Awesome first ride on new Bandit, helped no doubt by the stunning weather on Saturday. First time with a dropper post too. Aren’t they ace?! Happy days 😀

PS thanks to Si at 18 Bikes who was very patient with all my questions regarding this build

Slightly disappointed no one wants to comment on my new bike* 😥
(*AKA a sly *bump*)

It was this or an Orange 5, so I chose this in orange. Can’t wait for more time in the saddle 😀

Looks very nice, not seen the new orange ones before. what made you go for it over the 5?

I was in the shop & saw it being built. Very nice indeed, love the look of bandits but it ain’t got shit on my covert 😀

P.s get heli taping every bit where cables/hoses even touch the frame! Especially where the rear hose rest on the lower pivot.

looks good ST! where was the maiden voyage then? it looks semi familiar but cant quite put the finger on it! is it around GB somewhere?

you finally got back into mtb then?!?!

is it a 29er that?

They are amazing bikes from what ive seen, looks like they can be hammered hard too in a who needs more suspension kind of way

Enjoy it 😀

yep, heli-tape might be a good idea. Got plenty of rub-marks already. Who has it for a good price?

Why this and not a Five? Not sure I can sum up my thought processes in just a few words, having spent many days/weeks mulling over the decision 😆 Ultimately it came down to ubiquity versus boutique. I thought the 5 was a great bike to ride, but I fancied something a bit lot more unique. For the same reason I never entertained even demo’ing a Spesh/Giant/Trek.

Hi Dave,

It’s an “old skool” 26er, but I do have a 29er singlespeed in the arsenal. I had my bikes nicked last year and the process of replacing them has rekindled my mountain biking love. The route should look familiar, it’s your local stomping ground: Gradbach, Midgley Hill, 3 Shires Head. It was an awesome first ride. Have your got your 5 yet then?

[EDIT] the piccie is actually looking back up to Roach End. You know the bridleway that goes past the Roaches School?

hi mate, i was in london all weekend so missed out on a belting weekend of sun 🙁 bloody typical!

thought i recognised it, yep i can vision it now!

ahh good route, ive avoided GB like the plague as it was so shite over winter, i guess it will start drying out properly now!

bummer about your bikes nicked bud, noticed a guy had 6 nicked in leek on saturday too! scary!

if you fancy a ride sometime then now you have your mojo back drop us an email!

Will do Dave. The trails were fantastic on Saturday. Still not sure I’ll be able to keep up with you tho’ 😉

here’s another to whet the appetite…

looks really good that bud! really does, still loving the five around those parts though…….

that sky *sighs*

gonna hopefully get out up GB this weekend then if its nice and dry, though more rain forecast after wednesday

ps any more pics?!??!

Love Bandits. Wish I could afford to justify one aswell as a 160mm..

Emailed you a link to more pics

nice mate – really nice, very nice colour too 😉

god that sky makes it look like summer, cant believe ive missed this weekend 🙁

Interested in that route ST – if your up for a repeat sometime – don’t do gps/gpx stuff.

Bike tart I think. My covert seems to suffer a lot more than the previous remedy & patriot. Love the cable routing of the transitions too.

Oh another PSA – order/buy some heavy duty shock bushes – you will eat the standard top hats pretty quickly – nwmtb were cheaper than mojo/Tf twits & loco (sorry si :-() even fit them in shop.

I wanted a bandit but it was cheaper to get a covert & both built up to similar weight – if that kinda thing bothers you

banks, not sure I want to hear about things wearing out quickly. I’m still in honeymoon period 🙂

Where are you based? Leek? Happy to take you out one day, but bear in mind I ride up from Leek which is 40 minutes or so of road work up and then back down again at the end of the ride. It’s a great route to join up with Macc forest on a longer day, with the descent down Cumberland Brook a particular treat.

Me too & 5months old now.

Marple but usually start from Langley way. Seem to end up riding macc every week atm.

Cumberland Brook! Riding so good atm.

Just keen to get a bigger ride sorted & variations around macc

Very interested in this, I am taking the demo bandit out at 18bikes tomorrow with a view to getting one built up. I too have been bombarding Si with questions about the Bandit! Only sat on a Five and it really is down to one like this or an Orange Five, which would cost more to build up. Any further opinion on a Bandit over Five? Bit worried there is a couple of points re paint and bushing wear though. Could I have the link to some more pictures?

