Scott Contessa Active 30 or 40.

Great bikes with good sizing and geo for smaller riders and stock is about at the moment.

It’s not a light frame is it?

Circa 200g / 1/2lbs weight saving from the sid over the pike but with one of these frames is weight saving the goal?

Pikes are available from r2 bike now.

If you were building up a superlight xc frame then a sid makes sense. For an xc orientated trail bike then a pike every time.

It’s win win win though whichever way you choose.

@bjhedley If full suspension then it may be worth looking at a Giant Anthem, Scott Spark, Cannondale Scalpel, Specialized Epic etc

@andydt82 It’s ok but I just tend to stick with the 2.8s as this covers all the riding I do.

It’s fine with reasonably high volume narrower tyres and it doesn’t drop the BB that much but then I’ve only used that set up suitable for more xc focused riding so not worrying about some of the ground clearance issues that could occur.

I haven’t had any BB strikes either way but I pick fairly easy lines and trails these days. Dropping off a kerb feels like too much air for me now…

@ofked sizing is definately personal depending on your preference or aversion towards the long low slack geo. As you say they are long and if you like that then they do tick that box very well.

@bjhedley the shimano / sram debate will always be around and there is definitely personal preference. I prefer sram, I find GX Eagle easily comparable if not better than XT. It does need to be set up dead on with the sram b screw adjustment tool and correct cable tension though.

NX Eagle on the 905 is certainly equivalent of slx.

The Whyte 90X series are fantastic bikes.

There is a reason the 905 wins so many awards. From my experience they are the best balanced trail hardtail. There are more hardcore hardtails, there are more xc orientated hardtails but the 905 is the best middle ground.

The 2.8 plus size tyres mean the ride is very comfortable. You can swap out for 2.3s for more xc orientated use.

I’m waiting for my 909v3 to come in for this season. V3 is just an equipment refresh for 2021,frame geo/design remains the same.

The frames do come up quite long so if you are normally a large then medium may do etc.

I have a pair which came on a Whyte last year.

Really stiff so no noticeable deflection, reasonably responsive and sensitive, performed better after a strip down and re-grease/oil change.

They are a decent functional fork. Not much in them between a revelation and pike select for normal use. Bar weight, in 27.5 guise mine weigh 2.45kg.

The only reason I would change them to a pike would be to save c500g/1lbs in weight.

These do look lovely. Money no object then why not, absolutely nothing wrong with buying boutique parts.

Plenty of other hobbies and sports have elements and kit which cost considerble money.

You can buy a complete X01 Eagle Groupset for the same money or XX1 Eagle Groupset for a bit more though. Pretty sure the XX1 chainset is lighter or at least the same weight when accounting for the chainring too.

I don’t see the price vs performance of the eewings delivering improved functionality over XX1 rather it’s about that boutique aesthetic value.

For as long as I remember there have been other brands both global and UK based which have been better than Saracen at every stage from weight, performance, finishing kit, team results, price etc etc.

In the 90s Saracen never wowed in the MBUK/MBR group tests nor became the local rider’s favourite. GT, Kona, Orange, Specialized, Gary Fisher, Pro Flex, Scott, Trek etc were the staple choice.

Into the 00s they seemed to head into obscurity.

Worse value the emerging own brands of the eras like carrera and then with the EU brands like Cube, not as good as the slightly more expensive niche brands or similarly priced mainstream brands and not that widely available in stores.

What bike is it?

PayPal provide a collection code to match up now which prevents this whole buyer collects then says wasn’t posted.

In this case though and assuming it’s not someone known to you etc.

If you want to post, set up via an eBay auction, should be a £1 listing fee again this weekend. At least you can see feedback although doesn’t guarantee not being scammed.

Don’t PayPal & Post off ebay. It’s still very easy to lose out even if PayPal friends and family where if buyer uses a stolen card/account or claims it has been, it will get reversed.

Bank transfer safest and collection only.

Whenever I have sold bikes, I have got the best prices via eBay, collection only and payment on collection, bank transfer, cash or PayPal now they have the collection code.

Furthest buyers have come have been 220 miles, although not practical now due to lockdown. That’s still a huge c20m people target market in that radius.

Don’t forget PayPal credit being offered to buyers via eBay will often uplift your sale price too.

I am rather risk adverse when it comes to selling though. To be fair I’m risk adverse riding these days as well, most air I get is when rolling of a kerb quickly.

