SC Tallboy vs Kona Process 134 vs Trance X Advanced vs Fuel EX 9.7 for Hellas

[Mountainboi]

Sorry to start another one of those "help me choose the right bike for Hellas" threads, but I need advice from more experienced riders.

I'm looking for a bike to handle Hellas 95% of the time, Högakusten/fjällen/southern Europe 5% of the time. I want something as fun as my old 2017 Fuel EX8 29er but with a bit more personality. I'll be spending long days in the saddle getting lost on winding trails. No racing, no XC, no aggressive downhilling (I have a job, a family, and old bones). I've narrowed it down to these four 29ers simply because they are available right now in my size:

2021 Santa Cruz Tallboy C (S-build) for 52 000kr - 120/130
2020 Kona Proces 134 CR DL (the silver and green one) for 52 000kr - 134/140
2021 Trance X Advanced 29er 1 for 52 000kr - 135/150
2021 Trek Fuel EX 9.7 for 46 000kr - 130/140

I am guessing that the SC climbs better but the Kona descends better, the Fuel is dependable and consistent (if a bit vanilla), and the Trance is good at everything. Perhaps in Hellas, the SC would be best since Hellas is mostly flat with few significant downhills. Would any of these bikes be too plush and heavy for Hellas?

Does anyone have any experience on these bikes in Hellas?

My last bike was a 2017 Trek Fuel EX8 with 130/130. I loved that bike and it was good in Hellas, but I'm out for something just a cut above that. Something with a quicker, livelier feel, perhaps even lighter. My Fuel was fun and smooth in Hellas, and it never felt as though I needed more suspension. I often felt I wanted something lighter and more nimble. My preference is a 29er wheelset and carbon frame. Ironically, none of the bikes in my final-four list are lighter than my previous Fuel.

Just to make things interesting, I might consider a more trail-oriented Hei Hei, if you think that would be good for Hellas, but I'm not interested in XC racing. Longer days in the saddle are what I'm after.

Oh, and this would be my only bike, my do-it-all trail ride.

Thanks for your help!

 

[Berk]

My last bike was a 2017 Trek Fuel EX8 with 130/130. I loved that bike and it was good in Hellas, but I'm out for something just a cut above that. Something with a quicker, livelier feel, perhaps even lighter. My Fuel was fun and smooth in Hellas, and it never felt as though I needed more suspension. I often felt I wanted something lighter and more nimble. My preference is a 29er wheelset and carbon frame.

Exactly my thoughts! That's why I built this for Hellas:

More serouisly though, this is probably not a bike for everyone and it's not my only mtb. I own an Hei Hei in aluminium, which works fine in Hellasgården, but the 107 mm suspension in the back is a bit short on the rougher bits. Of the bikes you mention I only tried a Trek Fuel Ex and I found that one somewhat mushy and the Fox 34 flexes.
Everything comes down to personal preference. For a full suspension bike in Hellas I would choose an Ibis Ripley (I never tried one, but it seems to be the perfect bike for Swedish trails) or a Hei Hei Carbon.

 

[glitch]

I switched from a Tallboy to an Epic Evo. For Hellas without any speed ambitions the Tallboy is great (with bice wheels). It is a monster downhill for its limited travel. Climbs confidently but a bit more slowly. Its a sit down and spin kind of bike.

Definitely a great allround choice and the one I would pick from your list. The Trek is a really good bike too actually. Never ridden the Trance but it seems pretty solid too.

 

[Krompa]

Are you a heavier guy? That might make it easier to pick a build with Fox 36.

The build kits look a bit off for me with Reverb and DT 370 hubs or white label. I stay away from 3 pawl hubs and Reverb have to get glorious long-term reviews for quite a while before I'll reconsider.

I think the Trance Advanced Pro 29 115/130 looks good too and more in line with what you are writing.

 

[Mountainboi]

Are you a heavier guy? That might make it easier to pick a build with Fox 36.

The build kits look a bit off for me with Reverb and DT 370 hubs or white label. I stay away from 3 pawl hubs and Reverb have to get glorious long-term reviews for quite a while before I'll reconsider.

I think the Trance Advanced Pro 29 115/130 looks good too and more in line with what you are writing.

Hey Krompa! Thanks for the response. I'm only 173cm but I weigh around 80kg. I've let myself go the past decade, so I'm not in the best shape. Corona hasn't helped...the virus or the beer. And I'm 54 years old, so not a young whippersnapper like most of you folks around here. :-D In any case, I'm not a huge person, so maybe not too much of a concern regarding the Fox 36, though the reviews of that fork do make it the attractive option.

