"Ian Hunter" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:ge3yb.207806$jy.49138@clgrps13...
Quoted message said:Hey, so now that I've recovered from the accident (car vs. bike...i lost) it's time for a new
bike. The old Giant is totalled, and I need to keep up
with
Quoted message said:this loss of weight plan.
Looking at the Specialized Epic, but I'm unsure which one to get....I'm
into
Quoted message said:cross country riding, some hills both up and down and of course, gnarly technical riding without
the large drops...I'll leave that to the REAL riders in here.
Any ideas? I'm 6'4", about 250 pounds, (down from 300!) and I'm doing
about
Quoted message said:2500 km's a year now.
Thanks for the bandwidth
--
Ian
Having little direct experience with an Epic, I gather from all I've read and a two-minute test ride
that it wouldn't be ideal for your "gnarly technical riding." You said you were gonna ride some XC,
not race it...the Epic's self-imposed often-feels-like-a-lockout may prove to be too harsh for you,
in its quest for hardtail performance.
If I were your size, riding gnarly stuff (and "without large drops" implies "a few small drops"😉 I'd
get something beefier than an Epic...I'm thinking Intense Tracer. I'm pretty sure you can get it
spec'ed with an SPV shock that'll give you a more active, comfortable feel than the Epic, while
remaining efficient. Also, Intense bikes are tough as tanks, and a Clyde like you needs that.
The Titus Switchblade Talas is probably a good bet too, and around here (this ng) Ventana has a
solid reputation with the big guys...I know I've recommended some seriously $$ frames, but you
mentioned Epics, and they don't go cheap.
Besides, it was a car accident...shouldn't Mutual of Whereveryouare be paying for this ride? Get a
one-off custom Ti Intense (which doesn't exist, but it's their money), Ebay it, and get three bikes.
Chris