Need help on bike choice for northeast riding.

PB Forum :: All Mountain, Enduro & Cross-Country
Need help on bike choice for northeast riding.
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flag fourfourone
Posted: Nov 13, 2019 at 5:51 Quote
What's up guys. Haven't posted in over 10 years but I have recently gotten back into mountain biking after focusing on motocross for many years. The past 6 months I have been riding a heavily upgraded trek roscoe. I really like the bike but its time to move back to a full suspension bike. Due to a few back injuries from moto, the harshness of the hardtail is killing my back after a long day. I live and ride in the northeast so most trails involve climbing with rough, rocky and technical descents. I would like a bike that is stable going down hill with minimal harshness. This leads me to go with a 29er but open to 27.5. Hopping to be able to hit some drop and jumps as well. My budget would be around 3k give or take. Not oppose to buying used. Being a motocross rider I would think big and stable would be what I would like. Here are some of the bikes I have been interested in.

Trek slash
Trek remedy
Santa Cruz Hightower(the new 2020 model)
Santa Cruz Bronson
Kona Process 153
YT Jeffsey
flag chrysanthos
Posted: Nov 13, 2019 at 6:04 Quote
all solid bikes. Go with the best colour combo!
flag jamesashton
Posted: Nov 13, 2019 at 13:05 Quote
all good bikes, thorugh the sc nomad on that list too, maybe the canyon spectral as well
flag undescended
Posted: Nov 13, 2019 at 17:52 Quote
Aside from the great reviews and stellar package, what sold me on Jeffsy AL 29 for my first FS was the devout following in the Pinkbike forums. For 2020 the AL is expected to get the new geometry the CF has. That said, I’ve been seeing positive comments on the Process 153 lately as well...
flag jamesashton
Posted: Nov 13, 2019 at 21:21 Quote
yeah same here, i've heard great things about the jeffsy
flag gnarnaimo
O+ FL
Posted: Nov 13, 2019 at 21:45 Quote
Curious, given your desires, why you would consider the Hightower but not the Megatower?
flag fourfourone
Posted: Nov 14, 2019 at 4:45 Quote
gnarnaimo wrote:
Curious, given your desires, why you would consider the Hightower but not the Megatower?

Given that I would ride either carbon or aluminum the megatower base price is 4600. Its a bit above my budget. I don't mind going used but it must be LIGHTLY used and most of them I find are still pretty expensive or have a ton of miles on them.

I am sort of leaning toward the hightower or slash.
flag Cerberus75
O+
Posted: Nov 14, 2019 at 19:36 Quote
How tall are you? How long are your legs?

If shorter the Kona might be better since there is a lot of slow tech that requires getting the front up for a drop and stuff. The SC bikes are nice, but at 5'6" the Kona was easier to maneuver with it's short chainstays. But the build quality is better on the SC bikes.
flag fourfourone
Posted: Nov 15, 2019 at 4:39 Quote
I'm 5'10" with a 31 inseam. I have always preferred a large size bike.

I am going to test ride the Hightower tomorrow but the aluminum version is almost 35 lbs. I didn't realize that. Most of its competition is a few pounds lighter. I wont be able to get it out on the trail but do you guys thing the weight will make a difference?
flag Cerberus75
O+
Posted: Nov 15, 2019 at 7:20 Quote
fourfourone wrote:
I'm 5'10" with a 31 inseam. I have always preferred a large size bike.

I am going to test ride the Hightower tomorrow but the aluminum version is almost 35 lbs. I didn't realize that. Most of its competition is a few pounds lighter. I wont be able to get it out on the trail but do you guys thing the weight will make a difference?

My bike is 37lb with cushcore and coil front and rear. My wife just bought an Evil Wreckoning (not a bad bike for NE) sits at 32lbs it feels lighter on the trail. A little easier to lift the front or in the air mainly. But not as noticeable until you want to rack it up.
flag gnarnaimo
O+ FL
Posted: Nov 15, 2019 at 7:49 Quote
I came from a 36 lb Remedy and am now on a almost 35 lb Megatower and had/have very little issue riding technical xc terrain on either. I have ridden both alloy and carbon 2020 Hightower's and they both felt noticeably more nimble than my Megatower, even though one weighed more.
flag howmaybesgo
Posted: Nov 15, 2019 at 8:30 Quote
Out of your list, my vote would be for the Process 153 29. Rode one of these about a month ago and it was a blast. Pedaled very well and was surprising to me on the descent. Carried plenty of speed but still playful.

I actually owned a 2019 Remedy 8 which can be had for around $3500ish new. I really liked the bike a lot. It was super playful and wanted to jump off of everything. I took it to Angel Fire bike park this summer and it did pretty good. I don't think it is on the same level as aggressive geo 29 bikes. It doesn't keep speed as well and things can get out of hand quick in chunky sections when you are coming in hot. I am sure better riders than me can deal with the chunk better than I did on this bike.

I ended up getting a Transition Sentinel this week. The bike just rips. Has plenty of "plow" for me and still playful enough to pop it off of small rocks and roots on smoother sections of trail. It also didn't feel like I was on a 29er (same with the Kona 153 29). Maybe it is the reduced offset fork bring that front wheel in a bit but I didn't feel like it was sticking way out there like other 29ers I have ridden. Also made sure I got in some pedal time which it handled just fine. No long fire road climbs where I am at. All techy, rocky, rooty climbs. Maybe toss transition on your list.
flag skerby
Posted: Nov 15, 2019 at 10:11 Quote
Hey, i also destroyed my back riding moto!

Look for bikes with Short ETT and demo a few of them, compare with longer ETT bikes. I have found the more upright I can get, the better it is for my messed up back.
flag alext6969
Posted: Nov 15, 2019 at 11:46 Quote
Look into the 2020 Transition Patrol, especially the ones with the coil. These bike are so fun and monster truck over everything. The suspension is nice and plush which glues the bike to the ground. You won't regret it!
flag fourfourone
Posted: Nov 15, 2019 at 12:05 Quote
many of the places I ride require some long climbs. Should I really be concerned about weight?
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