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Enduro 29 or other big wheeled aggro trail bikes?

Dogboy

Turbo Monkey
Apr 12, 2004
3,208
581
Durham, NC
To be honest, I can't really believe that there's this much demand for ****ty bikes with slightly larger wheels crammed in without much consideration to geometry...but at the end of the day, it's about selling bikes, and no matter how good the enderpo29 might be, buyers just want 650bland.
Which bikes are you referring to exactly? I saw you reference one (Troy), but what are all the other ****ty bikes? Because I've found the opposite to be true. Pretty much every bike that has been rejiggered to fit the mid-sized wheels is better than its predecessor. No doubt they could have been tweaked and improved while keeping 26" wheels, but the wheel size change was a convenient excuse to make them better.
 

Team 9.8

Chimp
Mar 28, 2014
22
0
Anybody have any input on the current generation Spec Enduros, in particular the enduro 29? I’ve had my eye on one for a while, but haven’t been able to afford one. I’ve read the reviews and it sounds like my cup of tea, but I have some reservations, namely the weird shock link and 142+ wheels. I’m also a little concerned about the kinematics, as it doesn’t have a lot of antisquat unless you’re in the 22, which the comp model comes with. Otherwise, it ticks all the boxes, with CCDBaCS compatibility, a great build from the factory, a long front end with nice short chainstays, FSR for active braking, and a pleasant but not dramatic rising rate.

Any other options for big wheeled, long travel bikes that can double as a big trail bike and handle the occasional lift day? Banshee rune or spitfire 650b? Black market roam? I currently have a 650b trail bike, so I could swap some of my components over.
I've ridden the Enduro, and honestly it was the only 29er that I have ridden that I liked. I didn't mind the Yeti SB95, but it still wasn't nearly as playful as the Enduro. I come from all 26" bikes, and mainly downhill style riding, so the Enduro worked great for me. If I ever decide to buy another bike it will be the enduro. The only other bike I have looked at considering was the Pivot Mach 6, due to it being a longer travel 650B
 

Sandwich

Pig my fish!
Staff member
May 23, 2002
21,030
5,918
borcester rhymes
Which bikes are you referring to exactly? I saw you reference one (Troy), but what are all the other ****ty bikes? Because I've found the opposite to be true. Pretty much every bike that has been rejiggered to fit the mid-sized wheels is better than its predecessor. No doubt they could have been tweaked and improved while keeping 26" wheels, but the wheel size change was a convenient excuse to make them better.
Banshee Rune, Spitfire, Yeti SB75, turner burner, rocky altitude, all came on the market quick as possible with little concern to making 650b geometry work right. That's just my opinion, so if you disagree, hey whoopee, but we're only starting to see ground up models designed around 650b now. The Norcos, the Giants, some of the treks, are all bikes that were designed to make 650b sing...but I disagree that you need to have longer stays and the same exact geometry as on a 26er with 650b wheels and then suddenly you get extra special jollies.

Read up:

http://www.vitalmtb.com/product/guide/Bikes,3/BMC/TrailFox-TF02,11756
Advertiser or not we do our damnedest to remain impartial, even if the beer tastes good.
damn, not to knock your actual real-world experience, but that's a decent leverage curve to be paired with an air shock. I really wonder why the bike rode wonky.