Enduro / Trail / AM / XC crossovers
larkim
Posts: 2,485
Is it even worth considering what "type" of bike a particular model is when looking at the "budget" end of full sussers?
The standard answers to what is good value at the c £1000 price point have all been given many times before, so no need to repeat that, but at that sort of price point is it worth fretting about what category a bike like the Boardman FS 650B fits into? They'll all do trails, they'll all go uphill, they'll all survive some punishment on trail centre skills areas etc etc. Or is it even simpler than that - you can't buy a "good" highly specific bike at that price point, they'll all tend towards a compromise of a "trail" description - e.g. not light enough to be considered proper "XC", not gnarly enough to be considered a proper "Enduro", etc etc.
The standard answers to what is good value at the c £1000 price point have all been given many times before, so no need to repeat that, but at that sort of price point is it worth fretting about what category a bike like the Boardman FS 650B fits into? They'll all do trails, they'll all go uphill, they'll all survive some punishment on trail centre skills areas etc etc. Or is it even simpler than that - you can't buy a "good" highly specific bike at that price point, they'll all tend towards a compromise of a "trail" description - e.g. not light enough to be considered proper "XC", not gnarly enough to be considered a proper "Enduro", etc etc.
2015 Canyon Nerve AL 6.0 (son #1's)
2011 Specialized Hardrock Sport Disc (son #4s)
2013 Decathlon Triban 3 (red) (mine)
2019 Hoy Bonaly 26" Disc (son #2s)
2018 Voodoo Bizango (mine)
2018 Voodoo Maji (wife's)
2011 Specialized Hardrock Sport Disc (son #4s)
2013 Decathlon Triban 3 (red) (mine)
2019 Hoy Bonaly 26" Disc (son #2s)
2018 Voodoo Bizango (mine)
2018 Voodoo Maji (wife's)
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Comments
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Bikes like the Boardman and most of the other £1k ish bikes will be fine for a bit of everything.
Forget about the various categories.Transition Patrol - viewtopic.php?f=10017&t=130702350 -
They may be built with a small amount of bias, for example a friend has an RR9.2 from decathlon, somewhat XC biased, but a shorter stem and slightly wider bars with a little rise and it's great at trail centres and he's done BPW on it as well.Currently riding a Whyte T130C, X0 drivetrain, Magura Trail brakes converted to mixed wheel size (homebuilt wheels) with 140mm Fox 34 Rhythm and RP23 suspension. 12.2Kg.0
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The Rookie wrote:he's done BPW on it as well.
What exactly does that mean? I have seen people there on everything from 20 year old hybrids to carbon xc race bikes and high tech downhill bikes and even a rigid single speed Schwinn klunker with coaster brake and sprung brooks saddle.
You can ride anywhere on any bike.Transition Patrol - viewtopic.php?f=10017&t=130702350 -
Although budget puts constraints on the spec list of a bike at the cheaper end of the spectrum, it doesn't stop the frame geometry being engineered with a specific discipline (or maybe a better word would be "style") of riding in mind.
For instance, in their September issue, mbr did a test of 4 sub-£800 hardtails. The Canyon "Grand Canyon" and Saracen "Mantra Trail" both got 4stars and are separated by only £50, but they're very different bikes in terms of what they're designed for, with the Saracen having 20mm more travel, 2-degree-slacker head angle and much more trail-friendly tyres, whereas the canyon had the racier build, bigger wheels and came in 800g lighter.
Agreed, neither is ultra-refined towards a particular goal, but to argue that those differences aren't worth talking about, would be to miss a great deal of the story.0
