Looking for fun to ride anywhere frame.

Bicyclist · Apr 17, 2007

Specialized Enduro, one of the older generations?

What about a nice hardtail?

Maybe a Morewood Ndiza 4X or Specialized SX?

tlproject7 · Apr 17, 2007

i had a liquid back in the day, and actually i liked it alot. the kona is sick to

Cant Climb · Apr 17, 2007

bdamschen said:
I'm looking for a frame to replace my XC frame, but XC geometry is no fun to ride. I'm on the hunt for something lighter that I can ride all day (including climbing), with a little more slack HA, low bottom bracket and short CS.

Heckler.....for long epics you need to look at the seat tube angle, the a steeper seat tube angle takes alot of stress off you lower back and lower back is what goes first on long xc rides....don't get too slack in the head angle either, tech climbing won' be as fun.....the geo numbers don't tell the whole story.

Heckler all the way IMO.
Heckler can be abused and trashed along the way too.

jhhubb · Apr 17, 2007

Loved my Jamis, though chainstays can be easy to break. Luckily Jamis knows this and it is equally easy to get a replacement (under warranty usually).

motomike · Apr 17, 2007

The SX is imo one of the most perfect bikes for your description. I had one for over a year now and it is by far one of the most fun bikes I've ever had. Coming from a slew of xc frames, the slacker head angle and more aggressive geometry of the sx made trailriding fun again. It is a true do-it-all bike.

Cant Climb · Apr 17, 2007

another bike is the Stumpjumper FSR.....i've never ridden one but it looks like a Slalom xc bike to me.....seem to hold up well enough too....

JRogers · Apr 17, 2007

Specialized SX or Cannondale Prophet would be solid picks.

Zark · Apr 17, 2007

Intense 6.6 my buddy just got one and it is amazing what can be done on that thing. Pricy though.

Cove Hustler. 5.5" travel, 67.5deg headtube, a reasonable weight and some good old durability.

jncarpenter · Apr 17, 2007

...depends what your budget is, but I would recommend the Turner 5 Spot.

Westy · Apr 17, 2007

jncarpenter said:
...depends what your budget is, but I would recommend the Turner 5 Spot.

Just start waiting.

klunky · Apr 17, 2007

MKIII rocks my world

jon-boy · Apr 17, 2007

For hardtail suggestions look here:

http://www.ridemonkey.com/forums/showthread.php?t=179246

MinorThreat · Apr 17, 2007

Transition Covert would fill the bill:

http://www.transitionbikes.com/2007/Covert.cfm

Bottlerocket if you want it a bit slacker:

http://www.transitionbikes.com/2007/BottleRocket.cfm

Or a Vagrant if you want to go HT. That's the next hardtail I'm going to build. I'm tired of XC geometry for the same reasons you are.

mattmatt86 · Apr 17, 2007

covert or a preston

FCLinder · Apr 17, 2007

Giant Reign X

klunky · Apr 17, 2007

bdamschen said:
MKIII seems interesting. The specs say it's got a 69 deg HA which is just past my limit of how steep I would want mine to be. Who has ridden one? Is it XC twitchy and scary to decend steep stuff on?

No Its not steep imo. I have ridden loads of DH courses on my one including ft bill in scotland. The only time it feels twitchy is because I have crazy light wheels on it.

Bicyclist · Apr 17, 2007

The MKIII is a good option, as is the Stumpjumper. In its 5" form the new Stumpjumpers are awesome. I had to sell mine because I have really long legs, so I need a short-ish bike for my 6' stance. The seattube on the medium I had was really short though, so I couldn't get the seat up to a pedal-able height without having it rape me on the decents. However, with the seat down, the thing railed.

Older Enduros seriously feel like mini-DH bikes. I wish I could find one, I'd totally rock it.

Maybe a used Reign?

I rode a Trance on some rocky, scary fireroads and the thing was sick until I high-sided drifting it. It's definately XC-feeling but it's good for what it is.

EDIT: The Bottlerocket's nice, but even the large has a small seat-tube so if you've got long legs it might not work out too well.

OGRipper · Apr 17, 2007

Cant Climb said:
Heckler.....for long epics you need to look at the seat tube angle, the a steeper seat tube angle takes alot of stress off you lower back and lower back is what goes first on long xc rides....don't get too slack in the head angle either, tech climbing won' be as fun.....the geo numbers don't tell the whole story.

