Bikes for Enduro... The restart

[stefmeister]

BTW, any clue what those hipster "Handgemaakde" rims cost?

Haha,

hipsters indeed.

 

Everything carbon fiber is handmade. Bloody pretentious calling it "hangemaak" - probably thinking people will pay a premium for the marketing.

[Duane_Bosch]

Oi!

 

For those that don't know. There's a youtube show called the dirtshed show. It's a weekly roundup of Mountainbiking events. Featuring Marc Beaumont, Rob Warner, Martin Ashton and Neil Donaque. (Spelling)

 

They also have tech features where they do features on pro bikes, riding techniques etc. So every week there's 20 minutes of current MTB news, bikes, tecnique and tech to keep you in the loop.

 

While the presenters have all made their names in the gravity disciplines they're huge fans of XC too so you're sure to see Nino's bike in a tech feature.

 

Worth a watch IMO!

Edited March 14, 2016 by Duane_Bosch

[stefmeister]

Must say that Kona 153 for R48k on Diald is bloody lekker value. Bit portly, but it's a lot of bike.

 

Anyways, I may have an alternative solution to my problem which will see me on the Stumpy a bit longer and then save for the inevitable old stock bargain when 2017 ranges launch and people get gut punched by the ZAR

 

I have recently went through the same exercise and also looked at the Kona on Dial'd.

Seems like a great deal.

 

"Settled" on a 2015 spez enduro 29er which I got at a "bargain". 160mm of travel is possibly more than I'd ever need riding around Paarl-area, but the geometry is less low & slack, and pedaling this monster uphill is actually comfortable. So it's a bit closer to a trail bike, rather than an #enduro downhill racer, and a capable do-it-all one bike.

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

I have recently went through the same exercise and also looked at the Kona on Dial'd.

Seems like a great deal.

 

"Settled" on a 2015 spez enduro 29er which I got at a "bargain". 160mm of travel is possibly more than I'd ever need riding around Paarl-area, but the geometry is less low & slack, and pedaling this monster uphill is actually comfortable. So it's a bit closer to a trail bike, rather than an #enduro downhill racer, and a capable do-it-all one bike.

Those 2015 Enduros were going for a really good price on sale.

[NicoBoshoff]

I have recently went through the same exercise and also looked at the Kona on Dial'd.

Seems like a great deal.

 

"Settled" on a 2015 spez enduro 29er which I got at a "bargain". 160mm of travel is possibly more than I'd ever need riding around Paarl-area, but the geometry is less low & slack, and pedaling this monster uphill is actually comfortable. So it's a bit closer to a trail bike, rather than an #enduro downhill racer, and a capable do-it-all one bike.

Don't worry, we're busy with plans to make 160mm travel worth it in Paarl   Some old big features are going to make a comeback soon.

 

Plus I see Picardie now has a nice XCO loop / in progress with some nasty drops and off camber corners and steeps (and by I see I mean I accidently dropped in and rode it...)

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

Don't worry, we're busy with plans to make 160mm travel worth it in Paarl   Some old big features are going to make a comeback soon.

 

Plus I see Picardie now has a nice XCO loop / in progress with some nasty drops and off camber corners and steeps (and by I see I mean I accidently dropped in and rode it...)

Dude... It's riding nice at the moment, but some areas on the A-line. Holy rut city! 

 

Any plans to deal with that, or are they just going to be left to mature?

[Hairy]

I've spent some time now on a 2012 Trance X whilst waiting for my fork issues to be remedied.

Few comments on the #enduro driven bike advancements since then:

 

- Bikes now aren't (in my opinion) more fun;

 

- Geometry changes to slacker and lower have opened up technical riding to more people I reckon (i.e. they've made riding your bike a bit less hairy)

 

- The most important technological advancements in the last 3 years have to be clutch derailleurs and n/w chainrings ENTER NO. 2;

 

- MOAR Suspension travel is a bit overrated, in South Africa at least.

