XC bike?

What are people liking for an XC'ish bike that climbs like a demon and can handle trails like Severed with grace?

I'm considering picking up a more XC oriented bike and looking at a few different options, all around the $1000-1200 USD mark as indicated in the poll. All bikes are 29'ers of course. The Honzo is probably more than I need in an XC bike but I like the range of this ride. Thinking like 4+ hour type rides for this bike, say pedal from home (NBby) to Seymour then over to Fromme and back home. I might stretch the budget a bit for a newer machine with more modern geo that I can keep around a lot longer.

Honzo Steel.

It came down to three for me - honzo, trans am, stumpy. A three year old stumpy is probably going to need some maintenance and will defeat the purpose of an inexpensive ride.

Between the two hardtails, the transition has a shorter top tube and slacker seat tube, so for a pedaling/climbing bike I don't think it will perform as well. The transam has a slightly slacker headtube but I suspect descending would be more or less a wash between the two. Honzo Steel.

Posted by: RAHrider

A three year old stumpy is probably going to need some maintenance and will defeat the purpose of an inexpensive ride.

Between the two hardtails, the transition has a shorter top tube and slacker seat tube, so for a pedaling/climbing bike I don't think it will perform as well. The transam has a slightly slacker headtube but I suspect descending would be more or less a wash between the two. Honzo Steel.

Thanks for the tip on the Trans Am, I was thinking that the Honzo would be a bit of a better climber.

I don't mind doing some maintenance on an older bike as I pretty much do all my own work. But yeah, saving a couple hundred bucks to get something newer makes more sense.

If you're interested in a pretty mint 2017 Devinci Django in medium with most parts new from my Specialized Fuse, feel free to PM me for details

I have a Satori, its too heavy to be a true xc bike.

Posted by: Ninja

I have a Satori, its too heavy to be a true xc bike.

I'm looking for something that's xc'ish and could still get abused a little bit,  not necessarily a true lightweight xc bike. The Satori is in that zone. I'm not after a true weight weenie XC bike, but I guess they are far more capable these days and could potentially go that route. I'm looking at something new as my old 26" wheeled Explosif isn't really cutting the mustard in some areas and the fork is due for replacement soon. With it being a straight steer tube my options are pretty limited so I'm thinking relegate the Explosif to commuter duty and get an XC'ish bike to replace it.

Posted by: UFO

If you're interested in a pretty mint 2017 Devinci Django in medium with most parts new from my Specialized Fuse, feel free to PM me for details

thanks but I'm after a large

Im very happy on my 2014 Stumpy when riding the shore and lower mainland trails, I think a 2016 would be an excellent choice. 

I love hardtails but for this a nice FS will be faster and more comfortable, particularly if you’re feeling the effects of a couple decades of clean livin’ and good decisions the way I do.

Posted by: syncro

thanks but I'm after a large

Keep in mind you've got a mix of bikes on your list with older and newer geometry. I had a 2014 M/L Satori (same geo as your 2012) to get a modernish reach in most 2016/17+ mediums. The Satori is quite a bit of bike, it handled Whistler Park duties for me with 27.5x2.8 tires. I'd suggest there could be a lot of overlap with your Warden.

A 2019 Chromag Rootdown m/l popped up on pb today for $650, that's a great starting point for what you want

XC is lame. 

It’s all about down country or some stupid shit now.

For me, it would be between the Honzo and 2016 Stumpy, just because they both have fairly modern geometry. For what you're after, I think an older Transition Smuggler or Kona Process 111 would be ideal. These bikes were ahead of their time and match up well with current models, so you may be able to find a good deal on an older one.

Posted by: UFO

Keep in mind you've got a mix of bikes on your list with older and newer geometry. I had a 2014 M/L Satori (same geo as your 2012) to get a modernish reach in most 2016/17+ mediums. The Satori is quite a bit of bike, it handled Whistler Park duties for me with 27.5x2.8 tires. I'd suggest there could be a lot of overlap with your Warden.

A 2019 Chromag Rootdown m/l popped up on pb today for $650, that's a great starting point for what you want

That's a good point - thanks.  I'm probably going to nix that Satori as like you say there's too much overlap with my Warden and I want to push a bit more to the lighter/xc end of the spectrum. That Rootdown is a possibility. The advantage of getting just a frame/fork/wheels for what I'm after is finishing the bike off with parts I have which puts the build under the $1000CDN mark which is ideally where I'd like to be.

Posted by: D_C_

For me, it would be between the Honzo and 2016 Stumpy, just because they both have fairly modern geometry. For what you're after, I think an older Transition Smuggler or Kona Process 111 would be ideal. These bikes were ahead of their time and match up well with current models, so you may be able to find a good deal on an older one.

Yeah I've had a look in that direction but those options put me about $700-800 over the pricepoint I'd like to hit.

None on that list. 

Keep hunting for a deal on a Process 111.