ashayk said:
http://www.dreambike.com/5spottest.htm
Thanks alot for that link!!!
I checked out the whole site and there was alot of information on the Saltamontes. I never knew you could do so much with that Ventana frame. He also mentions that climbing and frame design is better than the VPP and Truth frames.
----time for a quick ride---
No worries. Glad it could be of some use. Yeah, he has a lot of information on there. It's iteresting to glean ideas about builds/etc, especially from a guide's point of view. I doubt you could go wrong with either bike. It's probably going to come down to what you value the most.
The X5 really seems like fantastic all-round ride, burlier than the 5-spot, but you pay about a 2lb weight penalty. Ventana build quality and CNC work have to be seen to be believed, though, personally, I've always though the X5 is plain ugly. Wouldn't stop me from buying one and I'm sure I'm in the minority(or maybe the only one), but the Spot pleases me much more on an aesthetic level. Nice thing about the Spot, though, is that with the right components, it could be built up into a competent XC racerish machine. So could the Salt of course, but not the X5.
Either way, I don't think you'll find much sympathy for having to make the choice
. You'll likely love either one.
Enjoy.