If you want to see me ride some of these bikes (and more!) check out my bike review playlist! kzfaq.info/sun/PLtEmaErO4luRKa6prfoLSmSjCqe474WAe

Go with the Spire or even a patrol! We are absolutely loving our transition bikes. They are playful feeling but you can still blast through chunk!

Little history in Santa Cruz Carbon bikes... Santa Cruz own's their own carbon factory in Asia that produces their bikes only. Other carbon bikes on your search are made by a few large Asian factories, who make several brands, all in the same factory (Fujita and Giant to name a couple). Santa Cruz is able to have their frames built to their specs the way they want and check QC precisely in house because they own the house. Other brands are trusting that they are getting what they want while being at headquarters in another country. Santa Cruz has their people from the USA at the factory in Asia running the house.

As a Santa Cruz fanboy I’m voting for the Nomad. Plus that Oxblood paint on it it’s by far the sickest looking one! 🤘

While I commented on the Ibis Ripmo v2, I've owned many Santa Cruz, all carbon. Looking for trust in carbon again, look no further. They do carbon probably the best in the industry and they over build their carbon frames, stout! I can personally attest to their warranty being outstanding. They replaced a frame that the paint was flaking off, not cracking but paint flaking. Frame arrived in 3 days. I was blown away! The Nomad is built to be roudy, it climbs ok but that's not its intent and you stated you know this in the video. It's made to eat chunk, fly, huck to flat, and be disrespected. Not to mention, the Nomad has some sick colors! I'm like you, I want it to look amazing.

That Nomad is gorgeous! I had planned to get one, but when it was first released, Santa Cruz said it was gonna take approximately 9-12 months for delivery (this was December 2020). Also looked at the Revel Rail, but ended up getting a Pivot Mach 6 which I absolutely love. Hard to pick a bad bike these days. They're all good and the differences are quite small.

You did mention looks are an important deciding factor. That Transition frame shape is so clean I think it did my laundry, with the SC Nomad trailing it closely for me.

I just bought a Bronson and I love it. First Santa Cruz in years. Deep feeling, supportive, plenty of traction. I have been a 29er fan for so long, but I’m loving the short chain stays and the smaller rear wheel. I’m trying to get chase steeze over speed at this point in my life. Otherwise if I were racing or wanted speed that Spire would be right up there on the list. The Range is super cool, but I’m to old to push that thing up…

Love the range since i watched buchanan riding it and I´m still asking myself why we can´t buy it in this stylish green pearl color he had. I think it´s a super innovative and nice bike. The norco team was even throwing a double crown on it if I remember correctly. Really sweet. I guess it´s also a top candidate for my next grab / terribly enjoying the stumpy evo right now though. Currently I´m on I9´s but think about hubs kinda the same way as you. Either loud af or dead silent. From that perspective the other end of the spectrum, onyx, is super persuading.

Go with the Transition Spire. I've been on a size large aluminum spire since mid-September and it has blown me away. It handles the gnarliest trails in my area with ease while also feeling remarkably playful on big jump lines and flow trails. Climbing does take some effort compared to a traditional trail bike but the flip switch on the fox x2 does a great job of creating a more efficient pedaling platform for fire roads. My only complaint has been the length of the dropper post which I replaced with a longer version as well as the tendency of the paint to chip which I remedied with some frame protection.

So, I have the Ripmo v2, since it came out. With that I will say this, it is what you want it to be. In other words, how you set it up. You want it be more poppy, go air shock. You want it to be more planted and track amazing go coil. You want really poppy go with DPX2 and not X2. You want plush tracking, smooth for chunk while remaining poppy, go DVO Topaz. Also, you can run 170mm fork and not void the warranty. Ibis Enduro riders run 170mm forks with coils. Warranty on Ibis is fantastic and me being at 220lbs without a pack, I'm not the lightest guy and I ride some chunk here in the Southwest, CO, Utah, NM, etc. No cracks.

