one bike to rule them all?

JEDI 7 year yes maybe but they do have a tendency to fold/break don't they 😉

what the 2003 hummers??? are you mental?

jedi dunno about 2003 hummers 😉 but HJ have a tendency to crumple or crack. Even I with my 60 kg and my generaly normal riding managed to crack mine…

hmmm, fishing Juan? Hummers and HJ are not the same frame.

Orange

5

'nuff said

For every yard of severe rocky downhill I go down, I probably cover 99 yards of more normal trail – therefore I run a bike that covers the 99% with ease and manages the 1%.

456Ti, built light, for me.

Raleigh Activator!

Juan, if you managed to snap a decent condition Handjob I would say your Meta's days are numbered. 😆

The new Canfield The One is looking real nice

sorry you all have it all wrong.

jedi does not want one bike to rule them all – what he does need is a light easy going yet strongish hardtail for coaching on day in and day out. This will then be combined with a proper burly susser which he can push his own personal limits on.

trying to find that bike that is light enough for everyday and strong enough to cope with a bad day is just plain folly.

especially when both the new bikes will be business assets.

The new Canfield The One is looking real nice

No it's not!

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder there, I think.

SOOBalias – Member
jedi does not want one bike to rule them all – what he does need is a light easy going yet strongish hardtail for coaching on day in and day out.

Hummer 😉

This will then be combined with a proper burly susser which he can push his own personal limits on.

Demo 9 😉

Yeti 575? Foes FXR would be a pretty good alrounder IMO

its probably already been said but there are reams of posts that *yawn* I havent got the time or wherewithall to read.

Orange 5 with a Lyrik Coil(U-turn) up front

It rides everywhere.. (if you can find an old Vanilla RC coil shock it will make it 6" travel!)

al_f i dont think you are fully appreciating the business asset/tax side of this game

what about
Ti Pipedream and an Intense SS

Blimey No-one said Evil Sovereign yet

Here goes

Evil Sovereign

mind you from what I've heard the Hummer comes close and … well … you already have one of them so what about putting an adjustable fork on it?

SOOBalias – Member
al_f i dont think you are fully appreciating the business asset/tax side of this game

Maybe, but surely it'd take a few years tax savings before buying about 3K+ of bikes became worthwhile vs just keeping the two he already has for free?

shooosh up you

concentrate on the shiney things.

Kona Hoss?

How about one o these Jedi

Not convince there is a one bike to do it all but if your looking for a good hardtail to teach on maybe worth looking at a Genesis Alpitude not hideously expensive or heavy but very competent. Mine did me proud in the Alps last year and it rides really well. That is as long as your not clipped in when playing at Chicksands!!!!! ;O)

Something in the middle between a ht and a demo 9.

Nomad, 5-Spot, Heckler, Giant Reign, Spesh Pitch, Knolly endorphin a lot of choices out there.

Banshee/Mythic?

http://www.bansheebikes.com/rampant.html

Just to put my thoughts in:

Having done a training course I found that it confidence inspiring that both instructors were on HT's (Emma and Tracey @ the Hub FWIW). The majority of participants were on FS's and knowing that an obstacle can be ridden on an HT provided a great demonstration of what is possible. Taking the onus away from the equipment and putting it on the technique.

A lot of people will feel (or at least try to justify to themselves) that they need to improve their kit to improve their riding and seeing someone demonstrate what is possible on an HT will help them to realise what the bike is capable of doing, if the rider has the confidence to attempt it.

I love the fact that there's a group of guides in the Alps (trailaddiction?) who use HT's for their guiding, a great demonstration that its not what you ride its how you ride.

If I went on a training course I would take a great interest in what the instructor was riding, partly to see what kit he/she rated, but also to see what a rider more skillful than I felt was necessary to ride what was going to be attempted that day. At the course I attended at the Hub I was on my HT and had been nervously looking at the 5 & 6in FS's that the other participants were riding, wondering what I was letting myself in for, and was very relieved when Emma and Tracey bot turned up on HT's.

If its a bike for work you are thinking about I would take into account what impression is going to give to your course participants.

Apologies for the essay 🙂

My two main bikes are a Commencal meta 6 and a Cove HJ. They do everything I need from them and are great fun. Not very light but I built them burly, 28ish lb for the HJ and around 35ish lb for the meta both XL. I think an Orange 5 or meta 5 would suit your needs with a 20mm fork and sensible hard wearing kit. Commencal has changed there manufacturer this year so hopefully any of the previous years probs have been resolved as it seemed to be poor substandard welding on some of last years frames that was the problem.

I would agree with mangoridebike, but then if you had a modest widely available mid travel (140mm) FS trail bike and could ride light DH and proper tech rock sections etc on it with some ease then this would show the ability it requires as opposed to the bike you ride as said above. And you would have the Hummer if need be for everything less demanding, keeping your demo 9 in good condition for pushing your limits.

for the weight alone I would leave a Bottlerocket, mate had one, its nice but heavy and they dont pedal that well, depends if you want a full sus or a HT, hardtail I have to say your Bfe would have been the gap filler, get another 🙂 mate is waiting for one of the new 2010's, full susser that can take a hit and pedal… orange 5, Ransom…. the ransom has been ridden by the winner of mega 3 times, good testiment to their ability!

Small enough to get seat right down.
Post goes high enough to climb.

My perfect do-it-all uk hardtail.

Evil Sov can **** right off 😉

Bumhands

Evil Sov can **** right off

arf. My Evil Sov eat your little english bike 😀

…. actually I rather like the Curtis frames but burning skull vs St George's cross? That's a tough one!

wierd that emma was riding a fs when i was on a coaching course 🙂

Never ridden one, so a bit of a throw-away suggestion as far as valued input goes, but I've always liked the look of…….. Dialled Alpine

Get a lapierre zesty 514 2010 the dogs gonards

how about an asr-7? big travel, burly and not very heavy. sounds close 😉

5, THE do it all bike…

[shrugs/]

You seem pretty comfy on that Hummer, just spruce it up a bit, and stop looking at fancy bike web pages…

🙂

this is my everything bike, except commute!

nickc, 🙂