Reccomend me a Trail/Enduro bike.

Due to reasons we don’t necessarily want to get into…. the Bronson isn’t here any more… it went back to the seller. But lets move on from that and onto “what’s next”

The bike will be used for FoD, Afan, Cwmcarn, local woods, day to day, longer non bikepark stuff in Morzine etc… It’ll likely get used in a Southern Enduro in Sept.

His last bike was a 2015/16 Sworks Enduro and he loved it, but they were small sized and the M was getting a little small, maybe it had 3 maybe 6 months before it was getting time to move on. The lad is 5′ 6 but still growing.

He’s not feeling the desire for 29ers … i don’t necessarily agree, but i’m not sure i want to argue fully.

Budget is ideally sub £2000

With that in mind this is topping the list
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/353883778397?hash=item52651ded5d:g:9cUAAOSwx75h9ufa

https://www.pinkbike.com/buysell/3305077/
This Saracen ticks a lot of boxes, possibly not budget as it’s high at the top end.

I quite like this Radon Swoop
https://www.pinkbike.com/buysell/3305077/

If we were to go 29, then a Mega has to be on the list.
https://www.pinkbike.com/buysell/3294429/

But we’re open to discussion/advice/ideas.

The one he wants

Also, nothing there is a trail bike. What does he actually want?

He wants a bike to jump the crap out of in the woods, race at Enduro and take to Afan, Cwmcarn, FoD, Offpiste at FoD.

As to the ‘what he wants’.. That’s a very short list and is the Enduro Elite above…. because he had the Sworks and the Stumpy before that and it’s a safe and happy place for him. It’s where he feels good really.

But… as for more than that.. well that’s a tough one. He rode his mates Remedy the other day and wasn’t keen… he rode his other mates Stumpjumper and liked it (even though small), but he’s inexperienced compared to many on here. He’s not a studier of magazines, he does read up on bikes, just rides them.

They’re ‘trail’ in his context, he is different in his ‘trails’ compared to many on here, as he wants it to pedal the 4 miles to the woods, then wants to launch 15-20′ gaps on it… Or 6′ or bigger vertical drops. So they may not be trails to you, but they’re what he interprets trails as being.

Would a Bird Aeris fit the bill? They have more modern geometry and can be made longer travel if necessary with a new link, could be a good option to grow into

The Birds are surprisingly expensive. But that’s because they’re generally newer than say a 17.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/284727217893?hash=item424b108ee5:g:AXwAAOSwJwZiP4wX

I don’t know much about say this above, but yeah, many parts of that ticks the boxes.
Thanks fella.

Have a look on the bird owners Facebook page if you can. Eg Med long aeris 145 for £1300.
So newer geometry and cheaper. Probably a bit big right now but c5’8 and he will fit it.

Are you willing to build something up? Only looking at full builds will limit your choice. There’s an Aeris frame in the classifieds at the moment

He liked the Enduro and what he could do with it. My money would be on the next size up and best spec / condition for your affordability in his wheel size

It’s the safer bet

https://www.pinkbike.com/buysell/3304521/

Some nice patrols on pinkbike for reasonable money.

If he likes the Stumpie then that’s the safe bet / but those x frame spec enduros weren’t the best things ever.

That Saracen will take a lot of abuse but it’s getting quite close to the GT. I reckon 150-160 travel 650b (sounds like 29er is a battle too far) sounds about right.

The Airdrop Edit could be worth a look. I wouldn’t buy a Mark 1 Aeris now – they’re getting on a bit. Would want an Aeris 145 / 145 LT. Maybe a Mega 275 from a few years ago etc.

I’d echo Tracey’s comment and get him a larger Enduro.
Only trouble then is getting the same spec he has previously, you don’t want to pay out for one with Ohlins if he can’t make them feel like his old RS forks.

Once he’s a bit older and he understand kinematics and feel a bit more he can move o to something more modern if needed

It’s the safer bet

Would also echo this. You’ve now pissed around getting 2 bikes for him, give yourself the easy option

Thanks all.

That leaves this very squarely in the running
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/353883778397?hash=item52651ded5d:g:9cUAAOSwx75h9ufa&mkevt=1&mkcid=1&mkrid=710-53481-19255-0&campid=5337821651&toolid=10001&customid=91808X1545679X2ca0e5f2ada27ae16fbb005684f6eb14

I’ve seen and ridden the actual bike as I was debating it for myself, but decided on the 29er for me. It was spot on and is local too. He’ll take £1700 for it which suits me.

