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Enduro 29 vs 650b enduro rigs

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birdman2447

Chimp
Aug 6, 2008
79
7
Currently riding a stumpjumper 29 evo as my trail bike. I have been getting into more burlier riding this year and I am looking for something that will take a little more abuse. I plan on doing a mix of riding on it from "enduro" rides with long fire road climbs and steep descents to more mellow more xc rides.

A few days back in whistler I rode a 29 enduro. Felt spot on. A little heavy but I really love the way the short chain stay 29er's mow down everything in there path. Living in the northeast I ride in VT alot but I also need the bike to pedal and roll well enough to get through some flat rooty New England single track. This is where I feel the enduro 29 is going to outperform the 650.

I have also been eyeing the new 650b 150-160mm trail bikes, I have a good friend who sells GT and the new force x and sanction look pretty nice as well as every other 650b bike that has been released this year.


How many of you guys have serious seat time on a 29 enduro? Any of you guys come off 29ers and now on 650's? Any regrets? I don't have much seat time on 650's but the few I have ridden seem to roll a lot more like 26 than a 29(the 650 wheel is alot closer in size to a 26 than a 29 so it makes sense).
 
ChrisRobin

ChrisRobin

Turbo Monkey
Jan 30, 2002
3,351
193
Vancouver
Well I'll be dipped in sh!t.... I rode enduro the other day and I didn't even know it! (Up a mountain then back down)

I'd say stick with 27.5
 
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kickstand

kickstand

Turbo Monkey
Sep 18, 2009
3,441
392
Fenton, MI
my wife took 2nd in an XC race today on a 26" bike with 140mm of travel, I took 5th on the same bike with a 150mm fork, also 26". Bike of choice was 80mm 29'er, did we enduro?
 
Sandwich

Sandwich

Pig my fish!
Staff member
May 23, 2002
21,073
5,985
borcester rhymes
Yo, i'm on an e29 now but I came from a 650b, and a 29er before that. I'm also in new england, outside of boston.

The enduro 29 is an awesome bike. It handles spectacularly. The headtube is really tall though. I run flat bars with a zero ride thomson, but I fit OK with the stock bars and no spacers. The geometry is awesome. The long reach works great and the forward canted seat tube keeps the climbing position efficient. It climbs very well in the small ring but it's pretty mediocre in the big ring. I think I could get away with a 28t or even a 26t and a smaller cogset, but I like a lot of anti squat. I've taken it to highland and ride mostly flat trails with it too, and it handles both OK. I'd rather have longer travel for DH and shorter travel for trails, but it's pretty efficient, honestly.

Regarding 650b vs 29...650b is really a mediocre upgrade. It's better in rollover, true, but I don't think it's worth pitching your whole frame/bike over. I put 650s on a cannondale and converted it, but the geometry did not end up wonky. The 29er rolls better and the handling effects can be minimized with good geometry (which the enduro has). The problems with 29ers are well documented but for the most part exaggerated. Flexy wheels, tall bikes, ****ty geometry are the biggest problems. Spin up and acceleration aren't as serious.

Finally, 29" is all but dead (26 is flatlined already). Everything is going 650b, even XC bikes, so if you like the way the 29er enduro handles, it's probably wise to get one soon, as I imagine tires and rims and stuff are going to dry up, as the industry dry humps the leg of 650b. I love my bike but nobody has pushed out another decent aggressive 29er, but everybody is doing 650b XC trail and enderpo bikes.
 
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marshalolson

Turbo Monkey
May 25, 2006
1,770
519
long time 29'er hater here. i picked up an e29 this spring to try.

1. if you are running 1x, it pedals notably better in a 30t than the 32t in all cogs in the rear. it also requires a climb-switch/propedal type thingy if you want to climb longer vert with any speed or efficiency IMO.
2. it is a little sluggish getting from one-side of corner knobs to the other, welcome to larger radius wheels
3. personally think super stiff wheels is mandatory. the bike is notably less responsive with well-built normal aluminum rims (i have ridden AC wide lightening and flow ex on it). had great luck with light-bike DH rims (460g, i30) rims with grid casing butcher/slaughter tires 30/35psi.
4. the bike kinda sucked with the stock float. swapping to the CC shock is a no brainer. so much better.

that's it really, other than that, it is by far the most fun and fast trail bike i have ever been on -- which is a large portion of the market out there. as long as you keep it up to speed, the thing just mows down trail. does not matter if its steep, flat, climbing, buff, loose or rocky. just destroys.

at least on the pedal bike trails around here, i would say about 10s for every 2hr ride i wish the wheels were smaller, and 1hr for every ride i am stoked they are the size they are. the rest of the time you are just hauling ass with a big grin.
 
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dbozman

Monkey
May 11, 2008
118
0
Scottsdale, AZ
I own an S-works E29 and a Process 134. I mostly built the Process to have a backup bike for the E29. The Enduro is the finest bike I've ever owned.
 
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marshalolson

Turbo Monkey
May 25, 2006
1,770
519
Oh, and sammich, how tall are you/size frame?

6'2" on the large, and have 30mm spacers, a 0deg stem and 20mm bars, and that is perfect for me.
 
Sandwich

Sandwich

Pig my fish!
Staff member
May 23, 2002
21,073
5,985
borcester rhymes
marshalolson said:
Oh, and sammich, how tall are you/size frame?

6'2" on the large, and have 30mm spacers, a 0deg stem and 20mm bars, and that is perfect for me.
Click to expand...
I run a large with a 50mm stem. I'm 5'11" with a 32" inseam. It fits great, in my opinion, but I love the new school long top tube/reach measurement with a short stem. I was terrified it would climb like poo, but the saddle position is far enough forward to keep climbing spritely.

kidwoo said:
So you bought one of the squattiest bikes ever made.


Makes sense.
Click to expand...
This is the only good thing about the press fit BB. It forced spedz to push the lower pivot up higher, and therefore alter the kinematics of the design.

According to linkage blahg, there's ~70% AS at sag in the 33t ring. With a 28t it's like 105%. In the 22t, it's gotta be close to 150% or more. That's quite a bit for climbing, and really the only reason I keep the front derailleur. Like I said, with a 26 or 28t, I think you'd have a pretty efficient bike.
 
Jm_

Jm_

sled dog's bollocks
Jan 14, 2002
18,991
9,646
AK
Sandwich said:
Like I said, with a 26 or 28t, I think you'd have a pretty efficient bike.
Click to expand...
I have 30t, it's not an efficient bike. It's a fun bike, but it's not an efficient one uphill. On flats it pedals well, but the squat when the trail turns upward is pretty excessive. Firm compression damping helps, but it only helps so much.
 
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