Help me pick a new CHEAP 'All mountain' 140-160mm frame please…Im stuck

Morning,

I am going to replace my 456 and big bouncer with one bike to cope with most things. I have a VERY tight budget for the frame of £260 (could squeeze a tad more-maybe).

I have some 36 TALAS (100-130-160 ones) and other generally burly kit off the 456 to build it.

I have been offered a 2005 Giant Reign. I love these frames but it is the first generation. I dont know much about this model (i know the 2006+ on were good). It had all but a 70* H/A that sounds so steep! Any thoughts on this frame? Its £185 with a swinger 3-way air.

I am also considering a Meta 5.5 (2008) which i love but i hear they could be crack-happy. That is of course 140mm travel (160mm up front too much?) that’s £240 (maybe a bit less) with a RP2.

I have seen a 2009 Meta 6 but that is right at the top of my budget at £280 and only has a Float R.

I have also seen a Pitch Comp for £250, that one is a 2011.

I really like the Spesh enduro and the Scott Ransom but they are pricey.

I also like the look of the Marin Attack Trail (2008+) but cant find one at the moment.

Any opinions on the above or other ideas please post!

Cheers, Jay

£870 for a Mega TR on CRC.
You won’t buy better

I had a Reign of that era, very capable bike and lots of fun. For that price you could probably add some offset bushes to tweak the HA a bit.
I picked up my ’09 Intense 6.6 frame for £300 on PB Great bit of kit…

Go for the Pitch. It will do you right. I personally prefer Enduros but Pitches are still very good bikes and have the advantage of a normal shock that you can change whenever you feel like it easily.

pitch

Thanks for the opinions gents.

I personally am not a fan of Intense bikes but for £300 that is a bargain.

The Mega is a good bike but WAAAYYY out of my price range- if i had that sort of money id start the cafe racer project i have planned for years!

As for the Pitch, i do love them but they are just that bit more money..money i really don’t have coming up to Xmas.

ROB- I have your email and will reply!

Cheers all,

More info always gratefully recieved.

I think the oldest Reign is a bit out dated in geometry terms and the head angle is little steep and the headtube a bit tall. I enjoyed mine and it rode great, but the Pitch that replaced it was better all round.

I sold my old Pitch frame that was very well used for £260 – which is your budget.

After having my bikes robbed I bought a secondhand Pitch Pro for £565 last month. And I am a very happy mountain bike rider – its a great bike that does all I need and is way more capable than I am.

So in the style of the STW Forumite I recommend my own bike

Old Heckler.

I’ll have a medium DW 5 Spot for sale very soon if of any interest.

I have been thinking that maybe the Reign is a little outdated TBH. Hmm, it allows room for some slacker shock bushes and maybe a shock upgrade though. hmm.

Im not a fan of the hecklar mate, cracked two of them… ’05 one and a 2009.

Coogan- that sounds interesting. I do like DW bikes. Can you drop me an email? jaymclaren85@hotmail.co.uk although i expect it will be too expensive!

Will do.

These old Enduros seem to be offered at a good price and plenty of folks on here that have them seem to rate them highly.
PinkBike Enduro probably wrong size but you get the idea[/url]

Prophet owner suggests: Prophet.

Cube ams frames for very cheap on bike discount.de

I’d vote for the old enduro – should easily get one in your budget.

I had an SX trail which I sold for £250 with a recently serviced DHX air, post and headset. Although quite old, the geometry for the time was pretty slack (circa 68 degrees with the slack shock shuttle).

They are really good fun bikes, my only issue was the slack seat angle which could make it a bit of a pig to climb on.

Tomaso: I saw that one, exactly what i want but too small! I need a Medium. Thanks mate

Shifter- I have had a couple Prophets (well 3), Two MX’s and one 4X. Great bikes but i would like something more complex that a single pivot, i found it very skitty- but fun all the same!

if you aren’t interested in the flux…it has to be the 5 spot!

GT Force? They come up on ebay occasionally and go for about £250-£30

Or a Cove Hustler?

Not a Cove fan mate but the GT could be worth looking at.

Thanks all

2nd hand El Guapo’s pop up in eGay about that kinda money..

Titus is not something i considered. I will take a look!

You might get the first “new” Saracen Ariel frame for your budget, the white ones with round tubes.

Weighty but loads of fun and takes a 160mm fork great.

Or just get the Pitch.

I’d be looking at a Pitch or a Prophet mx for that budget, wouldn’t want an sx trail for pedalling around, it’s not a trail bike, fun but not as a do it all bike imo. You’ll probably find the Reign way to steep at 70deg.

