I’m trying to buy/ build up a ‘one bike’ that will be a slackish cx bike that can take wider (45-50mm) tyres and has a higher front end (stack) but still has a comfortable/ efficient position.
I’m hoping that swapping the tyres and flipping the stem would make it into trail mode or road mode. that’s the idea anyway. I’d like to do LEJOG on it next year.

something like the moots baxter 29 or routt 45, vassago donnybrook, Bombtrack Hook, 9ninier RLT, Salsa Vaya (2017). But less expensive.
The new Vaya is pretty close to ideal.

if you could suggest your favorite cx plus or monster cross ‘lite’ bikes that would be very helpful. The more competitively priced and mass production the better.

Genesis Vagabond?

Sonder el camino?

I’m after much the same thing although with less emphasis on the ‘monster’.

Would be interested to know what 2017 Salsas are retailing for in the UK, had heard some horror stories.

How about the Giant Anyroad Comax? Biggest tyre size would be the only limiting factor, not sure what it could take

good suggestions. keep ’em coming.
the Giant Anyroad Comax is quite hideous. seems very functional though and pretty good value.

Haha, agreed! I spent a while seriously considering it, the more I looked at it the more I came round to it, but then they changed the paint job for 2017 so the whole painful process has to start again!

Unlike most other road bikes I actually think the look could be improved (very slightly) by flipping the stem, it would be more continuous with the top tube that way, and might allow you to get rid of a couple of spacers…

Specialized Awol or the new Sequoia would be worth looking at, as well as the Kona Rove/Sutra series.

The Revolt is slightly less gopping and rides really well.
Really nice bike.

AWOL’s a good shout.

You could get a 2016 Rove AL for £500 in the sales a few weeks ago?

As usual STW form dictates, recommend what you own, for me a mk1 Salsa Fargo.

Amazingly comfortable bike, very adaptable, use it is winter commuting bike for 56 mile commute round trip to work, will sit at 15-16mph happily with Specialized Fast Trak tyres on, then will happily ride most trails.

More attachment points and bottle cage bosses then you’ll ever need too.

BUT – the new ones are silly price when compared to Vagabond etc. But if you can pick up an older one, it is the one bike i wouldn’t sell

I found this funny. This thread is asking pretty much the same thing as me.
http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/wtd-do-it-all-bike

Mason Bokeh? Looks very very nice!

On price alone, the Orange RX9 framesets at Bikescene for £199 must be worth a look. Reviews said the straight alu fork made it uncomfortable, but there must be carbon/steel options and still keep the price down. never seen on in the flesh though, and another one happy to lug the weight of a Fargo round, but know I could be faster on a lighter bike.

Open Unbeaten Path?

Soma Wolverine.

Orange have a recall on their homepage for the RX9 forks….

How about a Cotic Escapade? I’m loving mine, and it was fine when I tried it with non knobbly tyres… I’m not sure it’s light enough to be a road bike though, not when you’re looking at Ti and Alu bikes for comparison…

As above… Open U.P

has a higher front end (stack) but still has a comfortable/ efficient position.

See, a lot of the bikes mentioned above aren’t actually all that high, the Open actually looks like a lower stack than e.g. a Cannondale Synapse or Spec. Diverge. Fine if you’re already long distance road fit/flexible, but if (using myself as a an example 😳 ) you’re a yoga-shy desk jockey who likes to go out and occasionally do big weekends on the road/and or you actually like to use the drops quite often, I’d say even ‘endurance’ road bike geometry is a bit lower than ideal.

if you’re actually looking for something like a Vaya (622mm stack for a 56cm vs. 580mm for a L Open UP) then there’s not all that much out there, the Comax up there ^ or perhaps the new Fairlight tourer which comes in two geometries – regular and tall.

I will just leave this here 🙂

[url=https://flic.kr/p/KtpQLE]Somewhere in the South Downs[/url] by SteveH2008, on Flickr

(Actually, not all that ‘lite’, TBH, but certainly monster!)

