Endurance Bikes

traffic8

I've recently started entering some endurance races but my old bike is just a bit too heavy so i've started looking at lightweight XC ready models. My budget is around £2000

After hours of searching and reading reviews i'm done to three;

GT Zaskar Carbon Expert
Whyte 19C
Lapierre Pro Race

Does anyone have any experience with these bikes they would like to share or any thoughts on the choices above?

Cheers
Craig

tofu21

How about a Spesh Epic?

That's ideal for endurance events. The brain means you can tune it to your ride.

Broonster

Giant Anthem X.

Brilliant bike for these kind of events. I think you'd struggle to find a bad review about one.

Anonymous

tofu21 wrote:

How about a Spesh Epic?

That's ideal for endurance events. The brain means you can tune it to your ride.

You can tune any bike to your ride. As far as I'm concerned, the brain is for people who want the look of a full suspension, without the actual performance.

tofu21

I think the way my Epic performs. The way I have got mine setup, 3 clicks from off, It handles like my Stumpy HT on climbs etc... but you don't get a saddle thrust up your ass when you hit bumps. I know you can get shocks Pushed to get more of a tailored ride but that seems an expensive long winded way to play with the bikes setup.

I've not played with top-end rear shocks so perhaps they have better tuning than the one that came on the Stumpy.

With my current setup, it's not as much fun as my Full Sus Stumpy but its a differnt beast that I'll be using for different things.

A day round Llandegla = Full Sus Stumpy
Mountain Mayhem = Epic
Banging around local trails in the rain and mud = HT

Anonymous

So you've only compared an FSR bike to another FSR bike? The same thing, but one with a tuneable shock, and one without (really?)

What bothers me about the brain is that it turns a full suss into a hardtail, because people (case in point) believe a hardtail will climb better.

diy

My experience of the brain is quite dated, but it was no match for a propedal in my RP 23. The brain always needed a bounce to wake it up.

Yeehaa - would anyone seriously look at a hard tail for enduro? Personally I would say there is a big difference from a short travel FS and a HT.

tofu21

diy wrote:

My experience of the brain is quite dated, but it was no match for a propedal in my RP 23. The brain always needed a bounce to wake it up.

Yeehaa - would anyone seriously look at a hard tail for enduro? Personally I would say there is a big difference from a short travel FS and a HT.

Yep, the Brain does need a bit of a knock to get things moving. Which I know some people aren't that keen on. But it doesn't bother me.

I've not ridden and RP23 so can't comment but I am sure that they are far better than the shoch in my stumpy or the X-fusion on my old XC.

I did a few enduro events last year and the year before on my HT. It battered me which is why I got the Epic.

Anonymous

tofu21 wrote:

diy wrote:

My experience of the brain is quite dated, but it was no match for a propedal in my RP 23. The brain always needed a bounce to wake it up.

Yeehaa - would anyone seriously look at a hard tail for enduro? Personally I would say there is a big difference from a short travel FS and a HT.

Yep, the Brain does need a bit of a knock to get things moving. Which I know some people aren't that keen on. But it doesn't bother me.

That's my issue with the brain. It needs a "knock" to wake it up, which means the suspension isn't doing it's job, which means it's just adding weight to a hardtail, essentially. Utter load of kokc.

And yes, a hardtail is fine for enduro - depending on what you class as enduro. Most Trans-rockies riders are on hardtails. (personally I'd prefer a mount vision, but all thing to all men and all that)

tofu21

yeehaamcgee wrote:

So you've only compared an FSR bike to another FSR bike? The same thing, but one with a tuneable shock, and one without (really?)

What bothers me about the brain is that it turns a full suss into a hardtail, because people (case in point) believe a hardtail will climb better.

Yep. If had been more sensible I would have shopped about a bit more. But I got a good deal on the Epic and just went for it.

It's funny, turning it into a hardtail is why I like it!

I do wonder if I would have been just as well putting a RP23 or such like on my Stumpy and getting some nice new wheels for it than getting the Epic... but I do love the speed that even I can get on the Epic.

bike-a-swan

diy wrote:

Would anyone seriously look at a hard tail for enduro? Personally I would say there is a big difference from a short travel FS and a HT.

Me! Steel frame, decent volume rear tyre, long seatpost- takes the sting out of the back end that destroys your spine and shoulders and when I stand up and go for it on the last climb of a long, long day it doesn't 'mush'. Doesn't feel like mush when I'm fresh, feels like the suspension working properly- when knackered it just drives me to despair.

njee20

To say the Epic is like a heavy hardtail is totally missing the point. They're like any other FS bike but with a lockout you don't have to flick the whole time. They're firm when you want it to be, and bouncy when you want that, IMO they work well.

However... Other equivalent racey xc bikes also work very well, Anthem X, Top Fuel etc. Ride lots and buy the one you like most. For my money FS all the way, less fatiguing in long events and faster in most circumstances for my riding style YMMV.