As the title says, I have a giant reign and I am considering swaping for a ns surge or carge blender, reasonable all day bikes with nice geometry for general hacking/jumping fun. I already have a dh bike, I just feel that I don't massively like the way the reign rides, or any full sus mid travel job. Am I being stupid?

A charge blender really isn't a 'reasonable all day bike'
I didn't think NS surges were either

If you dont like it you wont enjoy it. Ride what you want.

Yup 😆

They are more jump orientated but you are supposed to be able ride them all day, according to the jive that they talk on both websites, a bit like an origional trailstar I guess. There is alot of marketing guff though so I was wondering if anyone else had experiences of this?

Went from a 2006 enduro to a dialled alpine, had it about a year or so now and no regrets, I sometimes wish I still had a full suss but as you have a DH bike that shouldn't be an issue.

Similar to rs, I went from a 2006 Enduro to Dialled Prince Albert as my only mtb. Mostly no regrets – I occassionally miss the enduro, but when I had both, the Enduro always stayed in the shed so I sold it.

The PA is fun fun fun.

A charge blender really isn't a 'reasonable all day bike'

+1

I have a Reign and a Blender, and I wouldn't take the latter on an all-day ride. It's really slack.

recomend me some steel hardtail frames that are then please

Charge Duster, bargaintastic offer from Wiggle:

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/Charge_Duster_XT_2009/5360039085/

Cotic Soul, Cove Handjob, OnOne, Orange P7 …

I have gone from a Foes FXR and a Sanderson to just an Evil Sovereign.

Not been out as much as i would have hoped since i bought it but have never found myself wishing i was on the Foes instead.

I would not hesitate to recomend the frame.

Wouldnt a 456 suffice…?

I see there's a Dialled PA in the classifieds actually (nothing to do with me btw).

Those Dusters are a cracking deal, but you seem to want something slightly more sturdy. I'd steer clear of the Handjob too. I love mine but it's a bit flimsy for jumping and stuff.

I would say don't buy the charge as those video adverts that used to appear here still bug me 👿

Sanderson Blitz worth looking at?

Cove Sanchez fits what you're looking for but I'd agree that Dirt / Jump bikes really aren't 'all day' bikes – unless you're jumping dirt all day.

I understand that they're slack but so are orange 5s infact the head angle is the same, if you use 160mm forks, I have 140mm forks, would probably set them to 120 or 100 and remove the travel adjust. There seem to more jump specific bikes by both of these companies. The description on the web site say 4x jump and short hacks. The only xc rides I go on are pretty much short hacks I do have a bmx but I can't ride 4x tracks on that. Really want to ride some 4x tracks, pretty much the only xc I do is out in the peak or trail centres, do have some reservations about really long rides out in the peak but they're fewer and far in between.

Really looking for an all rounder as aposed to a jump or xc specific bike, I know I'm gonna have to compromise at some point over what I want, I also don't want to spend too much money.

For a few reasons I swapped my full susser for a Soul a few weeks ago

At first I wasnt sure but having fitted (and tweaked) a Magura Thor Im totally into it

To start with I wondered if Id made a mistake
Especially on the rough bits

But swapping the fork for 140mm and getting it sorted has got me belting down slopes and rock gardens just like I used to on my FS

The biggest difference is that my legs are pretty knackered after each ride although to be honest Im enjoying being hammered as it must mean its better exercise and so good for you

Mustnt it?

🙂

I went from RM Slayer to a dialled alpine! I LOOOOOOOVE the bike and have no regrets! it will be the best thing you have done (makes you ride the bike properly!
look at the genisis alptitude but I am bias towards the alpine (also cotic BFE).
check out older posts re long travel HT's

good luck and happy riding

Lee

I've been riding my HT exclusively for the last 12 months instead of my full susser. I'm having as much fun, perhaps even more.

I'm clearly not as fast on the rough stuff, since those on F/S'ers start to open gaps out on choppy stuff, but it feels like I'm going as fast. Its a far more communicative ride which I think is more rewarding than straight out blast-through-everything speed you can achieve on a full susser.

I'm alot fitter for this coming summer, so I dare say I may find the summer more rough than last year, since I'm capable of more speed for longer periods now, which will make it feel rough for longer in the dry.

I'm unlikely to ever get rid of my full-susser – its my do everything, go anywhere bike for the bigger and wilder places of this world, but for much of my local riding, it just stays in the garage these days.

I went from a Meta5 to a Blue Pig, not regretted it one bit.

Blue Pig sounds perfect for what you want and the cost is good also.

went from a meta 5 to a 456 – selling the meta as i will never build it again.

you couild buy a 456 for £110 see if you like it before shifting the reign.

