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Titus Moto Lite, Yeti 575, Cannondale Prophet or Specialized 120?

3K views 21 replies 14 participants last post by  Hecubus 
#1 ·
Searched the forums thoroughly but wanted to throw this out here for discussion. I am looking at a new frame within the next two months or so. Ride agressive XC in So. Cal. and enjoy epic trips to Colorado, Utah, Oregon etc., so a sturdy dependable frame is needed. Weight and durability are the two main drivers with the cost and travel being secondary. Local LBS is Specialized and a bunch of great guys who I would love to support. Cannot say this will be the main bike as I also ride SS (50/50 pending mood)

Titus Motolite - good weight, reputable company, not many reviews yet out on new frame, no known local support.
Yeti 575 - good weight, no past or experiance with Yeti, no local support.
Cannondale Prophet - good weight, unfamiliar with Cannondale, single pivot (not an issue but differant than the others)
Specialized 120 - Unknown weight, local LBS support

Parts will be transferred from current bikes and parts bin at home (mostly SRAM, Thompson, XTR, King etc.)
 
#2 ·
I havent had any experiance with Titus or cannondale I have owned a Stumpjumper FSR it was a very nice ride and specialized has a great warranty and customer service I currently ride a Yeti 575 and it is hands down the best bike i have ever ridden the frame is light and very strong it begs to be ridden hard it is a very good climber and a awsome descender and has almost no pedal bob there customer service and warranty is also very good hope this helps!!!
 
#3 ·
And

To be perfectly honest, this "brushed aluminum" is one of the most impressive sights I've seen on a bike in quite some time. Got a few of these in recently, and the bike can really hold its own. Rode one all last summer and had a great time on it. Mine had the 5th Element rear shock, but I truly liked the feel of the RP3 better. Has a lockout feature, but I can't see that as being necessary unless you ride some seriously smooth fire roads or paved access roads. Quite an efficient pedaler, and the weight is decent for a "long travel" bike, at around 6.0-6.1 pounds.
 

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#6 · (Edited)
boboso said:
Searched the forums thoroughly but wanted to throw this out here for discussion. I am looking at a new frame within the next two months or so. Ride agressive XC in So. Cal. and enjoy epic trips to Colorado, Utah, Oregon etc., so a sturdy dependable frame is needed. Weight and durability are the two main drivers with the cost and travel being secondary. Local LBS is Specialized and a bunch of great guys who I would love to support. Cannot say this will be the main bike as I also ride SS (50/50 pending mood)

Titus Motolite - good weight, reputable company, not many reviews yet out on new frame, no known local support.
Yeti 575 - good weight, no past or experiance with Yeti, no local support.
Cannondale Prophet - good weight, unfamiliar with Cannondale, single pivot (not an issue but differant than the others)
Specialized 120 - Unknown weight, local LBS support

Parts will be transferred from current bikes and parts bin at home (mostly SRAM, Thompson, XTR, King etc.)
Very hard to go wrong in these days, I don't know Cannondale prophet but if you wanrt something a bit more exotic than a Specialized a Yeti or Moto-lite are your best pics.

If you want a Horst-link frame the Moto-Lite is the new best deal for 2005: great construction (only second to Ventana: just look here http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?postid=629813#post629813 ), 4 or 5" travel (with means that with a Talas, or any adjustable fork, you get two bikes), and to top it all a very honest price.

I am going to try one in a couple of weeks (there is now a demo in SF) but you cannot go wrong with Titus: they make some of the most reliable bikes on the market, and their rear triangle is one of the most solid feeling horst I ever tried.
 
#7 ·
I've got a 575 that I love. It will be plenty of bike for your needs (assuming you're average weight). While lots of bike claim it, the 575 is one of the few trail bikes I've seen that really are perfectly comfortable doing XC stuff. I've only delt with Yeti once on the bike, but it was an excellent experience.

