I know the above question is like ‘how long is a piece of string’ but I’ll add some context.

I’m currently riding a Boardman Pro Fs – 2014 model. It’s the silver one with green decals linked below on the Halfords site. Started at £1599 then was reduced to around £1300 then ludicrously cheap at £950 once then new model was out.

http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/end-of-line-bikes/boardman-mountain-bike-pro-full-suspension-650b-2014

I’ve had the Revelations extended to 150mm travel, gone 1×10 with Sram GX stuff, added a dropper post, got a shorter 50mm stem and 780 rather than 700mm handlebar. Plus some beefier tyres. Changes have made it better downhill but a bit harder uphill – especially with tight switchbacks like at Cwmcarn.

I love it, but keep seeing more bling bikes with more travel. Most of my biking has been trails like Cafell and Twych at CC, but last year did uplift days at BPW and Flyup 417. Got me wondering whether I’d have as much fun and be faster on something a little more slack with around 160mm travel, or if it would just make my life a lot harder going uphill.

I’m not racing (nor have I got the time), but now I have a young baby I think the occasional uplift day is more on the cards than being able to keep my fitness up enough to enjoy multiple laps of places like CC. I’m now commuting to work on my bike once or twice a week where possible to try and keep a little bit of bike fit, but that’s about it between occasional mtb trips.

Thinking bikes like the Whyte g160 / Orange alpine 160 etc.

Toying with the idea of getting second hand enduro type frame – although I’d prob ideally get some beefier forks like pikes with 160mm travel. Would need a non boost frame to suit my current wheels or change for boost wheels at the same time.

Thoughts?

whether I’d have as much fun and be faster on something a little more slack with around 160mm travel, or if it would just make my life a lot harder going uphill

Neither of those are going to be true.

A better bike, that fits you better, and is more stable – will likely make you ride a bit faster.

The red one.

I mean my bike now fits me quite well I’d say. It’s not red though.

I’m thinking it pops quite nicely off yumps and I’m sure it’s more capable than I am already. And it goes uphill ok.

But rock gardens at speed are pretty choppy – my mates 6″ travel Whyte DH bike (from about 2010) looked smoother / faster through them. Or he could just be better. In theory my others mates bike – a Kona Process 134 should have the edge on the Boardman DH but I was quicker than him.

Depends on what you define as “fun”, but considering the majority of UK mountain bikers are over-biked, I’d say stick with what you have.

Fair point. Just don’t want to be missing out if there is something more fun. Maybe I just want more bling which is completely unnecessary. Maybe I should just look at burlier forks for what I’ve got. 150mm pikes perhaps.

The more chop a bike soaks up for you on a descent the faster you can go.
The more skill you have the faster you can go.
Reduce either one and the descents last longer – descending for longer must be better, right?

The solution is clearly to ride a rigid XC bike, possibly while drunk.

And, maybe, blindfolded.

Presumable said rigid xc bike would be better as a single speed too, with no dropper post?

Could always buy an orange four frame…althought you’d have to change your forks to 130mm.
Your rear hub might not fit either as you’d need 148mm boost

The orange 4 is marginally shorter travel than what I have already – and is a single pivot design. What advantage (other than bling) would it have over the Boardman? Unless the geometry is more playful?

Easiest way to answer that argument (single pivot) is to test ride one. I chose a five over a trek and a lappiere that I test rode.
If I was buying again I’d probably have gone for a four. Sometimes the 5 is a bit to much for general trails/local XC, I’d assume that the four does them better. Just my opinion of course.

Santa Cruz alloy Bronson?

If you want a new bike buy one – most modern bikes are better for given travel compared to 4-5 years ago. I’m over biked for my skill level and the trails I ride but the bike gives be the confidence to ride harder and faster than I did on my previous one.

The airdrop edit looks a good buy at the moment

The orange 4 is marginally shorter travel than what I have already – and is a single pivot design. What advantage (other than bling) would it have over the Boardman? Unless the geometry is more playful?

You can keep all your important filing in it?

