[Lelandjt]

Necessary specs:
160mm+ travel (I'd like 170-180)
12mm rear thru-axle
Sub 7lbs (RP23 is okay)

Right now I'm looking at:
Scott Genius LTc
Giant Reign X
Yeti 7 (a little heavy)
Scratch Air (a little heavy)
Cannondale Claymore (weight?)

Any other suggestions?
The Nomadc and Enduro S-Works have regular dropouts, which I don't want to go back to. The SX Trail looks too heavy. The Remedy doesn't have enough travel.

 

[armada]

trek scratch, remedy? morewood mbuzi? canondale claymore?

 

[Lelandjt]

I'll add the Scratch Air to the list but I'd like to know what it weighs. Same goes for the Claymore. It seems like a cheaper, heavier Genius LT. The Morewood, at 160mm is too heavy compared to the Mojo HD.

 

[Wa-Aw]

The Uzzi is pretty light.

 

[LMC]

the enduro is heavy. Id just get the ibis mojo

 

[FCLinder]

The Scratch Air is just a hair over 7.5lbs. It's about .4lbs more than the Remedy.

Good luck,

Cecil

 

[was?]

the new canfield one might fit the bill. it isn´t available yet, but i the old one wasn´t that heavy either. if money isn´t that much of a problem, the liteville 901 might be a candidate.

 

[climbingbubba]

the new canfield one might fit the bill. it isn´t available yet, but i the old one wasn´t that heavy either. if money isn´t that much of a problem, the liteville 901 might be a candidate.

The canfield bros posted a while back that the new One will be around 9.5lbs with a coil shock so that won't work.


Maybe look into the Knolly Chiliticon, not sure if it will be 12mm though.

 

[Lelandjt]

Thanks, and keep the suggestions coming. On paper the Genius LT Carbon looks sick, 6.2lbs claimed weight, good geo (except seatube angle), and the travel adjustment is cool. I'm waiting to hear on price though.

 

[JCL]

the enduro is heavy. Id just get the ibis mojo

Since when has 27lb been heavy for a 160mm bike?

Mojo's look okay but the Enduro is a degree slacker which sells if for me.

 

[Vrock]

Liteville 601

 

[jon-boy]

The new Rocky Slayer looks pretty good to me. Not sure on the weight though.

 

[al-irl]

The Mbuzi is discontinued and the new split pivot version is on the way

 

[DhDork]

Yeti Asr7? 7.5bls, so heavier than you would like. On the other-hand it's a pretty promising looking bike. Yeti also has great cs and they're local.

 

[Lelandjt]

Added the Yeti 7 to the list. A little heavy but perfect travel and geo. Also, I'm sponsored by a Yeti dealer (Avalanche Sports in Breckenridge) so it's cheap.

 

[KavuRider]

I'm really, really curious about the Cannondale Claymore. The Jekyll carbon too.

 

[quickneonrt]

I'm really, really curious about the Cannondale Claymore. The Jekyll carbon too.

push pull shock nonsense wouldn't touch a cracknfail

Intense Tracer 2 150-160mm adjustable, g3 dropouts 142, 135qr or 135 maxle, adjustable wheel base,
for more travel the Uzzi is a great choice

the Giant Reign X is great at least the 09s. The 2010s are lighter but have bottom links that are very prone to snapping. Not sure if this was changed yet for 2011. they promised a change since early 2010 and never delivered

 

[demo 9]

any reason why it has to be so light? id rather take 2 pounds and get a canfield 1 thatl take a beating and have more travel, whats the plan for this bike? If your only going for a number, id increase your frame options, if the 7.5 really is that important, forget i said anything.

 

[Lelandjt]

The weight is important because this bike will see long rides with much climbing. It will also be raced in Pro SuperD and any event that falls between a Mojo SL and V10. It won't be used at resorts or shuttling, the V10's for that. Also, it's replacing a 3rd gen Bullit (8.5lbs) which is a nice frame and a replacement has to be an upgrade in every way or why bother?

