Gents, my shoulder is healed, doc says I can ride again, I'm fat and don't want to be, and now I'm not a broke guy stringing together bikes with hand-me-down parts or used stuff that I repair with JB weld (RIP, Fox forks).
I have a few different options in mind, looking primarily at Trail / AM / Enduro / buzzword bikes but I'm leaning quite heavily towards one…
1. Scott Genius. Seriously, remote lockout for front and rear, adjustable shock mount, great specs at various price points (I'm looking around 6 +/- a bit).
2. Rocky Mountain Altitude(s). Ditto (minus the remote lockout bit). And 9 way adjustments? Are you for real? How sick is that??? They knocked it out of the park from what I can see. (this one is the clear leader in my mind, but I hear bad things from time to time about the longevity of the fox forks last year… any info? I haven't been paying much attention to the industry while injured and lazy - might swap the fork for a pike if that's clearly the better fork and I go with this one, or make sure I get a talas).
3. Pivot Mach - Change nothing. Looks great. Except feelings about the fork above, I don't know what to do there.
4. Knolly Warden. I loved the podium when I rode it, no reason to think I won't love this. With the XT / Race face components, and one of the shocks.
Thoughts folks? Help me spend my real job dollars on a bike, good times, and a smaller stomach.