Shorter travel bikes make ‘small’ trails seem bigger. So you feel more heroic.
Longer travel bikes shrink ‘big’ trails, so you go faster.

Geo plays a part too, but with the variety available now you can pretty much pick your charactistics.

Congratulations on the new baby!

Might it be worth sticking with what you have until things settle down and you have a clearer view of what riding you are doing (as time etc allows)? As you said, the most fun bike will probably depend on the trails you do the most.

My experience of a new baby has been not much opportunity to do uplift days etc, but more time for shorter rides on local trails. My vote is therefore for lights 😉

I got a 160mm frame thinking that I really wanted to grow in to the kind of riding it was capable of. I didn’t. It was so capable not even the Alps bothered it – they bothered me.

It was great at what it did well, but I’m happier on a shorter travel fully, and even happier on my rigid SS. Better under-biked than over for me.

There doesn’t have to be that much difference- the most succesful enduro race bike of all time is officially a trail bike, it just got pressed into service because the company’s main riders preferred it.

I always think the best trick a bike manufacturer can pull is to make a big bike that can ride small- there’s a few out there, a 160mm bike doesn’t have to be a blancmange or a fun-sponge on red routes.

The red one.

Red bikes as the work of the devil and should be avoided at all costs.
The best bike to buy is the black one.
Black bike iz teh awsumz.

Thanks Owen, our baby (Eva) is great. I think we’ve been pretty lucky so far on the sleep etc so fingers crossed it stays that way.

Your suggestion is very sensible definitely. I probably don’t need new forks or a new frame – just seeing all the over biked people and getting a bit of there green eyed monster!

I’ve got a mate who has an alpine 6 but I haven’t been out riding with him for ages. Need to have a go on it next time I see him for a bike ride.

Fun sponge

Like.

‘Fun-sponge’ – great description!

So what are these 160mm bikes you talk of that still do ok on ups / less extreme trails, but still go downhill like a demon?

Preferably ones without boost spacing….but with 27.5 in wheels.

Then 160mm forks – without going mental on cost (no more than about £500) what’re the best options? Yari vs Pike vs ?

I’d rather have the pike than the yari.

My transition suppressor climbs fine and it’s coil sprung

I’ve always found finding the bike that fits the trails you ride is always the best. 150mm travel would be huge overkill for me. I do Xc all over the US and never needed more than 100mm in front and 80 in back.

It’s all opinion, but unless you’re doing downhill you don’t need more than thaT

Nothing wrong with new/ bling bike envy, buying one doesn’t mean it’ll stop though. Modern trail bikes are just as capable as new #doyouevenendurobro race bikes for most UK trail riding but it’s all relative. I bought a Five about 18 months ago because I always wanted one but something always niggled me with the way it rode, don’t know why and can’t really describe it. Mates all ride Bronsons and Capras and that sort of thing. I swapped to a Scout just before Christmas and love it, and don’t get to ride as much as I like with a 10 month old. As others have said try some demos and see what it is you actually want, might be a better way go.

Trying a few demo days sounds like a great shout. Looks like there might be a Whyte one in a few months time that isn’t too far away from me.

HeRd a few people on here talk up the transition scout. Saw a transition going round CC on the weekend (albeit even slower than me). Looked quite nice but I don’t know anything about them.

The Scout is a great bike. I loved mine. Climbed well and descended like a bike with much more travel than it had. I decided to swap mine out for a carbon Patrol. Only because I only have one bike and it needs to do everything. The Patrol rides as well as the Scout uphill just will more travel coming down – and it accelerates very quickly!

I’d test ride both if I were you.

Just seen the patrol on the website. Is it only carbon or is there an alloy version?

There is an alloy one too 🙂

Transitions aren’t boost yet either. Liking it over the Five as it’s a bit shorter and the back end seems to grip s bit better. That’s not to say the Five wasn’t good the Scout reminds me more of a good hardtail (giggidy), just comfier.

