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I had a Nomad and sold it to go down to a Bronson. If you're looking for a poppy and energetic ride, a 160/170 bike with 38mm fork is just not the same. I tried setting the Nomad up with that intent and it's just not the same.

Bikes are so good, I’d take any one mentioned here sight unseen!

I like my aluminum Stumpy EVO and as you said- lots of them around and can get some crazy good deals on used. Mine has been setup lighter with a 160 fork and now currently it is my 'big' bike with a 170 travel 38 on the front. Plenty of adjustments provided to do either decently well imo. Probably not a dream bike for most, but has been competent and durable for me.

The Norco Sight is a sleeper option here. Its a super lively bike - combo'ed with the high pivot, you get the best of both worlds. Its a sick kinematic - playful and poppy but when you put it in a straight line is can plow. Been on one all year and love it.

I would suggest you don't rule out the current gen SB160. I have one. It easily matches or out pedals anything in the big bike class and IMHO gives nothing up as a daily driver compared to most 140-150 bikes. But its a got an amazing 'game on' dual personality when you want it to. It's by far the best handling bike I've ever owned and i've ridden pretty much everything. The lean angles and ability to maneuver while still be super stable still blow my mind after 2yrs of riding on it. With the writing on the wall for...

I was shopping in the same bracket of bikes and ended up with a v4 hightower. I sorta hastily moved up my purchase timeline once the new colors were released... I really had a thing for the purple 2025' color way. So far, it's more then met my expectations and this iteration of VPP with significantly lower anti-squat has been really impressive. It's for sure more active under pedaling and with choppy pedal strokes, I can get it to bob slightly even while the chain is under tension. The upside is that it has more traction climbing ledgy/rooty stuff then...

I have had a 2023 optic for a year or so. It’s a really fun, versatile bike. Probably the best bike I’ve ever ridden on flow trails because of how supportive the suspension feels and how easy it is to carry speed on flatter sections. It is a really good jumper for only being 125 mm travel. I’ve also raced local XC races on it and have been completely fine and wouldn’t hesitate to race a local enduro on it (Midwest enduros aren’t super gnarly). I will agree that the stack height does feel pretty low and does benefit from...

It's not all about climbing speed and fitness though, the 120/130 bikes FEEL very different on the trail. You get a lot more direct feedback and much more "snappy" behavior, which can be very rewarding if you ride them on trails that suit them. Even a light build on a capable 150 bike doesn't get anywhere near that same feeling. Of course it all depends on the terrain you ride. If you take your shorter travel bike on essentially the same kind of steep and rough trails that your 150 bike excels on, you'll just beat yourself and the bike...

I had a Switchblade, and then went with a 5010 and quite happy with my decision for what I consider a trail bike. I loved the switchblade, but for all around riding I prefer the 5010 (greens through black trails). Pumping and jumping its so fun, but still handles tech super well. FWIW I run it in high. If you want 29 wheels and likely a bit more roll over speed, I'd assume the tallboy is a pretty good bike. As someone shorter who buzzed his butt with 29, I like the mullet and don't feel its really that much...

I snagged a gen 2 XL Optic frame for $575 lightly used last spring. It rips. I wish it had a bit more stack, and the recommended dropper says 170 but I was able to put a 210 OneUp in there and shim it to 200 and get it to work. Oh and it's pressfit, but it hasn't caused me issues thus far. I demo'd a Smuggler and it felt very similar. I think I'd go for the Smuggler if I had the money but the Optic is a damn good deal and really fun.

Went thru the whole trail bike exercise last year as well and ended up going with lighter casing tires, a different shock, and switching up the geometry with a stevo - ended up staying with the stumpy.

the jibb is too heavy, therefore if you like the Jibb, you are gravity oriented.. which is fine. I am as well, and own a Madonna... but I did get a killer deal on a Cannondale Habit, 140mm pike, shock with stroke for 130mm.. DTSwiss XMC trail wheelset.. with light trail tires or high volume XC tires, it's a rocket, and I think its more comparable to the smuggler... there is nothing adjustable in the frame ( no flip-chip, no storage), just a solid thought out trail bike with a lot of versatility.. I think the tallboy is benchmark of...

I rode a Smuggler for a year, and it definitely ticks the boxes for you it seems - I definitely enjoyed it as a bike that can handle pretty much everything short of full-on enduro quests. Another trail bike that I really enjoyed was the Nukeproof Reactor, although at 140/150 it may not be the step down in travel you are looking for. Definitely a fun and lively ride though (more so than the Smuggler I would say).

I'm hesitant to chime in as I see the discussion has veered pretty heavily towards pricing, but I'd throw the Ibis Ripley V5 into the mix. I've been on one for about a year and a half and it's a really impressive trail bike. 130/140 travel, 29 or MX wheels with a flip chip that keeps the geometry intact, well executed in-frame storage, and DW Link suspension. I run mine a few different ways - stock suspension (Float/34) for a lighter, sportier feel and a Vivid air/Lyrik for more support and rowdier riding. Also change up the wheels between full...

Best solution I've had is using a thin needle and 40-80lb braided fishing line to stitch it up and then use some sort of flexible adhesive (shoe goo etc) with a patch on the inside of the tire. Managed to seal up a few decently sized snakebites and get another thousand or so km out of some tires.

Haha is this a setup? I have the C3 and mention it any chance I get. A couple others on these boards have it and all agree it rips. The Bryn Atkinson special!

I guess I have never had bacon or other plugs fall out during the ride, though I could see it being a thing. So this could be a small improvement in those situations. Then you patch it at home, or just keep running it.

Shimano e8000 on a 2018 Meta power: Motor replaced at 10,000 km and 4 years, €1000 out of pocket, replaced the lower battery terminal/connectors also. Giant/Yamaha: 2 years and 4,000km no issues at all, sold. Great motor just a bit less efficient than a Bosch and less powerful and overheated in Summer on long climbs. Bosch Gen 5: 1 year and 2,000 km without issues. I have the 100Nm upgrade which overheats dramatically in summer (like 10 minutes of tech climbing the motor goes into limp mode).