Would you own or buy both?
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I do!
I've got a large 5.5 set up with a '05 Vanilla RLC and generally heavy-duty trail bike parts, putting the bike in the 28lbs range. This is my main ride, I put in 5-10 hours a week on it.
For XC racing, as well as Burley-rides with my 15 month boy, I have a Spider that's outfittet with very light XC-parts. The weight is just below 22lbs, even with Skareb fork, disc brakes and Intense tires. I'll mention goodies such as Extralite Stem/Bar/Headset/Seatpost/Crank/Seatpost clamp, as well as King wheels with taped NoTubes-rims. With the upcoming Extralite disc hubs at 95/195g front/rear, I'll get it down to 21 lbs. If RS ever come out with a Motion Control SID, I'll slap that on as well.
Being fortunate enough to be able to afford this, as well as having a wife that's almost as bike-nuts as I am, I feel that this is the ideal setup for me. One bike that can handle serious trail abuse, and one that is light enough that I can't blame the bike when I don't make the podium.
That said, a 5.5 with a Minute-fork and two wheelsets can certainly be raced. Pump more air in the IFP in the fork and shox, slap on a pair of 1500g race wheels, and you've got yourselves a very raceable 24-25lb bike.
Ole.
I own both, but since I import the darn things to Norway, I'd better!2wheeler said:
I've got a large 5.5 set up with a '05 Vanilla RLC and generally heavy-duty trail bike parts, putting the bike in the 28lbs range. This is my main ride, I put in 5-10 hours a week on it.
For XC racing, as well as Burley-rides with my 15 month boy, I have a Spider that's outfittet with very light XC-parts. The weight is just below 22lbs, even with Skareb fork, disc brakes and Intense tires. I'll mention goodies such as Extralite Stem/Bar/Headset/Seatpost/Crank/Seatpost clamp, as well as King wheels with taped NoTubes-rims. With the upcoming Extralite disc hubs at 95/195g front/rear, I'll get it down to 21 lbs. If RS ever come out with a Motion Control SID, I'll slap that on as well.
Being fortunate enough to be able to afford this, as well as having a wife that's almost as bike-nuts as I am, I feel that this is the ideal setup for me. One bike that can handle serious trail abuse, and one that is light enough that I can't blame the bike when I don't make the podium.
That said, a 5.5 with a Minute-fork and two wheelsets can certainly be raced. Pump more air in the IFP in the fork and shox, slap on a pair of 1500g race wheels, and you've got yourselves a very raceable 24-25lb bike.
Ole.
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71 Posts
If you owned the 5.5, I would say no need to own both. I have been riding a 5.5 for a while now, and have spent a couple of hour on a Spider demo.
As long as I have my 5.5, there is no point in owning the Spider. My 5.5 has been used for campus freeriding, trail riding, commuting, and 24 Hour endurance racing. It handles all of thos tasks very well, and with minium modifications. (I may use smaller 2.1 tires during the endurance races). Sure a Spider setup the same way would be about 1.5lbs lighter, but I am not sure I would notice it all that much.
All in all, the 5.5 is a great bike. The Spider is a great bike too, and I am not taking anything away from it.
If I was lucky enough (read had more $$$$) and owned both, I would suspect that the Spider would just sit there and collect dust.
As long as I have my 5.5, there is no point in owning the Spider. My 5.5 has been used for campus freeriding, trail riding, commuting, and 24 Hour endurance racing. It handles all of thos tasks very well, and with minium modifications. (I may use smaller 2.1 tires during the endurance races). Sure a Spider setup the same way would be about 1.5lbs lighter, but I am not sure I would notice it all that much.
All in all, the 5.5 is a great bike. The Spider is a great bike too, and I am not taking anything away from it.
If I was lucky enough (read had more $$$$) and owned both, I would suspect that the Spider would just sit there and collect dust.
Reason for asking
I have a Spider that I use for all kinds of riding. Once a week we ride a very technical single trail and I feel that my spider is taking an abuse. I also wished on those ride that I have a longer travel bike. This is the reason why I have been thingking of building a 5.5. Would I feel the difference? Is it worth doing it?
TIA
2wheeler
I have a Spider that I use for all kinds of riding. Once a week we ride a very technical single trail and I feel that my spider is taking an abuse. I also wished on those ride that I have a longer travel bike. This is the reason why I have been thingking of building a 5.5. Would I feel the difference? Is it worth doing it?
TIA
2wheeler
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1,265 Posts
1.5" doesn't sound like much, but...
If you've got the money, build the 5.5 to handle some abuse, and build the Spider race light. If your wife forgives you, you won't be sorry.
Ole.
I can't tell you whether it's worth doing or not, but there's a BIG difference between the two bikes. My 5.5 is a quick and nimble bike that I can bomb into anything with. If I slam into some rocks the Vanilla-fork can't handle, all I need to do is to lean back and let the rear end soak it up. It's quite fantastic. The Spider is a lot more race oriented, and it feels. It sprints better, but it also doesn't let me do all those nasty things the 5.5 will let me get away with.2wheeler said:
If you've got the money, build the 5.5 to handle some abuse, and build the Spider race light. If your wife forgives you, you won't be sorry.
Ole.
No, a 5.5 is over kill for most riders and trails.
Ya I know I'm a bad machine going against the grain, bucking the trend but for rides in reality you gotta go up, lots of suffering if you want to be fast, a Spyder with 3" to 4" up front in the right hands would be any extremly fast machine.2wheeler said:
I own a Spider
and my feeling is as a full on XC race bike it is a little compromised. That is not to say I don't think it is a great bike. Awesome for longer endurance races but not perfect for shorter stuff. But you'll have your own ideas about the spider.
I guess it depends a little on what riding you do and how many bikes you can afford. If I could only have one, it'd be a Spider. If I did less racing it might be the 5.5.
However, my current thinking is that I need two bikes, one for racing and one for trail riding. For that I'd choose a light weight racer - Fuel, Nitrous etc and a longer travel but still lightweight bike like the 5.5, Yeti 575 etc.
So for me the spider and 5.5 are probably a little too close in performance. But if i could have three bikes....
and my feeling is as a full on XC race bike it is a little compromised. That is not to say I don't think it is a great bike. Awesome for longer endurance races but not perfect for shorter stuff. But you'll have your own ideas about the spider.
I guess it depends a little on what riding you do and how many bikes you can afford. If I could only have one, it'd be a Spider. If I did less racing it might be the 5.5.
However, my current thinking is that I need two bikes, one for racing and one for trail riding. For that I'd choose a light weight racer - Fuel, Nitrous etc and a longer travel but still lightweight bike like the 5.5, Yeti 575 etc.
So for me the spider and 5.5 are probably a little too close in performance. But if i could have three bikes....
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