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Having read all the 26" thread with sensible people explaining why its not worth selling good quality older stuff...I've decided to ignore it and take the plunge on 650b. Being several years late to the party feels quite early for me...
Keener on trying out a more modern geometry that then wheelsize nonsense, however, budget is limited to 2k max.
Seen a 2016 Enduro Comp under that number and wanted some opinions. I'm slow on a good day so uphill whippitry will never be a requirement. I do want to be able to plod all day around the Peak and similar areas though.
Am I on the right track with the Spech or what else for that budget?
I'm considering similar. Our a secondhand slightly older one.
I'm going from an already slack 26er though and I honestly don't think I will notice much difference going to 650b from 26.
Hence I will be going either 27.5+ or 29. I'm mainly after the 29er option but a cheap set of 650b wheels to try out Plus size tyres would be interesting too.
The Enduro frames seem really versatile in this way, even the slightly older models.
Oh, the 2017 Stumpys are slacker than the 2016 enduro (Boost too if important to you? ) and are £2200 online...
Not made my mind up on this Enduro thing, Great riding but is it really Enduro or downhill without the uplift?
Not about Enduro (capital E) to me.
It's just the bike I'm interested in happens to be called an "enduro".
I just ride a bike over dirt/mud is all! 😀
Doh
Not a doh moment mate.
You had a valid question. 🙂
poopscoop - where are they £2200?
^ everywhere.. RRP on the intro 2017 stumpy is £2200.
For the same money (nearly) you can have a carbon 2016 stumpy or an alloy 2016 enduro from bike scene. Revs put me off the stumpy though, pike is a much better fit as a fork imo.
I've got the 650b 2016 Elite so similar.
Gripes
SRAM press fit BBs are garbage. Upgraded to Praxis. Much better.
Standard headset bearings lasted 3 months. Upgraded.
Wheel bearings are poor and need upgraded
My Pike RC felt crap from the off. I had an RCT3 on my previous bike which felt great. This one dived constantly under breaking and needed loads of compression. Sent it to TF tuned and now it's perfect.
rear shock also failed and got replaced under warranty
However when its worked properly it's fantastic. Finally got it all sorted towards the tail end of last year and my last 4 race results were noticeably improved including my first ever podium.
I can tell where the cost cutting is (bearings) and the fork/shock are Rockshox issues rather than spesh and could happen on any bike
It's ok climbing. Going down it's 95% of my downhill bikes capability
Noticeable good stuff is the SRAM Guide brakes which have been faultless and haven't needed bled even after ragging the bike in the Alps and the Command Post has been excellent. At the outset I was sure both of those would need replaced!
On Tredz mate. They have all 3 varieties in, 27.5, 29er/ 6fattie and 29er.
There are some small differences but all 3 bikes can take all 3 wheel types.... I think. The guy on Tredz live chat seemed to think so too.
I'm tired to be honest but I think all 3 varieties are the same price also.
They don't have all sizes in, in all 3 varieties though. Worth a chat with them to check.
Hope that helps mate. 😀
There are some small differences but all 3 bikes can take all 3 wheel types.... I think. The guy on Tredz live chat seemed to think so too.
Nope.
Pre 2016 650b bikes were 26" frames with a spacer under the headset to sort the geometry. 2016 on had proper headtubes. Not sure about the back end
I doubt you'd get a 29er wheel in the back of a 650b frame. Not tons of clearance.
You could of course run 26 but the bb would be very low and geometry crap
Last post before I go to kip. 😀
Sorry mate, not sure if I am plain wrong or if we are talking about different models?
It's the 2017 stumpys that can swap wheels around, well,I think anyway?
Off on a tangent for a second, the spacer you mention, was that used on the Enduro and stumpy pre 2016 out of curiosity? Or just the stumpy?
Cheers!
I honestly don't think I will notice much difference going to 650b from 26.Hence I will be going either 27.5+ or 29. I'm mainly after the 29er option but a cheap set of 650b wheels to try out Plus size tyres would be interesting too.
Try before you buy but why the obsession with different, nice thing about some 650 bikes is they keep the nice bits of 26 and the geo makes the difference
boardinbob - did your Pike issues get sorted under warranty or did you have to stump up yourself to get them sorted? Found an Elite in my size and they look the shizzle!
2016 elite for 2250 on bikescene
I had an elite for a weekend, was alright but I wasn't blown away. It did everything competently, but I never found it too exciting. It was quite old school in terms of lengths, quite a short TT an the BB was quite conventional. I ended up with a Capra which was very similar geo. I then sold it at a few months as I rode a mate's Patrol, and it was a huge leap forwards. Really highlighted how much I preferred the feel of a long/low bike.
The bike in itself was well made and the spec was ok, it just felt a bit dated. Plus it turned out that Guide R levers are made of cheese, and bend in a light breeze.
Spesh do seem to keep saying that they are longer lower slacker but as far as I can see the geo numbers havent changed much for a few years. Ive got an old 26er enduro and its been great but Im after a whyte g160 if i can ever scrape the cash together
boardinbob - did your Pike issues get sorted under warranty or did you have to stump up yourself to get them sorted? Found an Elite in my size and they look the shizzle!
Nah just did it myself, or at least I got TF to do it. Basically just a full service and a couple of tweaks following a chat with the tech. Night and day. Before hand they felt way to harsh and dived massively as soon as I braked.
Since when are stumpys slacker than Enduros? 67 vs 65.5 on the enduro.
Great bikes tbh and competent all round. You need to size up though. If you usually ride a medium think about getting a large
This modern geo confuses the hell out of me. Was set on the Enduro but now looked at the Whytes!! Budget creep though...
The reach on the Enduro is almost 50mm shorter than the Whyte. This seems a lot to me but I've no idea what the impact will be, not having ridden much in the way of modern bikes. Whytes keep going up in price as well which makes the Enduro nearly 400 cheaper.
Can you try some mates' bikes out or go to a demo day?
The Enduro and Whyte will both be great bikes, but will handle really different - and I don't think you can decide which you'd prefer just from other people's opinions.
They are pretty much at the opposite ends of the frame length spectrum for modern, mainstream enduro bikes.
If demo-ing isn't an option, maybe go for something in between the two?
I rode, and reviewed on here, a 2015 Enduro in 650b. Rather enjoyed it from memory.
Some Spesh dealers have demo bikes available. Get on it!
demo seems unlikely (getting on both I mean). Whyte demo days anywhere close won't be til March (by which time they may have sold out!!) and Spesh model I'm looking at is 2016. Lbs is trying to get a Whyte in for me to try but wasn't optimistic as demand seems to outstrip supply anyway.