Have always found that Giant intriguing, and might’ve gone for a Sequoia had they released it a few months earlier than they did. The Sutra LTD is a great beasty, but I find myself wondering about 853/Ti …

..just read the LEJOG requirement. Sutra would be my first choice I think – cos of stability and tknowing it will stay stable with a load up. Good and sturdy in that respect whilst still feeling fun when empty. I love it, yes.

*bump*
Bountiful suggestions.
From the bikes mentioned above, I’ve narrowed it down to;
Specalized Sequoia
Genesis Vagabond
Sonder Camino
Kona Rove
Salsa Vaya
(Fargo)
Cotic Escapade.

Please anyone else feel free to chip in.
Is there a bike slightly more svelte than the Vagabond or Fargo?

The Vagabond comes in at about 24 lbs with some tweaks. I fitted a carbon seatpost (happened to have one lying around!), lighter saddle, and went tubeless.

Very comfy for long all terrain rides – I did 30 odd miles of green-lanes, singletrack, fireroads, etc. the other weekend.

I also have a set of disc road wheels for it with chunky (28c) road tyres on and I happily did 55 miles around mid-Devon on it last Sunday. No problems keeping up with a group of roadies that I tagged along with for a few miles at one point. They were very interested in the bike – lots of questions about the discs, etc.

Willier Jaroon?

Or even Jaroon plus

Open UP is a cheaper bike eh? 😆

No mention of an Arkose?

Or even Jaroon plus

What in the name of all that is holy!

Jaroon plus

It’s a complete Single Track introduction pack. Apparently they doing it with a free wood burning stove as readers offer

And yet the importers aren’t bringing the Jaroon Plus in. Probably for the best as the non plus one is a couple of grand.

Van Dessel WTF

http://www.vandesselcycles.com/product/whiskey-tango-foxtrot/

Got no idea about price, size, weight, anything important really, but it comes in some lovely colours, and I’d really quite like one, which is all that really matters eh?

http://grit.cx/news/2016/10/received-the-raucous-whyte-gisburn
Whyte Gisburn

WTF you say? It’s not svelte by any means, but it rides lighter than it feels when you pick it up. Very versatile too, I have bikepacked it, lightweight panniered it and hooned it around the local trails. Great bike.
Mine’s currently bent( not biking related!!) and am hoping to get it fixed over the winter.

Mango Point AR designed for 45mm tyres, From £520 or £250 frameset

I have a charge plug 5 titanium, this will take 45mm tyres maybe the other in the range will.

Loaded touring requirement conflicts with springy, flickable enjoyable bike. Usually bikes designed to take a load feel dead unloaded.

My Ti Fargo in road mode is 9.2kg with a not-especially-light build and 35mm tubeless tyres. Certainly ticks all your boxes (Large frame stack is 650mm for 381mm reach) other than new cost. I think Ti frames are only available used now though.
I’ve also got a steel Fargo which has year round racks/mudguards etc so if you are local to Bath area you are more than welcome to compare the two.
Having said that the Bowmans Foots Cray in the classifieds looks on the money ….

Rawland cycles Ravn & Ulv

Rawland

Or the Elephant national forest explorer.

Elephant

Or the 3T Exploro.

Lovely bikes, but sean I think you missed this bit….

The more competitively priced and mass production the better.

2017 Arkose fits 45s.

I just bought a Marin Four Corners Elite on sale, couldn’t say no at the price, and I should get the VAT back when I leave the country. I think there is a medium left

Was going to get a WTF but once I added on all the toys, it was more than the Marin

find a singular rooster and do bad things to it 🙂

mental 29+ dropbar fun,that absolutely stonks through singletrack

update. while ive been procrastinating the sonder camino ti has gone up £300. 🙁

Any Arkose riders out there; the 2017 arkose 4 (not yet available) looks relatively great value at £1400.

The Sonder el camino alloy is available now/very shortly, if you can cope with alloy and the colour scheme? Seems fairly good value.