Bit of a dilemma. I know it would be best to have 2 bikes – 1 for trail and 1 for XC racing – but if you could only have one – which way would you go?

I love my Cannondale Trigger 2 Carbon for my trail riding – & ive used it for half a dozen XC races now. But at nearly 30lb I know it’s holding me back. Initially I didn’t want an XC bike for trail riding as their geometries were too aggressive & could stop the fun – but over the last year or so head angles have got a little more relaxed and various ads suggest bikes like the 2017 Cannondale Scalpel are pretty good on the trails.

So with a single bike option – what would you do?

Are you racing? Or riding?

When you have the answer for that one, buy the right bike.

I know folks who race, and ride their race bikes on the trail, and folks who ride, and race their trail bike. They all enjoy their riding.

I ride far more than I race. But would like to be better geared to improve on my racing – in addition to training hard. Of course I could spend a bunch lightening my trigger – but is that cost effective ??

One option would be two sets of wheels.
GnarcoreTrailWarrior wheels for maximal SCHRALP! Then another pair of uber-weenie skimpy light ones for the races. Probably a better way of having two bikes that do the same thing.

Trail riding is xc! And most xc race courses are far more technicality demanding than trails centre type stuff. So race bikes are more than capable, just different than trail bikes, so I guess it depends on how you define fun!

XC bike with a short stem, wide bars and travel adjustable fork.

And maybe two wheelsets.

Is the bike really holding you back? Did the guy in front of you beat you because his bike was a couple of pounds lighter or he was just plain fitter than you.

If I was racing regularly or at the sharp end of the field id want a dedicated xc bike. If not then id go for something with 120 travel that can do both. Not sure id want to race on a 140 or bigger bike, I feel they are noticeably slower.

Ive just bought a yeti asrc for similar intended use. There are a few bikes out there that are much less trail orientated than something like a spesh epic and only marginally slower.

I’m lucky enough to have a nice 29er hardtail and a 140mm full sus, but if i could only have one bike for both purposes, it’d be a 100-120mm FS 29er.

The only thing i’d miss from the trail bike would be the 67deg HA.

jam bo – Member

Is the bike really holding you back? Did the guy in front of you beat you because his bike was a couple of pounds lighter or he was just plain fitter than you.

I’m with this.. if you’re finishing 4th in races by 10s to a guy on a lightweight carbon XC whippet, then, maybe….

If you’re finishing 17th and 4 mins behind the podium, it’s not going to matter IMO.

Me personally, i’d rather be slightly over-biked than underbiked.

I’ve always raced my tail bike. I was never 100% committed to XC and marathon racing. I just indulged my competitive side. I raced the national marathon champs on my Parkwood 29er. Before that I did it on my Stumpjumper FSR. Managed to get top 30. I won a few local races and made the podium on these bikes.

A second set of wheels can help but I find it a faff as gears and brakes never quite line up. I tend to build my own bikes so there was a nod to racing. Lighter wheels and components as I’m fairly light anyway. XC tyres most of the time. Lighter components etc.

Which of the 2 were you quicker/best results on ?

have found my anthem sx to be great as a race bike but can handle most trail center
i have lighter wheels 700mm flat bars and a 70mm 0deg stem it makes for aggressive when racing but fun when on the descents having the extra 20mm up front really transforms the bike as a do it all
my alloy one currently sits about 26lb
if you went carbon you would probably see sub 25lb easily.

I bought a Canyon Grand Canyon last year, it has a relatively slack HA for a xc bike, 69°. I have been very impressed how capable it is on steep techy stuff.

Trail bike – more fun, more versatile.

xc bikes have daft things like steeper head angles and shorter travel, so owners can say “it’s really fast” while it’s actually just less fun.

The argument that weight is significant has been well debunked.

I’d be riding something like my bike (now there’s a surprise!!) Giant Anthem 29er with a 120mm fork up front. Decent set of wheels and tyres and everything working perfectly. After that, the reality is that the person in front of me is fitter, not that there bike is better.
I do accept it’s not going to survive too many 10ft to flat jumps, but then, I don’t do that anyway as I’m scared! I’m also carrying more excess weight than the 2lb I could save if I properly went to town on the weight weeny side.

The argument that weight is significant has been well debunked.

Tell that to all the pro women XC riders that still choose a hardtail most of the time.

tinybits – Member
I’d be riding something like my bike (now there’s a surprise!!) Giant Anthem 29er with a 120mm fork up front. Decent set of wheels and tyres and everything working perfectly. After that, the reality is that the person in front of me is fitter, not that there bike is better.

This. I’ve raced my Anthem 29er with lightweight wheels & upgrades at 24lb for three years, and still do for long >6hr events. I I’ve stuck a 120mm Reba on the front whereby its now an excellent trail bike.

