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XCE outdated????

1096 Views 17 Replies 14 Participants Last post by jokermtb, Dec 19, 2005

Hicksville

Discussion Starter · Dec 15, 2005

My eldest daughter has seen an xce frame in good condition for sale, is the frame totally outdated or still a viable option??. Personally I think it is one of the best frames ever made, she does not need tons of travel and it is all about quality of travel as well in addition the cost/saving on a 5spot but she thinks a five spot would be a better long term deal to cope with longer forks and so on.
Any opinions to help the family feud???

1 - 18 of 18 Posts

SSINGA

· #2 · Dec 15, 2005

Hicksville said:
My eldest daughter has seen an xce frame in good condition for sale, is the frame totally outdated or still a viable option??. Personally I think it is one of the best frames ever made, she does not need tons of travel and it is all about quality of travel as well in addition the cost/saving on a 5spot but she thinks a five spot would be a better long term deal to cope with longer forks and so on.
Any opinions to help the family feud???

XCE w/ XR rockers and a Reba on the front is a sweet combo. Worst case scenario: it's always worth $600 towards a new Spot.

bikerx40

· #3 · Dec 15, 2005

Hicksville said:
she does not need tons of travel

This is what people tell themselves before they've tried a bike with more travel, and zero increase in weight. I own an XCE and it's been a great bike, but you always want more travel as your skills quickly progress. I wish that I would have just saved some more coin for a 5-Spot. Same weight and more travel. You never hear people say, "I just bought a 5-Spot, and wish that I would have bought a bike with 4" travel that weighs the same."

I agree with your daughter.

Rouleur321

· #4 · Dec 15, 2005

bikerx40 said:
This is what people tell themselves before they've tried a bike with more travel, and zero increase in weight. I own an XCE and it's been a great bike, but you always want more travel as your skills quickly progress. I wish that I would have just saved some more coin for a 5-Spot. Same weight and more travel. You never hear people say, "I just bought a 5-Spot, and wish that I would have bought a bike with 4" travel that weighs the same."

I agree with your daughter.

Ive seen plenty of folks who are happier with the smaller bikes.

cactuscorn

· #5 · Dec 15, 2005

both damn fine points. i like ss's trade in idea however so if you can score the xce for less than 6 bills, and im sure ya could, i say go that route, try it, and then decide if the spot is what ya need. think of it as a limitless test ride. its a excellent way to find the prefered frame size too. get it a adjustable fork and life is pretty good either way. just a thought or two.

bikerx40

· #6 · Dec 15, 2005

SpeedThrills said:
Ive seen plenty of folks who are happier with the smaller bikes.

I'm glad. I'm just saying that if they were to weigh the same, then most people would choose the cushier bike. I demoed a Yeti 575 that weighed 28 pounds, and it was hard to accept the fact that my burly-built XCE weighs 30.5 pounds, has nearly 2" less travel, and doesn't climb as well (slight).

tscheezy

· #7 · Dec 15, 2005

A few of the ladies here (well, 3 to be exact) have recently moved onto size small 5-Spots. Barny used to be on an XCE, Jewels was on a Burner (essentially the same bike as the XCE), and I'm not sure what cbharping was on.

Barny sez...

Barny said:
Barny here. I love my new bike! I stay on the ground 100% of the time if I can possibly help it and I don't feel like this is overkill at all. It's hard for me to compare the 5-spot to the xce too closely since I haven't been on it for over a year, but I definitely notice that I can ride stuff I didn't ride with the xce. I feel more stable and it's definitely easier to roll over lumpy stuff. I like that I have more clearance on the pedals. Steering feels really smooth and predictable. It's easier for me to get behind the saddle for downhills and that definitely helps my riding ability. I would say that, if anything, the 5-spot actually helps me on the climbs, too - steering is less twitchy. It doesn't seem heavy at all.

Jewels said:
it's all your fault... thanks cbharping and barney! For your enticing 5 spot pix....just had to see for myself. Built 1 week ago, 3 rides old and loving it. Let's keep them girlie rigs comin!

Read about and see the BarnyMobile here. This thread contains nice shots of cbharping's new rig and a pic of Jewel's bike.

FWIW I used to have an XCE and now ride a 5-Spot and 6-Pack. I find the Spot to be superior to the XCE in essentially every regard, so I guess I agree with the ladies. Wow, it IS true. They're always right!!

Marshall Willanholly

· #8 · Dec 15, 2005

tscheezy said:
A few of the ladies here (well, 3 to be exact) have recently moved onto size small 5-Spots. Barny used to be on an XCE, Jewels was on a Burner (essentially the same bike as the XCE), and I'm not sure what cbharping was on.

cb was on a Kona Kikapu (3.5 in travel).

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MK_

· #9 · Dec 16, 2005

If you get the XCE invest in a fork which is adjustible to work in 4 and 5 inch modes in case she craves more travel in the end. A fork like RS Revelation or a PIKE (Revelation will be lighter, but a PIKE will be a better choice if she ends up wanting the Spot), alternatively a Fox Vanilla or another flavor of their 32mm offering.

_MK

cutthroat

· #10 · Dec 16, 2005

tscheezy said:
so I guess I agree with the ladies. Wow, it IS true. They're always right!!

