On One carbon Whippet or alternatives?
Discussion
So I'm changing jobs and whereas Cannock is currently a 10 minute drive away, I will now be in Derby and almost an hours drive away going in the opposite direction to home.
I'd like to think I'll still be there 3 nights a week like now, but realistically I think that's unlikely and I therefore need to find some more convenient riding.
There is another trail centre called Hicks Lodge which I've never been to but is not too far from my route home, and there is also some decent cross country riding around Sth Derbys which again is on my way home 'ish.
However for this type of riding my Zesty is complete overkill, so I'm thinking of keeping that for perhaps once a week at Cannock and trips further afield, and getting something more XC for the rest.
Having done some review reading I think I've narrowed it down to an On One Whippet or a Cotic Soul. I think the Cotic BFE and C456 are too long travel for what I need, so these two seem most appropriate. I'm erring towards the Whippet mainly because I think it looks a bit nicer and is slightly lighter.
I know there are plenty of Cotic fans on here, but has anybody got experience of the Whippet, or is there anything else I should be considering.
Budget is up to £2k and I'd like a good component spec for that as well if poss. The other point to consider is that I want reliability, something I can just clean and lube, and that will keep working with minimal maintenance. I'm not into tinkering, mainly because I tend to break something when I do!
I'd like to think I'll still be there 3 nights a week like now, but realistically I think that's unlikely and I therefore need to find some more convenient riding.
There is another trail centre called Hicks Lodge which I've never been to but is not too far from my route home, and there is also some decent cross country riding around Sth Derbys which again is on my way home 'ish.
However for this type of riding my Zesty is complete overkill, so I'm thinking of keeping that for perhaps once a week at Cannock and trips further afield, and getting something more XC for the rest.
Having done some review reading I think I've narrowed it down to an On One Whippet or a Cotic Soul. I think the Cotic BFE and C456 are too long travel for what I need, so these two seem most appropriate. I'm erring towards the Whippet mainly because I think it looks a bit nicer and is slightly lighter.
I know there are plenty of Cotic fans on here, but has anybody got experience of the Whippet, or is there anything else I should be considering.
Budget is up to £2k and I'd like a good component spec for that as well if poss. The other point to consider is that I want reliability, something I can just clean and lube, and that will keep working with minimal maintenance. I'm not into tinkering, mainly because I tend to break something when I do!
have a look over on singletrackworld, there is a thread on the forum titled something like "show me your lightweight xc race bikes" - might be useful for inspiration as that seems to be th sort of thing you are after...
have to be honest, carbon whippet is what I would probably go for, you can get good component bargains from the usual online suspects and build a really nice, light and fast bike for a fair bit under £2k....
have to be honest, carbon whippet is what I would probably go for, you can get good component bargains from the usual online suspects and build a really nice, light and fast bike for a fair bit under £2k....
I just broke my arm again so I'm selling my carbon Cube Reaction GTC SL.
10.3kg and great spec, with full XT etc.
I only bought it to compete in the Manx end2end so it's seen very little use.
If your interested it's 10 months old, and I'm looking for £1k. Retail was £1800, it can come with xt spds and a few other extras too.
10.3kg and great spec, with full XT etc.
I only bought it to compete in the Manx end2end so it's seen very little use.
If your interested it's 10 months old, and I'm looking for £1k. Retail was £1800, it can come with xt spds and a few other extras too.
Mchammer - yes I've seen your Lurcher before and it's lovely. How do you find it with the rigid fork?
GSP - appreciate the offer, unfortunately Cube's don't do anything for me aesthetically, sorry
Pablo - cheers for the heads up on that thread, should keep me busy for a bit
GSP - appreciate the offer, unfortunately Cube's don't do anything for me aesthetically, sorry
Pablo - cheers for the heads up on that thread, should keep me busy for a bit
Edited by antspants on Monday 15th April 21:31
antspants said:
Mchammer - yes I've seen your Lurcher before and it's lovely. How do you find it with the rigid fork?
GSP - appreciate the offer, unfortunately Cube's don't do anything for me aesthetically, sorry
Pablo - cheers for the heads up on that thread, should keep me busy for a bit
They are not bad looking bike... especially compared to the On Ones, quality is 10x better tooGSP - appreciate the offer, unfortunately Cube's don't do anything for me aesthetically, sorry
Pablo - cheers for the heads up on that thread, should keep me busy for a bit
Edited by antspants on Monday 15th April 21:31
Compared to the Cotic Soul in orange or green though you have a point.
