Ok – I was going to buy a Solaris as my step towards the darkside – for XC stylee duties
But after a few threads here , maybe I should consider a FS …

Ok , I weigh 130 kgs , 6ft 3 inches – so I think a spearfish is going to be like riding spagetti …
Is there any heavy duty 29er that I should consider – Transition Bandit comes to mind.

Looking at 120mm f/R

One proviso – despite the fact that I may be a chubster, I don’t want it to weigh much more than 32lbs.
And yes , I can shed some ballast and am trying to do so … 😆

If you’re looking at the spearfish, what about the horsethief?

(6’4″ and have an XL one, it’s ace)

Loving my new Stumpjumper FSR 29er here. Bought one of these £800 frames:

http://www.bikescene.co.uk/Specialized-Stumpjumper-FSR-Comp-29-Frame-5988-0-0.html

Built it up with a 130mm Rev 29er, Merlin’d an SLX groupset. Frame weight was about 7lbs for a monster big size.

The huge wheels almost mask the fact it’s an XXL frame! Definitely not spaghetti, 142×12 axle on the back end probably helps.

Orange bikes tend to be pretty tough, so how about the Gyro. The one I tested was a large and was spot on 32 lb. Seemed pretty rugged to me.

I used to have a patriot – though admitedly a 2006 one. Dunno – never loved it, 18 inch frame was sort of small.
And somehing in my head tells me that the frames are way over priced – and I got piss all for mine on eBay. However someone did really well !! I guess I have a grudge !

Budget? I would class my Nicolai AC 29er as pretty rugged, and it weighs just under 32lbs running a heavy Hammerschmidt crank. I would guess at sub 31lbs running 1×10 or 2×10. It’s 140mm travel though, not 120mm.

horsethief

Salsa Horsethief. Not sure whether they can still be had cheap, but I got mine for £800 with a 2013 Fox CTD.

Norco Shonobi ? Ok it’s got 140 up front but so what.

Turner Sultan?

Turner Sultan like wot he said.

My Sasquatch (23″ frame) weighs in at 30lbs all up and it wasn’t built for a weenie.

llama.

How are you getting on with that fork?

The Horsefeeth seems quite an expensive option for all the usual sources – will scan it all tonight

So no transition bandit fans?

love mine… it’s a ’12 so 140/130.

if you are a big fella then a 34 fork would make sense on whatever you get.

llama how is that fork…

If you’re looking for a FS XC bike that works well on rough trails but is also not “Too Much” on smoother stuff how about the Pyga OneTen29

Mine weighs about 28-29lbs and the frame is very stiff and solidly built

Front is 120-130mm

My other bike is a Solaris

llama.

How are you getting on with that fork?

I’d maybe swap them for fox 34s, but not 32s or revs, which are both less stiff and less progressive.

With a big IMO.

Took a good few rides to bed in and v sensitive to pressure and rebound, so setup is a bit lengthy.

Trek (Gary Fisher) Rumblefish. I’m about 200lbs and find that this is a very stiff frame. Brilliant downhill and, once the shock was set up for my weight(Mojo), a great climber as well. Weighs 32lbs and has 120mm travel as requested. 🙂

I have been having this exact same self-discussion and have even considered dropping to a 26″ for this type of bike. For example a Cannondale Jekyll 3 can be had for £1800 with £1300 off RRP, but you simply can’t get them sort of discounts on a burly 29er.

What i really want is a Commencal AM29.

I like my Trigger 1 but I think the rear shock will be a bit soft for you. 110kg rider equals 600psi which is the max you can put in.

Hi,

Just to add another one into the mix, I am 6′ 4″ and now a svelt 110kgs (was 125 last year), and as the legendary “Ton”, another bigger gent, used to do, I ride a Ventana El Capitan. Stiff as ****, plush, lovely.

Kev

26 FS seems to offer better value …I would be in an “i want it now ” mode , not after test riding 100s ( I don’t have time)
Maybe it’s back to the solaris plan … which isn’t a bad one anyway ..