Edge Cycles? --- Blur XC
mtbmonk said:
A friend wants my help putting a new ride together for Christmas. She is really stuck on either a Turner Flux or a Titus Racer-X 100. I have to say, she’s really excited, so I don’t want to steer her in the wrong direction. She likes to race a little, has been dreaming of riding a 24 hour and trends to do all day trail rides. I’ve had her read all the reviews, check out both websites and chase down a few riders to ask them what they think. And still we’re stuck between the two!
I have only a good two rides experience with the Racer-X but I can only say good things about it. It was very easy to set up (fox float, was a couple of years ago), very efficient (almost hard-tail like) and stable at speed. It is built great, with maintanance-free quad bearings and Titus is one of the few (with ventana, intense, ellsworth, and then the very smal ones) remaning manifacturer in the USA, with great reputation. I can only imagine how a Rp3 makes it even better, although if your friend is light she might think about havine the shock modified by PUSH.
If you want to go retro and consider a faux-bar I would look at Ventana El Saltamontes instead of the Flux, or a Sycip
An alternative is the Edge-cycle Icarus Woman, made out of steel or titanium
http://www.edgecycles.com/index.cfm that can be made custom. Of course Titus Ventana and Sycip could also build a custom for your friend which is a big plus.
Another idea is the Blur-XC, which works better on small bumps and it is lighter than all the bikes you are considering, which might be a factor for a lighter rider that wants to do a 24h