The tool makes the world of difference.

I have tried the various YouTube/Forum guides to set up sram eagle without the tool then checked with the tool and none of the approaches are close enough.

Nx has the pg 1230 cassette which is steel and weighs c650g.

Uses shimano freehub body and lasts for 1000s km. Can be had for £80.

No lightweight alu design on these. Just change the chain periodically.

Overall, nx is pretty good. It’s slx equiv, gx is xt albeit lighter esp with gx carbon cank, x01 = xtr, xx1 no shimano equivalent.

Very much sram or shimano camps so you will get mixed responses.

I find sram 12 speed better than shimano, even sx when vs deore. You do need the sram b screw adjustment tool though to get right on sram, it’s very sensitive to set up.

@bjhedley that makes sense.

The XL v1/v2/v3 are huge. At 6ft I found a large too big by some margin.

With the 2.8s on I can only imagine it feels like riding a tank.

@bjhedley if you were on GX group (11 speed?) that means yours is a 2018 not 2019 v1.

They did overhaul the geo with the v1 iirc but not so drastically it would feel like a totally different bike.

Sounds like a selling yours and going for a different more xc orientated bike may be the right solution.

If you are thinking narrower bars and have your saddle forwards, I suspect the XL is too large. A riding co of mine is same height as you and enjoys my medium, he would buy a large if going for one but XL would deffo be uncomfortable.

Some very different bikes there. The GT Zaskar LT is heavy, suspect 4-5lbs heavier than the Scott. The Scott is much more XC focused, great superlight carbon frame but average finishing kit.

Orange Clockwork Evo Comp in XL is prob the best all rounder.

The Grand Canyon is a good balance of spec and XL is decently large.

@bjhedley

Questions I should have asked.

How tall are you and what frame size have you got?

What pedals are you using?

Have you set up the seat position fore/aft and handlebar angle? I find whyte’s bars pretty good but always swap to renthal carbon 800mm.

Adjusting how far the bar angles forward/backwards makes a big difference to comfort on these due to the geo.

If you want to save weight then the WTB i35 rims aren’t the lightest but not that bad. Hubs are pretty light though. A new wheelset without spending silly money can save 200-300g. Lighter weight xc orientated tyres work fine on the i35 rims. Just going tubless and a 2.25-2.3 xc/trail tyre on the i35s could save you 500g+ per wheel.

If you’re not Tubless already that saves 200g+ off the wheelset with the 2.8s.

The PG1230 eagle cassette that weighs 650g can go. You can order the xd driver freehub body from whyte and with a GX cassette shave 200g off. Could go 520% range too if you swap to a gx or x01 rear derailleur as well.

The Descendant crankset isn’t too heavy (700g) and is DUB on the 2019 iirc but either the truvative descendent carbon crank (from r2 bike) or sram gx carbon (same crank) saves c200g

The revelation forks are pretty good and light.

Without massive outlay you can save 2lbs-3lbs off the bike, the majority on rolling weight.

@cb200 2.3-2.4 work really well on the 905.

The 2018 901 ran Maxxis Forekaster 2.6 tyres and was notably lighter (no dropper either) and more agile than the 905. The 2017 905 ran 2.4s and was also great.

Both a wheel & tyre swap will save considerable weight if 27.5 is an acceptable wheel size.

@kerley agreed nothing beats a proper light weight xc bike for xc i.e. most of the uk in reality. Not everyone wants to ride bike parks.

@oldfart I nearly bought one of those onza last year. Still a great bike and their point about the trails is very apt.

A few years ago the industry said 27.5 brought the trails alive or 29 for xc, then 27.5+ was the way to go, then 27.5+/29 swappable, then LLS geo into mainstream, now 29 with higher volume tyres for trail and 2.2/2.3 for xc but still 27.5/+ too.

29 geo has improved considerably over the last few years. I remember when 27.5s emerged they were notably more agile than the 29s especially as geo was evolving from the more traditional specs. A good 29 xc bike now is significantly better than its 26 counterparts 10+ years ago and 29s from 2010-2014ish.

@bjhedley Is your 905 a V1 (blue) or V2 (green)?

Both are great frames. There are also better mud/xc orientated lower volume 2.4-2.6 27.5/27.5+ tyres which do change the dynamics quite a bit.

