Ellsworth are cool but very expensive. Funny because here and in Moab they are very common, when again I think that both Turner (not in house, but very high tech and very high quality and hand welded in the USA, nearly identical quality to Ventana but a hair cheaper) and Ventana (nearly identical but they have better suspension ratios IMO, and they are inhouse, slightly more "boutique") are both just as good as Ellsworth and possibly even more superior. And the Ellsworth are a good $500 more as well. I have a friend who I trust and who is unbiased... He rides a truth and loves it, and is also an old family friend of Tony Ellsworth, and worked for him. Supposedly (though most of his bikes are great) Ellsworth and Tony Ellsworth have really sketchy business practices ( I have heard this from a lot of people), money owed all over, meanwhile the owner is blowing huge $$ on a new house for himself etc etc. So, though they are nice, I personally choose not to support them even if I wanted one..
But like the Moots I still personally would choose the Ventana (or a Turner). Another final issue for me is the only way I could do a Moots was if one was custom ordered. Something about Ti bikes, literally no one makes on in my size for about 6'4 or taller (I am 6'5, but do not consider myself "massive". I also ride a normal XL bike, not a XXL)... It is about 70% internet research and about 30% real world. But I base my initial values of "what I like" and "what fits me" on my real bikes. But the geometry of the Turners and the Ventanas both fit me so much better. The Ventana I have on order (my Saab sold -- I am literally ordering the bike tomorrow!!
) fits me perfectly...
Here is the chart of geometry for this bike. I am ordering the 22" (which is like a 21" with slightly longer wheelbase and slightly longer seat tube. Literally perfect for me). It is a 650b bike so the "new tire size" between 26 and 29er. It is kind of "ghey" (or however you want to phrase it), but I wanted 5" travel XC borderline AM bike. I am so tall that bikes for me can be massive (sized, length, wheelbase etc), so I could have bought a 29er that fits me at 4" or 5," but it would have been humungo, 47" wheelbase, plus the 29er wheels on top of that. Or I could scrunch such as I have and fit on the XL that fits folks 6'1 - 6'4 ideally. But my XL Stumpjumper, that I already had trouble getting around tight corners on tight switch backs, is about 44" wheelbase, and is a hard tail. Full suspension generally seems to add about 1" to the wheelbase of most bikes, so this 650b bike ("The Bastardo") with the bigger tires, perfect top tubs for me, perfect seat tube for me, and perfect angles, is just about right. Plus only about 45" wheel base, and everything else on the bike literally fits my body perfectly...
So I cannot wait
...