I believe the Reign's lower link was addressed for 2011.

 

[Lelandjt]

I checked out the Uzzi. What's with the different travel specs for a coil or air shock? It looks heavy and doesn't claim a weight, which is a bad sign. Also, no RP23 option.

 

[Pete..]

If you can afford it, check the Liteville 901. Claimed 6.5lbs with shock for a large or something crazy like that. 170-200mm of travel I am pretty sure.

 

[Lelandjt]

The Liteville looks good and that weight would be crazy for an alloy frame but it might be too exotic for me. Never heard of them. Do they have US distribution? Does the shorter shock/170mm travel option just drop the rear end farther into the stroke? A pound less than the Yeti is nice but if something breaks I can drive to Yeti to deal with it. I'm not comfortable with a frame from an obscure German company. I was considering the Scott to be the expensive, exotic, risky option but if you have experience with them please talk me into it.

Since I've got a few months to save up I'm not worried about cost. I just want to build up the sickest light FR bike possible.

 

[roel_koel]

this?

build above was sub 27lb, gonna be 28.5lb with Fox 36 Float on the front

felt very solid under power yet active braking and good active feel when hopping trail obstacles - 142 x 12mm rear axle setup so laterally solid

Devinci have US distribution for 2011 now they have moved from FSR to Weagle's Split-Pivot

lifetime warranty is always nice for bike that gets abused

 

[Total Heckler]

Get a Tomac Vanish.

http://tomac.com/bikes.php?year=2011&model=vanish-160

• New IAS Instant Active Suspension system provides improved response time to bump forces and excellent pedalling efficiency
• 160mm travel, designed for 160mm travel fork
• 8 pound/3600g frame weight with Fox RP23 shock
• 6069 aluminum with custom butted top, down and seat tubes
• CNC machined seat stay arch, dropouts and yokes
• Fits SRAM, Shimano and FSA front derailleurs
• 1.5 head tube
• Full seat post extension
• ICG05 chain guide mount standard
• Single water bottle mount on all sizes
• Up to 2.50 tire clearance
• 12mmX135 Maxle Lite rear axle standard
• 67.5 degree head angle, 73.5 seat angle, 14.1 inch BB height

 

[profro]

The Mbuzi is discontinued and the new split pivot version is on the way

So sad. Me giving my Mbuzi a nice huck to flat in a grassroots race.

 

[rockofullr]

Carbon Nomad?

 

[Lelandjt]

Devinci = too short on travel
Tomac = heavy and short on travel
Nomadc = 10mm dropouts

 

[al-irl]

So sad. Me giving my Mbuzi a nice huck to flat in a grassroots race.

Yeah it's a shame not happy about the demise of the shova either. Although very excited about there replacements. I was looking forward to some shovas and mbuzis with the new look sexy tubing there using on the marathon bike. It will be great to try the new split pivots there gonna have to be amazing to be an improvement

 

[frorider]

Devinci = too short on travel
Tomac = heavy and short on travel
Nomadc = 10mm dropouts

i've always been a huge fan of thru axles front and rear, mostly because of the stiffness advantages....but the fact is that the nomad C is super stiff. it's one of the few bikes out there at this weight that would probably see very little stiffness benefit from having a 12 mm thru axle rear rather than a 10 mm thru axle/open dropout design.

if you have reasons other than stiffness for insisting on 12 mm, fine; i'm just saying that you should focus on the resulting ride characteristics (including rear end stiffness) rather than how each mfger achieves them.

 

[Lelandjt]

True, a stiff rear triangle helps but the standard dropout system just seems weak and flexy for hard riding. I also think the Nomad's chainstays are too long. That's why I bought a Bullit over a Nomad years ago. When I switched the Bullit from QR to 150 thru-axle it made a HUGE difference and now I just don't want to go back.

 

[OGRipper]

True, a stiff rear triangle helps but the standard dropout system just seems weak and flexy for hard riding. I also think the Nomad's chainstays are too long. That's why I bought a Bullit over a Nomad years ago. When I switched the Bullit from QR to 150 thru-axle it made a HUGE difference and now I just don't want to go back.

