do it all bike. (i should know)

[ton]

i know i should have a idea, been round mountain bikes since they first landed on the uk shores, but for the last 5 years i have not needed one.
been getting by with my tourer, which is ace....but i need to do some offroad riding.
so, i am looking for something that covers the following,

a. i can commute on
b, i can spin/push up a mountain and have fun coming down
c, i can tour on
d, is big.....

last mtb i had was a on one 29er, which fitted the bill but are no longer available.
owned 2 swifts in the past which were also ideal for all the criteria.
also had a couple of karate monkeys over the years, also suitable.

am i missing anything more obvious.....what is good for the cash nowadays.

[johnnystorm]

If they sort out an importer.....

[Yorlin]

Charlie the Bikemonger does them, I think?

adds: yep, but not the red one... is that a fargo 1?
http://www.charliethebikemonger.com/sal ... 4359-p.asp

[johnnystorm]

It's a 2015. My comment was a towards the thread about Salsa parting company with their current importer.

Nothing stopping you putting bouncy forks on yourself of course.

[Ian]

It's a 2015. My comment was a towards the thread about Salsa parting company with their current importer

Really?

Is that just Salsa, or all QBP products?

Edit: ok, it seems not. http://www.bikebiz.com/news/read/ison-d ... ade/016709

[Chew]

Any specific requirements Tony?

Rack mounts?
Mud guard mounts?
Flat/drop bars?
Ridged/Suspension?
Single/double/tripple front ring?

[firedfromthecircus]

Karate monkey is still a valid option.
El-Mar is good too though. I have one of each!

[jBay]

Ogre?
How big?

[ton]

guards and racks a must. dont need suspension really but it would be nice.
priced a wiiggle swift up with a load of stuff from crc to complete the build.
comes in at under a grand...takes some beating that does really

[Zoglug]

I've been saving for a swift......but the car decided to throw its hand in today.....so my funds have gone

[RobMac]

Im in the same boat as you Ton, its gonna be a Surly Troll for me.

[Ben98]

I love my Karate monkey, and the ogre is the same but with even more practicality, win-win

[Teetosugars]

I've a large Fargo you're welcome to try Tony..
I've a feeling it'll be too small tho...
I'm sure you could try Steve's as his is an XL..

[johnnystorm]

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic ... yphon-ff-6

The chap bought it direct from Sam at Singular but has had to abandon the build (friend of a friend).

[voodoo_simon]

El maraichi with Fargo forks? Plenty of bottle mounts for touring, can take racks front and rear. 29er wheels can take road tyres or mountain bike tyres etc and evening is fairly standard in its sizing, so plenty of build options (as opposed to a krampus which has niche wheel size)

[Gilbo71]

I would second the Gryphon, especially the new ones with the rack points. I use mine on and off road & is always the first bike I grab to the point I'm thinking of selling my Spearfish.

I've got a rabbit hole rim and a 2.4 ardent in the front at the minute and it looks like it would fit in the back too (not measured it so don't blame if it doesn't fit!). I find the position really comfortable as they have quite a short top tube so I'm not quite as stretched out as other bikes.

[peterk]

Another vote for the Surly Ogre. I got mine a couple of weeks ago from Westbrook Cycles and am abolutely delighted with it. The WTB Nano tyres work well on road and trail although I have yet to try them in the gloopy stuff. Lots of fittings for mudguards, racks etc. It also copes really well with poorly surfaced or rocky trails. And I absolutely luurrve the Jones Loop bars.