Ideal bike for 12/24 hour enduro events

toasty

These seem to be all the rage right now, unlike every other discipline in cycling the ideal bike doesn't seem to be quite so clear. Maybe it's because not everyone is there to compete against others quite so much.

Anyway, on a normal track, fairly boggy, not too technical, looooong distance. What sort of bike would you pick? Light trail bikes and hardtails with good clearance seems to be the consensus? Lots of 456's, Trances, P7s etc.

I only ask as I'm currently weighing up the pro's and con's of either my Stumpy or my Commencal, the Stumpy would be brutal for that long, the Commencal will clog up like never before, the weight, although fairly light (for it's type of bike) would be fairly tough going too. Hmmmm!

ride_whenever

I'd say the meta will be overkill, take the stumpy and get a suspension post?

Or fit skinny tyres to the meta to get the clearance, which is probably your best bet. Maybe 1.95" trailrakers if it is going to be gloopy.

toasty

The Meta has bags of clearance for mud, it also has tons of linkages, looking over some of the MM/SITS photos recently I can't imagine it surviving the night Maybe I should get a lizard skin type thing over as much as possible.

The Stumpy is long and stretched. While it's fast over short race style distances and I get less fatigued, my back would destroy me about half way through I'd imagine.

ride_whenever

you need that mesh stuff, it was on here, designed to keep mud out of worky bits on MX bikes, really fine so the mud doesn't get in, good for pedals and shocks and linkages.

Haven't a clue where to get it from though. :?

grantway

I would use the Meta and bling it up and save some weight.
Spray the Fork and Rear shock shafts in GT 85 spray but make sure you
dont get any on your brake discs/pads.

Anonymous

are you after getting a bike for enduros or are asking which of your two would be better?

the meta would be more forgiving to your body over long distance but if you were after something different, why not get a second hand trance frame and swap the parts from your spesh. i think everything would go straight across apart from the headset (i think you would need an integrated one)

the trance is meant to be a decent light and comfy bike, just a thought.

zero303

Doesn't GT85 eat fork seals?

kegs

given the weather at most of the 12/24hr events this year, a rigid singlespeed hardtail with skinny mud tyres looks ideal. ;D

jazid

Agreed, given the number of rear mechs that snapped at SITS 2008 this year.

The single speeders had no problems at all...

toasty

sheepsteeth wrote:

are you after getting a bike for enduros or are asking which of your two would be better?

the meta would be more forgiving to your body over long distance but if you were after something different, why not get a second hand trance frame and swap the parts from your spesh. i think everything would go straight across apart from the headset (i think you would need an integrated one)

the trance is meant to be a decent light and comfy bike, just a thought.

Not really after anything, I think I'd probably stick a shorter stem and 100mm forks (it's using 80mm :? ) on my Stumpy, makes it much more comfy, then use that

Just curious what people suggested as an ideal bike. Trail bikes and rigid steel singlespeeds are fairly polar opposite, interesting seeing a venue which covers the lot.

I've got some fork stanchion spray stuff, similar to GT85, mud still generally collects around the seals. It's never been much of an issue though.

scholarsgate

Having just competed solo at Sleepless in the saddle this weekend I'd have to say fully rigid singlespeed with skinny tyres!

ride_whenever

why not go the whole hog and ride a solid tubed steel bike with a rock for a saddle, bit of scaffolding tube to keep the weight down at the front for handlebars, steel disk wheels with solid rubber tyres and square bearings throughout.

And run it fixed in 90 gear inches.

toasty

Don't forget to stick a pan on your head, sounds dangerous.

clanton

kegs wrote:

given the weather at most of the 12/24hr events this year, a rigid singlespeed hardtail with skinny mud tyres looks ideal. ;D

Definitely agree. I took a hardtail (Cotic) with lots of mud clearance and 1.8" tyres and still struggled to keep the wheels turning. I saw guys with single speed, 1.5" tyres who were doing way better.
The full suss bikes were simply a disaster. Of the five bikes in my team all three hard tails survived, both full sussers (one a Meta 5.5, the other an old Intense Tracer) were out of the race by 3am with torn off rear mechs.

toasty

Interesting, why were the mechs coming off the full sus and not the geared hardtails? The Meta had loooads of mud clearance.

My mind keeps swaying each way, the Stumpy has no clearance what-so-ever Maybe a cheapo Inbred frame would keep my options open.

Anonymous

so was the events best time done on a single speed bike?

jazid

>Interesting, why were the mechs coming off the full sus and not the geared hardtails?

It was both HT and FS bikes that lost their rear mechs
I had a complete grump on my 6700 with V brakes as it was getting clogged up every 100m or so through the wooded section. I quite after one lap as all the sticks on the course seemed to be stuck in mud pies like its the competitors' birthdays. Proved to be quite an expensive 8m and not fun seeing as I had to push through the thick mud for 4 miles of it

The mixture of grass and mud gets in the rear mech and completely chews it up/snaps it off if you really push on hte pedals to get the drive train to turn. Lots of mechs went, believe me. I spoke to someone who on his first lap helped 3 people botch with theur broken rear mechs so they could at least free wheel.

Mountain Mayhem 2007 was much better than this Sleepless in the Saddle 2008 even though it was just as muddy (as the course was better designed) - but I digress.