Frorider is right that the nomad carbon is damn stiff. Noticeably stiffer than the aluminum version for sure. Plus a multi-link bike like a nomad is inherently stiffer than a single pivot like your bullit, which definitely gain from a thru-axle.

I don't know the numbers but I'd guess the difference in stiffness between a nomad c and some of the aluminum thru-axle bikes on your list is pretty minimal.

Now, if the geometry doesn't work for you, that's a different story.

 

[Lelandjt]

I'll take that into consideration and make the thru-axle a "want" rather than "need", taking into consideration the rest of the frame. I've always liked sub 17" chainstays and for a decade everyone agreed, but now so many bikes are around 17.5". I manual, climb, and take sharp corners much better on short stays and don't have a problem with high speed stability.

I just went for my last ride on the Bullit. It will be missed but was built as a slopestyle bike (medium frame for a 6'2" rider) and I'm ready for a "light FR" bike. My friend is STOKED that I'm gonna let him have it for a few months.

Edit: I decided I want to replace it with a similar travel frame so I'm changing the thread to 170mm+ frames. So long Mojo HD.

 

[jackalope]

Not a 12mm thru axel, but a Banshee Rune is probably only a hair over 7 lbs with a DHX air. Drill some speed holes and get a 48 spoke rear wheel - light & stiff!

Altho, if you can come off the 12 mm req, an Intense Tracer would seem to itthe bill nicely.

 

[Tetreault]

i also want a hardtail thats sub 4.5lbs with sub 15" chainstays, and can handle dirt and street riding. your dream frame doesnt exist. 180mm sub 7 lbs, 12mm drop outs. your going to have to drop atleast 1 of these requirements. a sub 7 180mm frame doesnt exist because generally someone needed a 180mm bike is pounding the crap out of it and thus, you need something heavier built. likewise with sub 7lbs and 12mm drop outs. So think really hard about which one of your requirements means the least to you. from there you'll have many frame options

 

[Lelandjt]

The Scott Genius LT is well under 7lbs and has 12mm dropouts and 185mm travel. The Giant Reign X is 7lbs 170mm and has 12mm dropouts. Those are the ones I know that exist and I started the thread to ask if there are others.

 

[SylentK]

Personally, I'm a believer in the 4", 6" and 8" travel bike stable methodology. I guess you're going for 5.5", 7" and 10" stable?

Have you thought of the Trek Scratch? Not sure about weight, but has everything else you're looking for like 12x142 or or 135 rear wheel spacing.

Edit: Yes you have thought of the Scratch. Just read first page. I've heard the Yeti 7 is "tall". If you got the bro deal w/ yeti, I'd just do that...Or the Scratch.

 

[syadasti]

The Scott Genius LT is well under 7lbs and has 12mm dropouts and 185mm travel. The Giant Reign X is 7lbs 170mm and has 12mm dropouts. Those are the ones I know that exist and I started the thread to ask if there are others.

Giant Reign X is 6.75 lbs actual/measured in a medium with stock DHX Air - about 1/3 lb heavier than a Carbon Nomad - http://forums.mtbr.com/showpost.php?p=6030656&postcount=1

 

[daisycutter]

Giant Faith, the most advanced freeride bike ever built. With its lightweight, unyielding FluidForm ALUXX SL aluminum frame and 7 inches of plush Maestro Suspension travel-plus the ingenious adjustable geometry, with its convertible dropout system-Faith comes through when you need it most.

 

[-BB-]

Looks like someone fell for the marketing hype!!

 

[DhDork]

Giant Faith, the most advanced freeride bike ever built. With its lightweight, unyielding FluidForm ALUXX SL aluminum frame and 7 inches of plush Maestro Suspension travel-plus the ingenious adjustable geometry, with its convertible dropout system-Faith comes through when you need it most.

I bet you take the bible word for word too.