Recommendation Please - Bike Selection

Hi everyone, I'm new to the forum and am looking for some recommendations. I've searched but haven't found this exact question, and I apologize if I just missed it and this is a repeat.

I've just decided to get a burlier bike for riding mostly the shore/Squamish and occasionally the Whistler park. I currently have a Norco Charger hard tail that I ride for XC as well as DH. I can ride pipeline, Natural High, and a couple others and end up walking ~10% of it so I guess that means I feel fairly comfortable in that terrain. I'm definitely not charging though. So I'd like to get a bike that can handle the downs with more speed but that I can still climb with (ie. Fromme). As mentioned I'd also like to be able to use it at the park. I don't expect to do large features, maybe small jumps and up to 5 foot drops or so.

I'm new to the lingo and still don't fully get what the limits are of an "all Mountain". I know that I don't want something 40lb+ because I won't go crazy big on jumps or anything and don't want a tank to have to push up. But if I go with an All mountain is that just going to become my new XC bike and will it handle Whistler style riding?

I'm currently looking at the Kona Coiler, Norco Six, and a friend has recommended the Devincci Dixon.

I figured I'd try and get the opinions of those that ride this area the most.

Thanks

Hey, welcome to the boards.

Check out this thread: What happened to the pedalable 7" bikes? http://bb.nsmb.com/showthread.php?t=148343

might have some insight.

You might want to check out the Banshee Rune if you want to pedal and park. I hear that the new Slayer is pretty good too and so are the Norco Range and Truax (one of my riding buddies has one and he loves it - mid 30's in weight but goes up and down well).

Rocky Slayer, Norco Range, Santa Cruz Nomad, Banshee Rune, Cove G-spot all fit the bill nicely. I bought my Slayer for the exact riding youre describing (90% shore, 10% Whistler) and it's been fantastic. Anything with 160mm+ travel will fit.

Honestly - if you are walking sections of the trails you mention, maybe have a look at stuff like the Specialized Stumpjumper FSR, or something in the 5" range rather than the big hitting bike mentioned above.

Anything will be better than your hardtail, and with a lighter full sus you won't lose your bike pedalability. As for 'whistler capable' - i've seen old ladies dropping off the Garbo chair with Walmart bikes. I think any mountain bike can make it down the hill. Consider how much of your time is going to be spent on lift access trails and adjust your bike needs accordingly.

Oh and 'in before Biggles says that the most important thing is to test ride them all before buying'. ;-)

Honestly - if you are walking sections of the trails you mention, maybe have a look at stuff like the Specialized Stumpjumper FSR, or something in the 5" range rather than the big hitting bike mentioned above.

While I see what you're saying, shouldn't a bike purchase decision be based more around style of riding than ability? A bigger hitting bike will allow a less capable rider to expand their horizons a lot quicker than a trail bike will, and if your focus is more on the down than the up then a bigger bike is almost certainly the right decision regardless of ability.

The AM bikes of today are super capable and will handle the terrain and the things you are talking about just fine. Was watching my buddy hitting 15-20 foot gaps on his all-mountain bike last weekend (Knolly chilcotin ~32lbs).

Make a top 10 list of 6inch bikes and try them all out to see what feels best to you.

Knolly Delirium or Specialized SX Trail with a light build. Truax would work too.

A bit of extra burl will distance the new bike from the hardtail but still be in the mid-30-lb range. It should be tough enough to survive the bike park and shuttles, and still be tolerable to pedal up Fromme. Stump FSR isn't enough. Go bigger, but not as big/long/low as a DH race bike.

What is your plan with the hardtail? If you're going to upgrade that to a ~5" trail bike, then you'll wish your 'big' bike was bigger.

I got an S-Works Enduro thinking it would be my small bike but it's become my everything bike that gets used 90% of the time. I only pull out the DH bike for huge shuttles and the bike park.

A bigger hitting bike will allow a less capable rider to expand their horizons a lot quicker than a trail bike will, and if your focus is more on the down than the up then a bigger bike is almost certainly the right decision regardless of ability.

agreed. Dress for the job you want.

Picked up a giant reign x this year and i love it. Pedaled it up to sfu with about a 10% increase in difficulty compared to my old 06 norco fluid. The downhill performance made up for that extra effort though.

I imagine a giant reign will pretty much feel the exact same way too, except a bit easier on the uphill.

I just bought a Specialized Enduro, it does things well and is all over the used market with good builds at good prices. The Santa Cruz Nomad is another frame I wanted to buy, but there aren't a lot for sale for a low price. I also like the looks of the Mojo frame in this category and the Yeti SB-66.

The Specialized Enduro has a longer Wheelbase than my DH bike, a super slack headangle and a really low bottom bracket. In simpler terms, it has Whistler geometry with the ability to climb. The Nomad is quite similar. I have no experience with the other two. You can probably find builds at 32 lbs for $2,500 in the used market too!

While I see what you're saying, shouldn't a bike purchase decision be based more around style of riding than ability? A bigger hitting bike will allow a less capable rider to expand their horizons a lot quicker than a trail bike will, and if your focus is more on the down than the up then a bigger bike is almost certainly the right decision regardless of ability.

A 5" travel 'trail bike' should be able to blow the doors off most peoples perceptions of what is possible these days. Particularly if they are coming from a hardtail.

I just don't think that you need to over bike the deal. And someone who is used to the XC angles of a Norco Charger, is going to struggle to need, let alone appreciate the 'DH' angles of sleds like Enduros etc IMO.

But hey, YMMV. Different strokes for different folks.

"Its not about the bike" … find something as slack, plush, light and comfortable as you need and/or can afford. The rest is gravy.

I've reconsidered. Try a Stumpjumper FSR EVO, a Santa Cruz Nomad, a Giant Reign and an SX Trail. Try bikes on either side of the 6x6 AM designation. Given your history on a hardtail, these are all plenty of bike and should open up a ton of doors descending-wise and still climb well. Make sure it comes with a Lyrik/36+.

You don't need to go full DH unless you plan to do a ton of bike park riding.

Honestly - if you are walking sections of the trails you mention, maybe have a look at stuff like the Specialized Stumpjumper FSR, or something in the 5" range rather than the big hitting bike mentioned above.

If he can ride 90% of Pipeline on an old XC hardtail, I am sure he will easily be able to ride 100% with a little more travel/slacker angles.