“creative line choices”
LOL

He has a choice of 2 bikes and picks the one he feels is better for that track. There’s probably nothing wrong with the Strive(as far as I know) he just prefered the Spectral for that track. Probably for the same reason he used to switch between the Alpine 160 and the Five when he was with Orange and why Leov swaps between the Slash and Remedy 29.

Tom KP

Got a Strive 2014 8.0 Race, fantastic on the DH’s average on the pedally bits, would expect the Spectral will be faster apart from the DH’s, I’d definitely consider one next time I need a new bike but for riding the Lakes I love having 160mm for the DH’s, where do you ride? Everywhere else I ride (Peaks, Y.Dales) the Strive is a bit overkill!

I can’t be bothered.

Delivery times are May for some of the alloy models!

Simple stuff racing the long stages the shortest travel bike you can get away with without losing time on the technical. But we are talking about people who can ride.

I actually asked Joe this question when I met him at the Dudes of Hazzard Enduro as I’ve recently purchased the new Strive so I wanted to know why he often favoured the Spectral.

He said it totally depended on the track. On the day I met him he was riding the Strive.

He said generally he prefers a 140mm bike as he likes having something to push against which allows him to pump, jump and float the bike over rough ground. He said this was his personal preference and that the other guys on the team preferred riding the strive.

So at the sharp end of racing travel is less important?

At the sharp end talent reigns supreme….it’s only us mere mortals that fret over a degree head angle here or there, an extra 20mm of suspension travel etc….the pros just ride.

There is a hilarious thread on MBR forums currently with seemingly very knowledgable riders slating the current Giant Trance as a bike completely unsuitable for racing Enduro, having read the thread you’d think the Trance was made of cheese and would snap at the merest sight of an Enduro stage…everything from the wheelbase to the 140mm travel to the head angle has been dissected and the forum wisdom is that the new Reign is for Enduro (fair enough, it is) and the Trance is for XC/trail use….when was the last time you saw a 67 degree head angle, 140mm full susser being touted as an XC machine?!….it was then pointed out that the Giant Factory team were using the Trance in the EWS until the release of the Reign this year….and getting top-10 results too.

The forum know-it-alls went quiet.

Joe is right, there will be courses where 140mm is plenty and others where he’ll switch to a 160mm bike and still wish he had more!…horses for courses and all that, there is no such thing as one bike to rule them all and I think people sometimes forget just how capable modern 140mm bikes are and people massively overestimate how important kit is in the riding experience.

When Joe rides the 140mm bike isn’t it with 160mm forks on?

If you go to the Canyon website there is an interview that answers this very question…

Just get the bike you want, it’s all just superficial nonsense anyway.

Thanks for the update.

If you go to the Canyon website there is an interview that answers this very question…

Ah that’s what I was looking for really – it wasn’t up when I started the topic.

Just get the bike you want, it’s all just superficial nonsense anyway.

Yeah I know, this thread was about me justifying the bike I wanted, duh 😉

I placed an order a couple of months ago, expected CW 19 (9 weeks and counting. tick tock).

Bump.

Anyone received their Spectral CF yet? How is it? Estimated shipping for mine is next week…