[Yossarian]

Did a 12hr solo enduro thing on Saturday night, and as well as having a knackered back / not wanting to drink PSP22 again for at least a fortnight / hoping my arsehole will grow back soon, I have decided that I would quite like a whippet-light XC bike.  Because I quite fancy some more of these longer races, I think full sus is probably the way to go, rather than a carbon hardtail with a ridiculously steep head angle and guaranteed anal bleeding.

I was thinking along the lines of an Intense Spider FRO / RockShox SID combination.  I would've been interested in the new Marin Alchemist, but apparently they've ditched the frame because of some durability issue.  Whyte E-120 would be good too, but I think there are some aluminium frames alternatives that will end up lighter and cheaper.

Anyone got any suggestions?

(I did the race on my Whyte 46, but with skinnier wheels and tyres which got the weight down to just over 30lb, so whatever I go for needs to be significantly lighter to make it worthwhile...)

[fatkid2000]

I think the Marin was ditched due to the frame weighing 2 tonnes or something.

I rode one of the Spesh Full Sussers at a friends down in Bristol over the summer it was well comfortable for a 6 hr piss about - can't comment on a 12 hr enduro though. Isn't a sore arse a fact of life on those sorts of rides.

Spesh Epic - my mate had a blinged up full carbon one - which cost about £3500 ish I think.

http://www.specialized.com/us/en/bc/SBCExperience.jsp?eid=4342

I also like the look of the Whyte Carbon hardtail - but they are really expensive - the new 2010 models are on bike radar

[Yossarian]

I thought with the Alchemist that it didn't pass some sort of frame strength test, and the changes needed would've made it too heavy.  The Mt Vision frames aren't that heavy, so it can't have been that bad... (I borrowed one of them recently, and it did climb a lot better than the 46, but in the 5.8 guise it wasn't super light...)

I think a sore arse is par for the course, yes.  The guy who won did it on a hardtail, though I couldn't figure out what it was.  He managed over 225km though.  Throw a grenade into a butcher's shop and that's probably what the inside of his shorts looked like yesterday morning...

The Whyte carbon hardtail was my original choice.  20lb give or take.  Maybe add a big Brooks saddle and I'd be fine...

[cofe]

what's your budget?

[Yossarian]

Say £3,500.  That's what my proposed Spider FRO superbike would cost. 

I can get a good deal on Whytes and Marins, but I am def open to other ideas.

Something like a Santa Cruz superlight would be nice, but I doubt I could build a new one within that budget.

There are a load of hardtails (and full sus I expect) from people like Cube and Felt that would easily fit the bill for a lot less money but I subscribe to the "if I'm riding a flash bike then I better pedal hard otherwise I'm going to look even more like a tosser" school of thought.

[cofe]

I reckon you could build a superlight for that.

[Yossarian]

Ah yes. Sorry, I was getting confused with the Blur...

[cofe]

get an ibis. they're mental.

[Yossarian]

They sound mental...

"The pimp daddy WTF group", etc. £5,599 though. About the same price as the Whyte E-120 superbike.

Still, 23lb is quite light. 

Both those bikes should come with a free counselling course to help you come to terms with the realisation that you would've been better off eating slightly less for a couple of weeks rather than spending £2000 more to shed a couple of pounds...

[fatdoc]

Yoassarian... 12 hrs on awhyte 46... respect dude!

Dont you foreget the true calling... we're off to play at cwmcarn in Oct!!

FWIW

if wanted a lite bike.. I'd go full suss for sure.

not sure which.. if budget no option (and I wasnt gonna crash it too much) whyte carbon E-120.

The quad full sussers climb incredably well.. did you say you could get a whyte cheap??

[Yossarian]

Yeah, I am coming round to the E-120 idea.  Maybe the XT, as the XX Works one is a little over the top.

The Marin Mt Vision I borrowed did climb like a beast, so I expect the E-120 would feel like an even faster and altogether more Gucci version.

[fatkid2000]

Um - Look how shiney it is. Mentally you've already bought it, going on you know your arse needs it.
http://www.whytebikes.com/2009/e120superbike.html

[slackline]

Yeah, I am coming round to the E-120 idea.  Maybe the XT, as the XX Works one is a little over the top.

The Marin Mt Vision I borrowed did climb like a beast, so I expect the E-120 would feel like an even faster and altogether more Gucci version.

 

[Yossarian]

I've just been down to the Whyte place, and they're not in for a while yet.  The 2010 ones do sound really nice though.  I think it might have to be a hardtail first, and that might persuade me to enter some normal XC races rather than the anal bleeding affairs. 



It's still a hardtail for the price of a very nice full suspension though. Ho hum.

There were some very tasty Wiliers kicking about too...

[Joepicalli]

Um - Look how shiney it is. Mentally you've already bought it, going on you know your arse needs it.
http://www.whytebikes.com/2009/e120superbike.html

Now I'm reduced to masturbating over a bike. Thanks for nothing Fatkid.

[GraemeA]

Ant says his arse hurts as well 

[cofe]

I'm not so keen on the look of the whyte bikes. the swingarms look a bit funny. i bet you're grateful for this expert technical insight.

[Percy B]

One of the guys I ride with now and again has just got one of these...

http://www.yeticycles.com/#/bikes/575/

He reckons it is the business......

[Yossarian]

Those Yeti's are very nice.

Cofe - if the Whyte swingarm were upholstered in leopard print velvet would you approve then?

Actually, I think the white Whyte frames this season are better looking than the black carbon ones. Might be down to the fact that all the 2010 forks (that I've seen) seem to be white / multicoloured and not black and so doing something raw carbon with them might look a bit odd...

[cofe]

Cofe - if the Whyte swingarm were upholstered in leopard print velvet would you approve then?

does a chicken have lips? course i would. seriously, could you arrange that kind of shit? that would be off the wall, bad, invincible and dangerous.

[Yossarian]

I have about 20m of leopard print velvet. I could arrange it, yes....

[Joepicalli]

I'm not so keen on the look of the whyte bikes. the swingarms look a bit funny. i bet you're grateful for this expert technical insight.

You callin' my bike funny? Are you? Are you? Funny, Funny how? Does my bike fuckin' amuse you? Do you think my bike's purpose is to enable you to to pass irrelevant, ill considered, aesthetically incompetent judgments? Is that its purpose...
And the rest of you, yeah the whoremongering cheapshot 20 metres of velvet crew: my bikes a whore is she? a leopard skin clad cornerhanginstreetwalker of bike is she huh, huh.
Well its a small world, I can track you down like dogs and take you one-by-one (trained hamsters will be involved).
Alternatively you could all donate to the Joe-needs-a-whyte- E120 superbike fund and all shall be well.

[fatkid2000]

Um - Look how shiney it is. Mentally you've already bought it, going on you know your arse needs it.
http://www.whytebikes.com/2009/e120superbike.html

Now I'm reduced to masturbating over a bike. Thanks for nothing Fatkid.

Shouldn't worry people masturbate over far more disturbing things - or you could just buy one to stroke. That's why FD has so many bikes.

[cofe]

I have about 20m of leopard print velvet. I could arrange it, yes....

What else could you do? Armour would be a good one.

[Joepicalli]

Um - Look how shiney it is. Mentally you've already bought it, going on you know your arse needs it.
http://www.whytebikes.com/2009/e120superbike.html

Now I'm reduced to masturbating over a bike. Thanks for nothing Fatkid.

Shouldn't worry people masturbate over far more disturbing things - or you could just buy one to stroke. That's why FD has so many bikes.

I do, frequently; this is really quite restrained for me.