Last time i promise( maybe not)

[Milosh]

1) You KNOW what your heart wants .....     No "bad" bikes in that list, so might as well get the one that makes you feel all tingly ...

 

 

 

This 

[Jewbacca]

Jewbacca. Do i know you?? Ur land cruiser - hilux joke is crazy. Sept 2017 I bought the LC v8 DC had it 5 months. Was to much vehicle for my needs. Sold it and bought the hilux. no jokes.

hahahahaha that is hilarious!

 

I was going to compare sports cars to station wagons but decided because it was a MTB we should keep it off road!

[Shebeen]

So this is the week that i was/am going to order my santa cruz tallboy 3. 

 

I have been getting buyers remorse before i have even bought this bike for 2 reasons.

 

1. its a #$%#&* load of cash and not one i can afford to make a mistake on.

 

2. i keep second guessing if there is not a better( cheaper and gives me same performance for my needs) option. 

 

Initially it was the SC vs Pyga, Then SC vs Trek now i cant help but throw them all in to make sure i make the right choice. Even some i didn't initially think of

 

My main needs are a bike that is good on trails and to use for races and for commuting 20km to work. I dont make podiums but not last place as well in the races. We all get a bit competitive... . 

 

Body structure is 85-90kgs. 1.82cm tall.

 

 

Tallboy 3  

Scott spark 920

giant anthem

trek fuel ex9.8

or back to Camber ( maybe the expert this time??)

Pyga Stage Max

 

Cannondale scalpel Si 3 or 2 ( hadn't considered this bike before)

 

I have only tested the camber(prev owned), spark(940) and haven't had time or availability to test all of them hence my thorough questioning for advise.

 

i will try not to drag this out to much. 

thanks in advance for your advise.

seriously?!

 

 

to be dead honest what you should be doing is getting two bikes then. your trail machine and your hardtail/roadbike commuter.  gettng a fancy bike and then putting commuting miles on your XX1 drivetrain is just .....plus my option satisfies all other N+1 options previously suggested here.

[thisismyotherbike]

The black. Wish I could find that Matt purple 2017 frame. But only black is available at the moment.

 

Have you SEEN it in black??  

 

Sorry I've made up my mind, you're getting this one

 

[Myth]

What bike did you have before. How do you find the geometry of the scalpel. The scalpel has always intrigued me.

 

I had a Merida (HT), a Rocky Mountain (Thunderbolt) and a Giant (Anthem) before the Scalpel.  The new Scalpel's geometry is perfect for the type of riding I do, which is mostly marathons with some play in the mix during training rides.  My previous bikes were all either too playful or too "racey", whereas the new Scalpel is just at the right balance for my riding style and type of rides.

 

Key differences with previous bikes:

 

Merida was super light but uncomfortable (being a HT).

Rocky Mountain was too playful, was unbreakable but way heavier and smaller wheels (27.5) which I found not ideal for long days in the saddle.  In saying that though, if I had the space for another bike I would have kept this one as a toy.

Giant was an awesome marathon machine, but heavier and had longer chainstays and steeper head angle - so absolutely perfect for long days in the saddle but a bit boring on the days I wanted to play.  I believe the new Anthem has more playful geometry though...

 

Scalpel - slightly more relaxed head angle, lighter, shorter chainstays, which equals:  climb like a goat, playful through turns and can handle a bit of fast jumpy sections - i.e. exactly what I wanted.  Plus it looks super (man, just thinking of it I wish I was at home now and not at the office and could stare at it  ). 

[ETV]

I had a Merida (HT), a Rocky Mountain (Thunderbolt) and a Giant (Anthem) before the Scalpel.  The new Scalpel's geometry is perfect for the type of riding I do, which is mostly marathons with some play in the mix during training rides.  My previous bikes were all either too playful or too "racey", whereas the new Scalpel is just at the right balance for my riding style and type of rides.

 

Key differences with previous bikes:

 

Merida was super light but uncomfortable (being a HT).

Rocky Mountain was too playful, was unbreakable but way heavier and smaller wheels (27.5) which I found not ideal for long days in the saddle.  In saying that though, if I had the space for another bike I would have kept this one as a toy.

