YT Capra
YT wicked 650b
Commencal Meta AM / SX (some very cheap deals on their direct site)
One One Codeine
Kona Process
Orbea Rallon
Trek Slash 7

I personally went for an Specialized Enduro Comp 29. Got a few hundred quid off, sold some old parts to fund a reverb dropper which, to be honest, is the only upgrade it needs. The spec is workmanlike but the chain guide, type 2 mech and easy to setup tubeless rims are all great.

The Pike is brilliant and the bike climbs perfectly well given its weight. Its playful and quick going downhill, and the short stays mean it really doesn’t feel like a lot of other 29ers.

That was my shortlist and final choice anyway.

Phwoar, that T130 looks lovely – even the base model has a great spec.

does anybody know if Whyte are bringing out a new G150 and if so when, or indeed when the T130 is available?

My current short list of new bikes has just been increased…

I live 10 mins from Llandegla and would say it’s fine if you are after something straightforward to find and ride. The full loop (including all the black sections) can be done easily under 2 hours.

It’ll be a good hour from Chester to get to Betws Y Coed and whilst i’ve not done the Marin, I have done Penmachno and it is good, but didn’t light my world up TBH.

There are also plenty of options to ride up World’s End and Llangollen, but you’d ideally need to either find a route/map or get someone to show you round.

Twelve50 bikes in Frodsham (20mins from Chester) have a Weds night ride out I think (usually to Delamere). One Planet Adventure (Llandegla) have a Tues night shop ride (but the next one is a week tomorrow) and Weds night is also BBQ night at Llandegla.

I am going to try and get to Llandegla on Thursday if I can (evening) depending on work, if you wanted someone to show you the way round (not that you can get very lost!).

Do I, don’t i, do I, don’t i….

Sounds great from the initial ride report but would definitely be interested to hear how it rides in the rough stuff.

Fair point.

That said, the stock angles with a 140 fork aren’t too bad anyway, but nice to know there are options out there to slacken it if needed.

It’s a lot of frame/shock for the money really, which is hard to ignore. Keen to get an aggressive 29er as, having ridden an Orange Five 29, I was really taken with it.

Very tempted by one of these – they look great in black.

A quick look at a total build cost with some Rockshox Pikes is coming out at around £1700 which, for something that’ll handle solid technical trails and even some enduro racing, isn’t too bad.

Currently justifying it to myself as it would be a “work in progress” build so would only shell out for parts bit by bit … maybe!

Also thinking that with some offset bushings and a 140mm fork, this would potentially run with a HA of about 67degrees?