All I know is the mk1 Reign is the worst climbing bike I’ve ever ridden.

The early SX Trail isn’t too bad for pedaling – I was fine on mine. I used it for hacking around trail centres, longer rides in the peaks and mucking around on jumps.

The frame is only slightly beefier than the Endruo. Mine weighed in at 32lbs with Van 36’s a Reverb etc.

Thanks chaps. Sounds like this ‘in-budget’ Reign is a little long in the tooth geometry wise. It will be a shock after my 456 summer season at around 66* H/A!

Cheers

Just get a pitch.

The old Enduros are good but the Pitch is more upto date and will climb fine with an adjustable fork. They are a bit too long and floppy when trying to climb with 160mm forks.

Dont get me wrong I loved my old Enduros (05 and 06) but the newer stuff is just better. Plus replacing shocks on the 05 and 06 is an utter ball ache and when you are buying second hand it is something you will need to do at some point.

I’ll have a medium DW 5 Spot for sale very soon if of any interest.

Not sure if this will fit into your price range but if it does it merits serious consideration. I’ve been on one since summer as a do everything single bike and it’s great. Is very capable going both up and down and a significant improvement on the Cove Hustler it replaced.

I’m going to totally disagree with I_Ache on the old Enduros / SX – I don’t think stuff like the Pitch is loads better.

The SX in the slack mode is slacker (66.5 vs 67) but slacker in the seat tube. The FSR suspension on both is pretty simiar (the Pitch’s main pivot is slightly further forward). But for some reason the Pitch seems pretty pricey on the second hand market compared the the SX / Enduro.

The only thing that can be a pain is the shock due to the funny size. Mine had a DHX air which I quite liked (made better by having the air volume reduced) but most SX’s have a coil DHX which is easily serviced still so shouldn’t need replacing. The old 5th shocks are nasty.

I loved mine and it easily rates as one of the best bikes that I’ve ever had. It may have been ‘old’ but it was so far ahead of its time that its not too disimilar to modern stuff. The only thing that aged it in my eyes is the slack seat tube.

Don’t the old Enduros/SXs weigh a tad more than a baby elephant as well?

They arn’t that heavy davey. Mine with a Monarch+ was lighter than my ’11 Enduro Evo. Granted with a Ti spring the Evo would be lighter let alone with an air spring but thats not the point.

The old Enduros/SX’s are still great bikes, I just think newer bikes are better.

FWIW mindmap I didn’t say loads better I just said better. Remember I sold my Pitch and went back to an 06 Enduro because I thought the front end felt better without travel adjust forks. With the OPs TALAS I think the Pitch is a better option.

08 Orange Patriot. No idea what they go for but it’ll be cheaper than a Five plus its sooooo verstatile and light.

Pitch or Enduro would certainly tick the boxes, if you can find one in budget.

Or (and yes, I own one) you might get a Hemlock frame in that budget if one comes up. Only 120mm travel, but obscenely good fun to ride, and if you get one of the later ones with the 1.5″ headtube you could whap a reducer headset in there if that’s your bag. Though I’ve never found mine over steep with a standard headset and Lyriks. Don’t *think* they like offset bushes, but someone may correct me on this.

There is a Commencial Meta 55 frame on southern bike shop on facebook for £300, down near Swinley Forest.

Commencal Meta 55 18″ (medium) frame. 140mm travel, PUSHed Fox RP23 rear shock. Shock will be serviced prior to sale. £300.

It’s a closed group but I can pass on your details, or his. if it is of interest

This dw-link flux frame on ebay might go for a keen price :

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Turner-Bikes-Flux-Frame-Size-Large-DW-Link-Raw-Finish-USA-Made-/301030533510?pt=UK_Health_Beauty_Fragrances_Women_s_Fragrances_PP&hash=item4616d16986

Thanks for the suggestions guys. Sadly the in-budget Reign is too steep so that’s out now. I’m still thinking Meta 5 because there is one local and in budget.

Any other ideas welcomed!

Cheers all

What about the email

Some interesting ebay stuff at the moment including a Cube Fritz, intense 5.5 and a Rocky Mountain Slayer. The Slayer and Fritz end today and are less popular brands so may go within your budget. The intense has a few issues that I wouldn’t really worry about and is buy it now for £225 posted.

There is stuff out there, so be patient and you’ll get something good within your budget.

el guapo! ive seen the older frames go for that money….

I love mine, and there pretty hardy and easy enough to replace bearings etc…

Pitch frame with pushed RP2, new pivot bearings, new FSA orbit extreme headset,s eat clamp, 2 ride old 2013 RC2L Lyriks (as new)

£800 delivered (or frame for £400)