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hd, sl-r, or blur lt?

1K views 7 replies 4 participants last post by  RagerXS 
#1 ·
Hey all,

I'm in the market for a new bike. Coming off a 2007 stumpy fsr comp. I live north of Chicago and primarily ride in IL, southern WI, and southwest MI. Once or twice a year I try to get out to Colorado (favorite trails the 401 and 403). I'm 6'1'', 175lbs with gear, and probably ride more on the conservative side. I don't race and don't have much intention, too. I ride purely for fun and exercise. I just want to upgrade to a great bike. My hang up with 27.5'' is the loss of "playfulness" and maneuverability... or so I've heard.

I was dead-set on Ibis SLR for a while now until started talking to others and some bike shops. Several bike shops have recommended I go 27.5 for the midwest riding. I've also been told that if I want an ibis, i should go HD, but I think the HD is overkill for the midwest. I just wanted to see what everyone's opinion was on 27.5'' for the midwest, and what chassis they would recommend building off of. Or should I stick with 26''? I have never ridden a 27.5 and only road a 29 hard tail once.


Unfortunately, the only bikes to test around here are all specialized and trek, neither of which I'm all that interested in.

So slr, hd, or blur lt carbon in a 27.5? Just looking for opinions.

Thanks for reading.
 
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#6 · (Edited)
jrm, sold it already because a friend of a friend knew I was selling it, and offered a good price. (Not much mtbing to be had in Chicago at this time of year anyway...)

smmokan, nice bike! I'm sure this has been mentioned somewhere before, but do you have to adjust the shock to accommodate the 27.5? Is 2.2 the biggest tire you can fit in the rear?
 
#7 ·
I didn't adjust the rear shock, but if you frequently bottom yours out you'll probably want to shim it. When I let all the air out and compress it fully, the tire rubs in the last 2-3mm of travel. Since I never bottom my rear shock out, it doesn't concern me.

The WTB Wolverine is a pretty tall tire, I'm guessing you could easily fit one of the 2.35" Nevegals back there as well.
 
#8 ·
I ran 2.3 Neo-Moto and 2.1 Neo-Moto in the rear of my LT2a for years without issue and never shimmed. I've just snagged an LTc and moved most of my parts over but have not yet tested clearance with all the air let out (still need to list the old frame in the classifieds too, just want to clean it up before taking photos!).

Fred
 
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