My local shop is a cannondale dealer, and the prophets look sweet. I ride with one of the shop owners, and he's on a prophet - he loves it. IMO, the only real question is long term durability of the frame.

All in all, I don't think you can go wrong with any of those bikes. If I had to make a recommendation, I'd go with the Yeti, then the Cannondale, mostly because of the experience I have with them compared to the lack of experience I have with the other two.
 
#8 ·
Ok, since no one is pitching the Specialized, here's my two cents: Check out the Specialized forum for lengthy discussions on that bike. It's mostly loved. (Some complaints re the new "Septune" shock -- it's essentially an "RP7" from fox).

My Pro 120 (mostly XT parts) weighs about 27lbs; the S-Works complete (XTR) weights around 25lbs. I think the frame is around 5.3lbs.

Based on what I've heard about the 575, the ride position will be very different: much more classic cross-country (more stretched out, or flat-backed), as opposed to upright as with the Yeti. On your list and being XC focused, I'd pick the 120 or Titus first, then the Yeti, then the Prophet last.
 
#9 ·
Davide said:
you cannot go wrong with Titus: they make some of the most reliable bikes on the market, and their rear triangle is one of the most solid feeling horst I ever tried.
I disagree.





(Motoraptor 2.4, a skinny 2.4 at that)
 
#10 ·
As Pete said. Don't buy the Moto-Lite unless you don't plan on using any tires much larger than a 2.1. Thats about the largest size that will comfortably fit in there. You can squeeze in up to a 2.3 and maybe as in the pictures a small 2.4 (which would really not make it a 2.4 now would it) but if the tire develops any slight bit of wobble or the rim goes out of true expect to get tire rub. I was really disapointed with the tire clearance on this frame. The Switchblade has a wider yoke and srut which will clear much bigger tires but is about $600 more than the Moto-Lite.
 
#11 ·
Yup. Can't beat a Yeti.

I've test ridden the Yeti and Prophet only. The Pophet's a nice bike, but that Yeti... it gave me that funny feeling in my trousers. It WILL be my next bike. As to local support - not sure where you are in SoCal, but REI are now a Yeti dealer (and a damned fine one at that) and there's (surely?) a couple in that neck of the woods.
 
#12 ·
There are two REI stores in So. California but neither are known for the bike lineups. Mainly carry their Novara line and lower end Cannondale product. They do not carry the Yeti or higher end Cannondales at these stores and the bike area and parts etc. are have a "Sport Chalet"

Still love em' for camping and outdoor gear.

gedmunds said:
I've test ridden the Yeti and Prophet only. The Pophet's a nice bike, but that Yeti... it gave me that funny feeling in my trousers. It WILL be my next bike. As to local support - not sure where you are in SoCal, but REI are now a Yeti dealer (and a damned fine one at that) and there's (surely?) a couple in that neck of the woods.
 
#13 ·
Rei

Go to REI.com and put in "yeti" in the search bar. Scroll down to the yeti logo and there will be a pull-down indicating which stores carry the Yeti bike. There are quite a few in California (compared to the other locations). I did call yesterday to the Boulder store and they did not have any 575's yet but expected at least one of each size by end of Feb. I also asked if we could use our 20% coupon on the bike (we get in March as members) and he did not think we could use it for bikes....especially Yeti bikes.

Has anyone used their 20% off coupon at REI for a Yeti bike?
 
#14 ·
I guess it depends on who you ask. I was all set to scoop up a Yeti 525 at my local REI store in Baileys Crossroads, VA, when the guy helping out advised me not to. He specifically told me to join REI (if I wasn't already a member) and wait until the 20% off coupon arrived, and that I COULD use it on a Yeti. I did mention to him that I seem to remember that past coupons did have some fine print on it saying that it couldn't be used against kayaks and the like, but he assured me that it wouldn't be an issue. So I stayed my hand on buying the bike (good thing too, since it turned out I needed the cash elsewhere.... phew) I guess I'll wait until it shows up, and maybe - maybe - I'll be able to snag one in March! (Until then, my Marin will just HAVE to do!)

