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Been out to the Alps for the last four years or so, mainly on a burly hardtail (456, Bfe etc.) which is fine but I fancy building something up over the winter which is full suss, 1x9, with about 160 ish mm travel, so not full on DH travel but something that's still rideable but tough enough to have some fun on. Something like the new Trek Slash or maybe Zesty-esque. Something which you could put Fox36s or Lyriks on, with a dropper post.
I'm at the 'Ideas' phase so just give me some bikes or frames that I should be looking out for. New is okay but I'd prefer a s/hand bargain really. I've already got some coil Lyriks so could be a frame only.
Nomad
ibis mojo hd 160
Alpine 160
Titus El Guapo - £799 new. Bargain!
transition covert. new frames on ebay for 1k. or try flying fox bikes he has loadsa transition kit.
Here is mine.
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Scott Voltage
Not sure if it fits the spec, just like em. Take a look at the Coastal Crew Vid
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Alpine 160 made for the job
Commie MiniDH, ok a bit heavy for the ups but it will absolutely fly on the downs
Orange Alpine 160
Nukeproof Mega
160mm zesty-esque = spicy 😆
Someone was selling one on here not long ago it might still be available!
Well, Spec Enduro is very popular around here for AM type of Alps rides (located in Slovenia). I ride Spicy which is also quite common.
YT Wicked 150?
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Bit of a bargain at £1450, they're also doing a 160mm version for 2012.
cheers all.
What about coil shocks over air? Is there a coil shock of choice in this field of bounciness?
Intense tracer 2 - just built mine up. 1.5 rides so far. Quite liking it!
I've got a SC Nomad mk2 with 36van rc2 forks and a ti sprung RC4 shox and it's the bollocks!
Intense SS2, you'll not be able to wipe the smile off your face
Alpine 160 with a CCDB
mmm the Transition looks tempting. Don't want to go much over a grand really (new price), so the Ibis/Nomad would be a stretch.
Never really got on with the Orange FS frames I've ridden (5s mainly) but maybe I need to revisit that perception. Titus looks like a right munter, which would take some getting over...
Alpine seems a bit too simple 😉 But it would do you well. Not always that cheap though.
reggiegasket wrote,
I'm at the 'Ideas' phase so just give me some bikes or frames that I should be looking out for. New is okay but I'd prefer a s/hand bargain really.
1) Cotic Hemlock (as long as it's a late one with the 1.5 headtube and the updated swingarm as you're quite likely to break the old arm). 2) Whack 2 degree head angle reducing headset into it then add a dash of Lyriks. 3) Great success
Can be had for £300-£400 now. 120mm rocker is the best option but both work. They're very good as standard but once slackened and lowered you get, basically, mini dh bike performance without it forgetting how to pedal.
Zesty or Spicy. Zesty because I ride mostly UK. Spicy because I want to ride more in AM country.
Last Herb FR frames are 30% off through facebook at the moment - 1900 euros down to 1190 euros. Bloody love mine. I swap between forks (180 totems/140 44 rc3 ti) and wheelsets depending on how heavy the riding is. 165mm on the rear doesn't feel too much on local xc and it can still smash it on alpine DH.
I've owned light weight orange patriots/ freeride patriots, 5s, a lapierre zesty and ridden a new spec enduro and orange alpine and I can honestly say my coil nomad is the best. It climbs really well and descends like a beast but it's not amazing on trail centre's. My normal xc ride consists of linking out 2-3 Dh tracks in the south Wales valleys But if I do decide to ride cwmcarn itll still go around in a hour or so. Maybe if you ride more xc stuff get a air bike, if not go for coil
Just for the Alps? If so a Bottlerocket, Blindside, Slopestyle or Patriot will be ace fun (I have a SS1). If not, then an Alpine (bias caution: I have one of those too).
Knolly Chilcotin?
Like the look of Last Herb too.
With some very canny purchasing I built up my Nicolai Helius AM. Love it.
There's tonnes, Covert, Enduro, Cove gspot, Giant Reign, Santa Cruz heckler, they would all be good. Also, the Titus el guapo is a crazy bargain at the moment.
mmm Nicolai Helius AM would be lovely 🙂
Spicy, Zesty or Alpine 160 - perfect bikes for going very fast on the Alps, it'll be awesome before you leave for the Alps and it'll be a great 'do it all' bike when you get back
my 2nd hand [but well cared for] nicolai helius AM is for sale including CCDB........
contact richard at www.gravity-sports.co.uk
Alpine 160, but after having ridden the 2012 5 with Kashima all round and rear Maxle I'm considering doing the Mega on it and possibly flogging the Alpine, very little between them now the 5 is soooo good.
Sounds like you should consider a Transition Bottlerocket. There's one with a small frame going on eBay at the moment (not mine).
Best combination I've ever used in 10 years of Alps riding is a Nicolai Helius FR with CCDB. It was astonishing. The FR had a slightly steep head angle compared to newer models, and the AM version looks bang on. A bit more than £1k, but built to last with an excellent warranty.
I have some mates who live in Morzine and the only bike they'll touch are Orange. They used to be guides before the French laws changed and used to constantly see all varieties of multi-pivot bikes fail (I haven't a clue how much this was down to lack of owner maintenance), but the Oranges keep on going.
If you're lazy and don't like changing bushings, bearing etc. I'd reccommend an Orange. Don't think they all ride the same - they do not, so don't let you're experience with a 5 taint your decision making process. If you don't mind occasional maintenence then go Nicolai.
Have a look at Marin Wolf Ridge/Attack Trail too - I've been dabbling with one of these for a few months now and I'm quite impressed so far - Haven't caned it properly yet though.
I have some mates who live in Morzine and the only bike they'll touch are Orange. They used to be guides before the French laws changed and used to constantly see all varieties of multi-pivot bikes fail (I haven't a clue how much this was down to lack of owner maintenance), but the Oranges keep on going.
