There are plenty of niche/boutique brands to choose from if you want to splurge on a hard tail.
So what about full sus options? I’m thinking of a Nicolai Helius, but what else is there for the precision engineered end of niche?

Intense Carbine

One of those niner frames

Ventana are nice. Attention to detail is spot on. I think for a premium they will build to your specs.

Re Niner, I’ve a Niner SIR9 HT, & if that’s anything to go by the FS frames must be nice.

Santa Cruz Tallboy LTC

I’ll have a Ibis Mojo HD please

Mojo SL-R or ASR5c for my money

Ibis slr !!! Bosh !!

+1 for ventana.
beautifully put together, and excellent to ride.

Money no object?

Sod anything off the shelf… I’d speak to a Carbon Fibre specialist, and give them my Maverick Durance, and tell them to make to basically make it entirely out of carbon. Would spec a couple of slight changes perhaps, ability to mount a new bolt on style front MTB derailleur (rather than a braze on roadie mech), better tyre clearance, and extra cable guides to deal with a remote dropper post OK. But otherwise, my current frame but 1lb or so lighter, and even stiffer laterally, would be superb!

+1[b]-1[/b] for ventana.
beautifully put together, ride just like a Kona because the main pivot is too low and far back for a single pivot linkage activated shock to work well.

If you really want to splurge – talk to Nicolai and Pinion…

I’d go anti niche and get a carbon Trek Fuel Ex.

You were right to start with – Nicolai Helius

CC or AC for UK riding

Got mine, Helius CC

http://kenteriksen.com/

I’m thinking of a Nicolai Helius,

I’d say you were thinking correctly. Nicolai Helius CC here but would love to try an AC

pivot mach 5.7 carbon. in green.

Got mine too, Nicolai Helius AC 29er…….. Superb, so delighted with its abilities…..

A few on the list
entry level money no object Blur TRc/LTc/Nomad c
but might like a go with this

+1-1 for ventana.
beautifully put together, ride just like a Kona because the main pivot is too low and far back for a single pivot linkage activated shock to work well.

The linkage controls the shock rate. The main pivot location has little to do with it.

Nicolai Helius CC with extra love and custom sizing/geo/colour scheme if you’ve got money to burn

Sorry but what is trail riding ?

Liteville 301 or Nicolai Helius

Sorry but what is trail riding ?

Its inbetween xc and hardcore trail, but not hardcore xc, that’s different. He may be talking about light-trail, which is slightly above xc in hardness but the OP was a little ambiguous in his title and so the correct genre is either light-trail, mid-trail, or hardcore trail, but not light-hardcore-trail as that’s too close to hardcore xc so an unlikely discipline for a full susser.

Another + 1 for Ventana, for the reasons above and a lot more. Their customer service is on the money both from the UK and from Sherwood himself. The only thing they fall short on is marketing – ie not trying hard to tell everyone how rad they are. They just keep doing what they do quietly and investing in that instead. Owned two in the past and none now, which is a shame 🙁

To relate to the original question, Ventana IS precision engineering.

Otherwise, I’d be looking at a spesh stumpy carbon evo or the new knolly endorphin (or waiting longer for the carbon sl version).

Thank you for clearing that up for me kayak23. I get confused, could you help me with all mountain? I ride a hardtail with a cross country tag but crossing the country round here involves mountains which narrows my rideing routes down.

I’d like a carbon Zesty with a normal external BB.

to me trail is whatever is outside the door

😆 @ Kayak

No one fancy spending huge amounts of dosh on a Litespeed then ?

Happy with my Blur TRc but would like to try a carbon SB66.

Orange 5 😉

+1 for SB66 carbon, though my alloy 66 isn’t shabby.

kiwijohn- what would your review of a SB66 say?

OP- I would certainly say a pivot mach 5.7 carbon should really be at the top of anyone’s trailbike list.

Pedalling is in the saddle is virtually bob free and very efficient. On rough stuff the bike floats like a magic carpet, also finds loads of grip on off camber rooty/rocky stuff. Real stiff, excellent trackign and handling.

Only negative is that it pedals like a pig if out the saddle, stomping the pedals. However the in the saddle pedaling is that good, i haven’t tried anything that comes anywhere near.

pivot mach 5.7 carbon. in green.

So much this. I think it’s the only thing on my shopping list for when the Pronghorn finally gives up the ghost.

Bigger, Better, Faster, More
Bigger jumps & drops are a breeze.
Better suspension control.
Faster up as well as down, & it’s really fast going down.
More speed, more control, more fun.

I may be nicolai’s biggest fan boy, but that thing, lovely as it looks, is so heavy you have to throw silly money at it to get it light enough to even think about using it outside of a lift assisted area.

Best you’re going to see is a shade under 33lbs and that’s with the lightest of everything you can find.

That said, if money is not object, then a custom built Helius AC would be a great choice.

I think you’ll either want the lightness of carbon or the desirability of a custom made Nicolai with your brief.

If you want a gearbox frame, surely the Nicolai Pinion is the way to go.