Let's offroad / mountain bike / mtb / ride dirt

I replaced a steel hardtail with a chisel. My old bike was great but the chisel is objectively faster in every possible scenario

Let's not forget the most important thing is how the bike makes you feel.

If it feels faster up a climb, and that makes you feel good, then it's a good thing. Whether this is backed up by actual data is meaningless unless you're racing someone.

I am having too much fun on it!

I always keep it in my toolroll, thanks though. How’s Singapore mtb?

I vaguely thought progressive geo just meant slacker front end, shorter stem/longer reach and better suited to more technical terrain than old school XC bikes (but MTB is new terrain for me).

Holt was the other option on the list too or possibly starting with the Chisel and then upgrading to a holt frame and transfering the parts across.

Didn't know about specialized rep though...

In my mind that would be like cotic geo 65 ISH head angle and then 30mm stem. Which isn't what you want for that riding. Actually normal geo 67/68 and a medium stem will be nicer for that style bike. So platypus suggestion is really good too, as those bikes will often be that geo.

I thought the standard answer was 'Geometron'?

I thought it was 'just get an Arkose'...?

Despite Amey's assertions, this is not the gravel thread

everything is gravel if you squint

amazing!!

Don't make me start an ATB thread!

There can be no turning back after that

here are some examples of ATBs

Only two Treks? They're clearly not paying you enough

It’s pretty limited but I’m enjoying myself, what I’d like to do as soon as possible is to head over to Badak on Batam.

Which is a bike park, Batam is an Indonesian island around 45 minutes by ferry from SG

Actually normal geo 67/68 and a medium stem

Historically, there's nothing 'normal' about this - it's basically early 'progressive' and is the form modern XC bikes seem to be converging on - but with very short stems and longer wheelbases. So, then, progressive. IIRC my OG slackline had a head angle of around 68 which was considered wild back in 2011.

So yeah, just get a Chisel or whatever XC bike if you can't stomach what Speci do.

Awww looks cute now doesn't it?!

vs.

I mean normal now but yeah. My exceed was 69.5!

The reason why I've put so many, so so many miles in to my F-Si (Cannondale's top end XC race carbon hardtail) is because it was doing all this stuff back in 2015. Ride a twelve hour? Sure. Get rad? Yeah mostly.

Im pondering a new bike to replace my Trek Fuel Ex as is pretty porky and a Trek. I live in the
Peak District and ride the typical type of trails you find here so I like the idea of a new full sus that climbs better than the trek but can keep up on the down hills. Im into bike-packing and longer / ultra-ish rides, so something like this https://carbonwasp.com/products/truffle-frame or this https://www.transitionbikes.com/Bikes_Spur.cfm are my main ideas at the moment but they both only have one bottle cage and two would be nice. Any suggestions for alternative 120 mm Carbon options ?

Salsa Horsethief?

Salsa supply chain is a bit pants to the UK, so It seems I could only get a spearfish which would be the most expensive option, but it does have 2 bottle cages.

Scott Spark? You'd be saving around 500g just on the frame weight vs the Truffle.

Undoubtedly a great performing frame, but a riding buddy has one, and its spent more time being repaired than out on the trail, I think it's just too complex and integrated for me to fix anything that goes wrong. I could look at an older model but I think the older ones are 100mm.

The older RC model are 100mm, but the non-RC were already 120mm.