More a musing than looking to buy one but it’s something I have looked at before.

There are plenty of lightweight, racey, fast paced looking 100mm travel frames around but what about one that you can run a longer fork on and just arse about with?

I had a Hemlock a while back but didn’t get on with it. I also had a Meta 4 but this was too long and lardy and with 140mm Pikes on seemed a bit of a chore.

The only option that really stands out is for a 4X frame but then you’re compromising on a frame that you can actually ride distances.

So if you ride a BFe, Apline (Dialled) or something like that but want a bit of travel at the back (but not too much) what options are there?

orange blood or st4, banshee spitfire (ish), cannondale rize

I dont think anything exists but if something did then I’d probably buy it. 4x frames would be perfect but they usually only have a 16inch seat tube (max) which isnt ideal for putting the saddle up high with.

Someone mentioned a pivot mach 4 the other day, dont know what they are but worth looknig aT?

older trance.

ran one for YEARS with 5″ forks on front. sexy fun.

Nicolai Helius CC – adjustable down to 88, 102, 118, 129mm. It will become slacker with a lower bb when at the lower rear travel settings with a longer fork.

Alternatively the current Helius AC with a 50mm stroke shock can be run at 106mm at the rear.

I have to say my CC which is fitted with a Talas 140 fork is superb.

pivot mach 4

There’s your answer.

Having said that, I’ve got a 100mm Pronghorn, and that’s tremendous fun in a how-am-I-still-intact? kinda way. I ride it on all sorts of terrain.

EDIT: Also, the Morewood Zula takes bigger forks (my buddy runs 100-130mm? Revs) and is built like a brick shitehouse.

been running a cannondale rush and a 130mm revelation for a while and it’s a keeper. Most 100mm bikes end up with a silly high bb once you start adding fork length.

fork at 120mm in the pic

rush5 by simon gardiner, on Flickr

At risk of becoming a parrot over it, have you checked out the Pivot Mach 4? There soon to be released M4X (yes it’s a 4X version) of the same frame looks to have major potential.

Along with the SC Superlight, surprisingly tough, though more at home as “bruiser” with 120mm up front.

Rift Zone? 4″ travel but built for trails more than racing from what I gather. I’ve no idea how it would handle longer forks.

Why are you all listing lightweight xc frames?

They arent going to survive jumps/drops/dh tracks.

Standard answer from me – track down a Blur 4X. I had a Soul for a couple of years but wanted something that would take more of a beating, allow me to run bigger forks (had a trip to the Alps looming too) but pedal like a hardtail and be ok for long days in the saddle. Blur ticked all the boxes.

Run mine with 160mm 36 Floats, doesn’t feel wander-ey at all. Ever. 70mm stem, 760mm bars, Joplin 3, 1×9 setup etc. Its superb. Really, really superb.

I’m a bit of a serial bike swapper but every time I get itchy feet with the Blur, I look at what else there is out there to replace it with and/or go for a ride on it and change my mind.

Well worth trying to track one down if you can. Mines a medium and I’m 5’8″ – wouldn’t want to be any taller on a medium. The large is about the same height but an inch longer I think…

Oh, BTW, the ONLY frame/bike I’ve seen I’d like to have a go on with a view to changing my Blur, is the GT Distortion. Looks awesome.

Infact, I used to have the ideal bike myself. 2003 specialized supercross, it was a bit small for me for xc stuff though but it was good fun and heavy (so it must have been strong)

Yeh that GT looks ok. The saracen ariel looks ok too but its got an inch too much travel

Like I say it’s not a plan to buy one (although it could be the start of a slippery slope). At the moment I have a BFe which is ace but there are times when a bit of squish would be good to take the edge of things and to ease my slightly shonky back. When I’ve built up frames like Hecklers etc they’ve ended up seeming a bit overkill and I have a DH bike for days on our downhill courses.

Threads I’ve read about Superlights and so on seem to suggest they are much happier running 100mm forks with all round ground covering builds.

