Ideal north shore do it all bike

Head up to Squamish and demo a Capra.

I do love the capra, but to be totally honest (and a lot of people will disagree with me), the no waterbottle holder is a deal breaker for me. Yeah I could carry a pack, which i do on longer rides, but i love being able to fill up a bottle and throw it in the cage for a short rip.

its unfortunate because its a super nice bike with great spec for the price. Im still trying to convince myself that its not a deal breaker..but with so many other nice bikes that DO fit a bottle..its tough.

I can't tell you what's the best, but I can tell you what I see more than any other modern bike platform when I ride the shore: Rocky Mountain Altitudes. I suspect the owners aren't the ones with high post counts here, but they have the numbers. I own one. It rips up and down with me being the limiting factor. You can't buy one now but I'd bet dollars to donuts you'll read about a revised version at SeaOtter. YMMV.

I can't tell you what's the best, but I can tell you what I see more than any other modern bike platform when I ride the shore: Rocky Mountain Altitudes. I suspect the owners aren't the ones with high post counts here, but they have the numbers. I own one. It rips up and down with me being the limiting factor. You can't buy one now but I'd bet dollars to donuts you'll read about a revised version at SeaOtter. YMMV.

Didn't realize that they were done. It was always my plan that upon leaving the riding shithole that is northern Alberta I'd pick up an Altitude for wherever I end up next. A few years back I picked up a Chilcotin then a couple of months later demo'd an Altitude, worst thing I could have done because I could never forget that bike. The Pipeline looks good too but there's a big price premium over the Altitude for a lesser spec.

I can't tell you what's the best, but I can tell you what I see more than any other modern bike platform when I ride the shore: Rocky Mountain Altitudes. I suspect the owners aren't the ones with high post counts here, but they have the numbers. I own one. It rips up and down with me being the limiting factor. You can't buy one now but I'd bet dollars to donuts you'll read about a revised version at SeaOtter. YMMV.

hmm thats a good point. Ive actually seen quite a few Instincts on the north shore, and was somewhat interested in that if i decided to go 29er route.

Not a single mention of the Transition Patrol… it won a certain electronic publications bike of the year recently because it does everything well. Can be had in alu or carbon in a variety of budgets.

I'd also wait and see what the new Sights will be like… they're only a month or two away and sound like they'll be amazing.

http://www.pinkbike.com/news/joe-smith-nukeproof-mega-raw-video-2016.html

2017 E29 or Stumpy 29 with a spare set of 650b+ wheels with 2.8" tyres.

Two bikes in one. One a rapid trail muncher and the other a gonzo monster truck.

IMHO the whole '1 bike to do it all' thing is a bit of a myth and it's quest is one that I quit a couple seasons back. You will always be sacrificing something one way or another. Even with all of the incredibly versatile and capable bikes out there right now (pretty much all of which noted already)

My suggestion is to take your money and get both a DH sled for shuttles and a shorter travel or hardtail rig. A quick search on PB buynsell shows some good bikes in the $2k range for both a DH and all mountainy rig

For example if I had $4k to spend, I'd prefer a 2013 sight for $2k http://www.pinkbike.com/buysell/2097546/ and a 2014 carbon operator for $2k http://www.pinkbike.com/buysell/2090052/ (….or any other combination of sweet bikes in our rediculously good local bike resale market)

and voila, you get to RIP anything!

IMHO the whole '1 bike to do it all' thing is a bit of a myth and it's quest is one that I quit a couple seasons back. You will always be sacrificing something one way or another. Even with all of the incredibly versatile and capable bikes out there right now (pretty much all of which noted already)

My suggestion is to take your money and get both a DH sled for shuttles and a shorter travel or hardtail rig. A quick search on PB buynsell shows some good bikes in the $2k range for both a DH and all mountainy rig

For example if I had $4k to spend, I'd prefer a 2013 sight for $2k http://www.pinkbike.com/buysell/2097546/ and a 2014 carbon operator for $2k http://www.pinkbike.com/buysell/2090052/ (….or any other combination of sweet bikes in our rediculously good local bike resale market)

and voila, you get to RIP anything!

Fair enough, though I do believe you can find a bike that can do both things very well, its just a matter of what you're willing to sacrifice a little bit. The new Spesh SJ actually seems to be a great bike, heard it climbs great, and descends awesome aswell. My only bother with specialized is they seem to be quite overpriced.. and the SJ only offers one aluminum option which is a bit of a let down.

IMHO from what i've read (yes, merely from what i've read and guys i've talked to) there are a few middle of the road trail bikes that are pretty good at it all short of pure xc and hardcore EWS race bikes. the Transition Scout, the SC Bronson, and my personal fav the Devinci Troy which is my current lust worthy object of desire.

I honestly think my specialized enduro 29 is a pretty damn good do it all bike, for the sea to sky region at least. We have very little legitimate XC trails around here… most stuff is big climb up to big/steep descent, and I think the E29 is the perfect bike for that. It climbs great (for a bike with 160mm travel) and is almost just as capable as the 26 inch DH bike I recently sold. I don't do any big drops or gnarly stuff though. The E29 has a huge range of use, which is why I love it.

Trek Slash 9.9 RSL is pretty darn close IMO.

IMHO from what i've read (yes, merely from what i've read and guys i've talked to) there are a few middle of the road trail bikes that are pretty good at it all short of pure xc and hardcore EWS race bikes. the Transition Scout, the SC Bronson, and my personal fav the Devinci Troy which is my current lust worthy object of desire.

That's a good list. I would add the Knolly Warden to it though. From personal experience it handles every type of riding I want to do. Definitely slower than a full-on XC rig or DH sled (although I have used it for both), but it flat out rips for 95% of the riding I do. I can't imagine having more fun on a single bike. Also on my list is the Banshee Spitfire. Less travel than most of the bikes listed, but punches way above its weight in terms of what it can handle. Super fun and poppy bike too.

Trek Slash 9.9 RSL is pretty darn close IMO.

Wreckoning fits the profile as well IMO