Headshot

The "lunchbox" is quite cool

On a HT the set tube angle is less of an issue. A slack HTA does make the bike wander a bit more on climbs but its easily overcome. The positive trade off on the downs makes it all seem like a non-issue.

Great to see the actual steepness after the Gopro...

After riding my Shuttle Bike - i mean Enduro in the heat this morning I am looking more and more forward to that svelte steel hard tail...

Courtesy of Meezo. Tokai rocks, no?

Could you throw in a couple of marathon bikes on loan for the event too please ;-)

My frame has arrived - at my BIL's place in the UK... I fear there is still some cash to pay to get it here...

I saw that later in the comments on PB. Shows how hard I read the article.

I like this idea but I am still not completely sold on this big wheel long travel thing. Big wheels and fat strong tyres weigh a stack. Anyone found any decent close ups of the frame. I am trying to work out how it will be made. Are they going to machine the main frame parts in halves and weld them together down the middle?

Another 2.6 Butcher update. I dropped pressure to 20psi front and about 22 rear. Felt far better. Less bounce over rocks and hooked up well in a flat corner too. Admittedly grip was good after the rain, but I think this is a sweet spot for the trails in question. Bombing some rocky stuff at Tokai may be a different story. I did notice a bit more drag/tyre noise on the tar at the lower pressures.

Thats a lot of beer. All i need is a seatpost shim and a 12x142 rear hub, thanks.

There may well be a bit of that going on - they looked far more worn in by the end of the ride.

I have only 2 rides on the 2.6 Butchers and am still trying like them. Both rides have been in damp conditions. On the last ride, I rode through a small puddle that I failed to see and had formed in a kink on my usual ascent to Constantia Neck (a flat section). The well weighted front slid big time despite minimal cornering speed or angle. I got a bit of a fright. Is this the tyre, the conditions or my riding? I can't help but imagine that a Magic Mary would barely have noticed the slop. I think its a better dry conditions tyre and that my pressures are a bit on the high side. More riding/playing will reveal all...

Wow, I got a reasonable deal then, provided I can get it here cheaply enough. i wonder what ordinary Royal Mail will cost...

What happened to that awesome, superb, beautiful, irreplaceable bike?

Totally dead, but I have a 160 Pike 26er, and all the other kit bar a rear hub to finish the thing with so 26 it is! Thing should be great fun. On the subject of bigger wheels I have been riding my 27.5 almost plus enduro a bit more. I am not yet sold on the bigger wheels. They work quite well and as a whole the bike is brilliant, but it just isnt as nippy and fun feeling as a 26 with 2.35's on it. The HT will see duty as a fun shredder and family outing or even stage race bike. The enduro is shaping up as a race and shuttle day bike. It really does feel like more of a DH bike - rear suspension is on a different level to anything I's ridden before.

Thanks, its the second one - all white with black writing .. its going to relatives in the UK, but we still have to figure out the most cost effective way of getting it here. BA charge them 140 pounds for an extra baggage allowance... eish!

Just ordered a Dee Dar frame in pearl white size L. Going to try run it as a 26er with a 160 Pike...

650B aint dead - despite what certain Trek bikes shops may say...

Review raves about it but the price is eye watering. And its not festooned with enough carbon and gold cassettes for those with $ according to the comments. Imagine the price here...

I think its just the e bike advantage - he was probably getting blue tooth route directions in a hidden ear piece while riding and saved so much energy thanks to the motor he could focus far better on riding down the rough stuff.

A friend just got himself a Jeffsy 29 Al 2 - it has great sizing and the components are good. I think its about the same price as the 672 or maybe less on sale. Perhaps RC will test this bike or other value offerings and find that they rival the 10k bikes in performance better than this one... time will tell.

My Enduro 26 is 66.5 and never feels too steep, although I have never spent time on a 65deg or less bike so it might after that. I think its more about a combo of factors like adequate reach allowing a nice short stem to keep you more centered on the bike when descending.

Agreed on all counts. If you look at the Vitus hard tail range on CRC you see better value and even better geo numbers. This isn't bad value though especially with a dropper post but I'd rather have the decent fork and add a cheap dropper later if I had the choice. I thing on a hard tail like this a decent fork is pretty important...

No comments?? This is probably one of the most sensible and fun bikes available in SA now.