Talk to me about "All rounders"

Cheers guys! Maybe I shouldn't have dismissed the five then.

I could adapt the patriot, but I like yourself find it a little heavy for trail duties...

When I say long rides I mean just a ride with friends, not a race or anything....

I do recall that most 2nd hand fives seem to be 18" frames though, which it too big for me to point down a hill. I'd rather have a 16" with the saddle up....
 
You'll be fine on an 18, especially for longer rides.

I'm a bit shorter than you and ride a medium Spesh...my SX, Big Hit and Demo 9 were all this size and were perfect.

I used to like riding dinky bikes, but got hacked off with banging my knees on the bars when sprinting and then discovered that a bigger bike was easier to pilot and much more stable. The large SX / Enduro feels like a barge though.

It the Patriot is a bit porky for longer rides I'd steer clear of the SX as they're heavier, especially the later ones with more travel. Mine comes in about 32lbs but the 36's are light, as are the Atlas cranks and Superstar pedals. With Z150's, Diabolus cranks and Azonic A frames it was the best part of 37lbs!
 
orange five,
lapierre zesty (or spicy if you want a bit more travel),
specialized stumpjumper FSR,
santa cruz blur lt,
titus el guapo,

lots of options out there, just depends which side of the fence you wish to be in... more xc based or more gravity based.

Any bike you buy will compromise one thing to improve another... what improves climbing will make descending harder/more twitchy and vice versa.
 
Blur LT is a good call. I really want one but can't find a frame for sensible money.

If you've got the cash a Blur 4x is a great burly all rounder. Although it doesn't have loads of travel it has great angles and is a tad stiffer than the other Blurs. Downside is that they have such a following and are so highly regarded which means they're quite expensive.
 
I think AM is the category you are looking for and certainly many fit this category now.
I love my morewood shova though its an older one and im not sure fi the tad newer ones are a bit less beefy. However there is the morewood mbuzi i think its called. OR other models.
And then you have the oranges, turner flux? Banshee frames etc etc.
Really depends on budget and what takes your fancy.
 
Many bikes aim to fit the all-rounder role. But the one bike I owned that did both up and down duties with aplomb, and that was more than capable in the heavy stuff was my

Foes FXR

I rode mine 4 years in different builds and duties from Dutch flats to Alpine trails, simply awesome. All models are capable, and you can pick up a frame from new to 3y to 8y old depending how much you want to spend.

Enjoy!!
 
Thanks for all the opinions guys, the Scott i had my heart set on measures up at a 14.5" frame, even in a large..... I think thats just to small to pedal.
 
Especially if you're reasonably tall.

I think you may well need to look at bigger frames if you want to pedal it about. I love dinky frames, they always look way cooler but I struggle to ride them because of banging knees on the bars etc.
 
Im 6 foot 2, but the frame is a long version and the seller is also 6 foot 2 and a similar weight.....and says he never felt cramped on it at all.
 
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