Living with a bike you're not sure on

Nambra

Definitely should have gone to specsavers
Yeah, and SS isn't going to cut it here!
I'll add a narrower Aggressor to my shopping cart
Consider the Dissector too, it has a slightly lower rolling resistance than the Aggressor and is a touch lighter in a 29 x 2.4WT 3C EXO Maxx Terra. Or, keep the Aggressor; dropping 100g isn't really going to be that noticable and they still roll well with a touch more air.

After sifting through the last 5 pages, the guts of your dilemma seem to be rooted in your level of fitness and a lack of available time to do something about it. Neither of which is your fault - young kids take up a lot of time and energy. Don't take it out on the bike though, a Prime is a great quiver killer, and I reckon more of a trail bike than the current crop of AM steeds, most of which are pushing into the 140-150mm travel range as geo and suspension tunes get better and better. Changing bikes isn't going to magically give you more time to get out riding, and as @beeb buried in his verbiage (;)), you'll likely take a hit finanically and end up regretting selling the Prime.

In my humble opinion, I would suggest that now is exactly the wrong time to be sinking more money into the Prime to lighten it up, make it more spritely, whatever. Changing the dropouts to the neutral setting is a no brainer, that will help with the pedal strikes and put you in the 66° HTA range which is pretty steep, considering trail/AM bikes are around 64-65° these days. Mess with tyre, fork and shock pressures to firm it up a bit and you'll have spent nothing and have a more playful bike. Then find time to ride it more.

Disclosure - I have a 150/135mm bike and when I'm fit, it's a blast. If I've been unable to ride regularly though, I don't gel with it either - it feels sluggish and awkward, but I know that's me, not the bike. That's why I have a hardtail (Chameleon) as a second bike - it's about the same weight as the dually, but with all that 'underbiked edginess' that @beeb describes - it never fails to put a grin on my face, no matter how shitty I am feeling when I roll up to the trails. An hour on that thing does wonders for your fitness too, as you don't want to be seated too much!
 
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kten

understands stuff moorey doesn't
Kids in bed. Go for a run and/or 100 push-ups. No excuses..commit and get it done. If you can do 10 push ups you can do 100…it’ll just take you longer. Harsh? Maybe but it’s reality.

I think I remember giving exactly the same advice to Hambo when he joined :D

And yeah #bringbackhambo
 

Chriso_29er

Likes Bikes and Dirt
Why has no one mentioned kettle bells!

Get those lights and get out in the early morning mate, that is the only thing that worked for me when my two boys were young.
Even these days (8 and 12) its still back before noon on a weekend and after dinner rides under lights for me, so I can still balance bike time with family time.
 

Scotty T

Walks the walk
Regular push-ups are about the best thing I've found for improving real-world MTB fitness. Unfortunately I can't (feasibly) do them at the moment or my back tweaks again. Hopefully soon.
Getting down to do the pushups tweaked the dodgy knee today. I hate these kind of tweaks, only a really particular load sets it off.

So looks like Rorschach plays with the bike, the rest of us get the new Rotorburn Giant, and everyone does their pushups.

Also love me a Dissector and did me some kettlebells today too.
 

boyracer

Likes Dirt
As a fellow parent of 3 / Banshee Prime owner i can attest that high position dropouts, and adding 5 psi every ride did indeed improve my enjoyment of said Prime out of sight for Zero $$. It still weighs 15 kgs, but now rides more like i wanted it to , rather than a half cooked spaghetti monster. Since purchasing a low/mid spec rig last year as a complete to ride more dirt, i found my self not riding it because it was too sluggish/ heavy and climbed like a manatee, I'd take the rigid SS out and then curse on the way down... I still want to build a set of crabon wheels for the Prime ( my tools/ shed packed away at prez) and I coveted the 10 kg dually 120mm builds i saw here and thought about dicing the Banshee. But i really hadn't given it a full chance to succeed. Or i'd try convince myself that i was doing enough riding back and forth to work (350K a week) so i didn't need to ride on the weekend...Kids weekend sport takes a huge commitment too, something to look forward to Rorschach.

TBH, the fitness / bike conundrum is ongoing. Will get back to the pushups tomorrow, needed a reminder.
Been off the bike for 6 weeks now whilst doing a tidy up of our house for sale. We put an offer on a way bigger joint ( we'll almost be neighbours, Ozzy) and it was accepted. Bloody hell!
I'm gonna hate that first ride back for sure.
I can feel the pounds (litres/ longnecks) packing on now as I eat another takeaway carb bomb( don't wanna get the kitchen 'dirty' before handover). Weather has sucked a bunch of ass lately too, so not too worried about missing this few months, but amped to get the rig out again soon. Even talk of driving to work more often so i can come home and chuck a lap in.

Better get that urologist booked in before its 4... After kid #2, I went to see the GP for a referral and he said do you want now or do you want the best? I said the best, there was an X month wait till the appointment and #3 is now 9 y.o.
 

Scotty T

Walks the walk
All this thread has proved is that kids eat into biketime.

Sell the kids
Was chatting with matey post that first ride back on the weekend, he's got no kids, in his 30's and will probably have some but not much luck finding a Mrs to have the kid/s thus far. I was telling him how much I hate kids and how glad I am that mine has grown up. I mean I loved my kid when he was a kid, but now I just find them so fucking annoying that I want nothing to do with them. Apparently you suddenly like them again when you have grandchildren, that day can take as long as it wants thanks.
 

caad9

Likes Bikes and Dirt
I'm sympathetic to the plight of @Rorschach juggling the young kids and wishing you were fitter or just had your old life back.
I find myself longing for the freedom I used to have and it's a hard cycle to break.

I know it's not for everyone but I find running to be the best bang for buck exercise you can do. I'm running during lunch breaks at work or after the kids go to bed. Pretty brutal in Melbourne winter but the alternative is me moping about like the biggest sad sack on earth.
Occasionally I even enjoy it, although its still probably only 30% of the time.

Getting back to the bike, if buying/swapping/building a new one occupies the mind and brings joy, then it's money well spent.
If it is just to fill a hole in the hope it brings the above feelings, you are chasing the dragon
 

Asininedrivel

caviar connoisseur
I know it's not for everyone but I find running to be the best bang for buck exercise you can do.
Yep, got into it during the first lockdown (it was either that or go insane). If you're time poor there is nothing better for flooding you with glorious endorphins and making beer taste better.

Either that or the indoor trainer for after the kids are in bed as per @link1896 suggested earlier.
 
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