What Skill Compensator for the Alps?

Not really a serious post, since what I really need is some medication/ doctor/ another pointless round of counselling, but what’s the point in discussing that as I sit in the chalet through another glorious sunny alpine day. Let’s keep it simple and talk bikes.

The boys are now much better cyclists than me ( downhill at least) and I can’t even remotely keep up any more. What available, cheap, awesome Enduro bike should I buy for the Alps  to try to cover my inadequacy?

I will, of course, be doing a number of skills courses in parallel, so please don’t recommend that.

Define ‘cheap’.

Eldest still loves his Rocky Mountain Altitude – as ever Pauls Cycles have them on offer.

Seriously quick, burly, lovely handling and well made bike with what feels like huge travel to me. A proper nippy bike yet also seems to just absorb big, square hits….
He has both raced in Alps and supported the Trans Savoie on it, raced DH and Enduro up to EWS in UK….and got regular top 10 places…

available, cheap, awesome

Specialized Status, the longer travel one. Bargain Bike Park Smasher.

You have it wrong.

No bike will allow you to keep up so you need a bike that will give you an appropriate excuse whilst also boosting your macho image. A hardtail undoubtedly, potentially rigid. Everyone will say you’re mad but really they’re mightily impressed that you got down that track alive… Which isn’t a guarantee by the way.

Bird Aeris 9?

Mate loves his and is taking it to the Alps this time next week

A Sur-Ron. Leave ’em for dust.

I bought a Cotic Jeht for this exact reason, funnily enough they’re doing a deal on Frame & Shock for £1299 currently…

Also good deals on full builds, although if you want a full #gnarsled the RocketMAX might be the better option but they’re all UK built frames so not as cheap but still quite good value I think.

The Specialized Status does seem to be the objectively more correct answer from where it sits on the value/travel/gnar scale though and it looks quite nice for a Specialized.

No bike will allow you to keep up so you need a bike that will give you an appropriate excuse whilst also boosting your macho image. A hardtail undoubtedly, potentially rigid. Everyone will say you’re mad but really they’re mightily impressed that you got down that track alive… Which isn’t a guarantee by the way.

Absolutely this. We held a mates race enduro event and one of the lads turned up on his hardtail. So that was his excuse 100% sorted.

I bought a Cotic Jeht for this exact reason,

And yet i was on here a few weeks ago asking exactly the same question as the OP. And I own a Jeht.

Another vote for a Specialized Status. Great downhill, not so good up, but passable.

Or just give up and get a hardtail. Bonus points for navigating it across razor sharp rocks with no pads or body armor and just an XC helmet too. That way everyone will just be glad that you’re alive at the end of the day, including possibly your offspring too.

I probably have lower aspirations of the gnar levels I wanted to achieve than you two, as it was the perfect steed for me to semi-mince down various Reds without feeling like I was going to die and actually start pushing my boundaries a bit :)

I don’t think that’s because I’m super hardcore so a 150/140 Enduro bike was plenty, but I could maybe convince myself that was true I suppose! (it’s not true, I’m very average)

If it’s just for Alps trips and the occasional bike park day then you probably can’t go far wrong with the Status 160 for the money. There were a lot of Commencal Furious out there last week which I think are 275 and look nice.

Specialized Status. Absolutely hundreds of the things in Morzine. Perfect cheap bikepark smasher.

When you’re having a bad day you can just blame the crap brakes.

I’m currently sat In Morzine having similar thoughts as the OP.  Here on my cotic jeht (popular on here it would seem!) as my eldest is on my old airdrop edit. He is flying on that and I’m struggling to keep up. I’ve had a wander around town this afternoon and the cheapest deal I could find was an ex hire commencal furious for 1700 euro. Or a 2020 commencal supreme dh for 2500 euro! Think I’ll Nick the airdrop back off the boy!

For me it would probably be a Stumperjumper Evo Expert which depending on size can still be picked up at a bargain price.

Last couple of bikes have been purchased after great days out in the Alps whilst browsing in the evening

Second hand Turbo Levo off Pinkbike whist sat outside the van in Pila and a Enduro that Evans was shifting at 50% discount that was still in the basket next morning after a late night session in Interlaken.

Kevin got badly injured the next day and so the Enduro didn’t get ridden till this year’s trip. He had a Stumpy Evo in his basket for the first week just in case he didn’t get on with the Enduro but by the end of the holiday had decided its a keeper.

I suppose you have to decide taking into account what your riding at the moment

I’m recommending the Airdrop Edit to everyone for everything. I love mine. You’re not too far away for a test ride either.

Yeah I can highly recommend my new Edit MX and I believe they’re selling off demo bikes at the minute.

I threw mine together the night before I left and the first run was on the Pleney. Two weeks of smashing and it never made a single complaint.

The problem is if you buy one your excuses for not keeping up with junior are gone.

