Canyon Spectral 6 or YT Industries wicked

Derfonic

Hi guys, I'm looking at getting an entry Enduro bike and looking at these bargain German manufacturers. Have heard about the sizing issues and sounds like I need a medium at 170cms tall. Was wondering if anyone else has had experience with using these companies and which bike would you go for. Also thinking about using it for XC racing. What's crossing my mind is do I go for the longer travel Wicked, what's better the Fox or Rockshocks suss and which has better components over all. I haven't been riding long enough to make an educated decision so any thoughts greatly recieved.
Will be riding some rough terrain on the Quantocks mostly.

http://www.yt-industries.com/shop/en/Bi ... icked-650B

https://www.canyon.com/_en/mountainbike ... ab-reiter2

rockmonkeysc

They will kill you in an xc race and on the evil Quantock climbs.
I do a bit of xc, xc endurance events and a bit of enduro racing and a lot on the Quantocks and find my Nukeproof Mega TR a great compromise.

felix.london

If you're gonna pick one of them you'd have to say the YT but general UK XC racing on a 160mm enduro bike won't be much fun I shouldn't think.

Derfonic

RockmonkeySC wrote:

They will kill you in an xc race and on the evil Quantock climbs.

Is that because of the weight or lengthy Suspension? Doesn't the Climb modes on the suspension help?

rockmonkeysc

Weight, geometry and suspension. You just don't need a bike that big even for enduro racing.
If most of your riding is on the Quantocks then a trail bike would be ideal, some of the climbs are evil and other than Triscombe trails there's nothing you can't ride fast on even a light xc bike.
A Rose Granite Chief could be ideal and is another German bargain. It's efficient up the hills and pretty good coming back down as well, more than up to the job of enduro racing.

Derfonic

Oh I see your point. Thankyou.I thought Enduro bikes would consider the climbing part a lot more. Back to the drawing board for me I think. The Canyon Nerve 8 looks nice but maybe the 120mm sus is not as much as the others. The Rose does look good and I like the way you can customize the bike on the website. I did want a dropper seat post but guess it's something I can pass on.

Cqc

Genesis grapil is about right for your kind of riding, and is heavily discounted at most places so you can upgrade some bits

rockmonkeysc

Rose has the advantage of a UK distributor with demo bikes who happens to be local(ish).
Rose used to sponsor the Triscombe uplift drivers sons, they absolutely fly around the hills on their Granite Chiefs, even on the downhill trails at Triscombe.
YT have some great bikes but their customer service has a poor reputation and delivery times are months.

Derfonic

So much choice, I'm confused. Have been looking at the Commencal Meta also. Have built up a soft spot for the Spectral over the last month and Enduro-MTB really rate it as Trail bike here. Fastest up hills apparently. Only bike I've been able to demo is a Giant Anthem which I got on really well with so going to look for something similar with a better spec.

http://enduro-mtb.com/en/benchmark-test ... railbikes/

rockmonkeysc

The Spectral and Wicked are VERY different from the Anthem. Do you want a light, fast xc bike or a heavier enduro bike which is better down hills but a lot more hard work on the way up? Or half way between?

Derfonic

Well I'm going to be doing both so halfway between

rockmonkeysc

I would suggest either one of these http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/mobi ... lsrc=aw.ds

Or one of these
http://www.rosebikes.co.uk/bike/rose-gr ... plate=true

adamfo

Playing around with the Rose parts calculator you can get the excellent, and expensive, DT XM 1501 Spline One wheels with Hans Dampf, full XT inc brakes and Pikes for £2200



The poverty spec. bike at £1400 is not exactly slumming it

http://www.rosebikes.co.uk/bike/rose-gr ... aid:651476

Derfonic

Yes I'm liking Rose for that, having fun with configurator . My budget was only £1800 but i might end up smashing it. Changed the configuration of the Granite chief 2 to having a dropper post and XT 38/26 chainset and it come to around £2100.

Really like the Nukeproof but way out of my budget and they don't come cheaper. Can't be too far from the sales can we

rockmonkeysc

The Rose UK distributor is in west Wiltshire and has some demo bikes. Might be worth contacting him.

tezboy1234

It sounds like your after the same sort of thing as me. I've decided on the Canyon Lux CF. It sits inbetween the Grand Canyon (HT )and the Nerve (FS). It's light enough for XC racing and strong enough for trails/am stuff.

