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4" travel bike with slack head angle??

5K views 26 replies 20 participants last post by  joshdurston 
#1 ·
does this exist? i'm really only looking for a frame cuz i've got all the parts i would want on any trail bike. this is going to be my do-most-everything bike (without pushing into the pure gravity domain) = climbs like xc, but can be pushed hard like a 4x bike. i'm coming off of a xc HT and i can handle a good amount of abuse, i just wanna stick to 4" b/c it'll make for a better all day ride and at the same time it'll never be too much. also it's more about quality, not quantity. you know vpp or fsr designs over single pivot if at all possible.

here's exactly what i'm lookin for:
1. HA ~68 - this will be with a 120mm reba
2. 18" seat tube - i plan on doing xc pedaling so i gotta be able to get that seat up
3. long-ish TT - i don't wanna run any longer than a 70mm stem

those are my requirements...they seem so simple now that they are all written out, but i just can't seem to find the frame that'll fit the bill. if i were 5'6" i'd prolly have more options, but i'm not (5'10" w/ longish legs) that short so too bad for me. so anybody got any suggestions? what have i overlooked?
 
#4 ·
khs xc604 with a 120mm fork will get you to about a 69deg HA. They are beefy bikes with reinforced HT's @ 1.5". FSR design licensed from Speci.
oh yeah, at about $450 for last year's model, you can dump the stock shock and run an rp23 for less than $800 total.
 
#5 ·
mnigro said:
khs xc604 with a 120mm fork will get you to about a 69deg HA. They are beefy bikes with reinforced HT's @ 1.5". FSR design licensed from Speci.
oh yeah, at about $450 for last year's model, you can dump the stock shock and run an rp23 for less than $800 total.
really doubt you can push that bike too much, looks like a xc bike to me.
 
#11 ·
Rush

Diver85 said:
does this exist? i'm really only looking for a frame cuz i've got all the parts i would want on any trail bike. this is going to be my do-most-everything bike (without pushing into the pure gravity domain) = climbs like xc, but can be pushed hard like a 4x bike. i'm coming off of a xc HT and i can handle a good amount of abuse, i just wanna stick to 4" b/c it'll make for a better all day ride and at the same time it'll never be too much. also it's more about quality, not quantity. you know vpp or fsr designs over single pivot if at all possible.

here's exactly what i'm lookin for:
1. HA ~68 - this will be with a 120mm reba
2. 18" seat tube - i plan on doing xc pedaling so i gotta be able to get that seat up
3. long-ish TT - i don't wanna run any longer than a 70mm stem

those are my requirements...they seem so simple now that they are all written out, but i just can't seem to find the frame that'll fit the bill. if i were 5'6" i'd prolly have more options, but i'm not (5'10" w/ longish legs) that short so too bad for me. so anybody got any suggestions? what have i overlooked?
I have been looking for the EXACT same bike for a while now. I want something to supplement my Nomad that is considerably lighter and can handle a fast paced, long xc ride/ race, without sacrificing too much DH ability as I plan on riding most of the same trails as with the Nomad. So, I am talking steep terrain, maybe up to 4-5ft drops to decent tranny occasionally mixed into an xc ride.
Anyway, the closest thing I can come up with is a Cannondale Rush. They have a long top tube, 69 HTA with a 110mm fork and seem decently beefy with the 1.5" headtube and 110mm rear travel. It is a single pivot.
I plan on running the new Revelation with the Maxle and reducing the travel to 120. This fork weighs about the same as the reba, and has an AC height 10mm higher than the Reba, so it should give the Rush a 68 degree HTA. I'll run a 60mm stem.

I think it would be easy to get this bike to 26lbs or so and still ride relatively aggressive.
There has been a slew of these on ebay lately decently cheap.
 
#12 ·
thanks for all the input so far. i had actually considered the sx, but wasn't sure if i could pull it off. there's a spec. dealer around the corner from me but they don't carry much in the way of gravity oriented bikes...that and i know it's sold as a frame only. anyone in phoenix got one built up they'd be cool with me throwing a leg over just to see how it fits?

anyways, i'll take a better look at the yeti as well. it is a bit out of my price range, but who knows, i could come into some money soon! what would be absolutely perfect for me would be a giant anthem x if it only had a slacker HA. i used to work for a giant dealer and it's a darn good bike. if i can't make anything else work i'm keeping it as a back plan up coz if you can find a frame they usually go for fairly cheap and tend to be in good shape. after all, "it's not how slack your head angle is, it's how your ride your bike" - (read that somewhere on here, kinda corny i know, but it's true).

keep em coming...if you can!!
 
#14 ·
The closest thing out there right now to what you are describing is the Banshee Spitfire. It is an aggressive all day, trail bike with 5" of travel and adjustable geometry for a slack and steeper setting for xc riding. With your Reba, you would get right around a 68 degree HA with the Spitfire in the steeper setting. The Spitfire is also a virtual pivot design. You would probably want more fork once you start riding the bike though. A Pike would be a better match, but your Reba would work as well.

http://mtbgeartech.com/blog/2010-banshee-spitfire-initial-review

Santa Cruz discontinued their 4X, but there are many for sale on the used market and it is a good trail bike with the right parts.
 
#16 ·
ronny - the spitfire is what sparked this idea to begin with! haha my goal is/was to use what i have and go for a shorter travel version of the spitfire = sell my ht frame and use that money for something else. just trying to be smart with my $$$ (for once). :thumbsup:
 
#26 ·
thank all!!! i feel kinda stupid b/c there are a lot of frames i knew of that i wrote off (assuming that they weren't gonna work).:thumbsup:

at the same time i'm real excited to get this thing rolling b/c i have so many options! thanks again and if anyone has one of these bikes and wants to show them off for inspiration, by all means...:D
 
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