Really big bikes can be a bit tricky to adapt to, there’s a lot to be said for the bike you’re completely familiar with even if on paper it’s less capable, as long as it’s basically up to the job- which pretty much all modern bikes are.

So as long as already have a suitable bike, I’d say stickier tyres and if possible a better fork. First speaks for itself, the latter will keep you less tired and more able to handle stuff.

I was faster on my bike than a dh bike I rented while mine was broken

So my answer is the biggest tires you can fit on yours for confidence boosting.

I’d go for a geometron G1 if I was buying an enduro skills compensator.

available, tick

cheap, massive cross

awesome, tick.

Massive sticky dh tires

Available – surely they must me some in any alpine resort bike shop.

Cheap- cheaper than a new bike?

Awesome- it always feels like I’ve become a riding god when I smash through some rocks on heavy duty tires after riding around on tires I’m prepared to pedal uphill.

I just spent a couple of weeks in various alps locations riding my specialized enduro with 180mm travel and hated it.
The previous year I had a mk4 airdrop edit over there which was incredible so it’s the bike not the travel that’s important – some are straight line smashers (like the enduro) and some are made for fun (like the airdrop).

since coming home I’ve bought the new airdrop edit mx and love it.

Great to see the airdrop getting so much love!!

Go on then, since we’re on the subject…

(Fork was deflated from being in the car boot)

For me it would probably be a Stumperjumper Evo Expert which depending on size can still be picked up at a bargain price.

I can confirm that it’s a very good Alps bike.

Get a Privateer 161 or 141

Get a Privateer 161 or 141

That’s a great idea. There’s an awesome 141 in the classifieds.

Currently in Les Deux Alpes. We brought DH bikes (Scott Gamblers, great value) after wondering if we should bring our normal bikes (Firebird and Megatower). So pleased we brought the DH bikes.

The bikes have taken a hammering, and they have been perfect. You can hire them everywhere, and I’d not think twice about what to bring next time.

Whatever you bring, stick tyres on with DH casings. We’re on Assegai DH and I can’t believe the abuse they’ve taken without any fuss, a lesser side wall would have ripped on day one I reckon.

Bring a spoke key, you’ll need it if you’re hitting the (horrific) braking bumps at speed. Bring spare brake pads and bring goggles for the dust. Bring grease, and be ready to repack the headset and maybe main pivot bearings when they get dry, dusty and creaky. Bring ibuprofen, and ibuprofen gel for your forearms… ?

We leave on Saturday, and two weeks hasn’t been anywhere near enough

We leave on Saturday, and two weeks hasn’t been anywhere near enough

We’ve been here 10 days I guess. I’ve done 4 half days so far. 1 was great, 1 was ok, 2 were shit.

We’ve been here 10 days I guess. I’ve done 4 half days so far. 1 was great, 1 was ok, 2 were shit.

Why so?

Starling Murmur

Saracen Ariel 60? Cheap, long, low, slack and with good shocks for the cash.

Been looking at min 160mm travel bikes recently. Marin Alpine trail, Merida 160 & Scott Ransom can all be had for about 2k.

Cotic are doing a rocket Max full build for about 3.2k which looks like a beast!

Ive  used Osteoporosis and crushed vertebrae I’m my spine to explain my DH mincing for the last 15 years, works every time.

A Specialized Status 160 is £1500 all day and a bargain

I built up a couple of cheap 2015 Spec Enduros for our visit. Being an XC trail rider these things are a hoot. My 12yo is on a hard tail and I only get to keep up with him on the lift :0)

@thegeneralist we’re hitting Chatel in a bit if you want company and talking rubbish.

Hey Steve. Not sure what the plan is today, but I think I’m getting dragged to Champery.

If you see a fed up bloke with a blue Occam and a beige FF then say hi.

Whatever you can pick up secondhand in good nick for about a grand.

Something like a NP Mega, YT Capra or Vitus Sommet perhaps.

I did my alps trip this summer on a MK1 Privateer 161, coil shock, 180 zebs, sturdy build. The bike was great, a very injured hand and wrist meant I was wishing for a big dh fork in the braking bumps but other than that the bike was plenty.

Were off to morzine in a couple of weeks, trying to decide what bike to take.

I was last in the alps about 10 years ago, back then I was riding a 26 inch wheeled ibis mojo HD in les arcs.

This time I have a choice between a 170mm travel 27.5 inch wheeled enduro bike from 2018 with geo to suit, or a 2023 160mm front, 145mm rear, 29 inch wheel  all mountain/trail bike with more modern geo (slacker head angle, longer reach etc)

I’m leaning to taking the more modern trail bike despite it having less travel than the older enduro bike, simply because I’m more familiar with it as its the bike I ride all the time now,  it’s a bit slacker/longer than the older enduro bike and it has 29 inch wheels.

Any words of wisdom on this choice?