Surprised it won’t accept a new chain atfer that little mileage! My X01 Eagle cassette took a brand spanking new chain after 2000 miles with no issues at all!

Forget it unless you find second hand. They can’t make them quick enough and shops can’t get them because demand is so high, so why on earth would they would give you a discount for your probable one time custom? Don’t want to sound harsh but that’s how it is at the minute.

Jesus people on here get through some bikes! In my meagre 15 years of riding, I’ve had the below and loved most of them!

2004 – Claud Butler Capewraith Disc – bought for me by the rent’s, sold to my brothers mate to fund the Kinesis, he still has it to this day
2006 – Kinesis Maxlight XC120 – adore this bike, so many miles and memories, gradually stripped down and swapped to other hardtails, still have the frame in the loft, possibly my post prized possession.
2011 – Ibis Mojo HD140 – stupidly bought a medium because it looked less gate like than the large, still say this had the best suspension of any bike I’ve ridden, sold in 2015.
2012 – On One 456C – used parts of the Kinesis, didn’t like it, sold in early 2013.
2013 – Stanton Slackline – built but never ridden as frame turned out to be faulty, returned for refund.
2013 – Cotic BFe – again a too small medium frame, but I did like it, in hindsight it was a bit chunky and dead feeling, sold to fund house furniture in 2016
2015 – Mondraker Foxy XR Carbon SE – The longest travel bike I’ve owned, rocket ship everywhere but felt like too much bike for me plus it rattled itself to pieces on most rides and felt very fragile weirdly
2016 – Genesis Datum – wanted a road/gravel bike and this looked ace, waited ages for it but never truly loved it, sold last year
2016 – Whyte T130C RS – If only it wasn’t so weighty, loved it but my word for a carbon bike it was hefty, still a great ride though, sold last year
2018 – Cotic Soul MK5 – wanted a hardtail and the mercury Soul’s looked amazing, was meant to be “budget”, ended up not being that at all. Still got it for now but it’s now gathering dust thanks to the next bike
2020 – Transition Spur – best/fastest bike I’ve owned and ridden, maybe it’s the honeymoon period but this does everything I want it to and more. A beast going downhill and it flies up and along anything else, could be a weapon for an XC/marathon race return with racier tyres.

Think that’s it, 11 in 15 years, thought it wouldn’t be that high of a ratio considering I kept the Kinesis, Ibis, Genesis and Whyte for 4 years each!

The Izzo is nice but probably a bit overkill for the OP. That Pinkbike field test was really good, though they did not rate the Lux too highly in descending terms. Spark RC is a great shout, just add a dropper post and away you go. 2021 models now get the new 35mm Sid or Fox 34SC too with 110mm travel for a bit of extra capability going down. I’d also look for a Kona Hei Hei, though not sure what availability is like.

I’ve got a Transition Spur and with a swap of tyres reckon it would be a weapon on an XC course. It handles amazingly, corners like its on rails and is hella light, mine is 12kg with XT trail pedals and the stock 2.4 Maxxis tyres, go some lighter pedals and racey rubber and you’ll be 11.5kg easily. Not cheap, but so worth it.

As others have said, weight aside as longer posts are heavier, why not have more? I’ve gone from just 80mm drop on my Crank Brothers Joplin (thank god they’re a thing of the past!) through to 125mm and 150mm Reverbs and now a 180mm One Up post and I’ve never gone “damn the saddles too low now”. What I have done is ridden bikes with shorter droppers than I had at the time and thought they were higher than I’d like!

Thanks for the feedback, think I’ll give them a go if I can find any! The usual German shops are out of the question, any idea where they can be found in the uk?

What Kelvin says for the most part, but agree that even the bikes that are arguably more suitable are a bit weighty these days. My T130C was over 30lb stock and it took a lot to get it under that. I do giggle at folks who will only ever ride trail centre reds who insist a 160mm enduro is a prerequisite for their riding, I’m quite happy with a 120mm bike with decent geometry that’s a good few lb lighter thanks!

I have E4s on the hardtail and G2 RS on the Spur and I like both. Had Guide RS on my old Whyte and replaced with E4’s on that. Both are similar in terms of power, feel is a little different both modulate really well, but the Srams seem to bite earlier than the Hopes. Pad choice makes a big difference too, I swapped the original SRAM pads on the Guide RS to swissstop and the difference was massive, shame they don’t make them for the E4. Either will be good, go with what you like the look of better!

Not that seen that before, I had a Reverb on my old T130C and it didn’t do that and have two OneUp droppers now and standard clamps and not seen this. I hated the seat clamp on the Whyte all the same, it was such a pain to adjust correctly, even with a big helping of fibre grip.

not sure about the Spur or Izzo, from a frame longevity point of view

So far my Spur’s held up well, paint is a little thin and chips easily (shouldn’t have been lazy and got an invisiframe kit) and it feels solid, plus maintenance wise there seems little to go wrong, just 6 bearings in the back end, threaded BB and “normal” headset.

