Old thread but here's my two cents. I live in Germany and bought a Slade trail in 2020. It's an epic all round bike. It's more than capable of riding high alpine trails to bike packing to xc races and for commutes.
Component wise it's probably the best bang for buck. RS Revelation fork, XT derailleur, SLX shifter, tubeless ready Stans rims, maxxis tyres and raceface cranks, dropper post, torque caps front and rear, shimano deore 2 piston brakes (not the most high end but it just works). It was delivered almost fully assembled. Just had to bolt on the handlebar and put the front wheel on. Gears were set perfectly, brakes were bled, even the tyres had air in. Maintenance is a breeze. After 2 years worth of moderate to hard riding I haven't touched the gears or brakes. Wish I could say the same of my €4600 enduro bike.
December 2021 I bought a Santa Cruz tallboy cc frame with the idea to put the Slade's components on the SC frame. However, two weeks after I bought it, I sent the frame back and kept riding the Slade. Don't get me wrong, the SC tallboy is a great bike but the Slade is just epic and just as capable if not more. No need to worry about a carbon frame, pivots and rear suspension.
Some upgrades I've done ( because of personal preference) 20mm riser bar, new debon air airspring and RC2.1 damper (don't think the damper was worth the upgrade), 4 piston brakes for the Alps, a 200mm rotor upfront and 180mm in the rear.
Highly recommended.
