Which quiver of 1?

[Terrapin Ben]

I am a little out of the loop riding an antiquated bike (2020 Ransom) and am trying to help a friend pick his first MTB. He is of the 'buy once, cry once' mentality, and is looking for a general trail bike that can handle the occasional lift assist/bike park day. His budget is 5k to get fully kitted - bike, helmet, pedals, shoes. He'd be riding all over Western MT. I was leaning towards recommending a Stumpy Evo. What would the maggot collective recommend?

[zion zig zag]

I just picked up a Stumpy Evo for that use. I wanted to do everything from long, backcountry days to shuttles in Oaxaca and local backyard (Ogden) lunch laps. So far I'm liking it. Seems to pedal fine, maybe a touch slower climbing than my Smuggler but I can't say I care or notice. I also can't say that I've felt overbiked on the shoreline trails enough to bother me.

[Wes Mantooth]

I've been on a Revel Rascal for 4 years and it hits all those boxes to the point where I don't even lust for a new bike. But it's a crowded market right now that's pretty much in "can't go wrong" territory so you're gonna get lots of opinions. It's kinda like asking which 108mm underfoot ski is most versatile

I'd compile a list of the best 140/150mm frames right now and then have him look in the used market for whichever has the most decked out build within his budget

[toast2266]

Stumpy evo

Transition sentinel (new version likely dropping soonish. Old version might go on sale)

Plenty of other competent bikes in that class, but those 2 would be top of my list.


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[Eluder]

Sentinel, it's easily the most rounded bike I have owned. It was Specialized target with the Evo, but the leverage ratio is better on the Transition. They are on sale now with a new version with UDH and swat ready to go. $4500 gets you a GX carbon bike with good brakes and suspension.

[nickwm21]

Ripmo


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[Terrapin Ben]

A Sentinel is a good call. Thanks guys!

[east or bust]

I think that GX carbon Sentinel build is the best deal out there on a bike in the category currently.

One of my buds just got the alloy (which I believe is the same spec other than the frame) and it has a nice component list for that price point.


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[jhyatt]

I would add Santa Cruz Tallboy

But try to demo some bikes. See which clicks. Or is on sale.

[SchralphMacchio]

So many good do it all bikes now, including the Sentinel. I demoed a Spire back to back against the Sentinel last Fall and found the Spire to be a more stable and less wandering climber, I suspect due to the longer chainstay relative to front end. And the Spire would be happier on lift assist days …
But what I really wanted to say is that you should probably convince your friend to rent a bike for bike park days rather than taking a bike that’s been built as a do it all ride onto the chairlift. Braking bumps and baseball sized rocks kicking up off your front tire are not great for pedal friendly bikes.

[El Chupacabra]

So many good do it all bikes now....


But what I really wanted to say is that you should probably convince your friend to rent a bike for bike park days rather than taking a bike that’s been built as a do it all ride onto the chairlift. Braking bumps and baseball sized rocks kicking up off your front tire are not great for pedal friendly bikes.

Agreed on all this. In my mind, a bike suited to frequent bike park (lift days) usage isn't a bike I'd want to pedal often on trail rides. And a bike I'd pick for trail pedaling use (ie not mostly shuttle rides or lift served) wouldn't hold up great to DH focused usage.

So which end of that spectrum does OP's friend lean towards?

[nickwm21]

I would add Santa Cruz Tallboy

A long shocked / coiled tallboy is my dream bike. 150F/130R is my ideal trail bike


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[SchralphMacchio]

A long shocked / coiled tallboy is my dream bike. 150F/130R is my ideal trail bike


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https://cascadecomponents.bike/products/v5-tallboy-link

[TAFKALVS]

My spire pedals freakishly well for a 170/170 bike.

[SchralphMacchio]

My spire pedals freakishly well for a 170/170 bike.

It blew my mind and expectations on a Transition demo day. None of the other bikes I rode that day (Spur, Sentinel, Patrol) had the same emotional impact. And not that I did not enjoy those bikes - just that my experience on those was generally in line with expectations, versus the Spire feeling like a next level of engineering and bike feel from Transition. The only knock I had on it was that for low speed trail systems it felt like would get boring because it’s so damp and settled that it seems to crave very high descending speeds to come alive.

[Dee Hubbs]

N+1

[singlesline]

My spire pedals freakishly well for a 170/170 bike.

Pretty good deals on Spires right now too: https://transitionbikes.com/Bikes_Spire_Closeout.cfm

[Terrapin Ben]

Agreed on all this. In my mind, a bike suited to frequent bike park (lift days) usage isn't a bike I'd want to pedal often on trail rides. And a bike I'd pick for trail pedaling use (ie not mostly shuttle rides or lift served) wouldn't hold up great to DH focused usage.

Sage wisdom, and I agree whole heartedly. However, that is a tough pill to swallow for someone just getting into riding.

Another buddy stepped up with a sweet offer on a bike he was looking to unload - the councilman services his constituents well! So I think my friend is ending up with a sweet used RM Altitude.

[SchralphMacchio]

Another buddy stepped up with a sweet offer on a bike he was looking to unload … RM Altitude.

Rad!

someone just getting into riding.

In that case your friend *definitely* will want to rent at a bike park rather than crash his every day ride!

[whyturn]

Revel rascal or 27.5 rail


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[funkendrenchman]

Ripmo


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Agreed. V3 will be out soon which means better deals on the V2.

[mcski]

I know this is petty, but I don’t think I could buy another Ibis since they replaced the old school badge/logo. I think that move is a bad omen

[GravityDT]

After a Ransom 900 Tuned then a Revel Rascal I landed on a Hightower last spring and over forked the Lyrik to 160 and threw a Cascade Link on it to bump up to 150-153mm in the rear. Have achieved my analog nirvana. Mini-Megatower. All day trail rides or chasing my from down the park it has done it all. And zero issues. Loved the Revel but pivots were a train wreck in the noise department

[altacoup]

Pretty good deals on Spires right now too: https://transitionbikes.com/Bikes_Spire_Closeout.cfm

Thank god and I spared my lady’s wrath that they are sold out of the gx alloy in sz L. I was ready to buy.


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[SchralphMacchio]

Thank god and I spared my lady’s wrath that they are sold out of the gx alloy in sz L. I was ready to buy.


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Oh, don’t you worry, I bet all their dealers have basically the same pricing right now, if not better, and surely there is a dealer within two hours of you that has one in stock in your size!