I don’t think it would take to a burly build kit as well as a Smuggler, but it really doesn’t need it IMO, it’s dialled as is and is way faster up, down and along anything than I’ve ever ridden, knocks the pants of my previous T130 and even my Foxy XR, which had a 160mm 36 up front! The Sid fork and Sidluxe shock are incredible for how tiny they are, really impressed given it weighs so little, mine’s around 12kg with XT Trail pedals, bottle cage, fork fender and Exposure light mount.

Not got a Smuggler but do have the new Spur and it’s insane! Smuggler geo is similar but the frame/build will make it heavier, but it’ll still be pretty light with the right kind of build, would definitely go lighter than burlier, didn’t see the point of builds with Lyriks/36’s, just keep it light and lean and it’ll be a seriously rapid bike and great fun to ride.

Used them earlier in the year and they were fine, pretty quick and had what I needed :)

Wouldn’t bother with a Mokka, heavy, big on the outside but tiny inside and insanely dull to drive. I tried one before I bought my Arona and really didn’t like it. Looked at the Kia Stonic and loved how it looked, but it’s ride was harsh, it felt underpowered compared to the Arona (both 1.0 Turbo) and the boot was smaller too. It will be over budget, but I love my Arona in the 4 months we’ve had it, its comfortable, feels far pokier than the 115bhp suggests and plenty of room (I can comfortably sit behind the drivers seat in my position at 6ft 1 with knee and head room to spare). Boot easily swallows my bike too with kit to spare. £10k gets you a low-mileage SE Tech (the sensible choice, though 95hp and 5-speed box) or for a bit more you can go FR for the higher power 115hp and 6-speed box and a few more toys, the dual zone climate and LED headlights are very nice to have. Or you do as we did and just say f*** it to the budget and get an FR Sport for all the toys!

It’s a meh from me, I kinda see why you’d want a long travel 27.5 bike, but really most will go 29 surely? I’m intrigued to see what they do with the Blur, but I do find Santa Cruz as a whole just so dull now. There’s so many of the things about, they look the same and they cost more than some other higher-end brands. They used to be cool back in the days of the Blur 4X, now they’re just a status symbol for the Audi estate/ Transporter brigade…

Hadn’t realised the Epic had gone up so much in price! In true STW recommend your ownstyle, it’d be hard to overlook the Transition Spur if you have that kind money. Compared to the Epic comp it’s lighter, better wheels, better wheels and the geometry is more up to date. It’s a wild bike. It’s so fast up and down, downhill it feels way more like a trail bike or even a longer travel trail bike than the weight and travel suggest.

Doubt you’ll find an “aggressive enduro” bike with that little travel! Too much marketing coolaid? Either depends on what you actually want the bike for. Short travel end I’d look at the Spur, it is way, way more capable than the travel suggests, just don’t be fooled into overbuilding it and putting a longer fork and burlier parts on, it’s best when it’s light AF, mines about 12kg ready to ride. FlareMax and Jeht are other good shouts if you want something a little burlier. Privateer have gone down Transition’s route from a few years ago of trying to build trail bikes and frames that weigh as much as DH bike, but they are mega value if you don’t mind weight.

Yeah it was the C RS, was about £3.5k at the time I think. The alloy one I imagine will be around 14kg, so not super heavy, but super light either. But it will be solid, reliable and more than up to some rowdy riding, despite the 120mm travel.

The Spur is insane, but obviously a lot more money! Shame they don’t do an NX build around the £4k mark like they do on the Sentinel and Scout. It’d still be light and lighter on the wallet!

Rode the S120 last year and was impressed. Felt similar to my T130 but held speed a touch easier. The weight was felt though accelerating, but they are bombproof, the paint is very solid and the bearings last years without being touched. For the money it would be towards the top of my list, you’d have to spend a lot more to get lighter without losing the capability it brings.

It’s crazy at the minute as others have said. I ordered my Spur before it was even released and was nothing more than internet whispers and still had to wait 4 months for the thing! Basically, be prepared to ring every dealer who stock the bike/brand or be prepared to wait a long old time.

Gutted for George, had it won really, Bahrain is seemingly a nightmare for some after Leclerc’s lost win there last year too.

I feel sorry for Alex, but there are only so many excuses you can make for the kid. Think it’s too early for Red Bull to promote Tsunoda, stick Albon back in the Alpha Tauri and let him and Gasly battle it out. Put Perez in the Red Bull alongside Verstappen and take the battle to Merc before the rules change for 2022.

@peteimpreza, ahhh shame, would need a medium!

@peteimpreza, you have an Escalade frame for sale? What size/colour?

Tried the standard enrage and really liked it, they had a more locked in feel than Shimano but were still easy to get out of in a hurry if that makes sense. Certainly as good as my XT trail pedals, though whether they’d last 8 years without love like the XTs I’m not sure! But I did like them and if/when my XTs die I’d consider a set for sure.

I like the Forekaster front and rear for most terrain, it’s not the fastest or grippiest but seems a good all rounder. Put a dissector up front in the hardtack and liking that so far with a Forekaster out back. Have a Rekon on the back of the Spur, it’s great for groomed trail centre trails, less so on natural stuff.

No problems with my GX or X01 setups, my previous X01 cassette was still going at 2000+ miles and accepted a new-ish chain too! The X01 shifter is was better than GX, but found GX mechs more than enough and no dodgy clutches for me.