I think nick would suit a commencal. Short chainstay wheelie machine and beefy frame that hopefully he won't snap every other ride

I ride in Oregon (lots of rocks, roots and boots) and I gotta say there is a nice security about ripping a premium alloy bike (over carbon). Me and a friend both hit the same rock on a bottom bracket, I ended up with a tiny scratch and he ended up with a hole………..his bike was an evil offering……..

Since I got a Transition Scout for myself last year I will definitly vote for the Spire. Love the suspension design on it and alle the the details that make it a progressive bike with being long low and slack but at the same time not going all in on the fancy stuff. Also love the external brake routing it makes swapping brakes or a damaged hose or whatever a lot easier! One thing I really like about the frame design is that they really put a lot of material in the headtube and BB area. The Scout just is a great allrounder and somehow they managed to make it playful but at the same time a really stable riding bike with the slack headtube and long wheel base. I didn´t have the chance to ride a Spire yet but looking at the geo numbers it has to ride at least as well as the Scout does just with the aspect of bigger wheels and a longer chainstay.

All are interesting choices. I would go with the Spire.

My favorite video of yours is you demoing the knolly. I’ve never seen you look so comfortable on any of the bikes but on the knolly. I feel like it’s literally right up your ally.

I got the nomad (xt build)last June and i have done everything from enduro races to dh shuttle days and the bike has been amazing. It pedals really good, especially on technical-steep climbs, and although it is a monster on the downhills and plows through everything, it is really playful and easy to mess around with. I cannot recommend it enough.

I always enjoy your new bike purchase videos. Lots of good insight.

I just moved back to Van and plan on using Kinetic as my LBS largely because of your videos! Be time to start thinking about bike season pretty soon!!

I just bought a range and I think for your style of riding you would love it it’s really fast on the downhill and surprisingly playful. Also the climbing is impressively good and I’ve taken this for some massive climbs up the mountain and could honestly prefer the climbing over my trail bike

I would vote for the Knolly or Transition Spire. After stress cracking my third plastic frame in a year under warranty (Fuel Ex, I know it’s a trail bike), I would be looking to go for something a little more burly and aluminum to maximize trail time. Since you are an aggressive and heavier rider, I would recommend going for a aluminum bike to maximize saddle time with some carbon fiber hoops to make the climbs a bit more enjoyable and rims don’t free if you want to lay down the cash. Both the spire and knolly seem rad though, although I would give the edge to the Knolly for me!

All great bikes, i considered all of these when i was looking for a bike about a month ago and i ended up going for a yeti sb165, its an amazing bike and is very playful for how good it is at climbing, also surprised me with how good it was at chunkier stuff even though its 275. deffinitly recomend taking a look at it, also have good warranty

I took a spire to a downhill park once, and it handled everything very well. It also pedals pretty well and is nice and playful.

I love the Ripmo and own one. I genuinely believe it's a great one bike solution for someone who wants to ride everything well. It pedals and descends great. I never really feel over or under biked on most trails I ride (East Coast mountains and bike parks). But for you and your riding, I don't think you'd be satisfied. I don't know if it's an option for you where you live, but if you want a great pedaling DW-Link bike that can take bigger hits, the Pivot Firebird is an amazing bike. That might fit your riding style better than a Ripmo while still providing a great pedaling platform on the way back up.

These are all great bikes. I personally own that exact ripmo and love it. My trails are not as knarly as the ones you ride daily however. If I was in your shoes I would get that Transition. Such a sick bike for the money!

I say go for the Knolly or the Transition. Long live aluminum!

I have a V2 Ripmo and love it, It's such a great all rounder especially with the X2, but I honestly don't think its enough bike for you. Out of your list I'd suggest going with the the Spire, sic looking bike and seriously, everybody that rides it loves it. One other option I'd throw out to you is the WAO Arrival, I've ridden it a couple times and its amazing! More capable and faster than the Ripmo and pedals damn near as well.

Great video. All awesome bikes for sure. Getting myself a new rig this year too. New bike day is the Best!!!