I've got a Scott Scale 35 which I love.
It's a 2011 model and with an average of 70miles a week, every week (used to use it for commuting as well as loops around my local trails in Bristol 2 or 3 times a week, and the monthly 2-day weekenders in Afan / Brecfa / Cym-Carn) over the years I've had to replace a fair few items... wheels, drivetrain, headset, countless brake pads, chains, tyres, gear cables etc... none due to bad quality, but all due to being thoroughly used and worn-out.
As a seasoned PH'er and following my upgrade broken bits with better bits philosopy on my cars, all component replacements were upgrades (which are all still working really well) so the frame is now adorned with mainly XT stuff with shiny bits from Hope, Mavic, Crank Bros etc.
I would recommend the Scott to anyone and seem to recall picking it up in 2012 as last year's model for around £1.2k which I was very pleased with.
It's a 2011 model and with an average of 70miles a week, every week (used to use it for commuting as well as loops around my local trails in Bristol 2 or 3 times a week, and the monthly 2-day weekenders in Afan / Brecfa / Cym-Carn) over the years I've had to replace a fair few items... wheels, drivetrain, headset, countless brake pads, chains, tyres, gear cables etc... none due to bad quality, but all due to being thoroughly used and worn-out.
As a seasoned PH'er and following my upgrade broken bits with better bits philosopy on my cars, all component replacements were upgrades (which are all still working really well) so the frame is now adorned with mainly XT stuff with shiny bits from Hope, Mavic, Crank Bros etc.
I would recommend the Scott to anyone and seem to recall picking it up in 2012 as last year's model for around £1.2k which I was very pleased with.
I've got a Cotic Soul built with SID XC Race forks, Stans NoTubes wheelset, Hope brakes and a few nice bits and it weighs in at 10kg.
It replaced a Santa Cruz Blur XC, as the riding I do just doesn't need full suspension. I don't ride as much off road now, so when I do riding just a front-suspension bike is a great experience and it does ride really nicely. I'm sure the steel frame does help take some off the trail "buzz" out and with the SID's finally set up nicely it's a great ride.
It also looks awesome in orange!
It replaced a Santa Cruz Blur XC, as the riding I do just doesn't need full suspension. I don't ride as much off road now, so when I do riding just a front-suspension bike is a great experience and it does ride really nicely. I'm sure the steel frame does help take some off the trail "buzz" out and with the SID's finally set up nicely it's a great ride.
It also looks awesome in orange!
antspants said:
Mchammer - yes I've seen your Lurcher before and it's lovely. How do you find it with the rigid fork?
Far and away the best rigid fork i've ever used. Haven't used a suspension fork since I was a nipper with an old Apollo MTB. So good to ride, haven't raced it yet but i'm sure it'll be a hell of a lot faster than anything else i've ever raced!Also, if you buy the Whippet and decide it isn't for you, you've got a buyer here!
Edited by mchammer89 on Tuesday 16th April 17:15
To be honest I'm not a big 29er fan. It's not that I don't get the benefits, particularly for XC, but I don't like the big wheel look. I was considering 650b as a compromise although there doesn't appear to be a great deal of choice currently. I've read the Whippet can run 650b wheels though.
I'm in two minds again as to what to do, as I've been out on my Zesty tonight at Cannock and really enjoyed the ride. However, there is no doubt that it needs a new bottom bracket, and the fork could do with a service, so do I spend money on that or sell it and get something else, mmmm....
At the moment I'm tempted to just service the Zesty and see how often I can get to Cannock after work. I don't want to buy a new bike, very tempting though it is, then just find it gathering dust.
I'm in two minds again as to what to do, as I've been out on my Zesty tonight at Cannock and really enjoyed the ride. However, there is no doubt that it needs a new bottom bracket, and the fork could do with a service, so do I spend money on that or sell it and get something else, mmmm....
At the moment I'm tempted to just service the Zesty and see how often I can get to Cannock after work. I don't want to buy a new bike, very tempting though it is, then just find it gathering dust.
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