Heckler all the way IMO.
Heckler can be abused and trashed along the way too.

I'm biased toward SCB but I totally agree with this. I rode the last gen for a few years and got a new one not too long ago (with a DHX air and Pike 454). Friggin' awesome. Super comfortable on epic trail rides, simple to maintain, relatively light, not too pricey, and a bit more relaxed than typical XC geo so it rips the light DH. When I do the Downieville DH all I change is the rear tire, otherwise my usual trail set up is perfect.

The blur 4x is a good call too, but it's heavier, slacker and lower than I'd want on any "all day" ride.

Bicyclist · Apr 17, 2007

They're pretty steep and twitchy, but fun. An old Enduro feels way slacker for instance.

Acadian · Apr 17, 2007

bdamschen said:
MKIII seems interesting. The specs say it's got a 69 deg HA which is just past my limit of how steep I would want mine to be. Who has ridden one? Is it XC twitchy and scary to decend steep stuff on?

I LOVE my Mk to death - probably my favorite bike of all time. recently upgraded to the new 07 Mk since it's lighter, slacker and a bit more refined (e.g. new links, more rear tire clearance, etc..). I ran my 06 with a BETD reducer and lower Chris king cup – the head angle was perfect…not too slack and not too steep. I’d say my 06 is around 69.5 or 68 degree...

If you get one of the new 07 Mk’s I wouldn’t worry much about the head angle – with a 140mm fork like the pike – it will be dialed. Then if you decide you want a slacker head angle, you can always get a BETD cup like me or another option soon will be an Enduro Lower cup: http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=281305&page=3

FCLinder · Apr 17, 2007

bdamschen said:
Reign X is a little big (as in travel and weight) for what I'm looking for. What about your trance? That one looks fun, what's the head angle on that thing?

I love that bike!!!!! Its everything I wanted in a ALL Mt bike. The HA is around 68esh with the 5.5' fork on it. I can change the HA by changing the travel on the fork. Its my mini DHer. You can ask anyone that rides with me. I put that bike to the test alot!!!!

rigidhack · Apr 17, 2007

Try to track down a Sinister Splinter ER. The MX is the beefier version and is not in production, but the ER is still going. It is a crazy sick bike that can handle pretty much anything you dish out from all day epics to aggro trail/ light FR / as "all mountain"-as-you-want-to-be stuff. One of those with a Pike would be an awfully difficult combo to beat.

OGRipper · Apr 17, 2007

bdamschen said:
Blur 4x frame is heavier than a heckler?

I am no weight weenie but I am fairly certain that is correct. The 4X frame is pretty beefy - especially the downtube and headtube - and it's got more hardware (more bearings, links, etc.). Those things are pretty burly.

kidwoo · Apr 17, 2007

One of the new enduro SLs.

If you think the 6" enduros of last year were good, prepared for the same descending feel but without squatting on climbs.

Those bikes are badass. I'd be getting one if specialized hadn't already sold out of them. They're in shops though.

Sandwich · Apr 17, 2007

I dig my prophet...you can get it in the mx version if added stiffness is your thing.

RMboy · Apr 17, 2007

klunky said:
MKIII rocks my world

i agree rode a mates one in the alps and was sooo fast, just needed wider bars...(for me that is) super nice

if u want sumthing alittly more meaty IH 6 or 7point range...

skerb · Apr 17, 2007

sinister ridge for a ht or a covert or preston for fs.

Broken_Spoke · Apr 17, 2007

A Nomad would be another good option.

The Mad Haderer · Apr 17, 2007

yeti ASX for burlier stuff or a 575 if your not hucking huge.
my ASX is less than 35lbs with dh tires and coils front and rear.

Orfen · Apr 17, 2007

sponserd riders who get bikes for close to nothing shouldn't be allowed to contribute in threads like these..

The Mad Haderer · Apr 17, 2007

wasnt always a sponsored rider and didnt always get bikes for free but have ridden and sold(still work at a shop for a living) most of the bikes on that list and for the area he is talking about and price he is looking both would be good options...

azonicbruce · Apr 17, 2007

Could someone define "older" Enduro? What year? What's the difference between those and the new ones?

wanabe · Apr 17, 2007

Go HARD TAIL! Chameleon, Vagrant, Ridge, looki (soulcycles) or even a Steelhead if $ are an issue.

Looking for fun to ride anywhere frame.

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