I'm 6'4" and 250lbs and ride a knolly and have 0 problems with that frame, they ride nice and take a beating. Maybe the Spire but I predict the fashionable bike in the Norco and won't get along with it (same as that Specialized he had).

All these bikes are rad, I especially like the spire! The geo, build quality and everything just make sense. And it performs amazingly well. Although I love the look of the Santa Cruz, and the fancy suspension of the range, I'd personally go the spire!

Ripmo AF with DVO suspension. Removed a fork spacer to increase the fork travel to 170mm, swapped for cascade link out back making it 151mm travel rear and and you are still only at $3500. This brings the head tube to 64.4 degrees. MIGHTY SWEET SETUP!

I would love to see you ride the Transition! With the $4g's you save, you could put that towards a dif DH steed!

If you’re still carbon leery because of your recent “woes”, take a look at the Ripmo AF over the carbon model…SLX build is $2k cheaper, the DVO suspension is excellent. I got one last year, love it on local trails and at the bike park as well!

That was cool. Man no bike shortage where you are! In Australia pretty much every idea of bike you get the response; 'Nope not in stock and no idea when we are getting any'. Cool seeing the weights too. 👍

From the shortlist I'd go with the Chilcotin or the Spire. I've had a chance to pedal a friend's Warden around and I was super impressed with how light it was and how well it pedaled. Spire mostly based on how great everyone says it is. That said I went with the Wreckoning which hopefully arrives soon.

I'm on the opposite end of the spectrum. Currently looking at short travel 29er trail bikes. Santa Cruz is at the top of the list. That Nomad sure is sexy even though it isn't a 29er.

I ride a knolly warden carbon and it definitely is for the downhills, the 4x4 suspension is really active, and I basically always use the climb switch on my shock. I can say that I'm kinda sold on knolly, although I haven't gotten chance to ride a range...

Currently ride the Ripmo. Great bike, peddles efficiently, balanced between agile and smash. Negatives are a super low BB, and a leverage/kinematics curve that isn't super progressive and can be prone to bottoming. I'm also slightly between L and XL in terms of reach. I just did the cascade link to get a little more progression, travel and a slightly higher BB. Spire looks cool, but that is a long bike, both in wheel base and CS... I would think with how tight your terrain is, that wouldn't be the best choice? Knolly Chilcotin... I'm a fan of raw AL bikes. Not only does it look great, you can buff out any scratch, so crashes and shuttling or virtually worry free. :) BB isn't too low for rocky tech, it's slack but not crazy, and depending on rear wheel travel configuration, around 485-490 reach on a L is perfect, in my mind. It's cool too that you can go 151/160/167 rear with just a spacer. I think the biggest con is the extra 2lbs over the Ripmo and Spire. Not sure how much that matters.

I really like Norco's Ride Aligned system. Offering a baseline setup based on someone's measurements gives a much better starting point for anyone who isn't the typical 5'10" male with proportional leg/torso sizing.

Spire! Got the exact same build as the one in this video, so good 👌🏽

The top tube line on the transition looks great 🤘

I have a 2022 Patrol that I picked up from Kinetik in August. Loving the bike, I'm around 5'10" but have short legs and went mullet because I buzz my ass on 29ers on the steeps. Love how the Patrol rides, not the best climber for sure but amazing descending and jumping. The mullet is fun for cornering and definitely an advantage in the steeps. I don't feel the rear wheel hanging up on anything compared to the 29er front. I would not go Ibis given your riding style, jumping and size. You will definitely be using the warranty :)

Nice video, and a cool selection of bikes.

The Spire in that blueberry purple with Kashima.... Aye Carumba! 😍

I would be looking for a orbea I have herd they ride really well and have a good amount of suspension and they climb like a trail bike even if you get a enduro

If it were me it would be down to the Transition and the Santa Cruz. Just 2 brands I really like and respect. They are all nice of course. Looking forward to seeing your final pick and future videos riding it! Great video as always.

