Ideal north shore do it all bike

Hey guys,

I'm sure you've heard this question a thousand times, but I'm having the hardest time deciding on my next bike. I haven't demoed any yet (not quite in the buying stage, just doing the pre-shopping) but I'm trying to decide between a 160-170mm enduro or a 150mm trail. My budget is $4000 and I'm looking at the 2017 Giant Trance 1.5LTD(and going 1x in the front), 2017 Giant reign 2, 2017 Norco Range A7.3 and the 2017 Norco Sight a7.2.

I ride fromme and Seymour mostly so I want a bike that I'm not dragging up to 7th and can pedal up Good Sir Martin..but still enjoy coming down seventh secret, neds, and a good ride along bridal.

Do a lot of you guys do fine with 150mm trail bikes all around the shore? Or are the new enduro bikes manageable enough on the climbs?

i do like the comfort of being able to plow over stuff if needed but also really enjoy a good trail ride. seems I'm stuck in the middle.

Ive got hours on both 2017 Trance Advanced and 2016 Reign Advanced, but no other modern bikes. They are both very good up and down, but obviously RA is better down and TA is better up. Both are great across the hill. Ill take the Reign on an XC ride instead of my Ti 29er hardtail.

I had an RA last year, and rode a TA for the past 3 months. I've decided to stick with the RA for next year, but I may go with a set of 2.3 tires instead of 2.5. Tires were the most noticable difference between the two.

Imo, you cant go wrong with either, but I don't have any experience with the Aluminum frames.

Hey guys,
I ride fromme and Seymour mostly so I want a bike that I'm not dragging up to 7th and can pedal up Good Sir Martin..but still enjoy coming down seventh secret, neds, and a good ride along bridal.

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i do like the comfort of being able to plow over stuff if needed but also really enjoy a good trail ride. seems I'm stuck in the middle.

I have a Reign as my do-it-all bike and it can definitely do all the things you mention, but it's not exactly a trail bike.

140-150mm 29'er. if you're looking at norco, the big wheel sight may be spot on.

Thanks for the reply guys, I'm feeling a bit more comfortable with the idea of the reign.

I'm also very curious to see what Norco brings to the table for the 29ers, though could be totally wrong but I have a feeling they're both going to be Carbon.. and probably out of my price range. But time will tell!

Do a lot of you guys do fine with 150mm trail bikes all around the shore? Or are the new enduro bikes manageable enough on the climbs?

Yes.

It may sound silly, but I would give some consideration to the bikes your regular riding buddies are using. If they're all on trail bikes, they'll want to do more pedally rides, and you'll be working a bit harder on a 170 mm bike. Conversely, if they're all on bigger bikes and like to hit the rowdy trails, you'll find yourself disadvantaged much of the time on a trail bike.

Another option is to get the bike that helps with your weaknesses. If you're a confident descender but are worse at climbing, get the smaller travel bike. Get the long travel bike if you're good on the ups and in tight terrain but a bit more timid.

Both types of bikes will work well for the terrain here.

Yes.

It may sound silly, but I would give some consideration to the bikes your regular riding buddies are using. If they're all on trail bikes, they'll want to do more pedally rides, and you'll be working a bit harder on a 170 mm bike. Conversely, if they're all on bigger bikes and like to hit the rowdy trails, you'll find yourself disadvantaged much of the time on a trail bike.

Another option is to get the bike that helps with your weaknesses. If you're a confident descender but are worse at climbing, get the smaller travel bike. Get the long travel bike if you're good on the ups and in tight terrain but a bit more timid.

Both types of bikes will work well for the terrain here.

That's true. My main riding buddy actually rides an old xc full suspension but rides all the stuff mentioned (we grew up riding these trails on hard tail xc bikes, so it's not a huge issue) and other friends like to hit the park once in a while. Leaning more towards the reign I think. The 2017 reign 2 looks decent and gives me some room to upgrade to make it lighter for the trail riding but still be able to hammer the descents.

I don't think having a bit too much travel can hurt on the shore, plus gives me the option of taking it to the park

Yes.

It may sound silly, but I would give some consideration to the bikes your regular riding buddies are using. If they're all on trail bikes, they'll want to do more pedally rides, and you'll be working a bit harder on a 170 mm bike. Conversely, if they're all on bigger bikes and like to hit the rowdy trails, you'll find yourself disadvantaged much of the time on a trail bike.

Another option is to get the bike that helps with your weaknesses. If you're a confident descender but are worse at climbing, get the smaller travel bike. Get the long travel bike if you're good on the ups and in tight terrain but a bit more timid.

Both types of bikes will work well for the terrain here.

Good points, I went the other way most have gone with new bikes. Had a nicely setup Trance SX, 1 x 10 (30-42), 36 Talas RC2 [HTML_REMOVED] DBInline, Schwalbe 2.35 MM/HD tires 175mm cranks. Picked up a 2016 R1, Pike RCT3, Debonair RC3, 1 x 11 (28-42), Schwalbe 2.35 MM/HD tires 170mm cranks. So the bike were pretty similar. My thinking was that the Reign would climb similar to the Trance but be more forgiving on the downs. The thing was the Reign was a little better on the way down in some spots, but tech climbing was poor compared to the Trance. Pedal strikes on the Reign was crazy, even when not pedaling and in a descending position. Ending up keeping the 2 year old Trance and sold the almost new Reign.

The new Trance (2017 model), might just be the improvement I was looking for in a slightly longer frame, but not so long and low as the Reign. Everybody has a different idea on what works for them. Get some test rides in and find what works for you.

Good points, I went the other way most have gone with new bikes. Had a nicely setup Trance SX, 1 x 10 (30-42), 36 Talas RC2 [HTML_REMOVED] DBInline, Schwalbe 2.35 MM/HD tires 175mm cranks. Picked up a 2016 R1, Pike RCT3, Debonair RC3, 1 x 11 (28-42), Schwalbe 2.35 MM/HD tires 170mm cranks. So the bike were pretty similar. My thinking was that the Reign would climb similar to the Trance but be more forgiving on the downs. The thing was the Reign was a little better on the way down in some spots, but tech climbing was poor compared to the Trance. Pedal strikes on the Reign was crazy, even when not pedaling and in a descending position. Ending up keeping the 2 year old Trance and sold the almost new Reign.

The new Trance (2017 model), might just be the improvement I was looking for in a slightly longer frame, but not so long and low as the Reign. Everybody has a different idea on what works for them. Get some test rides in and find what works for you.

I agree with the Reign having too low a BB. I test rode a friends a few times on the Shore, and hated the pedal strikes and low BB. Probably something that you can get used to, but Id make sure you try before you buy if you can.

chatted with someone with close ties to Norco and he,s spent a little time on the new 29" stuff and he says it,s like riding the 27.5" bike very similar feel , he liked it a lot .

https://ca.yt-industries.com/detail/index/sArticle/650/sCategory/514

this fits the bill as well

Yeah I had the Jeffsy in mind, though still not sold on the idea of a 29er quite yet(currently riding 26in still) but it's not off the table - same with 29er Norco.

Also I don't see that sale still being on in the new year when I'll be looking to buy :(.

The new trance 1.5ltd just seems like a really good price for the spec you get compared to other companies (fox34 performance, full XT drivetrain).

Tons of good info guys, I appreciate all the replies!

Yes.

It may sound silly, but I would give some consideration to the bikes your regular riding buddies are using. If they're all on trail bikes, they'll want to do more pedally rides, and you'll be working a bit harder on a 170 mm bike. Conversely, if they're all on bigger bikes and like to hit the rowdy trails, you'll find yourself disadvantaged much of the time on a trail bike.

Another option is to get the bike that helps with your weaknesses. If you're a confident descender but are worse at climbing, get the smaller travel bike. Get the long travel bike if you're good on the ups and in tight terrain but a bit more timid.

Both types of bikes will work well for the terrain here.

This echo's my thoughts. I am on a Reign and do all the things you mentioned. The low BB does pedal strike a bit more but you get used to it and adjust pretty easily. I bought it for the descending as I need all the help I can get!

The 2017 Reign frame is the same as the 2016, might be worth calling around to see if anyone has 2016's kicking around at your price range. Different Bikes were selling 2016 RA 1 for $3,800+tax during their fall sale a couple months back. Pike/Monarch/full XT 1x/decent wheelset for that price is a no brainer IMO, crazy value on that!

I've got my eyes on the 2017 Trance Advance 1 but haven't had a chance to ride one yet.