Nice. A friend has an Occam which copes nicely with the chunky trail stuff nearby. Enjoy!

I’ve got the same bike same colour but mines got an engine 😬

Oooh, fancy. Looks nice 👍

So, rather than focussing on a “dream bike” or a “could be raced” bike I’ve bought a “quintessential trail bike” and will leave my Spark for racing as the “tool for the job”. More so and almost by accident after I’d spotted it on offer, I discovered via multiple reviews that the new bikes traits suited me exactly – I’m a wheels on the ground trail rider that enjoys the thrill of a few pops and rocks and descents but you won’t catch me 6ft in the air, nor entering an Enduro race – it’s top of its class for technical climbing – well, second only to a Ripmo apparently, has the workhorse SLX throughout, 150mm Fox both ends (Fox 36 and Float X) and shod with a 2.5 Maxxis 3C Dissector/DHF combo and 170mm dropper to force me to learn how to lean into the corners better than I do.

It’s going to allow me to enjoy the climbs and the descents according to the way I ride but also help push my technical boundary’s, yet it’ll also allow me great comfort to enjoy some clean air and scenery at my own pace and a pint or pie when need.

having followed the Kryton purchasing and racing sagas over the last few years…

I think thats a great choice and a great intended use. And that was £3k?

given your vital stats compared to tallpaul I recon 180 rotors will be fine.

Nice looking bike 👍

Looks great! 👍

And that was £3k

£2.8k, they are currently on sale at Sigma sports. A lot of bike for the money I feel. Well I had an hours gap at work so attempted tubeless to enable a quick evening spin. Wheels were already taped and ping ping in 20 mins it was done. I’m ready to rock!

I agree with the rotor, they are 180 and going to 203 up front might be a good idea for the bigger rides, let see. As per the review it’s a steep seat angle and feels short on the top tube but that did enable an easy wheelie which was delightful. I am not used to such large pressures in the shock though, I have 140 in the Spark and this demanded 220 for 30% sag out back, wow!

I’ll see if I can get a pic outdoors on the ride because in the sun that orange turns to a bronze glitter, it looks lovely!

My buddy has an Occam with the 140mm front end. It’s a great bike

given your vital stats compared to tallpaul I recon 180 rotors will be fine.

Haha, fair enough – here’s me wondering if I should go for a 220mm front rotor on my next bike 😁

Very nice, enjoy 😁

The Occam is on my list of bikes I’d like a demo on 🙂 I haven’t quite worked out how they name the different models though.

Good chouse.👍 have fun .

That looks nicer in the flesh than it does on the Sigma website – looks great!

I you could please forgive my indulgence for one last time;

Copper Glitter or Orange?

Starting on the easy stuff:

Normal shape gratuitous ride shot in the woods:

More shiny:

I had a great 1hr ride. Played with the suspension a little now with 230psi out back and 78 up front.

having followed the Kryton purchasing and racing sagas over the last few years…

I think thats a great choice and a great intended use

You’re dead right, and without a test ride relying on reviews and Sigma’s return policy I think I’ve struck MTB gold for me. At first its odd, it feel very short albeit its a big 14.4kg bike. It climbs so well, even on a 12% road section to the trails there was barely any bob, yet on the trail climb it was up over roots without any fuss at all. Then, it feels like its much shorter travel until you hit a compression dip or point it downhill. Just riding along I’d swear it was a taught 120-130mm bike but hit some whoops in the trail or roll a log and it swallows the whole thing up.

Yet, it does NOT want you to race it up hills. Yes its heavy and that has an impact but it really feels like its telling you to sit back an wait while it steadfastly and reliably ponders on to the top. You just sit and wait, maybe this is a bigger/modern bike thing? Last time I rode a bigger bike was 9 years ago. This is so much what I wanted and the opposite to my Spark which almost forces you to chase on to the top.

Then, tip it downhill and the momentum takes it in a straight line down. In tried the same DH run twice – a ragged rooty section with some dusty switch backs at the end. The first time I got it all wrong and wasn’t sure where the bike was going, but the second time after some more riding and -2 clicks of rebound I’d got it – you point it and you push that front wheel where you want it to go and it will take you there. Its not a sofa, but it goes where you want it and manages all the technical stuff beneath you without you having to concern yourself. Very fast (in the right hands). The issue I now have is while the Occam wants you to stand up, lean on the fork and carve the turns on the edge of those Maxxis, the spark wants you to sit further back and glide around on the back wheel at pace – I’ll need to adjust.

Anyway I had a great time, and now Friday I’ll need to clean the seat stays and one cable area to apply some protection then I have a longer 3hr jaunt with Tea in the middle to look forward to Sunday. Might even take it to Swinley the following week!

I haven’t quite worked out how they name the different models though.

Anything with an H is Aluminium, although note the smoothed welds. Anything with an M is Carbon. M-LTD is the pro/money no object spec, then 10 , then 20, then 30 etc. LT denotes Long Travel,

My H20 LT therefore is a mid range / SLX aluminium long travel or 150mm bike.

Tyre logos and valves aligned, nice.

Lovely looking bike 🙂

Comments about it feeling short are familiar.

My Ripmo feels silly short when seated after riding the hardtail (Chameleon), until I stand up to ride. Then it just feels right and doesn’t need me to throw my weight back and forth all the time for the terrain changes.

I’m a lard arse and very unfit at the mo so uphill speed is largely irrelevant, although swapping the tyres out to some less aggressive 2.4s (had 2.5″ DHF/Aggressor on mine) made quite a big difference uphill and not so much difference anywhere else.

That looks lovely! Sounds like you’re going to have a lot of fun on it, which is what it’s all about. We’ll have to organise a ride…

@bullet yes it’d be good if we can drag Nobby along. How are you fixed for October weekends?

Anything with an H is Aluminium, although note the smoothed welds. Anything with an M is Carbon. M-LTD is the pro/money no object spec, then 10 , then 20, then 30 etc. LT denotes Long Travel,

My H20 LT therefore is a mid range / SLX aluminium long travel or 150mm bike.

Thanks that’s the best run down I’ve seen. I looked on their website earlier which didn’t help much, although I’ve just looked again and it seems to be working now – I can actually view the bikes 🙂

Unless I’m missing something I cannot believe no-one has mentioned the ‘unfinished’ breeze-block wall yet???? 😲

Lovely bike BTW 🙂

Looks good, bargain too. Pleased to see a few reasonably priced bikes popping up again.

@bullet yes it’d be good if we can drag Nobby along. How are you fixed for October weekends?

Maybe I could book an ebike test at Swinley :ROFL:

That Orbea looks nice though.

@Nobby @ Kryton57 – I’ll pm you about weekend dates 🙂