Found the same output for my Orange 5 AM at Coed Y Brenin was the only bike
back where the other multi pivot bikes either bearings seized or rear stay had snapped.
be a patriot
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Orange Alpine 160
Nukeproof Mega
Make sure there not the snapping ones
Heckler 150mm takes a 160mm fork £899 New
Heckler 150mm takes a 160mm fork £899 New
Gone back up again to £1099, still an absolute bargain though.
Nomad. Coil shock. DH tyres. Six months down the gym.
Mondraker dune 160mm front and rear or the foxy 140mm. They are ace bikes the mondrakers. http://www.cycle-world.co.uk/products.php?plid=m1b0s1p8400
http://www.cycle-world.co.uk/products.php?plid=m1b0s1p8403
Selling my 2011 Heckler frame for £650 😉
grantway - MemberFound the same output for my Orange 5 AM at Coed Y Brenin was the only bike
back where the other multi pivot bikes either bearings seized or rear stay had snapped.
Next christmas, buy your mates bike maintenance courses, that's absurd.
and now the heckler comes with more colour choices!!
i loved the bottlerocket in the alps. 🙂
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[/img] Enduro did the job really well last time 🙂
Most 6" bikes use dual ring with a 'stinger' type chain device for a reason.
1x9 in on a 30lb+ bike gets painful unless you are quite a bit fitter than your riding buddies or are just doing uplifts. This is even more the case in the Alps.
Next christmas, buy your mates bike maintenance courses, that's absurd.
That's the point - there are many folk out there who either can't be arsed or don't think they should have to maintain their bikes. I've only ever been to 3 UK trail centres & was struck by how many poorly maintained but expensive bikes were on the trails.
As an aside, on my 1st visit to Dalby I stopped to help a few blokes out who'd had basic mechanicals that they couldn't fix (one was a chain wedged between granny ring and frame - seriously). I don't do this now.
Single pivots just remove one more thing that could go wrong.
i like the sound ofd the last herbs too, but i'd get an AM, without the little spacer thingy and a 66 or 70mm stroke shock you can set it at 165 or 175mm for alps trips (with some big forks) and leave it at 140mm for the uk. heard they're a bit weighty tho.
theres a intense tracer on here going cheap it will do every thing you want
+1 Mondraker Dune.
Yes I do have one but I've had enough other bikes to be honest about it, and IMO it's a stunning and hugely underrated AM bike.
My LBS owner is now on his third in a row and another bike shop owner I had a chat with last week was comparing it favourably to the carbon Nomad.
Mine is as happy hacking round Epping in the mud as riding DH tracks or battering down big mountains in the Lakes.
good ideas, thanks
That Mondraker Dune for £1650 looks like a steal - whole bike for the price of a Nomad/Alpine frame.
Just been looking at the geometries, which is interesting. Many are 66 deg head angles (NP Mega, Spicy, Alpine) which is perhaps a tad slacker than I want really - I've had a quick spin on a Spicy (66) and that felt too slack for me really. Good on the steep DH stuff sure but too slow steering for technical trails (for me). The Nomad and Covert at 67 would perhaps suit me more.
Also the Nukeproof Mega has a 75 seat angle which is a possible issue. I currently run a 72 deg seat angle (with a layback post) so god knows what a Mega would need in terms of layback.
I think a few test rides are in order, as it's going to be tricky to guess the fit just based on geo numbers (at least harder than it is to guess how a hardtail would fit).
I wouldn't take manufacturers geometry readings as gospel, my Nomad with a 160mm Fox 36 is 66 degrees, and the BB was slightly lower than advertised.
Not that it's a bad thing - the bike rides very well 🙂
This is a good one...
[url] http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/specialized-enduro-2009-with-fox-van-rc-shock-hope-mavic-d521 [/url]
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I find in the Alps it's like a Ferrari...the perfect Alps bike.
I went for the last of the 160 trek remedy's to do this job. You can pick them up as full bikes for less than £1k s/hand.
Drop me a line if you want any more info on the joys and pitfalls of Dune ownership, email in profile.
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150mm travel El Ciclon
I'm in the same position myself. I ride a SC BLT2 normally, and spent 4 weeks last year in the Alps on it (and have also used it in Spain).
It's pretty much up to the job 90%, but I could do with a slightly slacker head angle and 160mm fork. Obviously the BLT2 can take Lyriks or 36s which might be an option. A bolt through rear and wider bars would probably help too, but then I'm starting to turn an expensive trail bike into something it probably doesnt really want to be.
Or, if I want a 2nd bike and to keep the SC for the UK (it's a fantastic UK bike), until today I was looking at a Cube Fritzz for £2k, seemed to fit the bill completely. But now I've read some bad reviews and negative comments, I'm not so sure.
Other ideas were a Spicy (not sure why someone would consider the Zesty as an "Alpine" bike) or Alpine. Both cost at least £800 more. Before that I was considering 2nd hand SX Trail possibly.
Just saw this for c. £1400 in a large size.
http://www.freeflowbikes.com/bikes/full-suspension-mountain-bikes/mondraker/mondraker-dune-2010.html
Alpine 160.
Canyon Strive?
If you're feeling flush it would be a carbon Nomad for me every time. Otherwise probably go for an Enduro or Spicy.
I could also be quite tempted by a Transition Covert but only from what I've read. I've never slung a leg over one.
Actually I'd add on that a Cove G-Spot but only because it would sit perfectly along side my Stiffee and therefore pander to my OCD.
I took my tracer out there last year and loved every minute out there. Bit it all comes down to a bike that suits you, best bet is to get out and demo them! 😀
Im looking at selling my frame with ccdb, if it was of interest to you.