Captain Fastbastard Mayhem

Fox 32 Talas CTD Performance with 15mm thru-axle, OverDrive 2 steerer 120-140mm suspension fork Fox CTD Performance rear shock Shimano Deore XT 2x10-speed componentry Giant Contact Switch-R dropper seatpost with remote Giant P-TRX1 27.5 WheelSystem, tubeless compatible, 1675 grams Sizes: XS, S, M, L, XL Color: Matte Composite/Gloss Black Seems all my above reasons were based on the advanced 0 and not the 1. Okay. Then. Fox fork is slightly better than the one on the anthem, the frame is stronger and you get a dropper. The bike IS better than the anthem ito fun factor, but the spec is about equal. My bad, bro - sorry about that! Is it still worth the extra 15k? Imo - yes. Still has stronger wheels, frame and the dropper. Plus you're guaranteed to have more fun on it.

Ah. My error then! What's the spec difference?

LOL. Dude, I'm extremely happy with my current bike. Yes, she's a porker. Yes, she has her faults (needs a volume adjuster chip / spacer in the rear shock 'cos I'm a fatkid and the high volume can isn't for me) but - I'll be hard put to sell her, and in the same breath spend 50k to get a replacement bike of equivalent spec and fun. She gives me SO many smiles on the way down, and the only reason I don't smile on the way up is 'cos I'm not into self mutilation, and I'm an unfit SOB. So no - not anytime soon!

ALL in excess of 40k for the same level of spec.

LOL. There's not much selection in that price bracket, in niner, with more than 100mm suspension and a relatively slack head angle. The Anthem is 100mm, as is the Epic, and multiple other alternatives. I wouldn't recommend the Scott (too racey, and the longer travel varieties are more expensive) Merida - meh. Again - more focussed on racing machines in their niner selections. Pretty much the same for all manufacturers when it comes to niners - nothing really above 100mm travel below R 30k. So - as much as I prefer the Giant and other bikes, there's no real choice at this price point in the "niner that's not a marathon bike" category

Giant Trance 275. VERY versatile, confidence inspiring, great spec for price, will confidently hack it out on the multi day events and in more comfort than XC race bikes (for average Joe, at least) Option for niner - I'd say the Spaz Camber. Decent spec (not as good as the giant for the same cost) but it's a good bike. Not the Epic - that's too focussed on XCM events and is very racey - not nearly as confidence inspiring for noobies when the technical stuff comes through - slacker head angle, more travel and a stronger build makes it a better all-round option than the Epic. On the Giant front - I recommend the Trance over the Anthem for the same reason I recommend the Camber over the Epic. More relaxed geometry, but still a VERY capable bike and will inspire confidence in the technical stuff - which is what a new rider needs. Plus - they're both excellent bikes for when they progress in skill, and will "save" them if things go wrong. I've felt the virtues of more suspension travel in this regard - personally - more times than I can count. /End of thread

Plus! Singletrack will make you fitter, faster! Far more cardio intensive than jeep track. Short bursts as well as tempo sessions. And you won't go mad!

Plus! Singletrack will make you fitter, faster! Far more cardio intensive than jeep track. Short bursts as well as tempo sessions. And you won't go mad!

Cptmayhem - putting the BOEP in amaboepensie

Thing is, for the same spec you'll have to look at the Stumpy carbon S works. And that's a WHOLE lot of more moolah. Trance starts at 22. For the 58k, you have carbon wheels, frame, bar/stem, dropper, Revelation RCT3, Monarch at the back, 140mm travel and a whole BUNCH of more efficient suspension design than on the Spaz. Giant truly are the value proposition of the bike world. For price to performance, you can't beat them.

Yeah. The extra travel would make a HUGE difference to the average Joe. Of course, you'll never get a 100mm bike with the same geometry as a 140mm bike, so the comparison is a futile one. Unless you have a 100mm bike with a 66 degree head angle, that is. And then it'd be as far removed from an XC bike as you could get.

Almost impossible to get the same geometry without sacrificing something. Assuming a longer wheelbase and slightly higher BB the more the travel progresses (fork would be pushing the numbers out) then the following: 1 SHOULD pedal better up the hills, but be less forgiving in the rough stuff (pick your lines better) 2 SHOULD be the best all rounder, due to the larger amount of travel, far more capable on the downs due to the longer wheelbase and more travel, but also more stable on the downs. Also not as tricky on technical switchback climbs as the 160mm bike as it is shorter. 3 SHOULD be the best descender given the longer travel and more stability with the longer wheelbase, but more tricky on technical switchback climbs due to the same reason.

