Posts
7
Joined
11/21/2018
Location
AU
Hi VitalMTB, i'm a regular on VitalMX and decided to come over here to snag your advice. I am a motocross rider than wants to get into MTB due to constrains in my current situation that I can't ride motocross very often.
So I want to get into MTB and from reading i think enduro is the sort of bike i am after, let me remind you I am completely NEW to this scene. But i am confident that my motocross skills will transfer over and be confident with jumping. What do you guys think i should start on? I am from Tasmania in Australia, i live close to Blue Derby which we held a world championship round last weekend. It looks absolutely amazing and can't wait to hit up!
So I want to get into MTB and from reading i think enduro is the sort of bike i am after, let me remind you I am completely NEW to this scene. But i am confident that my motocross skills will transfer over and be confident with jumping. What do you guys think i should start on? I am from Tasmania in Australia, i live close to Blue Derby which we held a world championship round last weekend. It looks absolutely amazing and can't wait to hit up!
Based on your location, you have quite a few pretty dope options. If you're planning on making MTB your new priority and investing in high-grade equipment, you can really reach for some cool bikes. The "Enduro" bike market has a lot to offer, along with the "Trail" bike market. The difference being Enduro is 160-170mm of rear wheel travel and trail is 140-150mm - as a general rule of thumb. If you want one bike to do everything, the Enduro bike is likely your top pick as you eluded to above. The trail bike options are going to be a little more fitness-oriented and slightly livelier on the trail. I won't get into the wheel size differences, 27.5 v. 29, as I would suggest going to a shop, riding both (or demo'ing) and make a decision that way.
Down Under, you have a good handful of prominent (big) brands that do really good price point and spec.
You can of course order whatever you want online, but walking into a shop and developing a relationship with your local scene would be really beneficial (if you aren't already familiar).
In no particular order, regarding Enduro bikes that would be appropriate for your interests that you can see on a showroom floor:
Intense Tracer (27.5) or Carbine (29)
Santa Cruz Nomad (27.5) or High Tower LT (29)
Giant Reign (27.5)
Specialized Enduro (comes in both wheel sizes)
Kona Operator (comes in both wheel sizes)
Bikes that you can order online and probably find at the trail head to wheel around the car park:
Canyon Torque or Strive (27.5)
YT Capra (27.5) or Jeffsy (29)
Commencal Clash (27.5) or Meta AM (29)
Zerode Taniwha (27.5) - I personally ride this bike and it's unreal. Brandon did a review of it here.
That's a huge array, I know. Just wanted to highlight the options, as it's not super straightforward.
The online bike options are going to have much stronger value for the price (generally speaking).
My personal suggestions, based on your moto background would be:
Kona Operator
Canyon Torque
Commencal Clash
Zerode Taniwha
The reasons why: all of them are sturdy, the sizing for someone who is 5'10" is strong, and they all like to be ridden in straight lines, i.e. they all will happily just plow down the trail - a helpful asset for someone who is still developing their MTB skills. They will also stick with you as you progress and only get better as you get better.
Edit: This Canyon Spectral seems like a very good price for the components listed
https://www.canyon.com/en-au/mtb/spectral/2019/spectral-al-5-0.html
Thoughts?
https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/au/en/nukeproof-mega-275-alloy-comp…
In trail mode it pedals so well. I have a lot of time on the old nomad a little on the new nomad they take the cake on the downs compared to this but the mega is a great all a rounder that can take danger.
The Torque and Taniwha would both be wicked shred sleds for your neck of the woods. They are definitely a little pricier, but you'd be very sorted with those out of the box (Taniwha has build options you'd get to pick).
That said, the deal on the Spectral is a screamin' one and an excellent option. You would not be disappointed with that bike. Comes with a sick spec, and the upgrades down the line wouldn't have to be huge, just minor improvements here and there as you learn what you like and don't like (cockpit mainly, and then perhaps a shock with a piggyback if you really start shredding hard - that's not an uncommon shock size which is also convenient). Grips are a very personal preference, but I think you'll figure that out easily enough.
My one suggestion though would be get the large, and put a shorter stem on it. Looks like it comes with a 60mm length stem - I'd go for a 35mm length (and it would need to be 35 bore as well), as the Reach is 460mm in the large (which is a good thing), but for people of our size, that longer stem can have a negative feeling on the descents, plus it would feel more "moto" with a shorter stem.
Just looked at the bar spec too - I'd recommend a different bar, something with more back sweep like 8 or 9 degrees - again, will feel more familiar swapping between pedal bike and motor bike...so a new cockpit out of the box would be a huge boon to how the bike feels: 35mm stem, 8 or 9 degree back sweep bars in a 25mm-ish rise, cut to 760-780mm wide.
A small list of bar options and their geo:
Deity: 9 back and 8 back, and 5 up.
Burgtec: 9 back and 5 up.
Renthal: 7 back and 5 up.
Cromag: 8 back and 5 up.
Joystick: 9 back and 6 up.
Spank: they have a wider range and mix than most
Other than that one area, I think you'll be fired up and ready to roll into the Tassie summer with gusto!
I like all the above advice, and I'd add that I went for the longer travel ("enduro") style bike. I'm glad I did, because the hits feel a lot like the 12" of travel you're used to. