Advice: Enduro vs all-mountain bike for the shore

Alright, so it's time for a new bike.

After about as much online research as I can handle, I've ended up with a spreadsheet of bikes in my price range (<$5000 all in) and I thought that some people here might be able to give me some advice on narrowing it down a little more.

My major issue right now is that I can't decide whether I want to go with an enduro bike like a Norco Range or Giant Reign, or an all mountain bike like the Rocky Mountain Altitude (love the look and parts on the 2018 altitude alloy 50!).

I ride the shore almost exclusively, and it's extremely rare that I ride park. Mostly, I ride Fromme, Seymour, and West Cypress (mostly Upper Tall Cans, Wutang, Antagonizer, etc, nothing too crazy), and some other loam trails. I've always been a fan of steep, technical trails rather than fast flowy trails, pushing me towards smaller, more nimble bikes (hence my attraction to the altitude). But will an Altitude be able to handle steep trails with lots of features? I realize that it would probably be better for things like ladder-bridges, but can it handle the kind of features you find on Cypress and the harder trails on Seymour and Fromme? Would it be worth getting an ex-demo or one-season-old enduro bike over a 2018 Altitude?

I'm not really in any rush to upgrade, other than the shops selling out of heavily discounted 2017 models, but if I end up going for a 2018 model, or decide to stick to the used market, then time isn't really a factor, except that I need a bike by the time the season comes. Which unfortunately means I'm not going to get the chance to demo any bikes on the trails.

For reference I'm coming from a 2014 Devinci Dixon with a 160mm Fox Talas on the front. I really loved the travel length on this bike, and how light it was. I would like to stay in the same range of travel +/- 10mm. It climbed quite well, but sometimes when I had to do longer treks on road or gravel to get back to my car/home (which is quite often actually) I could feel it holding me back quite a bit.

Any advice is appreciated, thanks!

I think that you should take a serious look at the Rocky Mountain Instinct BC (or Alloy 70 in your budget and swap for a 150 or 160mm fork when the budget allows), Norco Sight 29 and the Specialized Stumpjumper 29. You might be surprised at how capable those bikes are. Sort of like enduro-light, the 29 inch wheel gives confidence and the travel is in the mid-range, which is what it looks like you want.

I just went through a similar exercise, albeit at a much lower price point. My general conclusion was that for a preference tight tech riding riding over open fast riding a 27.5 bike would fit the bill a bit better. That said, modern bikes are so good that the differences btwn AM or enduro won't be larger enough to be a clear deciding factor. I think what matter most is how the bike fits you and how your riding style fits with the way the bike rides. My best advice is that you should feel a part of the bike, that you're sitting in the bike instead of on it. Find the bike that does that the best for you and you'll probably have a winner. A bike you feel comfortable on will inspire more confidence than that any labels put on it from marketing spin or hype.

rnayel,

Thanks for the reply. I have actually looked at the Instinct, and unfortunately the BC edition is well out of my price range, and the Alloy 70 is still $400 more than I can afford, and that's before tax. The alloy 50 is in my price range, but it seems to be a shorter travel, 29er version of the Altitude, which I guess has its pros and cons.

I have given some thought into getting a 29er, however my conclusion was that it would take away from the maneuverability of the bike, which is kind of the opposite of what I'm going for. I'm not particularly tall (5'10), so I don't know if having bigger wheels would suit a medium frame as well as a large or extra large frame. I do see the benefit of the bigger wheels being that that they requires less travel, and that the bottom bracket feels lower in the bike, making it more stable, but the trade-offs of sacrificing turning radius and travel aren't things that I'm super keen on doing. I'll definitely look into it more, but as of now, I'm not quite sold on 29ers yet.

I gather from your response that you believe a full long-travel enduro bike is not necessary for the kind of trails that I'm doing. If that is the case, what other advantages are there to going 29 over 27.5? And if I decide on 27.5, is the Altitude a good choice?

syncro,

Thanks for your input, and I definitely appreciate that take on the problem.

Just to clarify though, as far as I know, enduro bikes have all moved to 27.5", and it's not just an AM and XC thing anymore.

Other than that, I agree with what you're saying, and am leaning on the side of getting an AM bike like the Altitude over an enduro bike because of its handling ability and versatility. Too bad I won't get a chance to demo any bikes on trails considering they're pretty deep in snow right now.

Posted by: Rock_it_science

Too bad I won't get a chance to demo any bikes on trails considering they're pretty deep in snow right now.

You could solve that with a short winter trip to Utah and Arizona and rent a bike down there to get a better idea of what suits you best.

Posted by: syncro

Posted by: Rock_it_science

Too bad I won't get a chance to demo any bikes on trails considering they're pretty deep in snow right now.