They deliver... http://www.cravesa.com/

In answer to your questions... 1-yes B-Yes 3-Yes 100-Yes 100- Reasons for YES Carbon wheels dropper is WAY more than just 1k (so the difference will be about 10k) frame is stronger. FAR better fork in the Revelation than that crappy FOX on the anthem FAR better shock in the Monarch RT3 XX1 vs Deore XT - 2 levels above, basically Carbon bars & stem In short - the Trance is a FAR better bike, and can be used for multi day events with no trouble at all. The only reason Schurter can do that on the bike he has is because, well, he's just so damn GOOD. EDIT: As Droo says - it's also in the geometry. The trance WILL save your ass when you get it wrong, far more than a 100mm XC race bike will (personal experiences as well) as the numbers just work more to your favour - in addition to the suspension travel. Also - the increased travel doesn't mean decreased efficiency. Yes, it would at some point, but with the updated suspension platforms, Monarch shock and revelation at the front you'd be able to pedal as far, as fast as long on the Trance as you could on the Anthem - and arguably more comfortably. So - if you're thinking of the Trance Advanced - DO IT. It's a FAR more versatile bike than the Anthem, and if you want to go big(ger) you can always slap a bigger fork on the front for those DH days, seeing as the Trance SX advanced has EXactly the same frame, but a 160mm fork on the front.

HAHAHAHAH!!! Yeah, indeed! Although on the uphills, that'd be me at the moment. Damn. 2 months off with flu, tonsillitus, sick laitie, cancerous (then not cancerous) dad and so on. Takes it out of you. Was panting harder than a paedo at the local Spur playpen.

BAHAHAHA!!! You just ensured that OM goes there on his lunch break tomorrow.

yeah, but if some of your power goes into a wobbly fork, it'll move sideways instead of forwards. Not as much as if you have a flexy BB (that just feels as if you're churning butter but going 5 kph) Would be enhanced pedal bob, except not in the rear suspension...

Hmm. Sealed bearings, so they shouldn't be accepting dirt that readily. I think it was a fitment issue - not lining up properly, or just not seated properly. If the steerer isn't sitting in the bearings properly, it could produce a bit of resistance. Arb Q - was the bearing race (that little jobbie that you put on the fork steerer that sits between the bottom bearing and the fork itself) seated properly before you put the fork in?

BAHAHAHAHAHA!!! That's the first time in 30 plus years I've been referred to as "skinny". Even then, not. 105kg, 6 ft. Yeah. I'm absolutely lanky.

Even still. Flex in the fork means you're putting less power down. So you'd still need a stiff fork. Stiff fork = no lateral movement / flex. Firm fork means less suspension movement when you hit the bumps.

Probably incorrect installation, but it could also be a bad bearing. The top-cap shouldn't be the thing holding your stem in place though - should only really be used for initial setup and then lightly tightened, with the stem doing most of the work to keep the steerer in place. Maybe the bearings just weren't greased properly, but it mainly depends on what type of bearings you're using - cartridge bearings, sealed bearings etc. Best bet is to take it to your LBS and get them to sort it out for you....

'koff! (Said in a rage of jealousy)

Cool story, bro. Thing is, for people who turn, hit berms, jumps, drops and rock / root gardens, flex is bad. VERY bad. It's kinda the same as having a grossly under-inflated tyre, and trying to take a corner at speed - that lateral movement that makes you feel as if the back end is going to wash out at any second? Yeah. But - don't take my word for it...

NO MAN. Get educated on the difference between structural rigidity (stiffness) and a "stiff ride" Stiffness in the suspension world basically means lack of flex. Flex = BAD. It makes your wheels track badly, and unpredictably. You want a fork to be as stiff as possible (structurally) without being too heavy. As for the suspension itself (action) you want that to be sensitive to small bumps, but not blow through the travel when the going gets rough - firm, in other words.

Yeah - check the brace on it at the top! Also - Marz's bigger stanchions really helped with the stiffness there. First composite carbon fork.