The 901/905 has been the best balanced UK trail/hardcore orientated hardtail for a few years now especially for the price. I ride a v2 currently.

All being said, it is a far far cry from an xc bike. The weight penalty of the 905 over a decent hardtail xc bike in the £2k+ range is easily 5lbs-8lbs.

The Sirius S5 is quite a heavy frame. If you are concerned with weight then built up, the Sirius won’t be dissimilar from the 905.

I would consider moving to a more mainstream xc bike from Trek, Giant, Specialized, Scott, Cube etc.

Back pain when riding can be caused by a number of factors. This may be the geometry and/or fit. It may also be related to a medical condition / fitness so depending on severity and triggers a different bike may not resolve it.

There is always the challenge of finding bikes in stock at the moment. I quite like the Giant XTC SLR 29 this year mid budget c£1600.

I find Giant, Trek, Scott and Specialized offer the most palatable fit/spec/price for jump on-ride-enjoy xc hardails. £2k-£2.5k gets you a c11.5kg Scott Scale 930 Carbon or Specialized Epic Carbon. They don’t always feel the best value in finishing kit but you get great frames, light weight and good uk warranty and support.

https://www.hargrovescycles.co.uk/bikes/mountain-bikes/2021-specialized-epic-hardtail-carbon-mountain-bike-in-black__40004

https://www.hargrovescycles.co.uk/bikes/mountain-bikes/2021-scott-scale-930-carbon-hardtail-mountain-bike-in-yellow__40990

So many manufactures seem to focus on the trail oriented or full suspension bikes now with limited light weight hardtail xc worthy options until you start spending big money. Traditional hardtail XC has almost gone the way of road bikes.

On a really tight budget, this tape works well enough. Just double layer it on the down tube.

https://www.screwfix.com/p/t-rex-repair-tape-clear-8-2m-x-48mm/885fh

Early – mid 90s

GT Zaskar or JMR’s Specialized

Watch mbuk’s Dirt 95 film (this deserves more views) https://youtu.be/WeCGFUB6We0

Late 90’s into early 00’s SC Chameleon or Planet X Jack Flash

Mid 00’s Marin AXC Rocky Ridge.

Kona tended to cater for the more hard core orientated by adopting the sloping top tubes early on too.

There were various others in that era inc from Orange but often needing a custom build.

Late 00’s then a lot more options but the Marin Rocky Ridge and Orange Crush were prob the most recognisable mainstream options in the UK and quasi affordable.

These days finding a hardtail that isn’t hardcore seems to be the challenge.

Muc off is fine. Loads of riders round here use with no issues.

However you do need to add c20% more than suggested on the pack especially with higher volume tyres like specialized and on 27.5+/29 sizes.

Also helps to leave to cure initially with tyre deflated after the initial inflation and bead seating. Not all tyres need this though, some seem to fare better than others. Maxxis for example give me no problems.

If it’s really cold out and the sealant has been stored in the shed etc, I would bring in to indoor room temp and fill the tyre indoors etc.

@pimpingimp

Presume budget inhibits you from going full sram? I know opinion is divided in the multitude of threads.

I and the people I ride with certainly prefer Eagle to shimano 12. All on GX to XX1 though. SX ok, functional but very heavy. NX the same just less heavy.

No compatability issues though between gx cassette and sram chain and shimano. Just make sure you get the 50T cassette not 520% range 52T. Most current single 11/12 speed chainsets and chainrings will work. Not shimano chain on sram though.

Given pricing I would go GX 52T 520% cassette, rear mech and shifter.

Bike Discount
Bike24
R2Bike

All good from current orders. I along with riding cos tend to use Bike24 and R2Bike and all sram kit comes retail boxed within 1-3 days usually.

@stumpymark the whyte 905 is a 27.5+ and the rolling diameter of the 2.8s isn’t far off a 29er Stumpy 2.3s.

Again the 2.6s on the T140 are pretty high volume semi plus tyres.

I’ve found sram 12 speed better than shimano.

You do need to set it up correctly including with the b screw adjustemt tool. The new tool included with the 520% range is better than previous.

Ha, Whyte do seem to come in options of >32lbs or >Extra Extra Heavy regardless of whether hard tail or fs.

You don’t feel it on the trail though and they imo offer the best UK orientated trail bikes on the market.

You can certainly make weight savings but then you can achive the same savings from an alternative brand’s lighter bike base weight too.