Was up there on Sat great day 38 km, out of castleton down rocky cart track to a road up other side dropped into ladybower, bacon butty, climb out, down bermed cart track to cross road, up the Beast, across the top down in to Edale, pint at the Ramblers, tarmac climb out to where the parapenters are, contour the hill, rode the ridge and dropped back into castleton via foot path and bridle way.
Great ride in great conditions!!
My Five just ate it up!!

More pics

Too early to comment on wear and tear, but I confess that was one of the main things going in favour of the Orange that I hope I don’t live to regret with the Bandit. There certainly are a lot of areas where the cables rub on the Bandit.

What turned me off the Five was the inability to run a new-school 2 x 10. According to the Orange website the outer ring on a 2 x 10 can interfere with the swing arm. If you want to run double and bash on a 3 ring chainring the middle ring can be no bigger than 32 tooth. I didn’t feel this gave me the gears I wanted without running a triple. I was also a bit turned off by the Orange builds but didn’t fancy going totally custom (no idea why).

I demo’d the Five at Cannock and the Bandit around Ladybower. Both were excellent. Any comments are very subjective since the trails and conditions were very different, but the Five felt a bit poppier and the Bandit felt better on the ups than I expected, but extremely fast and stable on the downs. The Bandit seems to strike a magic balance between climbing ability and throw-it-back-down-the-other-side stability. Holy Grail stuff. I don’t think I would have gone wrong with either to be honest, and part of my decision was based on the help and advice I got from 18 Bikes. I wanted to spend my money with them. That and the fact Fives are quite common and Bandits aren’t 🙂

Similar thoughts to what I am having now! I have priced up the two from frame only and the Five would be a fair bit more than what Si has quoted for a Bandit build. Like you I don’t like the fact you can’t run a proper 2×10 chainset on the Five but I do like the fact you can send it back for paint/bearings and decals easily. Decisions!

It took me a long time to decide. I came to the conclusion that whichever I chose I would (eventually) wish I had chosen the other for some reason or other, so had to resort to more important factors like how common they are/aren’t. I have some nervousness about how well a US designed bike will stand up to Peak District mud and grit, but only time will tell.

The bushing wear would be a problem regardless of frame – 8 quid to replace them with heavy duty ones

I run a 34 / 22 x 9 speed on the Five, a mate runs a 36 /24 x 10 speed on his and has no problems, I think it has one spacer in the BB, He is a lot younger than I am (40 v 57 years) so I tend to spin the gears to protect my knees rather than stomp!!
The great thing about the Five it is slack, long and low, in fact I dont think there are any other true 140 trail bikes that have a 67 degree head angle, most seem to go 150 or even 160 to get that slack.

Test road the Bandit from 18bikes today, pretty impressed with it’s climbing ability and good fun on the downs. The finish on if looked pretty tough to me, could be another orange one on the way!

Glad you liked it Thorpie. Where did you ride?

Didn’t have long so just did a loop from the shop up and across to Hope cross and down again. How tall are you if you don’t mind me asking? Is your Bandit a medium?

Trevor.

Serious wantage.com!

That is one nice bike, do you have any idea what it weighs? I sold my bike 2 months ago, away to buy a road bike but looking to build something like this later in year.. I’m after a short travel bike that is light enough to pedal all day, climb hills well and rip them up coming back down.

Always fancied one of those.. 18 bikes here I come!

I’m 6ft but with relatively long back and long arms. I test rode the medium but found it too cramped when climbing, particularly out of the saddle. I bought a large and it definitely doesn’t feel too big. I did go fairly short on the stem though (55mm??).

As for weight I’m afraid my scales aren’t very accurate. I was quite excited to find it sub 28lbs, but when I weighed it again it was nearer 30lb. That’s with a Reverb. That said, it does not feel heavy at all. I’m only two rides in but I’m VERY pleased with how well it climbs. Other bikes I’ve ridden with this much travel can feel a bit of a chore on long draggy climbs or those inevitable road sections. This really doesn’t.

Hope to get out this weekend so will drop some more trail notes on here…

I’ve just ordered a medium build, very similar to your build but with Hope bits and a Fox Float, also in orange!

Trevor.

Excellent. Was it you who wanted showing around some of my local routes or was that someone else? Not sure I can take you out if you have the same bike as me 😆

No it wasn’t me, lol!