I'm not buying the full bike, just the frame. I'll build it up over time and use my current bike while i'm waiting for the new XTR stuff to become available. I'm pretty much decided on everything i want except for the wheels. Having trouble finding a full UST wheelset that's good enough.

The frame is supposedly top noch! And it comes with a Fox rear shock, Ritchy carbon stem and a few other bits. It has internal cable routing, including routing for a dropper post if you decide to install one. It's also a bit future proof. It has a compartment built in to the frame which will allow you to install a battery pack for either the new Shimano electric groupset, or Fox electric shocks, if that's the route you decide to take. That doesn't interest me, but it's nice to have the option if you change your mind further down the road.

This model has 2 colour options, but if you buy the frame only, i think only the black and white is available. Luckily, it's the best looking of the 2 in my opinion. The frame will set you back £1,600.

Bikeradar has a bit of a look at it. Go to the home page and type Canyon in the search box, it'll come up on your left. There's also stuff on youtube and the internet.

Derfonic

I think I'm a bit small for a 29er and I'm scared of carbon fibre on a MTB's. One jumping rock and a chip on ya frame and you need a repair job. When a lot of riding is done in old quarries the chances are high. I'm terrible for dinking my surfboard.

Well for me it's between the Spectral 7.0 and Granite Chief 1 customised to a similar spec and price. It's down to length really the Granite in shorter which is great when it comes to wheelbase but worried the top tube is too short. My old GT I have now is same length as the Granite, I ride with an 80mm stem and have to have my seat quite far back. I think most my height is in my upper body.

Choosing my road bike was a lot easier than this. Haha.

tezboy1234

Ah ok, i can understand that. I felt the same way about carbon. This will be my 1st experience of it. I spent countless hours on the net looking in to it, forums, production and testing videos. Took a while for me to get enough confidence in carbon to go for it. I won't try to persuade you, if you ain't confidant your right to steer clear.

I would however strongly consider Canyon. I think you'll have to do very well to beat them in terms of value and performance. I know they do a 650b, not sure if it's the Nerve though. And be carefull, as mentioned by someone else, it sounds like your looking for bikes that won't suit your needs. You don't want something that's almost a DH bike for XC/TRAILS. I reckon the Nerve is as burly as you need, i would honestly stick to that or something similar.

29'er wheels won't effect your fitting. As long as you get the right size frame, you'll be good. Infact your positioned in exactly the same way as a 26". There's lots of stuff you can find which explain this. I think even bikeradar has a video on it on youtube.

I would advise against 26" though. I have nothing against 26'ers, in fact a 26" ht is what i like best. But almost everyone has, or is beginning to stop them now. Look at Shimano's new XTR wheels for ex, there no 26" version. 26" bikes, with exeption of DH, have almost completely died out, there even stopping making parts now. Think ahead, you get a 26" and in a couple years you see a new wheelset you like, or brake yours. You won't be able to get new ones. Sadly, 650b and 29'ers are your only sensible options.

rockmonkeysc

Not sure about 26" being dead. There are still new model high end wheels and tyres being released in 26"

poah

parts for 26ers will not die out. the only thing that's different is rims, tyres and forks the rest of the parts have no effect on size. some manufacturers that don't sell high volumes might choose to drop 26 - it will be like rear shocks, they are not all made in all sizes. I can't get a BOS kirk for example but I can get a monarch plus, CCDB air CS or a fox float X in 190x50 size.

Think how many 26 inch wheels are out there

rockmonkeysc

Forks aren't a problem, you can fit 650b forks on a 26" bike.
There are so many 26" bikes demand for rims and tyres will be high for years.

Derfonic

Yeah I have considered the Nerve a lot as it's most similar to the Giant Anthem I liked. The lack of dropper post and 3 gears instead of 2 up the front puts me off. If I was going concentrate on XC I would go for that for sure. I'm leading more towards Enduro today but it changes daily.

650b was the only thing I was sure about. I like the best of both worlds idea.

rockmonkeysc

Don't consider a dropper post to be an essential. You can get a Reverb for under £200 if you feel you need it.
Converting from a triple to double chainring set up costs bugger all as well.

