Hello folks

Thought I'd get some views on which bike to get next as it seems to be so damn hard to get a proper demo to actually try. My current Stumpy FSR (2004) is ready for a change.

I don't know how you would classify my riding – I ride my bike, anywhere in Quantocks from cross country 3 hour jaunts to Triscombe DH.

I was thinking of a Fuel EX or a Zesty. However, having tried a Spicy in Morzine last week (and subsequently bust my ribs in a big crash, hence lots of PC time)which was great, I am thinking of a 160mm bike. Reviews seem to say that Spicy or Remedy climb well which is what I was worried about and why I initially discounted them – anyone got any experience of these bikes for climbing?

Then there's the Cube as a bit of a leftfield entry – anyone got any wisdom on that.

All thoughts gratefully received.

Oh and any tips on making ribs heal fast also gratefully received…..

dont forget that more travel does not equal more safety…. in fact quite the opposite sometimes!

If you are doing lots of normal XC riding you don't want anything overly large I would say a Fuel EX or at an outside a remedy….

Good luck.

The traction on rough climbs on the remedy is awesome.

Thanks.

Yeah I worked out the travel to safety ratio pretty quickly after trying the 160mm Spicy and stating that "this bike is damned fast I think I might get into trouble" – then on the next run went way to fast and flew into the ground, hence broken ribs.

But travel can get you out of badly landed jumps. But I don't want to sacrifice pedal-ability and it seems like the Spicy and Remedy get good reviews for this??

I have Zesty, it can DH well but it's less travel than Spicy. Some of XC trails do slow it down compared to other shorter travel platforms. Guess geo comes into play. If you after high speed thrills then either Lapp will serve your cravings well, albeit Spicy is more of enduro bike. I would go for Spicy even knowing that it would be a major overkill for XC, but I tend to lean towards aggresive XC. Not saying that my Zesty doesn't do it well, -you end up wanting more!

if your struggling to get demo's then why not travel and take in some decent trails in say the lakes or wales, demo a remedy,spicy and personally i'd look at an alpine 160 too. Wouldn't spend that much cash based on other peoples recommendations alone.

Good call Steve. Where would you recommend for The Lakes to trial a Lapierre or Trek and ride (when I'm mended)

Not sure if biketreks has a spicy demo. Give em a bell and they may be able to get one from hotlines demo fleet.
I find the spicy climbs v well for a 6" bike. A talas fork helps on really steep stuff on a 516 but amazingly capable none the less on a 316.

yeah i was thinking biketreks but if not i'm sure you could demo something for a few days picking it up en route to the lakes. Bike treks will def have an alpine 160 and should have a spicy if you give them enough notice,not sure on the trek though.

Zesty is pretty handy downhill so the Spicy must be wicked awesome – and it's not that much heavier.

Remedy looks like it's gone a bit more XC the last year or too, with a weedier fork.

I'd go for the Lapierre, discounts seem to be kicking in now too so good time to be shopping for one.

I have had a Spicy 316 for a year now. I have to say I do not regret it one bit. 100% of my riding is the lakes so whether anyone thinks it is overkill for here I dont know or particularly care. It is my only bike and have used it for rides up to about 60 miles and used it in challenge rides like the Sam Houghton in Kentmere and it is the rider not the bike that holds it back (3Hrs 26Min with 2 punctures for long course BTW).

I can climb on it as well as most though mine came with Vanilla 36's so it did take a little bit of time to get to used to postioning on the steeper climbs. Weightwise mine is at 32lb though not a lot is standard any more however I do run Rubber Queen 2.4s F & R all year round and there is not a hint of XTR anywhere near it so 30lb is easily achieveable without sacrificing the robustness.

How about a Cotic Hemlock, two bikes in one. Short travel rocker 120mm for punchy xc performance and the long travel (150mm) for plush sofa like suspension. Easily rides well with a 130mm or 160mm fork. Very versatile frame and the new seatstays are a LOT better then the old ones which were too weedy. Maybe an option if your not sure between a Remedy/Fuel Ex or Zesty/Spicy

I was pretty surprised by the Lapierres. We have one as a demo bike and because of this, it spends much too much time with me!

It doesn't feel that fast uphill until I realise I scaled the hills without much of a hassle and without fatigue.

Really like them now.

I love my Spicy 316 and wouldn't change it. I have though changed a lot on it except the slx f & R mech and the forks/shock. It's running beautifully up and down trails. I'd recommend it to anyone.

The Zesty 514's still one of the best allround bikes I've ever ridden. Decent on climbs, fantastic on the descents, just so confidence inspiring, and smoothed out the trails so effectively, and generally made everything easy. That's why I didn't get one 😉

Enduro. 30lbs, 65.5 head angle, Gamut dual bash, Control post etc.

+1 Zesty has 140mm travel. Would seem the better option and the angles are very similar to the Stumpy. Very stable downhill. Would you notice the 20mm difference between it and the Spicey? I think not given your riding.

Cube Fritzz if you are looking for 160mm. Long, low handles well – def worth testing if you are looking at Spicy's

Spesh Enduro? Based model is 32Lb. climbs well, Descends brilliant.

I would go lighter who needs 32lbs of bike and 6" of suspension for Quantocks? Climbs well really 😉 or indeed anywhere in UK?

I've got a Zesty and it's great on XC, but i tried a Spicy 516 on steeper sections and it was really stable compared to my Zesty. I would definitely say go for the Spicy 516 because the talas fork makes it easier on the climbs. My local bike shop has some demo bikes and i demo'd one before i bought mine. Maybe give then an email http://www.welovelapierre.com and see what they've got.

As for your broken ribs….drink lots of milk! Calcium. Hope you feel better soon.

cyclestore has 33% off the spicy: £1500 ish

I have a Zesty with talas on and it rocks 😉

Cyclewise at Whinlatter have Cubes for hire AFAIK