Whyte’s focus is trail use, plenty of other brands offer xc orientated bikes.

I always see the same complaints re Whyte.

1) Weight being on the heavy side
2) Colours / Styling being less appeasing
3) Niche / Market Positioning being behind the curve

All true, definately sometimes subjective but unequivocally they ride as well as or better than their competitors.

They do have a very solid and consistent rider base and most models still seem to sell out before end of season sales.

Personally, I’ve never had warranty issues left unresolved and they seem to have picked the better dealer network to sell through.

2020/21 prices have crept up and/or equipment spec isn’t as vfm as last season. This seems consistent across many brands though.

Relative stiffness is an interesting concept on bars these days. I find depending on which bike I am riding, my front suspension negates it all.

It’s only on rigid or full xc set-up bikes I find more flex in a bar is even noticeable let alone appreciated.

But yes renthal carbon fatbars are pretty stiff. Wouldn’t ride any other brand but thats personal preference.

Aluminium is often prefered if risk of regular crash impacts as a, you don’t feel the niggling need to replace and b if you do it’s cheaper.

I can’t afford to crash, so often overbiked and taking it easy, so moot point for me though.

Renthal Fatbar carbon v2, 800mm @ c221g-228g.

Can usually be found for c£100 and well worth the bit extra over the alu version.

Aren’t these effectively rebranded suntour epicon / epicon copies with gold stanchions and funky lockout design added. Chassis, wheel size, steer options & weight all look the same and the 100-140mm travel variants as the epicons were internally adjustable.

The DUB Truvativ carbon variants are the Sram GX Carbon (Stylo/Descendant Eagle Dub variants) and X01 (Troy Lee variant).

In hand the profiles are the same & weights the same, just under Truvativ branding.

From R2 Bike the Descendant Carbon Dub Eagle at c£215 is the sweet spot £perGram & performance if you can’t get the GX Carbon.

I upgraded to the new 520% sram as soon as released and have tried various combos.

500% range GX shifter and mech work fine as do X01/XX1.

Even the SX shifter and mech does.

The price sweetspot for the 10-52 520% range is the Druvativ Descendant carbon cranks, GX cassette, chain and shifter and X01 rear mech.

Whyte have won many awards but are predominantly a UK focused brand with the emphasis on being designed for UK trails. They never appear to spend big money on marketing either.

They dont seem to produce many bikes and in every previous year have tended to sell out of most models pretty early from my experience. It’s rare to see them in the sale, bar the odd model.

They have a loyal following and only select shops sell them. We have one Whyte dealer in our region compared to several scott, orange, specialized, giant and trek.

From looking at eBay, used prices remained very strong during lockdown.

They are realistically priced to start with but not cheap, also a tad heavy. They ride amazingly though often like much much lighter bikes.

The 905 and T130 have been the best overall UK focused trail bikes for years in my opinion.

Workaround for me has always been to have two instances of the basket open simultaneously, enter one code in each instance, hit enter and it stacks…

Hmmm, when jumping 20 foot+ in the air, you need to trust the bike will survive the landings, with or without rider.

Cheap DJ bikes that failed self destructed their own market by virtue…

Mantel
Bikediscount
Bike24
R2-Bike

All with good stocks, all ship from EU to UK within a few days.

Problem solved if CRC etc don’t have items in.

Forgot to add, pretty sure my 120mm-170mm suspension travel, bike depending, has a much greater affect than my renthals ever do.

Most flexible carbon riser bars I ever had though were the carbon cycles eXotic 740mm risers at c162g.

I always felt they were too light though. I only had them on an xc orientated bike but psychologically they held me back. A few gramms either side with carbon makes a massive difference structurally.

You may actually get more bike for your money with a new bik than cash settlement due to the discounts they receive, price rises over last 2-3 years and availability at the moment.

Find a comparably specced 600-£-700 main brand bike on wheelies etc and they may be more willing to fund as a bike rather than £400 cash as an example.

My last Mantel order was for the new sram 520% range kit recently. Came with in a couple of days, all brand new boxed retail kit. Was a decent £££ value order so no probs.

Netherlands based so pretty quick to uk. Quicker than economy delivery (and express) from many uk suppliers too.

I always go for renthal carbon fatbars. Typically c£100-£105 for the v2s.

Definitely objectively (most likely psychologically) take the edge off the trail, really comfy backsweep @ 7degrees and consistently 225g-229g.