Last year though I lost 2 results due to mud clagging in the rear linkages, and also have a shoulder issue which prevents me from many long events, so I bought a Sale Carbon 29er which I use for the shorter races. Its 21lb and more comfy than you think, and actually the more modern 29er HA geo – 68.5 degrees vs the Anthems 70 – makes it more confidence inspiring anyway.

I suffer from not being powerful so weight vis a vis w/KG carried is important to me.

what the pro’s do is kinda irrelevant to the the other 99.9% of the population.

what the pro’s do is kinda irrelevant to the the other 99.9% of the population.

99.9% of the population don’t spend 1000 hrs a year riding with access to any bike they like to determine what works best and hence make ill informed or just plain wrong choices.

There’s some very simple maths that basically states the more weight you carry around the more effort it takes to move it.

Its very simple and doesn’t need debating. However if a rider A is strong enough to beat rider B whilst riding a heavier bike its a question of rider A’s ability, not that the theory is debunked.

or alternatively. marginal gains matter at that level.

for the rest of us, it really doesn’t matter. but if you have money to burn keep kidding yourself that if you’d only spent that money you’d be one place less mediocre… 😉

One option would be two sets of wheels.

+1

I only “raced: in off-road triahtlons/duathlons and have stopped that now. But was still debating the same issue.

Went for a camber evo in the end – close call with an epic but then again also with a stumpy or enduro!! (enjoy riding them all)

Camber with two sets of wheels, or even just tires, is a good compromise IMO

I was playing about on bits of an XC course need Longmoor barrack yesterday – technical and exposed. I was glad I was on my camber not my old HT. But the wide handlebars were a bit of an issue!

only if your maths simplifies it down to a hill climb.

i’d rather be slightly over-biked than underbiked.

I rather like being under biked, makes for an interesting challenge 🙂

every time i get on a spesh epic, i have a grin on my face…like a bullet

If I could justify two bikes it would be – epic plus stumpy evo (in old format)
So one bike is easy – camber (evo)

only if your maths simplifies it down to a hill climb.

Nope Velocity = mass x whatever thing is. However you cut it, it takes more energy to get a heavier object moving.

I have a pretty nice XC bike and a big hoofin 29er trail/enduro bike. If I could only have one it’d not even be a decision, the XC bike’d be on ebay in 10 seconds flat. (arguably I might be better served by a shorter travel bike but in practice I’m not sure that bike exists)

It’s not so much capability- with the right tyres on I could ride anything I ride on either bike. But the XC bike very quickly hits a point where stuff stops being any fun, and it’s all just work. To be fair the enduro bike can make really pedally rides a bit joyless too but that’s a different impact.

Depends on you, your riding, why you ride. I’m mostly about the descending and the hard bits so it’d be completely stupid of me to sacrifice that for better pedalling.

as I said. only if you simplify it to a point it makes no sense….

jam bo, Kryton is correct, the lighter bike will be faster given all other variables remain constant. You’ve already stated ‘marginal gains’ and you’re right. Just because they are marginal doesn’t mean it’s not a gain!

However, the question wasn’t ‘what is the fastest possible cross country bike?’ It was what is the best compromise….. That’s not be an ultra light weight hard tail xc whippet or a large all mountain knarrpoon.

Tyres will make more difference than anything else. A second set of wheels will make it easier to swap, especially if they’re tubeless.

nearly 30lb isn’t that heavy – you might save 5lb going for an XC hardtail unless you spend a lot on what you’re hanging off it. A few guys I spoke to at the big dog all had very light looking carbon HTs, but all said they were around/above 25lb.

for a race up a fireroad I’d agree.

although if a heavier bike had a lower rolling resistance then i wouldn’t.

plus tyres on my 29r rolled unreasonably quickly despite the weight.

although if a heavier bike had a lower rolling resistance then i wouldn’t.

plus tyres on my 29r rolled unreasonably quickly despite the weight.

Ahem

given all other variables remain constant.

Starting to wave your willy over “my heavier bike is faster than your light bike because I’ve got Kenda small block 8’s on it while you’ve got Maxxis DHF stickies” it absolutely pointless, and you know you are trolling with statements like that Jambo.

Cue, “whose got the heaviest Willy” STW thread…

disagreeing ? trolling.

Seriously, what is trail riding compared to XC riding?

As for the bike, choose the one you enjoy riding most and makes you want to do more.

Seriously, what is trail riding compared to XC riding?

Around here, Afan vs Swinley.

fifeandy – Member

The argument that weight is significant has been well debunked.

Tell that to all the pro women XC riders that still choose a hardtail most of the time.

Weight difference to a pro’s HT vs FS = 1kg tops?

Total weight of say 70kg, 1.5% difference – on a climb only. It may matter when you are chasing results by seconds but for “us” it’s just psychological (which may matter!)

I disagree. A really light bike rides differently and by more than the percentage difference of weight.

Ride an 18lb HT and the speed/climbing you get from the same input is unreal.

an 18lb XC bike isn’t a reality for most though.

Also, it may make the diference between 30th and 28th place finishes.