2 bikes or 1?

benterz222

Ok, so I literally can't make my mind up on this and it's driving me nuts. So hopefully a bit of opinion will sway me

So I like riding DH the most and have always had DH bikes, but also do a fair amount of trail/XC riding with lots of climbing and flat riding.

So question is.... For a fixed mount of cash, do I get 2x lower spec bikes consisting of one DH bike and one trail bike. Or, do I get 1x really nice good spec enduro type bike which can technically do both?

I have a thing about DH bikes (I love them), although they very limited in application. I'm not planning on being semi-pro and competing or anything like that, just riding for leisure.

Opinions and thoughts much appreciated.

nickbotfield

I get that a decent enduro bike will be super capable, but there's something very satisfying about riding the right tool for the job. With the one bike set up I'd always be wondering what I'm missing out on!

Having said that a £5k bike would be amazing compared to 2 £2.5k bikes!

benterz222

My thoughts exactly. Such a difficult decision. Would I always be thinking 'this would be better on a DH bike' if I rode DH on the enduro? Or would I always be thinking 'an enduro bike would have been fine on this' when riding both DH and XC...

thistle_

You said you've always had DH bikes - won't you still have 1 when you buy the new bike(s)?
If you'll still have a DH bike then I'd go for 1 decent enduro bike. You can still take the old DH rig out when you fancy it.

jamski

What's the budget?

benterz222

thistle (MBNW) wrote:

You said you've always had DH bikes - won't you still have 1 when you buy the new bike(s)?
If you'll still have a DH bike then I'd go for 1 decent enduro bike. You can still take the old DH rig out when you fancy it.

I actually have 2x top spec bikes - 1x DH and 1x Trail/XC but finding it hard to justify financially. Hence the change. Prior to this though, I've only ever had DH bikes (obviously all sold now).

The Rookie

Get a good quality long travel trail/Enduro bike (if the bulk of your riding is in the UK), and then back it up with a 'good enough' (maybe even preloved) XC bike which can be had fairly cheaply used. That would be my suggestion.

Depends really on your budget which is?

benterz222

jamski wrote:

What's the budget?

Budget is around £4.5k.

Thanks.

fat daddy

Always 2 bikes

Just riding a red trail at a centre there is enough difference between XC bikes to whats better ... 120mm climbs, accelerates and is more nimble on the flat to uphill but 150mm nails it on the way down

So what to buy ???

the difference between DH and Trail is going to be massive ... no way an enduro bike will be as fun on XC territory where a lighter less suspended bike will be far faster

and likewise no way an enduro bike will be as capable as full on DH rig on a DH course.

I would only have 1 bike if (1) you were planning on both DH and XC on the same day OR you only had space for 1 bike

benterz222

The Rookie wrote:

Get a good quality long travel trail/Enduro bike (if the bulk of your riding is in the UK), and then back it up with a 'good enough' (maybe even preloved) XC bike which can be had fairly cheaply used. That would be my suggestion.

Depends really on your budget which is?

Interesting idea. By 'long travel' does that include a DH bike? Budget it around £4.5k.

benterz222

fat daddy wrote:

Always 2 bikes

Just riding a red trail at a centre there is enough difference between XC bikes to whats better ... 120mm climbs, accelerates and is more nimble on the flat to uphill but 150mm nails it on the way down

So what to buy ???

the difference between DH and Trail is going to be massive ... no way an enduro bike will be as fun on XC territory where a lighter less suspended bike will be far faster

and likewise no way an enduro bike will be as capable as full on DH rig on a DH course.

I would only have 1 bike if (1) you were planning on both DH and XC on the same day OR you only had space for 1 bike

Thanks for the reply. Unlikely to be doing both XC and DH in the same day. Space isn't a huge issue, although don't have masses of it. Can just about make it work with 2x bikes.

The Rookie

I'd spend about £750 on a good quality used short travel (100-120mm, maybe even an HT) bike for XC/trail and the rest on a quality Enduro bike for heavier trail and DH use.

By Long travel it meant 'long travel trail'/'enduro) somewhere around the 160-180mm mark.

angry_bird

Two bikes.

When one needs work doing you'll have another to use. Besides, how much of a difference can you really notice between a high end and mid range bike? How much does it affect your enjoyment of what you're doing?

rockmonkeysc

I had this decision a year ago. I really wish I kept the DH and trail bike.

neilus

Had something of a similar issue a while ago. I opted to pick up a 2nd hand DH bike, ended up with a pretty nice 2012 Specialized Status (paid around €900 for the bike and another €250 on a full shock and fork service) for DH riding and kept my 140mm Giant Trance (great bike) for my day to day riding.
With 4.5k you can get both a 2nd hand DHer for maybe 1500 and youve still got a pretty tidy sum to spend on a trail/AM bike.
I dont really subscribe to this "you can only have one bike, so buy an enduro for everything" thing. I was at a bike park here in Austria last week and yes, 80% were on enduros, so they can obviously deal with DH terrain...but seeing those big, chunky double crowned 200mm forks in front of you (Boxxers in my case) really gives you the confidence to really commit to the trail.