CJ Van Posted July 18, 2018 Share I have been through this exact process last year. I was riding a 2013 Epic for about 5 years and the more you push the bike and yourself the more you realise how capable these XC bikes are. That said, the bikes were not made to take that kind of punishment and the maintenance becomes too expensive if you use a XC bike as a trial bike. So, I went on a bike hunting spree and tested a lot of trail bike. Some climb well and some don’t but none will replace your XC bike for what the XC bike is. The only bike that will come close to that will be the Intense Primer (From my experience testing some trail bikes but not all trail bikes. Obviously, there will be 100 people telling me that their trail bike is a better XC bike that all other trail bikes.) That bike is crazy light for a trail bike and with the adjustment to change the rear travel to 115mm it will be the closest to a XC bike you will get. Again, from my experience…. So, I ended up getting the Evil The Following because that is the bike that made my pants wet when I thought about it and the Primer just did not do that and because I still have my Epic for the long and boring rides. No matter how you set up your trail bike, it will never be a XC bike. You could argue that if you put lighter rubber on the bike and do this and do that it will come close to an XC bike but let’s be honest, do you really what to change have of your bike before you go for a ride? No bike can be 2 bikes. There will always be something you compromise if you want a “one bike to rule them all”. Go and test all the bikes you can and buy the best trail bike for you. Don’t worry about the XCM stuff, nobody cares about that anymore and it is dying a slow death. Everybody knows Enduro is the way to go! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adr!@n Posted July 18, 2018 Share You're current bike ticks a lot the boxes for your needs. Maybe you just need some fatter tires and to play around with things like bars/stem. Otherwise I'd say look at something like the Evil that was suggested. It's a sick machine. Look at the geo on that bike and start there because it might not be more travel that you need/want. This guy hit the biggest jumps in Whistler with a 130mm bike (Evil Calling): Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timhoek Posted July 18, 2018 Share So I have a Specialized Enduro, which I love, but I have come to realise it's too much bike to most of the recreational riding I do. I tested the Silverback Surface this weekend and with 140mm travel it ran right up there with the Enduro on the downs and was definitely quicker on the ups. For R32k, it's not a bad option. My race bike is a Sesta, so the trail/Enduro bike is my play bike. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevief Posted July 18, 2018 Share Also look at the Jeffsy YT, if yo not confused enough by now Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DieselnDust Posted July 18, 2018 Share Shjoe Glad I didn't; ask the question "which bike For...?" I'd be more confused than when I asked the question. I guess the answer is a light short travel trail bike.that seems to be where the market is heading for volume sellers. these are typically 110-130mm travel 29er or 120mm-140mm travel 27.5 bikes. Plenty bikes tick these boxesIntense PrimerYeti SB100Specialized stumpjumperSpecialised Epic EVOCannondale Scalpel SE (120mm)YT JeffsyNiner JET RDOIBIS RIPLEY LS jislike picks anyone's favourite bike and it can be the bike you're looking for. I'd say don't aim for a bike heavier than 12kg if you want to race XC with itLong Low Slack isn't the be all and end all as in the Western Cape we have very rocky trails and a higher bb is very nice to avoid smacking pedals on every rock. But lets face it, Lifes to short to ride just one bike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grease_Monkey Posted July 18, 2018 Share But lets face it, Lifes to short to ride just one bikeThat's about the smartest thing anyone has said in this whole thread Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spezmeister Posted July 18, 2018 Share I’ve just upgraded to a Stumpie ST Expert and have my Camber up for grabs if you’re interested.It’s currently being advertised on the Hub - Spezmeister Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mawbs Posted July 19, 2018 Share I’ve just upgraded to a Stumpie ST Expert and have my Camber up for grabs if you’re interested.It’s currently being advertised on the Hub - Spezmeister out of interest whats the going rate on that Stumpy ..if you dont mind me asking Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