I think we’re into a winner.

Thanks again.

Forgot to say, when he’s chosen a DH bike, the real answer is actually a burly hardtail. Perfect for pretty much everything you mention, better for his skills and he’d just have to choose if he wants to race on it or not 😉

What about a Capra?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/324838026253?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=5Uw_SQ6VTPq&sssrc=2349624&ssuid=QISASXWmQLW&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

AYe, i’m quite partial to a Capra as well for sure…

Abigale had the same Elite as your link in the 29er. Sold it to her boyfriend a couple of years ago. See it on a regular basis and it’s still going strong.

Just buy him the Spech.
It’s what he wants.

Until it arrives.😛

Having had a number of flavours of Spesh I do find they just seem to ‘fit’ me better than quite a few other brands I’ve tried. So if he loved his Enduro that might seem the best bet. Having said that, I’ve got a Vitus Sommet and can also heartily recommend that.

I think there’s a danger of getting a bike he doesn’t want/like, which is slightly iffy.
Kids (and lets face it, most of us) are drawn towards things they like and want to use.

90% of the bikes suggested will fit the bill, so it’s worth at least trying to get what he wants, or at the very least a ‘What do you think of that?’ question on everything else. That way you’ll see how he really feels by the reaction to anything outside of the Specialized.

A bike he doesn’t really love is a bike he won’t really want to ride.

Abigale had the same Elite as your link in the 29er

We like that one you linked above too, with Ohlins front and rear and Hope brakes. The only question on that (apart from distance for collecting) is whether we’d be better sticking with the Rockshox on the blue one over the full Ohlins in terms of maint and setup. I get the impression the Ohlins are a bit more needy in terms of servicing?

Also look for a HT that he can just rag when he fancies.

My kids all had jump bikes of various builds over the years, simple HT with 100mm forks. The eldest liked SS while the other two had 1x.

Needed to be cheap enough too, as a couple were stolen over the years – but better they were stolen than their ‘expensive’ bikes.

AYe, i’m quite partial to a Capra as well for sure…

It’s not about what you’re partial to.
If you look at lots of pro race bikes, a lot of them have what might not be described as cutting edge kit, because they know what they like and like what they know. If your lad is happy on an Enduro, keep getting Enduro’s until he can identify something he wants to change.

That said, going 29er will have as big an effect as anything, if he doesn’t get on with that, that’s the time to start looking elsewhere. If you do though, I think a good point was raised in your other thread, whatever gets picked, he needs to put his head down and ride it, and adapt to it, rather than focus on it not being his old enduro.

The one we sold her boyfriend has still got the Rockshox it came with with an upgraded spring in the forks. Both were regularly serviced.
She also had the S Works which she competed on. The Ohlins felt better but needed more regular servicing which was usually done by Andreani at the races or by Plush.
I would be wanting to get the blue one a bit cheaper than advertised. Sold Abigales for £1600 but it had X01 Eagle and Saint brakes.
You could use the pink ones price and specto get the blue ones price down

It might be a good idea for him to have the final choice

get the impression the Ohlins are a bit more needy in terms of servicing?

Not at all, it’s no more or less than other brands.

I’d actually argue Ohlins is better than most, because they don’t fill the internals with plastic crap.

However, Ohlins of that era was questionable at best, so I’d be avoiding that full stop. Well, I’d be avoiding that vintage of Specialized too, to be fair.

One thing I would be doing, whatever you buy is be running the same kit in terms of touch points so he has familiarity between the bikes. Run the same brakes, same bars for sweep/rise, grips, pedals etc.

I would be wanting to get the blue one a bit cheaper than advertised.

It might be a good idea for him to have the final choice

THe blue one he won’t go below £1700. I did mention that if we bought outside of Ebay that £1600 still leaves him up.. but £1700 seems to be his bottom line on it.

https://www.pinkbike.com/buysell/3238427/
This one is the slightly later model, it seems to have a slightly different linkage that’s the only real difference… He’s happy at £1750.

Both of the above are local to me, well, within 40 mins drive. Which of course appeals.

This one is the Hope/Ohlins one you linked to.
https://www.pinkbike.com/buysell/3304521/

I’ve not actually discussed the price with him yet, but he’s a decent 3+ hours drive each way… With the amount of driving i’ve done lately, i’ve kinda peaked lol… i know that sounds a bit daft, but i’m just a bit tired of it all.