Love transitions, so spire all the way

personally I think u should get a gruella gravity bike but if had to be one of those id say the ibis, it corners really well, super aggressive, and it handles speed really well

Like you, coming from a carbon bike, I am aiming to go back to aluminum for my next bike. From your shortlist, I would get the Knolly (warden w/27.5), or the Transition (patrol/sentinel 27.5) or the ibis (alu version). I like the low seat tube height on the Knolly and Transition. I’ve had a knolly delirium before, it’s heavy but its a tank and plush, plus if you get the Knolly then you get to support our own Canadian brand and maybe the after sales service would be similar as that of the Santa cruz

Tough Choices but all good products. Of these, I'd go with the Santa Cruise because of their warranty. Can't wait to see which one you picked. Bob T.

I was in Kinetic on Saturday. The Santa Cruz is special cause it it expensive and pretty. The Norco is special cause it is a damn good bike for a good price. I LOVE the transition Patrol and Spire in there!

I think your going with the spire or knolly. Personally I think the spire will suit you well!!

Curious about the Spire. Love to hear your long term review

personally I'd go with either the Norco Range C1 or transition spire, because Norco is probably one of my favorite and the transition just looks nice.

I definitely think that the spire is what i would go for, it feels very stable and it monster trucks(i also just came from 27.5) but it is amazing

You should consider checking out the canfield lithium at some point as well. The cbf linkage they use is super efficient but still descends amazing. They also use 7000 series aluminum which lightens the frame a little and makes it much stiffer

As cool as it would be to see you on a range, I think you should try an aluminum bike this year. My vote is for the transition! The orange paint would really pop in your videos.

Santa Cruz Nomad has my vote, it is just an awesome bike with great riding qualities.

Interesting selection - personally would give the Transition a really good try. Also would be interested to see, how much maintenance the Norco or the Santa Cruz need, seeing those very complex suspension designs.

Ripmo!! It’s a pleasure to climb and doesn’t hold me back on rowdy descents!! I’m in Pemberton BC

The seat post comment is so true, I have a 2019 Evil insurgent and had to go with a 180mm post, which granted, 4 years ago would be like amazing, but I'd like a 200 mm post now. the other thing that's annoying is that even though I have it as far down as it goes, I still get seat bounced like alllll the time when doing DH tracks. I've basically had to change my body positioning while doing steeps to prevent this which is really awkward. The final gripe is that the internal routing for it rattles to high hell which is suuuper frustrating. these reasons alone mean I'll be switching brands next time I'm in the market (probably 2 more years).

I ride a range c2 and it is a downhill bike with a 12 speed. You said you care about the down and would be happy with a decent climber using the climb switch. That’s the range. Comfortable and efficient but not quick. I don’t care because the confidence on the trails is crazy. I haven’t found a situation where I’ve felt under biked, and I ride the same trails as you mostly. Transition is another bike that’s dangerously close to dh geometry and feel. Lighter and would be a better climber I bet, less perceived slowness from the idler pulley than the range. Would be cool to have an alloy as well. I’d love to see you on the C1, but I’ll enjoy the content either way!

I think you will choose the Transition Spire.. nice choice

Have you looked at the Rocky Mountain Slayer? Picked one up last year and absolutely love it. Not as much of a slug up hill as I thought it would be and Is a riot down hill.

I would go with the SC Nomad. The VP linkage is awesome as I ride a SC Bronson myself and have had the Nomad too. It’s a very capable FUN Bike which I believe is your style of riding?…Second choice for you I think would be the Transition Spire. It’s a badass capable bike too but for more wide open speed . Good luck brotha.

It's got to be the Spire. A thing of beauty!

I rode a Spire for a little bit and it felt phenomenal. It was very much on the top of the shortlist for my next bike but I decided to go with something else at the end of the day. Only because like you mentioned, AL frames always seem to be an after thought, but the brand I went with only makes AL frames.

favorite type of vids

I ride Santa Cruz and holy the warranty is so good I definitely recommend the bike love my Megatower

the Spire I think is the win. transition is a great bradne

would love to see you on the knolly!