Well just to put the other side I went from a 6 inch hardtail back to a 6 inch full suss. I found that the hardtail was compromised on long descents, particularly alpine and/or man made down hill courses. While it was fun, I'm not good enough to really make it flow on this sort of stuff to the same extent as a full suss.

Having said that if I thought I had space for another (5th) bike I would have a 'hardcore' hardtail in addition.

So my advice is get a new bike, don't swap.

Get a Trailstar. That'll do the job. 140mm forks, 1 x 9 and you're ready to have a hoot.

Ive got a Pitch (so quite similar to the reign) and a Sovereign both are great but the sov is much more suited to my local riding. I love the Pitch and it will be better for long days in the rocky hills and I take it DHing as I cant justify/afford a DH bike.

I also have a steel frame for sale cheap if your interested.

Yeah I kind of thought trailstar, looking at the ns surge and the trail star there is very little difference except the head angle on the surge/blender is a good 4 degrees steeper, the rest of the geo is pretty similar. I think the trailstar has a slightly longer tt as well.

What frame you got?

Wassell99 already mentioned it – the genesis alpitude. Crackin wee bike. Ideal for everything up to the point where you'd want a dh bike.

The new MBUK has a grouptest of longish-travel HT frames, lot of steel ones in it.

It's the mag with "This is EPIC!" on the front.

Blender for sale here:

Charge Blender…

I suppose it all depends on where you ride. If you really don't need a full suss, then go for it (I've always liked the look of the Orange P7, and the Cotic Soul should also be on your list. Coves aren't bad either). BUT, no way would I go back to a hardtail, it way too rocky where I ride. Lots of people do, and I guess that's personal choice, but I used to feel like I'd been beaten up after 20 miles on the hardtail. Don't get that now on the full suss. Does where you ride demand that your ride something burlier, or can you get on just fine with a hardtail ?

All this is just an opinion of course, but I'll ask the question anyway.

Reading this thread with interest. Im seriously thinking of chucking in my FS for a HT. Just dont feel I need it anymore for my riding. Back to basics. Love the look of the 2010 Soul and also the 2010 Handjob xc. Not sure which. I know they are different.

One last question, as I really know jack about hardtails why are the OnOne brand so cheap compared to the say, Cotics? Is it the material used, workmanship?

I'd love to know.

Depends what you mean by all day bike really. 3 of us did the brecon beast (60k enduro, shed loads of climbing) on an ns bikes surge, ns bikes society and a patriot and were all fine, it's what your used to I guess.

One last question, as I really know jack about hardtails why are the OnOne brand so cheap compared to the say, Cotics? Is it the material used, workmanship?

okay I'll take the bait…

On Ones are cheaper cromo tubing, and built to a price. There used to be problems with the paint falling I believe but as I've never owned one myself I cant be sure. Benefits: they are cheap! Plenty people like em though. Stack em high and sell em cheap. Volume…

Cotics are 853 tubing (mostly) and IIRC are built and include everything you'd want from a HT frame: decent paint job, head tube badge, chain stay protector, quality seat clamp (or something). I think they are ~1 lb lighter as a result. But all that costs. I think Cy's marketing plan is that by producing a 'premium' product enough people will be prepared to pay more. So he can make a living…

I never got on with my handjob (06 model). Like the low slung Soul vibe a lot though.

HTH/MH

have you looked at transition AM? I've never ridden one, but i like the look of the thing.

Similar predicament. Thinking of ditching this

but maybe keeping the forks and throwing them on this occasionally for some long travel hard tail fun as I hardly ever use the yeti.

i had an ellsworth moment and found myself hardly ever using it as i was taking out my DB Alpine on most of my local rides. In the end i sold the ellsworth as it only was taken out when i went to europe or trail centres.

i now have a DB Alpine 140mm travel and a DB Love/Hate fully rigid bike. over the last 2-3 months the Alpine has not left the garage and the fully rigid bike has been my choice to ride.

appears i am upgrading in reverse!!

Although I am very keen on my Maverick I have barely touched it since my Genesis Core 40 turned up…the only change I made on the standard Core was a pair of Monkey Lites. The Genesis is surprisingly comfortably and very lithe and quick (and a quarter of the price). GF now in love with the maverick so that solves a problem.

rj why are you selling? Is it because you have a bad back from riding a 4x/jump/hack bike as an xc bike or just because? Also only interested in the frame headset seat clamp and seat post and chain guide. Krag did you have ns surge set up 1 x 9?

A jumpy bike will be fine, but if you climb while sat down you really need to be looking at the seat angle. A slacker seat angle will have your backside over the rear wheel and you'll be sat on the nose of the saddle the whole time. Steeper seat angle is better for climbing. You said that the Orange 5 has the same head angle as one of the frames you're looking at – I bet it's got a steeper seat angle though and that's what makes it more of an all rounder.