Hey guys last year i asked for some guidance on a SS rig and got some great feed back here. I researched a lot of the suggestions and ended up with a Stump jumper SS, and i love it. This year i am thinking about getting rid of my 5.5 intense and getting a pure XC racing rig. I have had some great rides/time on my intense put this stump jumper just made me want to go faster and faster. So I am hoping to get some suggestions on a XC 29er carbon hard tail frame. Currently i have on my mind a flash and obviously a stump jumper. I am hoping to get it down around 21+/- pounds. Please help, all opinions and suggestions appreciated. Thanks J
this looks pretty good. 21lbs. geared, though unless it's rigid plan on popping for some very dope wheels. http://www.socaltrailriders.org/forum/general-discussion/60584-my-new-black-beauty.html
Since pretty much every bike company offers a carbon 29er HT now, I would be a lot more interested in geometries and fitment instead of which specific brand...
I wouldn't rule out a 26" Full Suspension. Just because 29'ers are the latest trend doesn't mean the 26" FS doesn't have it's place. Personally I can't race a hardtail as my lower back locks up over 1.5 hours. Being able to stay in the saddle and just pedal through stuff when you're fatigued is a huge advantage to rear suspension and NO a 29'er hardtail is not like suspension, not even close. Also with everybody running to 29'ers like lemmings you can probably pick up a very nice 26" FS used for a good price. Personally if I were building a new race bike it'd be a Santa Cruz Blur XC carbon
Don't think 29ers in XC racing is a fad anymore. I had a Stumpy FSR 26er (just sold it this week) and bought the Stumpy HT 29er back in April. Although the Stumpy FSR's have moved a bit to more of a trail bike over the last couple of years, it still is a lot of fun to ride in XC situations. I can attest to the similar handling of the HT 29er. Specialized has a pretty tight wheel base on their HT, but it still was a bit of an adjustment (more from the 29 inch wheels climbing over berms or troughs in singletrack trails), so it can go through the twisty singletrack rather easily. I have no issues descending -- I think anyone with skills won't have an issue, after all we were all on HTs, what seems, a few years ago. I have the Carbon Expert, which is the same geometry as the S-Works. I swapped out the wheels, cassette, and went tubeless and the bike is around 22 lbs for a Large frame. Not bad for the $$ invested. The bike is solid, it's stiff, but comfortable enough to ride hard for a long time. I saw the new S-Works HT with XTR the other day. It will probably be in my garage within a couple weeks.
If you want a race entry bike the comp carbon sj ht 29er is a great bike. that bike runs about 2400, then you can get an expert sj that has a sid front fork with a brain for 3400. I like my specialized sj ht a lot. I think it's a tad too big so thats why im going to get a niner air 9 carbon ht in a medium this winter.
Good choice! I just finished building my Niner Air 9 Carbon and love it. The Niner was my first choice and the backup choice was a Stumpjumper 29er Carbon Expert. The Stumpjumper was the quick and cheaper choice, but I love the lines and internal cable routing on the Niner. The Niner's CYA bottom bracket system gives me more options. Also, the Stumpjumper has only 80mm-90mm of travel as compared to 100mm with the Niner. You can check it out here: http://www.socaltrailriders.org/for...e-crisis-fast-car-fast-bike-2.html#post873112
Made my decision the other day. Was up in Colorado actually and a bike shop had a used one for sale. Yeah for me. ha ha Ended up with a Flash 1 carbon 29er. Weighed in at 22.25 with pedals and all. Got my first 2 rides in on it this weekend and it is sweet, i was surprised by how comfy it was. Cant wait to get back into shape now so that im not doing this thing an injustice. thanks again for your help.
i have the s works stumpy, size large; weighs 21 lbs with pedals. The stumpy fit me really well, so i got it. i'm sure there are a lot of other great 29er hardtails out there. getting the weight low isn't an issue if you have the money, but it's obviously diminishing returns. I think the stumpy expert is only a couple pounds heavier but half the price of the s works. on the other hand, if i lose a couple pounds it's free.
Congrats on the new bike and for getting a deal on a solid used one. As I mentioned in my earlier post, I did swap out my Stumpy Expert for the S-Works with XTR. It was very painful to the wallet, but loving it 2 rides in. See you out on the trails.