At the moment I have a hardtail which rides well downhill, works on big days out and will fail long after I do on more severe trails.

Seems a shame that Cotic didn’t develop the Hemlock idea further, ho hum.

They arent going to survive jumps/drops/dh tracks.

Where did he say “fun = jumps/drops/dh”?
That and any number of these lightweight frame listed above will quite happily survive jumps/drops/dh.

and again parroting… SL works well with 120mm forks as a trailbike, but is a race machine @ 100mm IMHO of course..

There arent many that dont have horrible racey type geometry..

but
Transition double
commencal absolute
Mythic rampant

the ragley fs is 100/150, not sure when it’s due though.

no, not a cannondale rize.

i spent the last six monts riding one and can not vouch for it as a hooligan bike.

i’d go for a Liteville 301

can be built up with various rear ends giving between 100 – 150mm of travel. will take a 100 – 170mm fork.

light and stiff as buggery. bit pricey, though.

tracknicko – Member
older trance.

Agree – seem pretty overbuilt for a xc bike, so ideal for pissing about in the woods (have people broken them often ?) and ride better with a 130/140 fork than the 100-120 suggested. BB is pretty low so they take the longer fork well.

2003 specialized supercross, it was a bit small for me for xc stuff though but it was good fun and heavy (so it must have been strong)

great bikes but I snapped two sets of chainstays.

ive had 3 trances. never broke any.

well not in a catasrophic way anyways.

have a bit of a reputation for breaking bits, frames themseleves always did very well!

Where did he say “fun = jumps/drops/dh”?

Jumps/drops/dh is fun

That and any number of these lightweight frame listed above will quite happily survive jumps/drops/dh.

Although maybe not the sort that a 5.5lb full sus frame will cope with.

want that liteville! sadly bank account says don’t you bloody dare! 🙂

Alpin, where do you get Liteville from in the UK?

Gt Distortion, no question. Had a demo one for a few weeks, was awesome.

Complete bikes only though and not many left for the year.

2011 Rize (RZ120) has altered geometry, is now classed as a trail bike, slacker head angles this year, although completes only again.

Hmm, might have to try and track down a demo.

Calling STW – have you still got yours? Want to lend it me for a week?

Although maybe not the sort that a 5.5lb full sus frame will cope with.

only if your a biffer 😉

where do you get Liteville from in the UK?

Posh bike in maidstone, used to be a UK dealer/distributer but are no longer listed on the Liteville site… give em a ring/email?

or a gnarler

grrrrrrrrrr

watch yourself, that amount of gnarl could melt a morewood zula

I have an old 4″ Trance. Rides much better with a 130mm fork than the 100mm stock unit. Lardy, but fun.

what about a Blackmarket Killswitch or DMR Bolt. not exactly sure how much travel you can stick up front but they’re both solid short-travel bikes designed to be thrown about the place.

They’re full suspension dirt jump frames? They look pointless and are no better (worse infact) than a 4x frame

Blur TRc, size large, then sell it to me (and lol)

old trance with a 130mm fork here too. if you are breaking such a frame on jumps and drops then you need to smooth out your riding style, or ride a hardtail for a while to figure out how to ride smoothly. I think people that learn to mtb on full sus don’t understand how to use their bodies to absorb energy.

all about the old trances! tho i just sold mine and am having a HT revival.

I had this quandry back along and settled on a £190 Trance frame from the bay, great fun..

DSCF6597 by Jackass123456789, on Flickr

I made this last week. Same travel as my old Epic but much more chuckable.

Needs more testing but so far i’m very pleased with it.

Blur Classic… (straight out of the stand)

Tested!

That DMR looks fun 🙂 I do like my ST4 (110m rear/120mm front).

Triggers Broom by Alex Leigh, on Flickr

1300km+ now since last Sept. Really fun bike to ride. Not exactly light but otherwise ace. Fella I ride with has an Anthem X. He loves that, quite lively steering then!