Derfonic

True. I'm sure Canyon would swap bits. I'm in the areas of both Canyon and Rose offices this month so hopefully get a quick test ride. Would be nice to have something for the Mondraker Enduro on Exmoor or even trial a bike there.

rockmonkeysc

Im doing the Exmoor gravity rally as well. I hope the course is more interesting than last year.

tezboy1234

I'd love it if you guys were right, but i honestly can't see it. When i first came across comments that 650b and 29'ers were going to end 26'ers, i thought, nonsense! I honestly thought 26" could never be removed from the equation, and i had confidence in thinking that. Now i can only cross my fingers and hope it hangs in there, because for me, there the best. Actually, i can't fully make that comment as i haven't tried a 650b yet.

Yes, there are still some things out there, but it's limited. Look how much as changed already in the world of 26", and the triggers only recently been pulled. Canyon is 1 of very few that still has 26" in mind. And yes you can search the net and still get wheels in 26", but you'll notice most of them are older wheels now, pre- 2013.

Easton and Mavic still have the latest offerings in 26" but will they still have them in next years line up or the year afters? I'm not confidant. Crank brothers have the odd one this year, as do Shimano, but they've already begun phasing out. Novatec and American Classic have already stopped making 26". Most of the new line ups now are 650b and 29'er only.

So yes, there's still some stock about, but once they've sold, where will new stock come from if no ones making them anymore? It's like old school fully rigid MTB's, there will be some out there, but they're hard to come by and your not exactly spoiled for choice.

As for putting 650b forks on a 26" frame, maybe you can, i don't know? But i wouldn't want to. I'm sure it would be possible to find a way to mount tractor wheels to a skateboard, but i wouldn't recommend it, lol.

like i say, i hope you guys are right. But as things stand, and as far as the future is looking, i wouldn't advise anyone to buy anything other than 650b or 29".

Time will tell, but i stand by my thoughts. I just hope i'm wrong! lol

rockmonkeysc

There are so many 26" bikes in use that the demand will be there for years.
Manufacturers have the tooling so it makes sense for them to continue production.
If Crank Bros stop making 26" wheels thats only a good thing, their wheels are sh1t.

Derfonic

Exmoor will be my first Enduro if I have a bike and I've only had 1 XC race which was a disaster. I raced BMX's as a teenager and have been a Roadie doing a few sportives but MTB excites be more. Maybe a less interesting course would be good for a beginner. haha.

As for the wheel size argument. I've only just started on these forums but I bet there's hundreds of topics discussing it. I feel like I'm buying a 650b at the wrong time. There's none in the sales because they're so new.

tezboy1234

Haha! yeah i've been reading about Crank brothers wheels. Don't think i'd go for a set. However their latest offerings seem to have gone down well according to reviews. Still think i'll stay away though.

Hopefully your right, plenty of 26" wheels for years to come. But observing the rate at which there being removed from new line ups, i honestly think they'll be rare in a few years time, sadly. There'll be some, maybe, but pickings will be slim.

I don't think the industry will be continuing to produce them for too long. They won't be using them on new bikes, which means they'll be needing to produce less of them. That will drive manufacturing costs up and it won't be financialy viable anymore

rockmonkeysc

It won't increase manufacturing costs if they make less. The tooling costs will have already been paid off. The extrusions are the same.
As long as there is a demand they will keep making them and there will be an aftermarket demand for years.

kate123

Our local trails are the one's that they use for the Exmoor Gravity Enduro up and around Porlock way and that's why I went for 140mm travel on the Spectral. It's pretty unforgiving up and around Dunkery Beacon with a lot of big rocks, drainage ditches, technical climbs and descents etc I came from a Giant Cypher (a cross between a Trance and an Anthem) with a 69.5 degree head angle with 120mm travel (similar geometry to the Nerve) to a medium Spectral (I'm 5.7 by the way) which is slightly heavier, has 20mm more travel and a slacker head angle of 67 degrees, so on paper the Canyon should be a lot less efficient for climbing. But it's so much easier and quicker than my old Cypher on the climbs and so much more fun and confidence inspiring to bomb down on. So if your looking for a personal recommendation for the Canyon, count me in.

If you do go with an alternative bike, keep in mind if your going to do a lot of Enduro if there's a flat or uphill pedally bit on your timed section a dropper seat post will be a god send. I wouldn't be with out one now!