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Kona Stinky Primo Travel 5 inches, Weight 35 pounds, Price £2499.
Now we're in Freeride territory! Kona are vying to become the North Shore Kings and this 5 inch travel bike is built to take big jumps and drops. Like the Giant AC1 the linkage geometry is designed to stiffen the rear end when pedalling hard. The result is a true Dirt/Freerider that can be pedalled up big hills if you're prepared to do the work. The travel feels like more than 5 inches when the trails point down. The fox Vanilla R coil over rear shock will last better than an air shock and react to every bump. Just don't buy this bike if you're going to make an issue of it's weight, it's not light but it is tough. Even with the over 35 pound weight these 'Out of Bounds' bikes can be broken, Kona's very limited guarantee makes this your responsibility. Standard reservations on the multiple pivots.
Intense Uzzi SLX travel 6 inches, weight 9.1 pounds, price £1795 frame only!
Available as a frame only this is a fully active Freerider for those without a ski pass. Built from years of experience being the best Downhill and XC designers you're expecting a formidable ride and the SLX delivers, for a price. Expect to anti-up for replacement pivot bearing sets annually as well. This is too much bike for a lot of trail riders and XC boys would be better off looking at the Uzzi SL with four and a half inch travel, or the superb Tracer. With a 9.1 pound frame weight it's going to be hard to build a full bike below 35 pounds, so if you're counting the grams you're also looking at the wrong frame. Even more so than the Kona this is a Downhill bike that can be pedalled and take out all kinds of hits on the way down.
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The Multi Pivot Vs. Single Pivot Argument
Multi-pivot bikes can be made fully active (the suspension is unaffected by pedalling chain tension) Fully active long travel bikes are often terrible climbers though. The bikes in this feature all have some stiffening of the suspension when pedalling in the granny/middle rings, this helps prevent energy sapping 'bob' whilst climbing. This 'desirable' effect can be achieved with a simple high forward pivot, producing a long travel bike that climbs pretty well. Multiple pivot designs tend to suffer more in the year round wet conditions in the UK. Small amounts of wear at all those hinges results in a wandering rear end. You'll have enough maintenance to do with a shock and forks without adding to the workload. Whichever frame you choose it's highly advisable to choose a company that's going to supply you with spare parts in the future. If the frame has a replaceable derailleur hanger, carry a spare. Stock up on replacement seal kits, bearings and pivots before they wear out as they can be a long time on order (if ever!). If a manufacturer goes bust or considers your frame obsolete it will be expensive scrap alloy.
Which would we choose?
I'd be happy to take any of these bikes out on the trail when the going gets tough. But as MTB Britain leans towards the XC end of the scale I'd have to say the Marin (with Hope disks) would be our top pick. The Marin main pivot is a proven long term performer in the grinding paste world of British trails. If I was to choose a big hitter that wasn't for ultra-long rides, it would be the Santa Cruz Bullit with Marzocchi Z1 or Shiver SC and Hope
Enduros.
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