Giant was an awesome marathon machine, but heavier and had longer chainstays and steeper head angle - so absolutely perfect for long days in the saddle but a bit boring on the days I wanted to play.  I believe the new Anthem has more playful geometry though...

 

Scalpel - slightly more relaxed head angle, lighter, shorter chainstays, which equals:  climb like a goat, playful through turns and can handle a bit of fast jumpy sections - i.e. exactly what I wanted.  Plus it looks super (man, just thinking of it I wish I was at home now and not at the office and could stare at it  ). 

 

Thats great that you got the bike that suited you best.

 

well done.

[Hamstring]

Ride as many (full weekend )demo bikes as possible don't rush it, if cash is your concern. 

[Chingy182]

I have been dreaming about owning a Santa Cruz for quite some time now.

End of last year I had a bit of cash in hand and i was weighing up 3 or 4 different bikes at the time.

 

I walked into the first house for a view, saw the Santa standing there and just knew I had to have it.

I didn't bother with the others after that.

 

I have been on my SC for almost 6 months now and I've loved every single minute.

I have crushed every single strava personal record of mine on the descends and quite surprisingly even most of my ascending PR's too.

[Pikey]

The Santa tb3 is way more trial bike than most need, it really is . It also pedals so damn well and is an excellent Balance of Geometry & amount of travel

 

I have been through a fair few bikes looking for what your are looking for, that magical unicorn. The tb3 is not far of that bike,infact if you aren’t an aggressive trail rider it may just be your unicorn.

 

I didn’t buy the tb3 but only because I was intrigued by the evil and wanted something slighlyty more trail aggressive.

 

If the evil wasn’t an option I wouldn’t have to think about what bike I would buy now.

Santa all the way , no doubt .

 

Hope this helps .

[Hairy]

Go buy a dedicated SS commuter for very little money and commute on this ... whatever bike you buy does not deserve to be dragged around on tar every day to work and back.

[Jewbacca]

Go buy a dedicated SS commuter for very little money and commute on this ... whatever bike you buy does not deserve to be dragged around on tar every day to work and back.

I agree

 

Riding a state of the art beautiful mountain bike to work every day is just not rad... unless your commute involves riding through an awesome trail network... then it is really cool

[Amberdrake]

Santa Cruz FTW Tallboy 2 I own is great.

Only issue I have is bough just before the lifetime warranty came out, only got 5years.

[Pikey]

Santa Cruz FTW Tallboy 2 I own is great.

Only issue I have is bough just before the lifetime warranty came out, only got 5years.

i loved my tb2. Any uphill pr I have was on that bike and most pointing down as well. Such a rad rad bike. Most of us can’t & never will be able to outride that bike,so so capable ????????

 

I dig my evil,but still miss my tb2.

[ChrisF]

....

 

 

to be dead honest what you should be doing is getting two bikes then. your trail machine and your hardtail/roadbike commuter.  gettng a fancy bike and then putting commuting miles on your XX1 drivetrain is just .....plus my option satisfies all other N+1 options previously suggested here.

 

uhm ....

 

LOVE my Eagle GX 1x12 on my TREK 

 

Commuting home today on the Merida I was looking down at the 3x10 setup .... and wondering how to "justify" a 1x12 or maybe even a 1x11 for the commuter ...        Ended up not using the small gear in front, rather standing up and PEDDLING up a couple of nasty little hills. 

 

 

at least I dont feel tooooo bad .... saw another hubbers garage on Sunday .... Mom and Dad plus a 5 year old ..... think I counted 7 or 8 bikes. 

[Patchelicious]

If you have still not bought the bike by 7am tomorrow, you might as well just keep riding what you have. You clearly don’t actually want a new bike

[ChrisF]

If you have still not bought the bike by 7am tomorrow, you might as well just keep riding what you have. You clearly don’t actually want a new bike

 

noooo, he just likes to ponder his options ..... 

 

 

The REAL question - is he going to buy what he REALLY wants, OR is he going to be frugal and buy the wrong bike now to buy another one later this year ....