Considering this as a frame only. The alloy is £1800 in black only with a RS Super Deluxe Ultimate RCT. The Carbon is £2500 with a Fox X2 (and comes in grey or yellow)

I think there might be a few hundred grams weight difference but it’s really neither here nor there on a bike like this. Is there any reason I *shouldn’t* just go for the alloy version?

There might be a new colour for the 2022 alloy, the carbon has kraken blue, weight saving is kinda pathetic for the £700 price difference, 50g in medium and a debatable better shock.
Personally I hate the horizontal part of the downtube, slightly better on the alloy but the cable routing around the bottle cage is a bit iffy. The aesthetics is the main issue for me, do you like swoopy carbon and nicer routing or tig welds.

Personal preference is aluminium (based on nothing but prejudice you understand). The fact it’s cheaper reinforces that.

Other folk like carbon.

I doubt there’s much in it.

Actually looking at the pictures – definitely aluminium. The carbon is horrid.

Carbon mega frames are like hens teeth at the minute, been looking at them for a while myself

Personally I hate the horizontal part of the downtube, slightly better on the alloy but the cable routing around the bottle cage is a bit iffy.

So do I. Ive got the bike I really want on order but endless delays mean it won’t arrive for a trip I’ve planned. So this is going to get the half price Lyrics and be built up with bits scavenged from other bikes and spares until the other one arrives. Will then sell on the frame and fork.

But now looks like I’d fallen for somewhere listing it without stock. Damn.

I’d probably go alloy over carbon.
Been looking at the mega 275 frame myself.
Bike Active appear to have some – and are offering 10% until end of Jan.

The Transition Spire alloy Frameset only is £2199 and in stock – appears to come with an X2 Factory shock too.

Loving my Transition Sentinel alloy with float x – but the Spire is the proper enduro bike. I think the sentinel is on the border of the long travel trail / enduro categories.

https://startfitness.co.uk/products/transition-spire-alloy-mountain-bike-frame-2022-factory-orange?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI-euEo9-_9QIVVIXVCh267QHrEAQYAiABEgJj-_D_BwE&variant=40547831709904

Edit – I’m assuming you’re after the 29er Mega

A pal has a carbon 275 Mega, and it only really works when absolutely on it (at least for us normal riders). Consequently hard work in difficult terrain and/or where you just want to ride and not attack.

We’re spent loads of rides trying ‘soften’ it’s edges, but to no avail. Quality suspension too, Fox Factory and RS Lyrik Ultimate. No idea whether the alloy will be the same.

A friend has the alu frame and I’d choose that over carbon without hesitation.

Very responsive to pedal input and light for an alu frame. It was high on my shortlist as an all-rounder big-ish bike.

A mate of mine is selling his 2020 mega 290 XL in carbon if you are interested? Hasn’t been used much, don’t think even a year. I think it’s £1k. That’s a hell of a good deal! Message me if interested

@superfli – 2020 is the previous iteration isn’t it?

@joebristol – I’ve spent the morning looking at Transitions and I’m tending towards the Alloy Sentinal rather than the Spire. I’d prefer it with 10mm more travel front and rear but the Spire looks just too much of a plow – very slack, very low and very long chain stays. How are you finding yours?

You can run the Sentinel with a 170mm fork should you wish – Transition say it’s fine to run it with +/- 10mm of travel in relation to the standard 160mm fork.

I’d say it’s quite poppy and playful – I was worried it would dumb down stuff and plough through in a boring way but it’s not like that at all. It rides like a shorter travel trail bike in terms of popping the front wheel / ripping round corners / jumping over stuff – but nothing slows it down like a shorter travel bike.

It’s my first 29er and I’m amazed how much faster it is everywhere – rock and root gardens it just skims through and it just feels natural to me. My mate got on it (he rides a SC 5010) and was surprised both how fast it was but how it was still fun. He didn’t like my Bird Aeris 145LT as he said it felt like it was taking him for a ride and monster trucked everything in comparison.

I’ve built it on the light end of things I’d say – it’s got 150mm travel Lyrik Ultimates, XM481 rims on Hope / Bitex hubs, Code Rs / hillbilly grid trail 2.6” front tyre / dhr2 2.3 exo 3c rear / XT 12 speed with X1 Sram carbon cranks / carbon bars / Thomson stem / 210mm dropper etc.

The nice thing is at 5’9 on a medium I can run the full 210mm drop on the Oneup dropper I’ve got too – and it still could drop into the frame further if needed.

Weight with that build is 34lbs according to my luggage scales. I think they’re reasonably accurate as I tried my road bike on them and it’s about the manufacturer claimed weight.

@b33k34

Also forgot to say it works well on slow speed stuff and boring pedally flow stuff too. It doesn’t seem to need to be going 500mph to be fun. Which is surprising given the 63.6 degree headangle and long ish chainstays.

@b33k34 it’s this frame with the super deluxe ultimate shock
https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/nukeproof-mega-290-factory-carbon-bike-xt-2020/rp-prod183293

@joebristol out of interest do you know the measurement from the Center of the axle at the cranks to the top of your saddle?

@boxxer7 it’s about 67cm from memory from centre of the bb to the saddle rails when the saddle is at full height

Thanks, I’m a similar height and keep looking at a large but my current saddle height is around 75cm which would get the effective seat angle much closer to the published figures.

I just keep doubting myself, but your measurement makes me think I’m going down the right line.

There was a medium in stock so it took the decision out of my hands of medium vs large. Looking at the spec I could probably just about get away with the large – but with that reach it would be more of a handful for me on tight stuff as I have quite the short arms vs longer legs. I did have a bike with a 481mm reach for 3 years but I have no desire to repeat that – it was fast over a lot of stuff and I still enjoyed it but dropping down to a shorter reach has made cornering more fun and generally a more playful ride.

If I was enduro racing perhaps I’d have held out for the longer one but I’m not so the medium is perfect for what I want.

I reckon a lot of people at 5’9 / 5’10 would probably go for the large though.