When does a trail bike become an enduro bike? Isn’t enduro just trail riding but you’re timed on the downs, and trail riding you’re Strava’d on the ups and the downs?

I think getting too hung up on travel misses the point that geometry makes a big(ger) difference.

I do Xc all over the US and never needed more than 100mm in front and 80 in back.

It’s all opinion, but unless you’re doing downhill you don’t need more than thaT

It’s not necessarily about need, more want. I have (slowly) ridden some (mild) DH tracks on my Anthem. But it’s a lot more fun, a lot less scary, and a bit faster on a confidence inspiring skills compensating 150mm travel trail/enduro bike.

With me on board the difference in the climbing ability of the two bikes is much much less than the difference in the descending ability of the two bikes.

Found a bright yellow 2016 Transition Patrol – like that! Thinking 160mm Yari’s could go on that and if I find them a bit lacking I could upgrade the damper at a later date (think a lyric charger fits as the same chassis as the Yari).

Now where can I find £2k from…..!!

My skills on the downhills and my fitness in the uphill both leave something to be desired for sure. Fitness is going to struggle to get any better this year (lack of time) unless I can make meaningful progress cycling in the road near where I live / on the turbo – in the odd hour session I can grab here or there.

Downhill skills also need practice – although felt ok at CC on the weekend just gone. After 6 months off pretty much (apart from a quick spin round Ashton Court a few weeks back) I was quite pleased. Got a few PR’s on Strava bizarrely – mostly up but a bit on a few downs too.

My skills on the downhills and my fitness in the uphill both leave something to be desired for sure.

Are you me?

BTW I might know of a Transition Scout that I heard maybe up for sale, large I think.

My experience of a new baby has been not much opportunity to do uplift days etc, but more time for shorter rides on local trails. My vote is therefore for lights

Great advice and advice I will reinforce. The bike (and equipment) you need is the bike that will make you smile whenever you can find a moment to ride on terrain you have locally, be it roads, woods, towpaths, BMX track, velodrome… Don’t buy a new bike that will be a “special occasions” toy.

…in the odd hour session I can grab here or there.

My odd hours grabbed here and there are either spent on the country lanes on the road bike or in the local woods on my mountain bike. An enduro bike would be an poor choice for both of those.

Where do you do most of your riding?

If it’s at trail centres, get a trail bike IMO.

Mid-travel 29er is probably best of both worlds though.

What is an enduro bike?

So what are these 160mm bikes you talk of that still do ok on ups

TBH, it’s mostly the riders legs and lungs that are the deciding factor rather than the bike

This bike wouldn’t be my only bike – I have a slightly retro hardtail with 98 Bomber z1’s on it and I have a Boardman team carbon road bike as well. So I would still have something appropriate for the local wounds / pump track / Ashton Court etc.

I’ve really enjoyed BPW when there and got an uplift day booked at FOD in April – it feels like if I’m going to go somewhere I may as well grab a whole day but make it less frequent in terms of how often I ride – that seems to sit better with the wife than trying to go out riding more often for shorter periods of time.

I’m lucky she likes going to the salon for nails / to get hair done etc as I have Eva (our baby) for a fair few hours at a time which buys me biking brownie points. At the moment I tend to take Eva and the dog out for a walk when I have them both – but when her neck is strong enough I plan to get a pull along kiddie trailer so we can go along the Bristol / Bath cycle track to a pub and back.

If you’re not riding stuff like BPW that often, how about hiring/demoing enduro or even DH bikes instead? It will give you chance to learn what you like and what you don’t and you might just find that it’s a cheaper and more practical option in the long run than buying something that sits gathering dust for most of the year.

Fair suggestion. I’m doing an uplift day at FOD in April and it seems you can demo a transition patrol for £30 for half a day. They then knock that off the cost if you buy from them.

Could do half a day on the patrol then half a day on my Boardman to compare the difference back to back on the same day / same tracks. Assuming they’ll let me take their demo bike on the uplift of course.

Could also grab a lap of the red / blue there to see how it pedals when you have to go uphill.