Jeff in CO said:
Go to REI.com and put in "yeti" in the search bar. Scroll down to the yeti logo and there will be a pull-down indicating which stores carry the Yeti bike. There are quite a few in California (compared to the other locations). I did call yesterday to the Boulder store and they did not have any 575's yet but expected at least one of each size by end of Feb. I also asked if we could use our 20% coupon on the bike (we get in March as members) and he did not think we could use it for bikes....especially Yeti bikes.

Has anyone used their 20% off coupon at REI for a Yeti bike?
 
#16 ·
The coupon worked fine last year....

Jeff in CO said:
Has anyone used their 20% off coupon at REI for a Yeti bike?
Not sure if they are still allowing it or not but that's how I got my 575 last summer. I had to have one ordered in my size as well as they didn't have a medium in stock, no special componet swaps or anything but it ended up coming with all the 05 goodies anyway which I wasn't expecting.
 
#18 ·
I'm gettin' warm and fuzzy just looking at that!

(The bike... not necessarily the flag - I'm Irish, after all!)

LBguy said:
 
#19 · (Edited)
As reported in the Titus board

Davide said:
you cannot go wrong with Titus: they make some of the most reliable bikes on the market, and their rear triangle is one of the most solid feeling horst I ever tried.
As reported in the Titus forum from Titus:

Titus
"Thanks for the email. Unfortunately, we don't have info on all the tires out there, and Panaracer's aren't in our stable of offerings, so we wouldn't normally check that tire specifically. I can tell you that at 1" back from the inside of the lower yoke, you have 2.45" of clearance and at 1.5" back you have 2.55" of clearance. If you can measure the actual width of the tire with some calipers (not the printed width), you should be able to get some indication of the clearance you will have."

As other have commented on the Titus forum the Moto-lite has plenty clearance to run up to 2.3 (as i saw on the SF demo) It looks like if you want to a bigger tire in the back you might not but ... exactly WHY? why one needs to use a 2.5-2.7 tire in the back on a 5" travel bike: these are downhil bike dimensions and even pros do not always use such large BACK tires (front is a different story).

And besides what is so special about 2.7" Why not than ask for a 3" back tire (or 4" who offers more)? And than none of the bikes discussed here would work? :rolleyes:
 
#20 ·
Davide said:
As other have commented on the Titus forum the Moto-lite has plenty clearance to run up to 2.3.

That is disengenuous. As folks have also noted on the Titus board, there are some 2.1 tires that are a tight squeeze.

"It uses the same swingarm as the switchblade so tire clearance is the same. I managed to squeeze in a Hutchinson Spider 2.3 (really a 2.2) on my SB and there is barely any clearance. Mud riding sucks and the wheel must be perfectly true. I had a set of Intense system 4 2.25's and had to stop using them."

"You can fit a small 2.3 (e.g. Continental) but there are "smaller" tires like the 2.1 UST Hutchison Spider that don't fit. And that's just the tire itself, nevermind mud clearance."

As you should know, there is no standard as to the dimensions of a "2.3" or a "2.4" etc.

The fact remains that the Motolite is lacking in clearance when compared to many of its competitors.

What's interesting is that you're defending (and casting aspersions on the folks who actually have experience with the clearance limitations) this bike yet you obviously haven't ever ridden one, let alone seen one in person.

Why?
 
#21 ·
Yeti for freeride/hard XC

The Yeti 575 seems an awesome bike, well suited to ledgy technical descents.
If you are more into freeride it's a probably a better choice than the Titus.
The Titus does seem to have an Achilles heel as far as rear mud clearance is concerned, but remember that the Fox 2005 user manual specifies a maximum FRONT tyre width of 2.4in. for the Talas/Float/Vanilla range!
Just check what IMBA says about riding in the mud.....
 
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