The Trance definitely seems nice! But I've never ridden the Trance. Based on reviews, it seems to be a bit more nimble than all of the others except the Tallboy. Some reviews make it seem a bit skittish on the roots, but maybe that is the price of avoiding that plush-sofa feeling from my EX8. Also, you mention "115/130" in your comment. That's the regular Trance, not the X I'm looking at, but maybe you're right. I'll take a look around and see if I find any non-X Trances available. Thanks for the tip!

 

[Mountainboi]

I switched from a Tallboy to an Epic Evo. For Hellas without any speed ambitions the Tallboy is great (with bice wheels). It is a monster downhill for its limited travel. Climbs confidently but a bit more slowly. Its a sit down and spin kind of bike.

Definitely a great allround choice and the one I would pick from your list. The Trek is a really good bike too actually. Never ridden the Trance but it seems pretty solid too.

Hi Glitch. Thanks for the insight! The real advantages with the Trek are that I know what I'm getting, the price would save me a wad of cash, and the seller is a local bike shop with two locations: one around the block from my house and another around the block from my work. That's hard to beat, and I really want to support that bike shop because they have helped me out a lot over the years.

The Tallboy is so sweet, but the price is holding me back. It's slightly beyond what I budgeted, but I could do it. Unfortunately, I won't be able to ride it; the shop says I need to buy it then try it out then return it if it doesn't fit. Ugh. So I'm really unsure of the geometry. I rode the Trek and it felt comfortable. I only sat on the Kona, but it felt better than the Trek, and the shop owner agreed to let me ride it once I'm really ready to purchase. I'm concerned the Kona is going to feel even heavier and slower than the Trek because it has a slacker geometry and more travel.

 

[Mountainboi]

Exactly my thoughts! That's why I built this for Hellas:

Visa bilaga 477710

More serouisly though, this is probably not a bike for everyone and it's not my only mtb. I own an Hei Hei in aluminium, which works fine in Hellasgården, but the 107 mm suspension in the back is a bit short on the rougher bits. Of the bikes you mention I only tried a Trek Fuel Ex and I found that one somewhat mushy and the Fox 34 flexes.
Everything comes down to personal preference. For a full suspension bike in Hellas I would choose an Ibis Ripley (I never tried one, but it seems to be the perfect bike for Swedish trails) or a Hei Hei Carbon.

Stunningly beautiful hardtail, Berk! I'm gonna see about demo-ing a Hei Hei next weekend.

 

[Krompa]

Rift Zone Carbon 2 29" 46 175 kr and also the little brother for 10k less seem to available in your size at Bikester:

Marin Rift Zone Carbon 2 29" grå | bikester.se

Marin Rift Zone Carbon 2 29" grå - till rätt pris! 30 dagars öppet köp och fri retur.Marin Över 40 000 produkter från 600 varumärken - Bikester.se.

www.bikester.se

Marin Rift Zone Carbon 1 29" svart/turkos | bikester.se

Marin Rift Zone Carbon 1 29" svart/turkos - till rätt pris! 30 dagars öppet köp och fri retur.Marin Över 40 000 produkter från 600 varumärken - Bikester.se.

www.bikester.se

Review: Marin Rift Zone Carbon 2 - Modern Geometry for Maximum Fun - Pinkbike

Marin's Rift Zone Carbon is another addition to the growing field of short travel bikes with aggressive geometry.

www.pinkbike.com

 

[Hälsingland]

The fuel ex is a really good bike and compare to the previous model it is much better at pedalling and not bobbing around. But it benefits from a 36 in the front and the thrushaft in the back, and then the price goes up very much for an 9.8...

I had the 34 rythm on my old and now 36 elite it is like night and day imo. 9.7 is still a very good bike dont get me wrong there, and the frame storage is a great thing?

 

[Deleted member 54554]

The fuel ex is a really good bike and compare to the previous model it is much better at pedalling and not bobbing around. But it benefits from a 36 in the front and the thrushaft in the back, and then the price goes up very much for an 9.8...

I had the 34 rythm on my old and now 36 elite it is like knight and day imo. 9.7 is still a very good bike dont get me wrong there, and the frame storage is a great thing?

Add a few thousand and you got a transition spur. It looks interesting. Superlight and good components for the price. A little less travel but if you are not going full throttle enduro it might be worth taking in consideration.

 

[Berk]

Add a few thousand and you got a transition spur. It looks interesting. Superlight and good components for the price. A little less travel but if you are not going full throttle enduro it might be worth taking in consideration.

Yes, forgot about the Spur. That seems really nice! But rather expensive and hard to get, or?

The Epic Evo Glitch mentioned is probably also a very good option, if you don't mind a slacker seat angle and slightly shorter reach. An advantage there is that there are many Specialized stores in Srockholm and Cykel city has an M in stock.