Both Sram and Shimano dropped the ball with 11-speed. Sram felt cheap, plasticky and nasty no matter if you had NX or XX1 and Shimano lost that light, smooth feeling so it just felt like the worst of both worlds. I did love my 10-speed Saint shifter teamed with an XT clutch mech and XT cassette with Hope T-Rex though, that was great setup but a bit short of range these days!

Nope, compression is controlled by oil flow through the shim stacks, you can technically adjust the low-speed compression, but it is just the 3-position “lockout” switch. A shock can have different tunes, the Whyte’s have a really light tune to give them a plusher feel, so a regular tune from another bike, as the new shock you have will be, will feel firmer. You can get around it a bit by running lower pressure, but it’s a compromise and not ideal.

As Steve said, makes a difference regardless of level, I’m no pro by any stretch and it tallies with your shockwiz too, as it says you need to make the compression a little softer, which makes sense as the shock likely has a harder tune as above.

Looks mint, but am I only the one who wishes they’d stuck with the old wraparound downtube decals? I like the new head tube badge, a lot more modern, but not a fan of the new downtube name at all.

Had the same issue with my T130 when I had the normal Monarch replaced under warranty with a Plus, sadly I couldn’t mine any lower as an adaptor wouldn’t have helped, so was stuck with a 600ml rather than 750ml bottle. Did you check the tune was the same from one to the next? I got sent a slightly firmer tune to stock and even though theoretically the Plus should have felt a little plusher, it felt a fair bit firmer.

Lawman- Love the look of the Transition Spur, would love one but the Izzo looks so much more bike for the money.

On paper spec, the YT is miles ahead, no doubt about it. It’s not all about spec though. There’s a couple of things that put me off the Izzo, no doubt good as it is. One is the pressfit BB, that’s a big no in my book. Give me threads any day of the week. Second is the cable routing, I may be wrong but the whole lot is internal and I don’t think they have guide tubes either, so will be more of a pain to change a cable. More bearings on the Izzo too and the headset is a weird Acros size that seems hard to get in the UK. Lovely looking bike, but too many niggles for me to make the “better” spec worth it.

Not much point comparing bikes which differ by only 1.4kg if the wheels are a totally different size. It will totally be the wheel size that is making the bike faster.

For sure the wheels are the biggest difference and where a lot of the extra speed carrying comes from, but the weight difference was definitely noticeable. Strap nearly 3lb of extra weight to any bike and you’d notice the difference. Obviously there’s a how lot more to it, but I think those two points are the biggest difference I noticed from one bike to the other.

Recently done a similar, gone from a Whyte T130 C RS at around 13.7kg (that’s with light wheels/tyres and some carbon bits too) to a 12.3kg Transition Spur and though it’s early days the difference is startling. First big thing is the change to 29 inch wheels, rolls and holds speed a lot better. Second is you do feel the weight difference massively. Wheels are a smidge lighter on the new bike, so the saving is in the frame/fork. I would definitely look at something like the Spur or Izzo, something lighter with bigger wheels and you’ll notice a far bigger difference.

If it were me (and I very, very nearly did buy one from a frame and build it this way) I’d go with a new fork, like the new Rockshox Sid in 120mm and add a dropper post. Will not take away too much from the bike’s speed but be more capable on the descents. You could even just add a dropper to start as that would make a huge difference. The Mantle is really nice bike, the main reason I didn’t go down that route was I didn’t have the funds for new wheels so used my existing 27.5 wheels on a Cotic Soul instead.

Total opposite end of the spectrum to Decathlon & Madison, but had a first ride in the 7Mesh Thunder Pant at the weekend and they are the dogs. Fit was great, totally waterproof, very breathable but had vents if I needed even more. Mega money and hard to get, but super impressed!

I’ve used GoreTex Pro, Active and Windstopper with my 7Mesh gear over the last 3 or 4 years and it is good, Windstopper is great for cold and dry, Active and Pro good for proper wet. My 7Mesh Guardian Jacket (now replaced by the Skypilot) is Gore Active, and the Revo shorts and Thunder Pant are Pro and I’ve no complaints with any of them, other non-branded stuff from the likes of Fox/Madison isn’t as good IMO.

My old man still has his Rocky Mountain Element from 2005, amazing bike and rides pretty well for its age. Numerous mates have had 26” Elements in the past and rated them highly, lovely bikes and the finish is impeccable. If you can find one of the made in Canada ones even better!

Clearance on a lot of 29ers is tight for chainrings. With a lot of folks running 30t or even smaller, not many folks outside the XC race world run a 36t, which is effectively like a 34t oval.

Yep, wrong way round. If it fouls the chain stay, it’s too big so won’t fit at all. Smaller ring required I’m afraid!

Transition say the max is a 34T normal ring so 32T oval should be fine.

https://www.transitionbikes.com/Support_Archive_VersionDetail.cfm?ID=10

Their support archive is awesome for frame spec, gives you everything you need.

Not wanting to put people down or derail but I’m so skeptical of that weight. Have you actually weighed it? Somethings missing for it be that light as others have said too