- What 5 to 6" Freeride bike for the Alps?
Lapierre Zesty/Spicy, Trek Remedy, Spesh Pitch
Posted 8 years agoIs it going to be your only bike? What are you going to use it for?
I'd say just get a dh bike if your keeping your hardtail aswell. Proper tool for the job and all that.
Posted 8 years agocommencal mini dh, i love mine out in the alps, will be out there for 6 weeks next year if I don't kill it in the mean time
Posted 8 years agodepends what you will use in the uk too. Pitch, spesh sx, heckler, marin.
Posted 8 years agoMythic Rune
Posted 8 years ago
I have to agree with davidtaylforth. I went out on a Pitch this year and while it was pretty damn good I spent a lot of time wishing for a proper DH bike, especially after having a go on someone else's Canfield – the difference in braking bump absorption was unreal. My bike went fairly quickly out there, but felt like it was being shaken to bits most of the time.
I'm currently on the look out for a proper DH bike for next year 🙂
Posted 8 years agoYeh, too right. I rode my hardtail with long travel forks and had a great time. Managed to keep up with the full sussers on most tracks apart from the super rough ones. However, had a go on a mates downhill bike and it was a whole different kettle of fish.
I also had to put up with sore legs in the morning whilst everyone else was fine.
A 5/6inch travel bike is a bit here nor there, go for it if it will be your only bike and you want tot ride it in the uk, otherwise just get a proper dh bike
Posted 8 years agodouble post
Posted 8 years agoNicolai Helius FR – Special deals (V.Cheap) from http://www.gravity-sports.co.uk currently :
Posted 8 years ago
N_O_M_A_D!!
Posted 8 years agoHi all,
Have just spent some time in Morzine and am hooked, but seriously under-biked on my hardtail with Rebas….
What bikes should I look at, considering 5 to 6" inches of travel, am tempted already by the Marin Attack Trail…
Cheers
nowthen
Posted 8 years agoheckler/bullit/nomad/trek remedy
i have taken this for the last couple of years – nothing it cant do
Posted 8 years ago
How good a rider are you? How many times a year will you ride it? How much pedalling do you want to do here/Alps?
So many options out there, but first you could probably do with asking yourself those questions.
Posted 8 years agoAs Gavin B says but consider this one, which is for sale,
full ad
http://www.singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/fs-due-to-injurytitus-supermoto-updatedwill sell Frame and headset/s for £425 posted if intrested please email me
it will ride around uk in 150mm mode and will climb but has 170mm for the alps.
Posted 8 years agoPatriot.
Posted 8 years agothe BIG bike is indeed probably very big ( in travel terms) and the rider is relatively small in human height terms but big in bravery terms. It is Josh(ua) Bender with one of his huck bikes.
Posted 8 years agoOK, some options:
Nomad, Six Pack, 6 Point, Attack Trail, Enduro, Remedy, 6.6, Tracer, Patriot, Alpine 160, Blood, Spicy, Slayer, Helius FR, Bullit….the list is really long.So, so many bikes to choose from in this range, before you even start to look at DH bikes. Just have a think as to how many times you can get to an uplift weekend though (in the UK), as there are not too many chairlifts…so being able to pedal (at least a bit) will help you get a bit more use out of the bike. And also, what sort of riding are you actually looking to do? Racing? Uplift only AM-type stuff? All-day epics? Once you get past about 35lbs you'll struggle to keep pedalling along all-day unless you're doing it every other day, so more travel may actually mean 'less' travel. Anyway, just a few things to consider.
Posted 8 years agoI agree with the post above, a DH bike is exactly that and you may not get to use it that much, anyhow most 5-6" travel AM bikes can handle most stuff in the uk but still pedal.. on that basis I would look at (Nomad, Orange 5, Remedy, Spicy, Cube Fritzz, Intense 6.6 / 5.5) One mate has a FIVE which he uses mostly for uplifts and foreign holidays, he keeps up with the DH guys.. ANother has a Nomad which is looking to be a perfect do anything bike.. light but long travel.
Posted 8 years agoIf you only go to the Alps once a year then a DH bike may be too much unless you intend to DH here in Blighty. Unless of course money is no object.
Posted 8 years ago
If I were in your shoes i would have to consider either an Orange 5 or a Trek Remedy or for a bit of bling i don't think you'd go wrong with an Intense SS, which seems the perfect bike IMO.I took an 8" DH bike to Morzine and spent a lot of my week wishing for a 6" or 7" bike with a granny ring.
I think braking bump absorbtion might be as much about quality of suspension as length. I'm sure my Reign (with 36) would have smoothed them out better than my Big Hit (with Domain).
Don't get me wrong, I was glad I had the Big Hit for rougher runs and very steep stuff, but I would think a shorter travel bike with slack angles and weighing no more than 35lb (like someone said) would be far more versatile.
Maybe an SX Trail or the new Reign X? Lots of good suggestions already though.
Posted 8 years agoI ride a Orange Patriot all the time in the alps. Ride up a lot on it and use it on the lifts.
I have a DH bike but to be honest the lifts only run for a couple of months a year.
Posted 8 years ago(Mr MC posting)
loads of good suggestions already. As others have said the question is do you want an Alp-specific DH bike, or an Alp-capable bike you can ride in the UK? And what is your budget?Ive been on an Idrive, an FSR and for the last 4 years on a 5" Coiler. MC takes a 6" Reign. Most of the people we ride with have fleets of bikes and so some take DH-specific rigs, but my Coiler keeps up with 8" Giant Glorys and still pedals uphill.
Current Coilers are 6", and permanently on offer at mail order specialists.
Just bought a (used, I'm not made of money) Nomad as my only bike-it'll be ridden in the chilterns, wales, alps, wherever I go. Its lighter than my Coiler and has more travel when I need it.
Posted 8 years agoI reckon that for mostly UK riding with an occassional trip to the alps, then some form of All-mountain bike is what's needed. Dual crown forks and 8" travel would be nice, but you've got to think about how much it would cost, for what would likely only be a week or two's use a year.
Posted 8 years agoEllsworth Moment. 6" of travel and climbs very well too. Not had the joy of taking it to the Alps though.
Posted 8 years ago
Props to the SX Trail. If you want something that can take ALL the hits and more, but still pedals well when you need it to. I went that route last year and got this:
I loved it so much I've now gone the whole hog and blown £4.6k on an Orange 224 World Cup. Waay over my abilities, but it's nice to have the right equipment 🙂
By the way, SX is now for sale if interested, size Medium, £1,000. Slightly different config than in pics.
Posted 8 years agoDigger – can you email me details of the sx please… ajryan@btinternet.com
Posted 8 years agoMy S-Works Enduro rocked there this year (2006 frame) with fox 36 vans and coil DHX.
Whilst I saw lots of different bikes over there I saw a remarkable amount of my frame shape Enduros and SX trails.
If you're skint snap up a S/H Enduro of SX.
My mate had his bullit but it was too much for pedaling up.
Another had a Nomad and that was very capable also. There were lots of Nomads about too actually.
Posted 8 years agoso basically this whole thread was so you could drop in
"oh, I live an hour away from Morzine"
🙂
Here's my final image of this summer's trip to morzine….
🙁
Posted 8 years ago
MMM from Mrs MC my whole memory of Morzine this year was daily trips to the hospital in Thonon Les Bains … so thanks for rubbing it in 😉 that you live near by … GIT !
Posted 8 years ago
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