill be getting the cash out tomorrow :)

cheers all

DT78, could you elaborate on your experience with the flash?
Was it down to tyres or is there something more fundamental that made it feel like a killer!?

FS is good for XC racing Imo.

Tested near to swinley if you know the terrain. Pretty slippy conditions, other 3 bikes i just jumped on and was fine…flash felt fast but i had to ride it slower as i kept nearly loosing the front. This could be a mix of steeper head angle, and maybe higher yre pressures. Tyres were the same as the scale i think. Im sure given a bit of time i could have got just to it, but both the scale and whyte felt spot on straight away. The flash just felt too skittish for me. Reason why a test ride is so important.

Probably easily sortable with different stem height/length etc… And as you say tyre pressure.

A bike can feel so different depending on how you set it up.

The cannondales are great race bikes but in my experience very fragile in that of the group I ride with at least five ride cannondale hard tails and they have all had new frames due to them cracking.he is a reputable dealer and they come with a lifetime warranty but I couldn’t be bothered with the hassle.one lads road frame cracked as well.

XC ? Try CX

Okay. Thanks for the feedback.

Wallet damage less imminent now.

If I had to have one bike for the rest of my life it would be my 29c. I’ve done 13hr rides on it in comfort,it’s fast and very confident.

If you are keeping the t129, get a hardtail. I race a scott scale. Brilliant bike.

Carbon 29er HT.

But, tbh I’d ride the T129 and just buy a lighter tyre/rotor/cassette/wheelset plus other ‘goodies’ to use when racing.

I’ve recently built up an M109, I bought a CS but have changed most of the bits to preferred, including a dropper and it if your interested it seems to weigh about 24lbs (tried to pairs of shops scales), so it’s quite a light frame if you’re into that sort of thing. At the end of last summer I tested the m109, Anthem 650b and the Whyte c29 and for my riding (typical southern area XC stuff with a few marathon events) the m109 was quicker but more importantly more fun. I’d suggest booking a demo on them and seeing how you get on.

Oh, whileI’m here the bits taken of my stock bit haven’t been used and will be going up for sale when I get organised so if fancy any of the bits wet me know, I’ve only kept the frame shock and wheels – the rest is up for grabs including the carbon wheels.