Short Travel Trail Bike

[Primer]

Hi Guys. Need some advise. I'm looking at buying a short travel trail bike (130-140mm)

 

I've got a short list of the following:

 

Trek fuel ex8

Santa Cruz 5010

Transition Scout

 

I want a fun trail bike that I can, if I want to, do the odd marathon race or even the odd enduro, but generally just have fun.

 

I've currently got a 2014 Giant trance, but my arse is itching for something new with updated geometry.

 

Any advise or experience with the above bikes will be appreciated.

 

Thanks

[BaGearA]

5010

[Rocket-Boy]

That is tough, the 5010 is awesome but then so is the scout. I doubt you would be sad with either one but personally I like the look of the SC.

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

damn. It'd be between the Santa and the Tranny, tbh. I hear both are absolute HOOTS to ride... Go to Stoke Suspension to get a test on the Tranny. 

[Primer]

Thanks guys. It's a tough choice. I'll try organise a demo of each and make up my mind from there.

 

The other dilemma is size, as I am 1.87m tall, and sit smack bang in between large and extra large on both the transition and santacruz, for the life of me I don't want to spend all that money and end up with the wrong size.

[Samurai Pizza Cat]

Dirt Merchant is having a sale on the Transition Scouts and Trasition Smugglers.... Just saying.

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

Thanks guys. It's a tough choice. I'll try organise a demo of each and make up my mind from there.

 

The other dilemma is size, as I am 1.87m tall, and sit smack bang in between large and extra large on both the transition and santacruz, for the life of me I don't want to spend all that money and end up with the wrong size.

Test both. 

 

FWIW - I'm 1.8 on the dot, and I tested an XL Banshee Spitfire at Paarl the other day. The bike was AMAZING. The only reason I wouldn't be able to get along with it was because the seat tube was too long, resulting in the saddle being sliiiightly too high at full drop (used with a dropper)

 

So - let that be your guideline. If you're running a 150mm dropper, and it can fit both the XL AND L, then you're golden. If the XL restricts you to a 125mm dropper, then you have a bit more to think about. 

 

Go in to Stoke, speak to Haylett (the ginger-bearded lady) and he'll walk you through everything. If Savage (the baby-faced assassin) is in the shop, then all the better. They're both solid blokes, and can advise you properly. 

 

They're also now Kona dealers... That's another option! Oh - and don't discount the Spitfire. OMG. That thing is.... yeah. It's just so darn tight, and fun, and sharp and had me whooping the whole way down Paarl (on both the medium and XL - I'd be a large)

 

On the face of it you'd be comfortable on both. Large with a longer stem and XL with a shorter stem. But test. Test, please. And take it somewhere where you'll test it properly. Jonkers. Pat's Track on Signal Hill. Steilte. Tokai... 

Edited May 7, 2017 by Myles Mayhew

[Bizkit031]

Test both. 

 

FWIW - I'm 1.8 on the dot, and I tested an XL Banshee Spitfire at Paarl the other day. The bike was AMAZING. The only reason I wouldn't be able to get along with it was because the seat tube was too long, resulting in the saddle being sliiiightly too high at full drop (used with a dropper)

 

So - let that be your guideline. If you're running a 150mm dropper, and it can fit both the XL AND L, then you're golden. If the XL restricts you to a 125mm dropper, then you have a bit more to think about. 

 

Go in to Stoke, speak to Haylett (the ginger-bearded lady) and he'll walk you through everything. If Savage (the baby-faced assassin) is in the shop, then all the better. They're both solid blokes, and can advise you properly. 

 

They're also now Kona dealers... That's another option! Oh - and don't discount the Spitfire. OMG. That thing is.... yeah. It's just so darn tight, and fun, and sharp and had me whooping the whole way down Paarl (on both the medium and XL - I'd be a large)

 

On the face of it you'd be comfortable on both. Large with a longer stem and XL with a shorter stem. But test. Test, please. And take it somewhere where you'll test it properly. Jonkers. Pat's Track on Signal Hill. Steilte. Tokai...

 

I'm 192cm tall and had no issues with the seat tube height and I was on a XL 2016 Spitty the 2017 has dropped about 18mm from the 2015/16 ones

[Stretched@Birth]

Still baffles me why the Trek is always dismissed out of hand? A mate recently bought the EX 9.8, awesome bike, with lifetime frame warranty, decent spec and it looks great.

[captain morgan]

Yt jeffsy .... ive gone from giant trance to jeffsy .

The more I ride it the more I love it ..... and the special they are running is really good value .

Its a very good climbing bike , super fast on the trail and stable on tech downhills.

The guys are also super helpful and organized me a demmo when I was down from East London.

Edited May 7, 2017 by captain morgan

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

Still baffles me why the Trek is always dismissed out of hand? A mate recently bought the EX 9.8, awesome bike, with lifetime frame warranty, decent spec and it looks great.

I don't think they're dismissed out of hand tbh. They're excellent bikes, and I am really intrigued with their collaboroation with Penske in the Re:Aktiv shock. But Santa and Tranny et al are just... yeah. There's something about them. 

 

Label it snobbery, label it boutiquery... name it whatever you want. It's just a certain Je ne sais quois

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

Yt jeffsy .... ive gone from giant trance to jeffsy .

The more I ride it the more I love it ..... and the special they are running is really good value .

Its a very good climbing bike , super fast on the trail and stable on tech downhills.

The guys are also super helpful and organized me a demmo when I was down from East London.

Jeffsy is amazing. FWIW I found the Spitty amazinger. It very well may have been that the Spitty was VERY well set up. As in PERFECT. The Jeffsy I tested was just... well... as toight as it was, there was just something lacking when compared to the Spitty. Setup would have gone a long way to rectifying that, IMO. 

Edited May 7, 2017 by Myles Mayhew

[the nerd]

I'll just leave this here...

 

 

You all can have you lesser materials... ;-)

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[BaGearA]

I'll just leave this here...

 

 

You all can have you lesser materials... ;-)

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

GIVE this man A bells !!

[BaGearA]

Jeffsy is amazing. FWIW I found the Spitty amazinger. It very well may have been that the Spitty was VERY well set up. As in PERFECT. The Jeffsy I tested was just... well... as toight as it was, there was just something lacking when compared to the Spitty. Setup would have gone a long way to rectifying that, IMO. 

I won't know at all but A good friend of mine who had A spitfire told me that for the bike to be good you had to ride it hard like there was no easy going if you wanted the bike to perform you had to push , did you experience this ?

 

He rides A patrol now

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

I won't know at all but A good friend of mine who had A spitfire told me that for the bike to be good you had to ride it hard like there was no easy going if you wanted the bike to perform you had to push , did you experience this ?

 

He rides A patrol now

put it this way - it was 2 beers into an afternoon Paarl session. 2 different days, but the application was the same. 

 

EVERYBODY should have a post-beer run in their lives. HOLY SHAITE. Everything's hit harder, faster and with fewer nopes than ever. 

 

This trail (this was early in the day)

Edited May 7, 2017 by Myles Mayhew