1. What's wrong with my bike that you want to make bikes less hairy?!?!?!?

2. You left Dropper Post off that list.

[NicoBoshoff]

Dude... It's riding nice at the moment, but some areas on the A-line. Holy rut city! 

 

Any plans to deal with that, or are they just going to be left to mature?

Bennet is going to install proper drainage on the race line and where the other lines clearly suffer (although the race line is the only one with massive drainage problems). All the lines will also be cleaned again i.e. overgrowth etc.

 

I've instructed him not to build on the race line because I've gotten too much grief from racers about touching that track, so he'll just ensure there aren't ruts that develop where they obviously shouldn't e.g. in the run in to the road gap.  The bottom berms will also obviously be patched up.

 

Then the other lines will have old features rebuilt and fixed - the road gap on the middle line, the big catch berm following the ski jump, the double next to the race line (for practising gap jumps).

 

If there's some time left on his contract he will re-open the old line that had the little step up onto the granite rock.  Even if just to open it for future building endeavours.  There's a lot of bushwhacking to be done.

[NicoBoshoff]

1. What's wrong with my bike that you want to make bikes less hairy?!?!?!?

2. You left Dropper Post off that list.

Droppers are convenient.  Clutch RD's keep you safe.  But yes, Droppers have revolutionised AM riding indeed.

[Duane_Bosch]

Dude... It's riding nice at the moment, but some areas on the A-line. Holy rut city! 

 

Any plans to deal with that, or are they just going to be left to mature?

Nico's gotten a lot of feedback from riders and the general consensus is to leave that line alone.

 

It's a DH race line so ruts and rough are good.  

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

Nico's gotten a lot of feedback from riders and the general consensus is to leave that line alone.

 

It's a DH race line so ruts and rough are good.  

Sweet. I can dig that. Some of them though - I need to get comfortable with riding ruts. 

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

Bennet is going to install proper drainage on the race line and where the other lines clearly suffer (although the race line is the only one with massive drainage problems). All the lines will also be cleaned again i.e. overgrowth etc.

 

I've instructed him not to build on the race line because I've gotten too much grief from racers about touching that track, so he'll just ensure there aren't ruts that develop where they obviously shouldn't e.g. in the run in to the road gap.  The bottom berms will also obviously be patched up.

 

Then the other lines will have old features rebuilt and fixed - the road gap on the middle line, the big catch berm following the ski jump, the double next to the race line (for practising gap jumps).

 

If there's some time left on his contract he will re-open the old line that had the little step up onto the granite rock.  Even if just to open it for future building endeavours.  There's a lot of bushwhacking to be done.

Great news. And cool re the race line. I can dig it - it's a challenge. One that I'm nowhere near conquering, but getting better all teh time. 

[Eddy Gordo]

Race Line??

 

I rode a few different lines the day we were there. All awesome, except for on which was very badly rutted which starts over the road. The line along the fence with the road crossing is awesome. Then it branches from there to different lines. Came across a huge mother of a jump, which I am yet to attempt(hahaha) and then a rock feature on another line but rode around it instead. 

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

Race Line??

 

I rode a few different lines the day we were there. All awesome, except for on which was very badly rutted which starts over the road. The line along the fence with the road crossing is awesome. Then it branches from there to different lines. Came across a huge mother of a jump, which I am yet to attempt(hahaha) and then a rock feature on another line but rode around it instead. 

that's the one. A Line, starts on the CT side of the road. Walk over the road, over a drainage channel and up the hill, then down. That's the A Line / Race Line. 

[NicoBoshoff]

It's called Late Harvest. Then working back towards PAARL is Klippies and Coke, Richelieu, Antonio's and Needles

[Hairy]

More trail than #ENDURO, but is has some kahuna's

 

http://ep1.pinkbike.org/p5pb13271295/p5pb13271295.jpg

 

http://enduro-mtb.com/en/devinci-launch-new-120mm-django-trail-bike/