I find high end Specialized bikes too overpriced, but then the same is the case for Santa Cruz, Kona and Transition.

 

[Lingon]

There is no perfect bike for Hellas, it all depends on your preferences. Do you want to go fast on the flats/uphill or maximize your speed on the short downhills? What kind of bikes do your friends ride?
People use everything from XC to Enduro bikes in Hellas.

 

[Krompa]

Also the Stumpjumper could be mentioned.

Specialized Stumpjumper Comp MTB 2021 Smoke/Cool Grey | CykelCity

Den helt nyutvecklade Stumpjumper-ramen är lättast i klassen. Kolfiberramen i storlek: S3 väger endast 2250g med bakdämpare. Detta har man lyckats med genom en förfinad kolfiber lay-up och i baksvingen har länken vid bakhjulet tagits bort för att göra

www.cykelcity.se

 

[Krompa]

The Trance definitely seems nice! But I've never ridden the Trance. Based on reviews, it seems to be a bit more nimble than all of the others except the Tallboy. Some reviews make it seem a bit skittish on the roots, but maybe that is the price of avoiding that plush-sofa feeling from my EX8. Also, you mention "115/130" in your comment. That's the regular Trance, not the X I'm looking at, but maybe you're right. I'll take a look around and see if I find any non-X Trances available. Thanks for the tip!

 

[glitch]

Get the Trek if you want the most sensible choice. Two mates have them, (one carbon, one alloy). They are really great allround bikes. The Tallboy is a lot of fun but it is more of a "party bike". The Trek was in my opinion a swifter climber and given my buddy rode fast as f**k on it at Gesunda and he actually sold his Whyte 150C Enduro bike as the Fuelhandled everything so well I
d say it is pretty well balanced. The cash you save for a nice set of light trail wheels and the OEM you keep for smashing at bike parks :)
It is a "boring" choice but a really good bike, well priced, and you get lbs support.

 

[LDG]

New Trek seems awesome so pretty nice choice from the local guys.

 

[LDG]

Video: 2020 Santa Cruz Tallboy VS Trek Fuel EX - Cage Match - Pinkbike

The Fuel EX and Tallboy are both brand new and impressively capable trail bikes, but which one do we prefer? Levy and Kazimer ride both and pick the winner.

www.pinkbike.com

 

[glitch]

The best budget trail bike of 2020 – 9 exciting MTBs on review

We compared nine affordable models. Given how much is demanded of a trail bike, is this the right place to be looking for a bargain?

enduro-mtb.com

 

[etnica]

I think trance without the x is better in hellas and capable enough for those days in the park.

Hard to get bikes though atm I think.

 

[Deleted member 54554]

Get the Trek if you want the most sensible choice. Two mates have them, (one carbon, one alloy). They are really great allround bikes. The Tallboy is a lot of fun but it is more of a "party bike". The Trek was in my opinion a swifter climber and given my buddy rode fast as f**k on it at Gesunda and he actually sold his Whyte 150C Enduro bike as the Fuelhandled everything so well I
d say it is pretty well balanced. The cash you save for a nice set of light trail wheels and the OEM you keep for smashing at bike parks :)
It is a "boring" choice but a really good bike, well priced, and you get lbs support.

I usually ride my Fuel Ex 8 (XT build) with the suspension semi open. It makes it efficient pedaling and still soaks up the bigger hits. I like to stand up pedaling as well so that is the best setting for me. It´s not light weight but it seems you really need to either get a XC style bike or spend a lot to get the weight down, the spur excluded. But yeah I guess the Fuel EX is a jack of all trades, master of none.

 

[Mountainboi]

I decided to get the Fuel. Local bike shop, lifetime frame warranty, discount price, dependable ride. Feels good.

 

[Deleted member 54554]

I decided to get the Fuel. Local bike shop, lifetime frame warranty, discount price, dependable ride. Feels good.

I don’t think you will be dissaponted!

 

[Stervelo]

You want something with more "personality", what that means to you I am not sure.
But all bikes you listed part from the santa cruz is vanilla, volvo.
Will the excite you so you get out on the trail? Only you can answer that, but from what I read,
get a ripley, nuff said. If you can get hold of one.

 

[Mountainboi]

You want something with more "personality", what that means to you I am not sure.
But all bikes you listed part from the santa cruz is vanilla, volvo.
Will the excite you so you get out on the trail? Only you can answer that, but from what I read,
get a ripley, nuff said. If you can get hold of one.

Yeah, couldn't get ahold of a Ripley, so that's why it wasn't on my list. It was slim pickin' , and I just chose my favorites from what was available. I heard the Kona was an awe-inspiring ride, but in the end, the price was too high, the warranty too short, and the service agreement too limited.