Giving him the final choice….. TBH he’d take either… if he was pushed, he prefers the looks of the blue one. But i don’t think he’d complain about either blue or the black/pink and essentially the decision is mostly only a colour and suspension choice.

However, Ohlins of that era was questionable at best, so I’d be avoiding that full stop. Well, I’d be avoiding that vintage of Specialized too, to be fair.

I know people frown upon them for various reasons, but apart from Traceys one having a shock fail (which funnily was an older Ohlins), the Specialized have been brilliant for him. Both the Sworks and the earlier model Stumpy… He loved both and both worked brilliantly.

Come on, what was wrong with the Bronson to cause buyers remorse?  May help STW pinpoint what to look for in a new bike.

Good of the seller to take it back unless you found a crack.

i’m just a bit tired of it all

Us too.

Come on, what was wrong with the Bronson to cause buyers remorse?

Within about 10 mins of riding it it had a complete shock failure. No jumps, drops etc were involved, he’d only just got to the woods and it completely died on him. We could put 200+ psi in the shock and push it down effortlessly by hand, it then returned slowly.

The buyer then gave us the option of repair/replace/refund. I took this as a sign of fate in a way as i could honestly tell the lad wasn’t 100% with the bike, maybe not even 90, 80 or indeed 70 and accepted the offer of the refund. So in some ways yes, there was a little buyers remorse in there, but i blame the daft lad for that more than myself.
At the time of purchase i took him to one side and tried to explain he shouldn’t feel pressured into buying it just because the bloke had driven 25 mins to let us try the bike… but apparently he didn’t listen to that and ended up saying yes to the bike even though he wasn’t sure, purely because “he was really nice and very kind to bring it over and let us try it”

The seller was really good about it all and took it back without too much discussion whereas he could have just said “nah mate, used bike, jog on” and i’d have had to accept that.

When you’ve got kids you kinda know when they think something is brilliant and i just wasn’t thinking he was ‘there’ with that.

But i do think/hope, ‘there’ would be an easy thing to get to with the slightly bigger version of the Sworks.

Us too.

Don’t open the thread, heck it’s not hard to see what the question was going to be in here, it’s not like i disguised the thread.

Plenty of people seem to be enjoying the lads racing, riding and bike stuff… If you’re not… then it’s a simple case of not opening the thread.

If it was me and he wanted an Enduro I would chose the one I linked to and travel the 3 hours. Its half term and the location is not far from Gisburn. Make a day of it and ride the trails.

I drove up to the Nevis Range recently, 750 mile round trip, to but a 2022 S Works Turbo Levo. The price was too good to miss and I knew the seller. Made a long weekend of it and rode some new stuff.

Where there’s a will there’s a way

I hear ya…. I do… i’ve got tomorrow off and our other plans for coaching had to be cancelled by the coach, so it’s not like we have any plans. 3hr 49 according to Google maps… oooft.

This localish one does look decent though
https://www.pinkbike.com/video/547408/

Quite like this which is 12sp and internal routing, later year than the others, but obviously not carbon…. however in some ways, i’m not sure that’s a bad thing 😀

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/224884903693?hash=item345c2f4f0d:g:zSkAAOSwQj1iNb6H

Thanks for the response Weeksy, seems like a fair seller and lesson learnt.

Quite like this which is 12sp and internal routing,

Absolutely not a selling point. Especially for an amateur mechanic.

Absolutely not a selling point. Especially for an amateur mechanic.

BUt not a massive downside either… it’s fairly irrelevant either way overall.. just a bit tidier. Was mostly just highlighting the differnece as that’s the later model, but seems to be the same geometry as the black/pink 18.

goldilocks and the 3 bikes – hopefully the next one is just right

The carbon ones you linked to have internal routing and a SWAT box. When you look in the SWAT box you can see the moulded in guides running down both sides.

You can see the different specs original specs here not allowing for upgrades, big difference in overall spec on the comp v the elite

https://www.specializedconceptstore.co.uk/product/13773/2019-enduro-comp-27-5/

https://www.specializedconceptstore.co.uk/product/11715/2018-enduro-elite-650b/

https://www.specializedconceptstore.co.uk/product/6704/2017-enduro-elite-carbon-650b/