ripley af with SLX for $4100 seems pretty perfect. i also like that i actually rode a ripley a long time ago and liked it.
thank you for sharing your opinions on fs versus ht. i am now convinced to go fs.
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I’d argue it means a light trail bike, with a lot of cues/the base taken from what you see the pros riding in the XC world cups.
But with tweaked geo for us “mere mortals” (usually a slightly slacker front end, steeper seat tube, a longer dropper fitted from factory, a tad wider rims and more “aggressive” tyres and a wider handlebar fitted to a shorter stem) and maybe 10-20mm added suspension. It’ll still be fast as fuck climbing and real nimble out on the trail, but it will not descend like a pogo-stick, not scare you tackling stuff and give you more confidence going fast also while pointing your bike down a hill.
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Yeah, both of those things. Fairly spritely going up hill like more of their XC cousins, but a bit more confident pointed downward. Usually in the 120 range.
Name started a bit tongue in cheek, but like most things spoken ironically, would become part of people’s everyday vocab.
So they leave out the Ripley and tallboy here. Not sure my Banshee phantom would count, but it feels pretty quick with just 115 in the back, too. Trance 29 I also liked.
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oh god help me, now i’m going to read all of those and get excited about every bike in turn. how do people make these choices??
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it’s really hard to buy a less than fantastic new full sus if you’re spending $3k+ if you aren’t super far into suspension dithering
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In these days: you buy the one that’s in stock, has most of your preferred parts on it (aka shimano or sram?) and has a pretty sw8 colour?
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Canyon and Polygon seem like great value.
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Did you mention if you are keeping the hardtail or selling it to help fund the new bike? Because if you’re keeping it that kinda allows you to choose something less-XC-racey for a full squish, right?
i want to keep the hardtail and put a rigid fork on it!
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see i thought this, but then i looked at the ripley AF which is also SLX and the only difference is like 2 pounds of frame weight which sure, that’s a lot. is it worth it for the DW link? I DONT KNOW THE ANSWERS TO THESE QUESTIONS
how the fuck can polygon put XT on a bike for so little money? which is their “down country” bike? this thing? https://www.polygonbikes.com/product/mountain/siskiu-t8-2/
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Does tarck not like YTs anymore? The Izzo might fit the bill.
Or the Norco Sight that Fred has
No.
Stop obsessing over frame weight, it’s a minuscule difference and the choice of tyre will have a bigger impact on how a mtb rides than 2 pounds of frame weight.
The difference in linkage will also not really affect how it rides. It’ll just silently do it’s job, no matter if it’s connected to the legacy of Dave Weagle or it says “One Piece Linkage”.
Also: that Siskiu T8 is decked out in full SLX…
EDIT: there are no clear answers to your questions, get the one you think look coolest/has the most TAF paint to you and just ride that bike babby.
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yeah sorry…the t8 is SLX but they have some kinda N bike with XT on it. the N looks huge. i can’t figure out their naming convention. is T what i want?
i finally try to dither as much as my brain will allow and this is the best advice you have???
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Siskiu N = big boi enduro bike with big boi travel and big boi errythang.
Siskiu T = trail bike (“down country”) aka what you want.
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Insert:
I have spoken.gif
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Yeah the moniker just means you’re getting a bike that is using the latest advances in “having fun in the woods” technology. They’re all good, just pick one you like.
Price x availability ÷ color = bike
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i’ve bought my last 3 mtbs without having ridden them at all before giving them
my money. didn’t regret any of them. well, the current one a tiny bit for the first year, but we’ve been good for the last two.
if you like how it looks and it checks your boxes, ya just roll with it. test riding mtbs only muddied the waters on my decision making because i was never sure if things were set up right for me and if poor set up was making it worse, plus hopping off my own bike onto a demo, the demo never felt better. it was always worse due to set up issues and adjusting to minor differences in geometry. i just went all in with other bikes and a few rides in, had the set up dialed and no turning back.
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i’m going to kingdom trails (VT) for the day formerly named after a spanish brute weekend. three days of riding, one of which at the bike park. i’m definitely going to rent a bike park bike. should i rent a santa cruz tallboy for the other two days? it’s $310 for three days.
will a tallboy make me sad in the bike park if i’m not going to do crazy huge shit?
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