Bikes for Trail Riding... The start

[T-Bob]

This was such a brilliant short travel trail bike and covered everything I do with my longer travel rig. Almost perfect for SA and all the good stuff in Tokai, Hoogies conties and Jonkers. Would happily go for long a day out as well (maybe with the monarch in rather than the coil). Still holds my best times at both Cobras, AM, Top to bottom snakes.There is something special about a tranny... ahem. 

 

[banna]

Tallboy 3 has been serving me well.

[Jewbacca]

But.... trail riding IS Enduro. It's what all of us do.... Just with a time attached to it. 

No it's not... It is here, but it isn't really.

 

'Trail bikes' are made to climb well and descend well. Enduro bikes are made to descend fast and be able to climb.

 

We might ride Enduro on regular trails, but trail bikes and enduro sleds are completely different bikes.

 

You can Enduro on a trail bike and ride trails on an Enduro bike, much like the sub 4 brigade ride Argus on a mountain bike..... They are interchangeable to get the job done, but they are not just a horse of a different colour!

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

No it's not... It is here, but it isn't really.

 

'Trail bikes' are made to climb well and descend well. Enduro bikes are made to descend fast and be able to climb.

 

We might ride Enduro on regular trails, but trail bikes and enduro sleds are completely different bikes.

 

You can Enduro on a trail bike and ride trails on an Enduro bike, much like the sub 4 brigade ride Argus on a mountain bike..... They are interchangeable to get the job done, but they are not just a horse of a different colour!

Yeah, Enduro Race bikes are all about the #

 

#downduro #slackaf #longlowslack and so on. Agreed that the "enduro specific" race bikes are a different animal. 

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

Also - was just trolling.

[Jewbacca]

Also - was just trolling.

I know... But some people read the interwebs and believe what they read as truth... Shame on you!

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

I know... But some people read the interwebs and believe what they read as truth... Shame on you!

 

Anyway. All Mountain is essentially now Enduro.

 

Wait. is now #Enduro. Needs the hashtag. 

[Hairy]

Tallboy 3 has been serving me well.

fantastic pic!

[Headshot]

Worried this might be a bit too #Enduro for Hairy's thread? 

[popcorn_skollie]

This one squeezes in here quite nicely and has been on my radar for a while.

The chameleon is one of Santa Cruz's oldest bikes. And two decades later, it still hasn't shifted from its roots. Which is simply. A bike that doesn't quite fit into any specific category.

And can do a bit of pretty much everything. The geo is somewhat interesting to say the least.

The front centre and head angle are conservative by modern trail standards. That and its 130mm fork hardly puts it in the AMHT category either. The overall geo lean more towards slope bike numbers but its not really that either. At least no slope bike I ever knew came with either 27+/29 wheels. The rear wheel has also been smoeshed right up into the seat tube along horizontal dropouts. (Sjoe!) The more I look at it. The more I realize how much thought actually went into making it. I'd love to own one and just try everything on it.

 

https://youtu.be/aU7QITLNX9Y

Edited September 25, 2019 by popcorn_skollie

[hansolo]

Rocky Mountain Instinct

 

Previous generation 130 mm Instinct 950 (2014) with a 140 mm Pike and too many upgrades to mention. A really nice bike for Stellenbosch, wouldn't mind a new bike in the future but I'm keeping this one alive till then.

[Falling Over]

I've been eyeing a Roscoe as my next bike. I do a lot of road training and trail riding. What made you switch to the 2.6 tyres, and how did you find the bike in its stock setup? I'm looking at getting the Roscoe 8 that has 1x drivetrain and a dropper.

 

I wanted something with a bit more grip and braking power in rough terrain. To me that is more important than speed and rolling resistance. The original tires were Rocket Ron's, so a bit more of a XC orientated tire, but I found them lacking in the loose dirt. This is the same reason I swapped out the brakes. I just wanted something that can handle my type of terrain more.

 

Apart from that the stock 8 bike is a decent bike, and would probably suit most people just fine. Reviews are fairly favorable and positive. The Roscoe 8 with dropper & NX groupset is probably better value for money than the 7 I have, but I was on a budget at that point in time :-p I don't have any regrets though.

Edited September 25, 2019 by Falling Over

[Jehosefat]

Canyon Strive.

 

In the climb setting it has the same head and seat tube angles as a Scott Spark (give or take) with a bit more travel (160mm front and 135mm rear).

 

In the descend setting it lowers the head tube angle by about 1.5° and you have 160mm front and 150mm rear travel.

 

And you can change the settings while riding. Hit the climb button and unweight the rear for climb mode; hit the descend button and pump the suspension for descend model. Win win.

 

(Plus mine is red so its faster)

Edited September 25, 2019 by Jehosefat

[T-Bob]

Worried this might be a bit too #Enduro for Hairy's thread? 

 

Nah, I rode my one everywhere but it liked Hoogies Cobra and the trails back to the car park the best. 

[splat]

When my Lotto numbers finally get picked, I will be hard pressed to choose between a Tallboy 4, Pivot Trail 429 and the Ibis Ripley 4.

I was also keen on the outgoing Trek Fuel EX...

 

 

 

 

[Falling Over]

Another bike I am eyeing is the new Scott Genius 950. 150/150mm, with the TwinLoc system. Previous models has a few "Trail Bike of the Year" awards to it's name. The 2020 model with it's black paint and orange hubs, seat trim and logo is sexy AF.