Nice to see the behavioral modification is working.

As for the XCE vs. 5 Spot debate, a lot depends on what type of rider you are and plan on becoming. For many of us (the 45 plus crowd) 4" of travel seems like plenty, plus you gain some XC agility. BUT, with a variable travel fork and virtually no weight penalty the 5 Spot is a hard argument to overcome - it seems like it can be dressed up as a quick XC ride or a burly trail ride. For me, versatility is the touchstone of a one bike quiver (not as though I'd ever suffer through that), and 5" sure feels good. If money is the issue go for the XCE, over the following 6 months it will be a gradual progression of UGI, additional bikes, fork swaps, rocker changes, then finally the revelation that she really wanted the 5 Spot all along.

RedRocker

· #11 · Dec 16, 2005

cutthroat said:
Nice to see the behavioral modification is working.

As for the XCE vs. 5 Spot debate, a lot depends on what type of rider you are and plan on becoming. For many of us (the 45 plus crowd) 4" of travel seems like plenty, plus you gain some XC agility. BUT, with a variable travel fork and virtually no weight penalty the 5 Spot is a hard argument to overcome - it seems like it can be dressed up as a quick XC ride or a burly trail ride. For me, versatility is the touchstone of a one bike quiver (not as though I'd ever suffer through that), and 5" sure feels good. If money is the issue go for the XCE, over the following 6 months it will be a gradual progression of UGI, additional bikes, fork swaps, rocker changes, then finally the revelation that she really wanted the 5 Spot all along.

I'd agree with all of that. For me ignorance is bliss since I'm on a 4" Burner. It's fine for what I do plus my wife would put me in a body cast if I got another frame now! The nice thing about UGI in your case is that you can trade up on the frame itself for no real penalty! Just make sure you get a fork that will go from 4-5".

You're a good dad in either case

Cucucachu

· #12 · Dec 16, 2005

Hicksville said:
My eldest daughter has seen an xce frame in good condition for sale, is the frame totally outdated or still a viable option??. Personally I think it is one of the best frames ever made, she does not need tons of travel and it is all about quality of travel as well in addition the cost/saving on a 5spot but she thinks a five spot would be a better long term deal to cope with longer forks and so on.
Any opinions to help the family feud???

Out dated? Naw! An AMP Research, although the origin of Turner's HL suspension design, is outdated. I'm riding my XCE at Alafia tomorrow. I was thinking about following cutthroat's advice and add XR Rockers; increasing the travel to 4.6". I have no complaints about the 4" of travel. In fact I think the XCE has a few advantages over the 5 Spot. Since the XCE rocker pivot is behind the seat post, you can lube it without interference from the shock. The shifter cables run under the top tube, out of your way. And the thing is built like a tank. A little heavy, but very strong. Heavy when compared to an O2 or Burner/Flux.

cactuscorn

· #13 · Dec 16, 2005

boy, you guys make a really good point here. like red rocker says, you can always trade up to the pack. and i think both he and mk said to use a adjustable fork so it would work on either frame. good thinkin guys! i should thought of all that. huh ss? doh.....

Hicksville

Discussion Starter · #14 · Dec 16, 2005

MK_ said:
If you get the XCE invest in a fork which is adjustible to work in 4 and 5 inch modes in case she craves more travel in the end. A fork like RS Revelation or a PIKE (Revelation will be lighter, but a PIKE will be a better choice if she ends up wanting the Spot), alternatively a Fox Vanilla or another flavor of their 32mm offering.

_MK

I thought the xce was limited to a 100mm fork on the front???

MightySchmoePong

· #15 · Dec 16, 2005

I think the point was to get

a fork that could be swapped to the 5-spot if later you decided you wanted it. If you get a 4" dedicated fork you'd have to shell out for a new fork as well.

Some in the Marzocchi Marathon series are also 4-5 convertable. Not as stiff as a vanilla, but if she's lighter it might work fine. I find it to be a bit flexy.

I have an XCE, and the only thing that's got me thinking about a 5-spot is the new annodized finishes and the 600 trade in program; the bike itself rides great and is FAR from outdated.

Dave

bikerx40

· #16 · Dec 16, 2005 (Edited)

Hicksville said:
I thought the xce was limited to a 100mm fork on the front???

The geometry was based on a 100mm Fox, but that doesn't mean that you can't push it a bit further. I'm running a 115mm Reba and it's fine, and only on really steep pitches do I feel a bit of wandering but it doesn't bother me enough to reduce the travel at all. I think that he's saying that a 4 to 5" adjustable would allow a future upgrade to a 5Spot without having the throw down for a new fork too.

kosmo

· #17 · Dec 17, 2005

XCE vs. Spot

I've got one of each, and love them both, but the XCE just hangs on the wall. The Spot really does do everything better.

jokermtb

· #18 · Dec 19, 2005

if one is just xc riding and want's to have fun, a cheap used XCE would be a wonderful frame. I have a spot and it is an incredible wonderful bike, but sometimes I do miss my 1999 burner w/ 2.8" of travel - that thing was just sooo fast [and it took a 3 ft drop like nobody's bizness]

You can't lose either way.

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