You could solve that with a short winter trip to Utah and Arizona and rent a bike down there to get a better idea of what suits you best.

I wish that were an option, but considering that I'll be going back to university until April, and that I'm spending most of my available money on a new bike I don't know how feasible that is.

Posted by: Rock_it_science

I wish that were an option, but considering that I'll be going back to university until April, and that I'm spending most of my available money on a new bike I don't know how feasible that is.

I'll be putting together a 2017 Knolly Warden with a Suntour Durolux fork for under $2100 final cost. Right now is a GREAT time to look at a used bike as there are more people who are desperate to sell. With a budget of say $3k you could still get yourself a very nice rig that will serve you well for a number of years to come

I normally push people toward Enduros because of the options it keeps open but it seems that you have been riding AM trails and that you have no desire to change that. I’d stick with an AM bike if you’re not venturing off those trails on Cypress (for example). 

I love Upper Tall Cans on my Enduro even though it’s more of an AM trail. You’re kinda stuck to that and Wutang/Blind Skier/SGS/antagonizer/Pulltab/Slippery on Cypress tho - maybe Roach Clip. 

If you don’t move past those, AM.

Posted by: Ddean

I normally push people toward Enduros because of the options it keeps open but it seems that you have been riding AM trails and that you have no desire to change that. I’d stick with an AM bike if you’re not venturing off those trails on Cypress (for example). 

I love Upper Tall Cans on my Enduro even though it’s more of an AM trail. You’re kinda stuck to that and Wutang/Blind Skier/SGS/antagonizer/Pulltab/Slippery on Cypress tho - maybe Roach Clip. 

If you don’t move past those, AM.

Yup, that's pretty much my area of Cypress. Also been riding some other loam stuff in the area that I probably shouldn't talk about, but yeah, now that I think of it, pretty much all the trails I ride are more AM trails than DH.

I'll be putting together a 2017 Knolly Warden with a Suntour Durolux fork for under $2100 final cost.

Wow, how'd you manage that?

Right now is a GREAT time to look at a used bike as there are more people who are desperate to sell. With a budget of say $3k you could still get yourself a very nice rig that will serve you well for a number of years to come

I've actually done some searching on Pinkbike and have definitely found some pretty decent deals on 1-season-old bikes. Definitely still considering this as an option. My only real gripe with buying used is that I don't get a warranty.

Posted by: Rock_it_science

Yup, that's pretty much my area of Cypress. Also been riding some other loam stuff in the area that I probably shouldn't talk about, but yeah, now that I think of it, pretty much all the trails I ride are more AM trails than DH.

That's all relative though. Back when I was riding more I was hitting 5th Horseman and that level of trail on Cypress quite often on my 5" forked hardtail. While I wasn't as fast as when I was on my DH bike, I arguably had more fun on the hard tail. At the end of the day the level of the bike doesn't matter too much, the amount of fun to be had is all about the rider and their attitude.

Posted by: Rock_it_science

Wow, how'd you manage that?

I've actually done some searching on Pinkbike and have definitely found some pretty decent deals on 1-season-old bikes. Definitely still considering this as an option. My only real gripe with buying used is that I don't get a warranty.

Patience, bargaining and some judicious repurposing of parts off my old bike. For example I'm going to be using my 2x9 drivetrain which is still in great shape instead of spending another $400-600 on a fancy 1x10 or 1x11 setup. I don't drink cool-aid. Although I still might bite on a 1x11 SLX groupset for $500 CDN as I've picked up a new reno contract for Feb.

If you can find a decent frame/fork combo for $2k, get the SLX grouppo and a new wheelset for $500 you could be rolling on a nice rig with all new components for $3K or less.

For the most part I think warranty on new frames these days is a bit over-rated. Everything is made so well that the number of frame failures on the more well known brands is next to nil. If you're worried about it tho and are tight with your LBS that carries the brand of bike you buy I'm sure they could work something out, at least on a crash replacement level.

Posted by: syncro

Posted by: Rock_it_science

Yup, that's pretty much my area of Cypress. Also been riding some other loam stuff in the area that I probably shouldn't talk about, but yeah, now that I think of it, pretty much all the trails I ride are more AM trails than DH.

That's all relative though. Back when I was riding more I was hitting 5th Horseman and that level of trail on Cypress quite often on my 5" forked hardtail. While I wasn't as fast as when I was on my DH bike, I arguably had more fun on the hard tail. At the end of the day the level of the bike doesn't matter too much, the amount of fun to be had is all about the rider and their attitude.

That sounds like death to me although on 5th it’s so slow and janky on the tough sections (which I find tough on my E29) that it’s more head angle related than travel, for me anyways. Maybe guys who go thru there faster need the travel, but for me it’s just about not going OTB