OK... I don't need a new bike, I have a perfectly good S-works Enduro SL that has served me well for the past year or so, and I'm nowhere near reaching it's limits in any way! However... need and want are two different things right?
Some background...
I came to the Enduro from a Yeti ASR-sl, my first full suspension bike. I loved the speed of the ASR, however I always found myself blowing through it's travel and bottoming out; I'm not the lightest rider at 95kg or so fully loaded, and after all it's really an XC racer right? I would've been better with a 575 if I'd thought about it at the time...
With the Enduro I found a bike that was what I thought a full-suspension ride should be... quite quick + a good climber and very capable when pointed down hill; it really is a superb bike and I've been very happy with it and it's E150 fork. I ride mainly around Dorking/Leith Hill etc, with occasional forays to Wales, however I bought the Enduro with the intention of doing trips to the Alps and also to learn 'bigger' riding on (jumps, drops, gaps etc) In the end this hasn't eventuated, so I've been ragging a 6" travel bike round the woods of Leith Hill etc (a tad overbiked perhaps!)
Now though, I have a couple more bikes in my stable: an Orange Sub Zero hardtail, an alfined Ti IF rigid 69'er and my old ASR-sl (which is generally setup for my wife, but I can change this back as needed!). I also have my lovely Ibis Bow-ti, but this will be a 'special' occasion bike
So I have more options to ride depending on where I'm going or what I'm doing
If I replace my Enduro, the new bike needs to be able to be ridden as a general trail bike, but I want it to have the ability to handle big stuff as well (as my skills develop). Both the Canfield and the Mojo HD seem to fit this bill, almost 2 bikes in one really, but I just can't decide between them...
On the one hand, I've always loved the Mojo and I almost bought one instead of the Enduro, but the deal on the Spesh was just too good to beat: now the Mojo HD has arrived and it looks to be a very nice evolution of the Mojo lineage (plus I now have a vintage Ibis, so 'keeping it in the family' might be nice
)
The Canfield also looks to be an excellent bike, not as 'pretty' as the Ibis, but an advantage is that I can run a hammerschmidt setup on it, which can't be done with the Mojo... there's also around a £1000 difference in the price of the two bikes, which is substantial of course
What does STW reckon... what bike would you recommend as a 'big day epic' trail bike that can also be used for 'light' downhill/hucking etc?
I await the replies that state I should simply stick with the Enduro and invest in skills training... I have considered this and I will do some, but my heart is set on a new bike now



