Big Bike Thread

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Continuing my search for one bike to rule them all i'm at a sticking point the choices i'm focusing on at the moment are;
Commencal Meta AM
Commencal Meta SX
Nukeproof Mega

All of these frames are fairly similar 150/160mm travel, head angles around 66/67 degrees with a 160 fork and seat tube angles around 73 degrees. I'm currently at a point where i'm not sure which one to go for, i can't try any of these as no demo days etc within reasonable distance, price wise the nukeproof wins hands down, it also allows the ability to fit a coil shock should i wish to for the alps next year. I've read all the reviews and searched for comparisons but to no avail, can anyone offer any opinions on the above named frames?
 
W!ll said:
150/160mm travel, head angles around 66/67 degrees with a 160 fork and seat tube angles around 73 degrees. I'm currently at a point where i'm not sure which one to go for
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Probably wont help with your decision much but Canyon Strive, YT Wicked and Rose UncleJimbo all meet these requirements, so might be worth a look.
 
Not overly taken with those i'm afraid, have been looking at others such as; Santa Cruz Nomad (Nice but would need a mk2 as i despise 9mm qr and these don't come up much second hand, rather pricey new), Transition Covert and the Trek Slash (Can't find a frame anywhere!). I did also get a bit intrigued about the Saracen Ariel, but it's a Saracen....... I need to sort it all out, need a new toy!
 
W!ll said:
Not overly taken with those i'm afraid, have been looking at others such as; Santa Cruz Nomad (Nice but would need a mk2 as i despise 9mm qr and these don't come up much second hand, rather pricey new), Transition Covert and the Trek Slash (Can't find a frame anywhere!). I did also get a bit intrigued about the Saracen Ariel, but it's a Saracen....... I need to sort it all out, need a new toy!
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Friend has a Mondraker Dune RR which he swears by, might be worth a look. Im in the same situation as you at the moment, looking for a do it all bike that I can take to the Alps etc. Considering you cant test ride any of them anyway what is it putting you off of the mail order firms? I'm having hard time looking at anything other than the YT Wicked 160 LTD at the moment the spec is off the chart and the frame seems to be well regarded.
 
I've not heard much bad about the Lapierre Spicy, and to make it better.. There is a lad on a Spicy, and he's silly/good. :p
 
There's a lot of choice in the 160mm AM category, you really need to ride some bikes to decide. I'd think strongly about the Mega and also look at the Titus El guapo if you're buying frame only, huge bargains so you can spend the money elsewhere.
 
I've enjoyed riding my hardtail so much I am seriously considering a steel hardtail frame, probably a Cotic Bfe. I've asked my LBS to order me one in (in gritstone) so I can have a look. Anyone here got one, if so, what do you think, are there any better alternatives?

I've looked at others like The Dialled Prince Albert, Ragley Blue Pig, Evil Sovreign and Chromag Aperture. So far the Cotic is top of my list.
 
Rob, I've ridden a BFe and a Dialled Alpine and both are immense bikes.
Unfortunately I cant give you a direct comparison as the BFe wasn't set-up similar to how I would have (the owner is a hell of a lot smaller than me), but Ive ridden the Alpine quite a lot with a good set-up and can honestly say it's a brilliant choice.

So much so that 4 of my riding buddies all got the same bike. One of which is silly fast on his on the descents, sometimes faster than he is on his 224 EVO with CCDB! (dont ask me how). Its his most used bike (has a CCDB'd out Orange Five too)!
 
The only thing that puts a doubt on the Dialled frames is the seat post size, and only because it would mean buying another seat post. I've got a 30.9 dropper post at the moment :/
 
R0B75 said:
The only thing that puts a doubt on the Dialled frames is the seat post size, and only because it would mean buying another seat post. I've got a 30.9 dropper post at the moment :/
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Have a look on the singletrackworld forum (if you haven't already), Cotic have a huge following on there and the owner of the firm (I forget his name) posts quite a lot.

From what I remember a lot of people say that the BFe is very unforgiving as it's incredibly stiff, if you're wanting a trail bike then it might be a bit harsh for that sort of thing. Dialed bikes are also really well liked.
 
Andelusion said:
From what I remember a lot of people say that the BFe is very unforgiving as it's incredibly stiff,
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The vast majority of STW boys are mid-life-crisis types ,shredding the Surrey-Hills gnar using lingo like "shredding the gnar" in an ironic mocking way, but end up over-using it sounding like a bunch of penises... oh wait.
 
My Bike came today and I have just built and had a quick ride. It's nice to ride and seems a better balance than my Carrera. The Hydraulic brakes will take some getting used to as they bite hard although it is progressive which is nice.

The forks are weird I presume they damp more than my Carrera as they don't seem to recover as quick but seem to do a really good job on the dirt track I tried far better than the Top Gun forks on my Carrera. They have pre-load and lockout settings so they may need adjusting ?

Overall I'm really happy with the bike, I think I'm on the limit of the 16" frame and could have possible done with an 18" as it seems quite small but it rides fine so will do the job.

I need to go over the bike and make a few adjustments here and there and once I have read through the huge amount of manuals and paperwork I will give it a go.

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MOOGLEYS said:
The forks are weird I presume they damp more than my Carrera as they don't seem to recover as quick
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You should be able to adjust the rebound to make it spring back quicker.
More rebound (+) means it springs back up faster.

MOOGLEYS said:
They have pre-load and lockout settings so they may need adjusting ?
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Pre-load adjusts the tension on the spring, so more preload = firmer fork.
Lock out lets you turn the fork into a rigid fork to make it easier to ride on the road or smoother climbs, etc.
 
Ah fair enough there is a lockout and pre-load on the top. I'm not sure about rebound unless that is on the bottom ?

Any idea what tyre pressure is best to start with as I have no idea ? I just pumped them until firm....
 
Andelusion said:
Have a look on the singletrackworld forum (if you haven't already), Cotic have a huge following on there and the owner of the firm (I forget his name) posts quite a lot.

From what I remember a lot of people say that the BFe is very unforgiving as it's incredibly stiff, if you're wanting a trail bike then it might be a bit harsh for that sort of thing. Dialed bikes are also really well liked.
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The owner's name is Cy, I think. I've looked on STW (I know what Supercow means :D) but I do value the opinon of people here. One of the other reasons for favoring the BFe is that Cotic are based in Derbyshire, so kind of local to me.

I've ridden on a BFe and found it was no more harsh than my carbon frame, but definitely more responsive, which surprised me as its >2lb heavier.
 
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