splat Posted July 19, 2018 Share out of interest whats the going rate on that Stumpy ..if you dont mind me asking https://www.specialized.com/za/en/shop/bikes/mountain-bikes/trail-bikes/stumpjumper/c/trailstumpjumperfsr?q=%3Aprice-desc%3Aarchived%3Afalse%3AproductFamily%3AStumpjumper+ST&text=#result-list Approximate pricing:S-Works is about R135KExpert is about R80KNot sure on Alu version Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gambithunt Posted July 19, 2018 Share https://www.specialized.com/za/en/shop/bikes/mountain-bikes/trail-bikes/stumpjumper/c/trailstumpjumperfsr?q=%3Aprice-desc%3Aarchived%3Afalse%3AproductFamily%3AStumpjumper+ST&text=#result-list Approximate pricing:S-Works is about R135KExpert is about R80KNot sure on Alu versionALU version is going for R40K Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mawbs Posted July 23, 2018 Share would be nice to read a test between the Stumpy ST & Epic EVO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grease_Monkey Posted July 23, 2018 Share would be nice to read a test between the Stumpy ST & Epic EVOIMO the two bikes are not comparable at all. The geometry is worlds apart. An Epic Evo is still an all out race bike, 20mm of travel and 30mm of extra handlebar width won't change that.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mawbs Posted July 23, 2018 Share IMO the two bikes are not comparable at all. The geometry is worlds apart. An Epic Evo is still an all out race bike, 20mm of travel and 30mm of extra handlebar width won't change that.... actually i disagree the EVO is not that different to the ST. certainly much closer than the normal EPIC. six of one & half doz of the other, i would certainly like to ride both and see just what diffs it makes before i would say its worlds apart. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grease_Monkey Posted July 23, 2018 Share actually i disagree the EVO is not that different to the ST. certainly much closer than the normal EPIC. six of one & half doz of the other, i would certainly like to ride both and see just what diffs it makes before i would say its worlds apart.Nope, still narrow rims, clearance for skinny tyres, and XC rear shock, flat bar and long stem, and a steep head angle of 68.5° (normal Epic is 69.5°). The Stumpy ST has clearance for fat tyres, has wide rims, comes with a trail worthy rear shock, has 30mm more rear travel (that's ALOT more with new suspension designs), designed around a wide riser bar and short stem, and has a slackish head angle of 67.5°. The Stumpy ST is still a full on trail bike, just with less travel. The Spaz team are racing them in the EWS this year. It is a faar cry from the Epic... IMO, Epic Evo is a bike for someone that crushes the hills and kms, but still wants to get rowdy every now and then. The Stumpy ST is a fantastic all rounder that can handle long days in the saddle too. Yeah, there is some overlap, but I can garruantee they will feel like completely different bikes if you ride one after the other. Oh, and let's not forget about the brain on the Epic. Very cool on an XC bike, but not something I'd want near a trail bike like the Stumpy... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thisismyotherbike Posted July 23, 2018 Share Nope, still narrow rims, clearance for skinny tyres, and XC rear shock, flat bar and long stem, and a steep head angle of 68.5° (normal Epic is 69.5°). The Stumpy ST has clearance for fat tyres, has wide rims, comes with a trail worthy rear shock, has 30mm more rear travel (that's ALOT more with new suspension designs), designed around a wide riser bar and short stem, and has a slackish head angle of 67.5°. The Stumpy ST is still a full on trail bike, just with less travel. The Spaz team are racing them in the EWS this year. It is a faar cry from the Epic... IMO, Epic Evo is a bike for someone that crushes the hills and kms, but still wants to get rowdy every now and then. The Stumpy ST is a fantastic all rounder that can handle long days in the saddle too. Yeah, there is some overlap, but I can garruantee they will feel like completely different bikes if you ride one after the other. Oh, and let's not forget about the brain on the Epic. Very cool on an XC bike, but not something I'd want near a trail bike like the Stumpy... Nice assessment. Where would you say the discontinued Camber slots in? Closer to Epic Evo or Stumpy ST? The Epic Evo is still over a kg heaver than the equivalent Epic; that's plenty for a racing snake but negligible for the average (slightly overweight) 40-something doing Cape Epic. Given how technical that and some of the other stage races have become I expect the Evo to do well among the weekend warriors as it is such a well-balanced option for exactly that. Ultimately it remains a compromise over a pure XC bike and if you are in that racing snake category I'd stick to the XC and save up for a separate trail bike instead. I'd LOVE to have a separate trail bike to just have fun on. Alas I'm not in the position to have another mtb and wish I had gone with an "inbetween" option when I bought mine, but instead I have a hardcore XC bike that regularly gives me a beating. When my wife isn't looking I take her Camber for a spin and it instills enormous confidence on the trails. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mawbs Posted July 23, 2018 Share well i would nt call 2.3 tyres exactly skinny, but i hear you on other things ( i ride a Stumpy ) so ja i know what your getting at and would probably lean towards the ST. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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