Had a Capra and this time went with a Spire....so far I couldn't be happier. I also went with the AL version and have absolutely no regrets.

I'd get the Ibis! Looks so good

Those Norco and Transition both look sooo good, especially the Transition. If I were you I'd go with the Transition (aluminium, crazy good reviews, simple maintenance)

I added lithium grease to my hub ratchet. It is effectively silent now only audible when spinning the wheel stationary with head nearby. not sure if you could do this with the new school many toothed styles but for the regular hubs its awesome. also gonna fix cable slap soon.

I love my Ibis if that helps you decide…. Climbs really well… And actually surprisingly descends incredibly… my uncle does have a Santa Cruz Bronson, similar to the nomad, and Ive ridden it and it’s totally sick as well!

I've had my v2 Ripmo for over a year now (November 2020) and it's definitely the best bike I've owned. Amazing in almost everything (I ride DVO Onyx and Jade X coil), but to be fair I also have a 2018 Norco Aurum that I use in the bike parks. I'd be interested to see your take one out on your riding and see your opinion. *Riding from Vancouver Island!

Guerilla Gravity Gnarvana with a coil shock. Job done.

Great comparison video I would go with the transition or the Knolly the Nomad is nice but the price right now inconsiderate, Santa Cruz should be just a little more thoughtful never the less great review and comparison. 💯

I will put it out there that if you buy the Range, I called it. Your fellow 'Mtbuskateers' ride Norco bikes, and why not keep the trend going. However, the Ripmo and Nomad have some features that would suit your riding style and terrain really well without having to worry about a cracked carbon frame. I am still holding out for the Range! Happy shopping either way, Nick. Looking forward to the reveal vid.

The Santa Cruz Nomad is soo wild! 🔥✨

Ripmo, but get the AF, I just got a ripley af, and the dw is so smooth. The aluminum should survive your frame cracking abilities plus with the left over cash, you can get the cascade link for a more progressive rear end

Not the Spire but I bought the new Patrol this year. It’s the most fun bike I’ve ever ridden. For anyone that works on their own bikes external brake routing is awesome. Transition takes care of their customers too

Go Range! It's absolutely awesome. My friend who has it always blows me out of the water now ;)

Santa Cruz, fun 27.5, great handling and lifetime warranty with great customer service. Bike for life.

Completely agree about carbon being overhyped. Noticeable difference in ride quality, but I think the price and environmental factors outweigh the positives.

I love my transition spire. Definitely an upgrade from the Bronson.

transition cause it looks amazing and it's pretty good value

transition looks sick and good price

Definitely missing the Rocky Mountain Altitude 🤙

Of those i’d prob try the norco and then the spire

By the sound of it I think you’re going with the ibis, although I’m surprised you didn’t looked at the mullet transition patrol! But if you go with the ibis I see another dh bike in your future👀

Beautiful video

if you havent chosen get the range!!!!!!!! lewis buchanan hasnt snapped one and he's done rampage on it, as well as riding it super hard

I think you should get a blue chilcotin frame, then put a cane creek kitsuma coil or DHX2 and a Fox 38 on it with your nobl wheels etc.

that nomad in the ox blood colorway is fucking gorgeous. it's one thing seeing it in a video but once you see it in person with the sun hitting it, man it's a good looking bike. somehow santa cruz always does an amazing job with colors

I think it’s between the nomad or the range. I would say they suite the category that van can rides the best and they are quite nice

14:46!!!!! The orange Spire!!!!!! 😍😍😍😍😍

Go for aluminum this time so Transition Spire could be a good choice and reasonable price is also important. If you're looking for bike which looks great in my opinion Santa Cruz or Norco. Good luck with your choice.

What about the new Propain Spindrift, it‘s an absolute beast on Downhill and it pedals still pretty well. And it‘s still very playfull on 29“ wheels and 180/190 mm of travel.