Hi, Monkies. I understand it's tiresome, but I'm looking for some fairly specific frame/bike recommendations.
For reference: I'm 6'2" and 190 pounds without gear. I ride in the Phoenix area, so we don't have a lot of "flow." Think technical rockcrawling gnar. I have a mid-travel "all mountain" bike that I use for typical pedal rides. I have had a DH bike in the past, but felt like it wasn't getting used enough. I don't typically shuttle all that often. I will use it to shuttle on occasion, for the occasional technical pedal ride and for day trips to Flagstaff, etc.
Requirements: Large enough for me to sit and pedal (will probably use dropper post). Must take a front der. and/or Hammerschmidt. Six- to 7-inch travel range and will take a coil shock. Should be slack and plush. I want this to be a "fun" bike, though I understand that's a nebulous concept. Should be comfortable on DH shuttle runs (though I don't expect it to be as fast as an actual DH bike). Want to run single-crown.
Bonuses: Relatively cheap and/or available on the used market. Can take a 135mm rear hub so I can use my custom Hadley/Flow wheelset. If it's in the 6-inch range, I could use my dialed Fox 36.
I was thinking something like an SX Trail, Trek Scratch, Yeti ASR7, Delirium, etc.
Happy to hear any ideas. Thanks.
For reference: I'm 6'2" and 190 pounds without gear. I ride in the Phoenix area, so we don't have a lot of "flow." Think technical rockcrawling gnar. I have a mid-travel "all mountain" bike that I use for typical pedal rides. I have had a DH bike in the past, but felt like it wasn't getting used enough. I don't typically shuttle all that often. I will use it to shuttle on occasion, for the occasional technical pedal ride and for day trips to Flagstaff, etc.
Requirements: Large enough for me to sit and pedal (will probably use dropper post). Must take a front der. and/or Hammerschmidt. Six- to 7-inch travel range and will take a coil shock. Should be slack and plush. I want this to be a "fun" bike, though I understand that's a nebulous concept. Should be comfortable on DH shuttle runs (though I don't expect it to be as fast as an actual DH bike). Want to run single-crown.
Bonuses: Relatively cheap and/or available on the used market. Can take a 135mm rear hub so I can use my custom Hadley/Flow wheelset. If it's in the 6-inch range, I could use my dialed Fox 36.
I was thinking something like an SX Trail, Trek Scratch, Yeti ASR7, Delirium, etc.
Happy to hear any ideas. Thanks.