Captain Fastbastard Mayhem

The only reason you should consider going up to the ADVANCED is for the frame. That alone. The 12k in my opinion isn't worth it for the carbonality of the advanced, but that's just my opinion. Yes, you may have a better ride from the carbon - but at (most of) our levels, we're not attuned enough to notice the difference in frame materials. That's why I say (for me, at least) the difference of R 12k isn't worth it. I stick with what I said before. With one addition - with the rest of the remaining funds, buy a dropper post. Yes, the Anthem is an "xc" bike - but I tell you right now, the dropper will make FAR more difference to your ridign and your enjoyment of the bike than a change in frame material. And you'll still come back from the bank smiling.

Why not? ZTR Arch EX paired with Hope pro 2 / Superstar Switch Evo / Trizoid is one of the best combos you can get... That or WTB Frequency i23's with the same hubs. Beats a proprietary wheel any day.

Yes. Plus I think SLX has the edge in the looks department over the somewhat dowdy looking XT.

What he said. Pocket the 12k difference, spend some of it on a superb set of wheels (even the "upgraded" wheels on the advanced aren't THAT great) and the SLX bits are bomb-proof. Surely on par with XT, and actually better looking imho. The only other difference is that you have slightly more adjustability on the Performance fork and shock, but only just. If it were me, I'd get the Anthem X1, buy a new wheelset with the difference, flog the FOX and go for a RS Reba / Revelation with the cash you make from the Fox - you will come out even from that transaction as the Foxes generally fetch a higher resale price than an equivalent RS fork (read - they're over-priced forks) You;ll have a KILLER bike for far less.

Weimeraners...awesome dogs.

HAHA! That's what I initially thought as well. Vettel fastest in Prac 2!

Half of it is the $$. The rest is distributors thinking that they can make us think that the $ has increased more than it actually has.

Looks like a good deal though. Personally I'd go with the RO option at a bit more.

Pm the crow. He had tested a few sets.

Should be able to fit a cyclocross tire on the rim, guy.

FAIL

Can you take dogs to G spot? Askng cos I know my little one would LOVE to do that!

Same...Had a buyer come to my place Accepted payment for items with buyers knowing I wasn't based in Durbs (but was flying up the week after) Dealt solely over SMS & email while selling items to a guy in JHB (tracking nr on the day I got payment) Sold my roadbike at Canal Walk n a sunday afternoon, top level carpark while all the shops were closed (wife in the car) Went to a guy's house on the potential that I may sell my DH bike - payment was processed on his tablet erm... yeah. That's all I can think of for now!

But but but but.... I thought you LIKED me!?

Haha! No man! The reason I was asking is that handling is a very easy thing to determine. Sorta. A niner with a shorter wheelbase and chainstays and lower BB will be more "flickable" than a sixer with longer wheelbase and chainstays, with a higher BB. A niner with the same wheelbase, chainstay length and BB height as a sizer shoudl handle the same in the twisty stuff, albeit with a bit of a disadvantage with turning in thanks to the slightly higher weight of the wheels. However - head angle, reach and other things also come into it. So for example - if I were to compare my large Reign X to, say, a small Anthem X 29er, the anthem would handle better in the tight stuff - shorter wheelbase & chainstays. But mine would trash it on the technical stuff - longer travel, shallower head angle and longer wheelbase. Also has a slightly higher BB...

What is the 26 and what is the 29?

+1

That's the frame type, meaning it's a hydroformed frame compatible with Disc brakes. If you scroll down a bit further, you'll see the logo for Brakes (using a v-brake setup) and the brakes are shown as DRACO. Those are Tektro Draco disc brakes, a hydraulic system.

Funnily enough it's actually not that different ito setup. Yes, the bar will most likely be higher on the niner, which will help you with your setup, but as long as your top tube and seat tube measurements are correct, it shouldn't matter what wheel size you're on when it comes to finding the right "fit" - you can add spacers to the stack on the headset to make the bars higher, or go for a bigger rise in the bar and so on. Granted a 29er may have a better "out the box" fit for a tall oke, but only due to the increased handlebar height (as you pointed out) - seat height will remain constant though. So as you said it's just a case of getting the alignment right...

yeah. "Full XT" is not always Full XT. If it has XT/SLX it's an XT / SLX parts mix...

Indeed. Those little differences add up to more than 6k alone...

Erm... Yeah. Okay. I'll just throw my sixer away then. And stop coveting the many other sixers being release in any other category except cross country bikes. Cos we all know 26" is dead.

Hi guys - URGENT news. PLEASE TAKE NOTE AND PASS ON! We all knew this was coming, but SanParks have started taking a hard-line approach to the illegal "horse trails" in Tokai, and have closed them off from the top end of the trails. PLEASE take note that we will NOT be able to ride these trails, as the trail heads have been closed of with signage, logs and barbed wire. We (Tokai MTB) are in talks with SanParks to try and get them to remove the barbed wire, as it is a very dangerous method of closing off trail. There are large signs at the entry to all these illegal trails, as well as ticker tape (the red and white stuff) and the blockage is clearly visible - but there is still a need to make sure that people know about the barbed wire and closure of the trails. The trails will remain closed for the foreseeable future - but we will try to get Parks to remove the barbed wire, or any sort of wire, from the trail as it presents a danger to those who normally ride them. We will also continue to campaign for the inclusion of some of these trails into the Tokai MTB trail centre as legitimate trails. Again - this is only for the ILLEGAL trails. ALL DH lines (DH0, 1, 2, 3) Boulders, all snake trails (the ones currently open) and the other trails (my/your roots & Faerie Garden) are unaffected. JUST the illegal "horse trails" that are affected. The illegal access route from Cobra through to DH0 is also being closed.

Lol. You may not remember. It was during a specific time period in your life.

Sorry dude. Too late. I already got dibs. Like 2 years ago.