Bike for sani2C

[Egolitrails]

 

Hi everyone - looking for help finding the right bike for sani2c and trail riding around Joburg.
 

I’m in my 40’s, slow, heavy, riding sani2C for the first time this year and I’d like upgrade my 12 year old 26” aluminum hard tail to a 29” dual suspension bike. I need a small size frame and second hand is fine. 
 

My objective is to be comfortable for what I expect will be 6-8+ hour days in the saddle. I didn’t think I needed a carbon frame initially until I saw that the alloy dual suspension gets quite heavy so now I’m not so sure. 
 

My budget is +/-R40- 60k and I have the option to buy a new or second hand bike in the US on an upcoming trip (but there is very little stock available in the US right now due to supply chain issues…). I’m looking on US sites for Santa Cruz Tallboy, Juliana Joplin, specialize epic evo and other short travel MTBs.  

I went to cycle lab today and this is what they had in stock in my price range and size (small frame). https://www.cyclelab.com/product/1013513-bike-mtb-ds-carb-ktm-scarp-elite-2021

Questions: 

- carbon with ok components vs alloy with better components? 
- is 100mm travel sufficient for sani2c?

- is dual suspension necessary for sani2C? 
- get the KTM or hold off and see what I can find in the US?

thanks! 

Edited January 28, 2022 by Egolitrails

[BigDL]

23 minutes ago, Egolitrails said:

 

Hi everyone - looking for help finding the right bike for sani2c and trail riding around Joburg.
 

I’m in my 40’s, slow, heavy, riding sani2C for the first time this year and I’d like upgrade my 12 year old 26” aluminum hard tail to a 29” dual suspension bike. I need a small size frame and second hand is fine. 
 

My objective is to be comfortable for what I expect will be 6-8+ hour days in the saddle. I didn’t think I needed a carbon frame initially until I saw that the alloy dual suspension gets quite heavy so now I’m not so sure. 
 

My budget is +/-R40- 60k and I have the option to buy a new or second hand bike in the US on an upcoming trip (but there is very little stock available in the US right now due to supply chain issues…). I’m looking on US sites for Santa Cruz Tallboy, Juliana Joplin, specialize epic evo and other short travel MTBs.  

I went to cycle lab today and this is what they had in stock in my price range and size (small frame). https://www.cyclelab.com/product/1013513-bike-mtb-ds-carb-ktm-scarp-elite-2021

Questions: 

- carbon with ok components vs alloy with better components? 
- is 100mm travel sufficient for sani2c?

- is dual suspension necessary for sani2C? 
- get the KTM or hold off and see what I can find in the US?

thanks! 

Not in SA so I can’t comment on prices etc, but you could probably do Sani on a gravel bike if you really wanted to, so 100mm is plenty and dual suspension is a personal choice, but absolutely not critical for Sani, except for being a bit easier on your rear.

 

PS - enjoy the ride. It is awesome 

Edited January 28, 2022 by BigDL

[NC]

Hi. For that kind of money you can build up a top end steel hardtail. 120 mm travel is adequate and if you are really into comfort then add a Cane Creek Thudbuster seat post.

https://canecreek.com/product/thudbuster-st-2/

Edited January 28, 2022 by NC

[Martin PJ]

90 percent of bikes in Sani are dual sus. For 40 to 60 k you can't go wrong, whatever you buy. Aluminium is fine with good components. 100 mm travel upfront is plenty.

[Pikey]

Have never owned a ktm and don’t know what they ride like ( although believe they are a tad harsh ) but there resale value is horrendous. 

120 travel front and rear or 120 front 100 back is ideal . Rather try buy newer geometry for a bit of confidence . 

[thebob]

Scott Spark RC, Scott Spark 900 series, Specialized Epic, Specialized Epic Evo, Trek Supercaliber and Trek Top Fuel. Take your pick of those as there appears to be some stock available locally and that is in the correct size for you! Schlepping a bike back from the States seems like a pain, unless you have someone there who can secure a bike for you.

[Marcv]

If i was getting a new bike i would only get 120mm travel as i think for general riding its the best. i would buy second hand, go check out bike market, they have a shop near Sandton so you can see what they have. for 40 - 60 K you can get an amazing second hand bike pretty much all the shiny bits you can imagine. make sure you get the right size bike as its so important, try a couple different bikes and if you can one size up. 

As for buying in the US i would avoid a brand that you can't get spares for here in SA, bikes need maintenance and you don't want to get stuck needing a pivot part that you have to import.

[Monark]

Sani2C isn't technical or rough. It's smooth curated trail. You could ride it on a rigid single speed without much hassle.

[ichnusa]

Yes, you could ride Sani on a rigid SS… but it would be more enjoyable on a 120+mm full sus. Also, it would make most sense for future riding and progression. Look at 650b in small size as well…

[BaGearA]

70k gets you A top fuel 7 and brand new kit all round to do the race with 

 

or if you can stetch a little you could get A Top fuel 9.7 

[figjam_sa]

I'd ask around. You may still be able to get a Specialized Epic Evo base for R60k or maybe a 2021 Top Fuel 9.7. Both carbon with potential to upgrade later on. Or get a Scott Spark from the last few years. 

[Egolitrails]

15 hours ago, thebob said:

Scott Spark RC, Scott Spark 900 series, Specialized Epic, Specialized Epic Evo, Trek Supercaliber and Trek Top Fuel. Take your pick of those as there appears to be some stock available locally and that is in the correct size for you! Schlepping a bike back from the States seems like a pain, unless you have someone there who can secure a bike for you.

@thebob - thanks for this! Is this new or second hand stock? Where should I look for these? 

[Monark]

12 hours ago, ichnusa said:

Yes, you could ride Sani on a rigid SS… but it would be more enjoyable on a 120+mm full sus. Also, it would make most sense for future riding and progression. Look at 650b in small size as well…

120mm+ 

Are you kidding? What for? 

[Trashy]

Just ignore the pretentious responses and get a full sus as you originally stated you were looking for.

Even though you are buying the bike for Sani, that will hopefully not be the last time you ride it and for that reason a decent marathon/trail bike will be your best bet. 120mm travel is perfect for general trail riding, can handle pretty much anything within reason and will just make it more comfortable when things get rough.

Spend a day going to your local dealers and see what they have in stock in your size. Get the bike that fits and looks best. Enjoy.

[thebob]

6 hours ago, Egolitrails said:

@thebob - thanks for this! Is this new or second hand stock? Where should I look for these? 

Trek dealers have Top Fuel and Supercaliber. Speak to @BaGearA he works at a Trek dealer and could probably sort you out. Sparks are available at Scott dealers, there are even brand new ones in the BikeHub classifieds. For Specialized, check their website and find the bike you want and use "find near me" function.

Honestly the Top Fuel would be my pick (yes I have one and I've also had a new Spark, so I have some perspective). The Top Fuel is just so versatile. I took it on the big jump line at Wolwespruit this morning with no issues and still set a climbing PR on a section. If you want something a bit more XC biased or that you can race in future, the Epic Evo or Spark is your pick

[BaGearA]

Come see me tomorrow at the Wolwespruit shop and maybe i can answer some questions and you can get a feel for it on the pavement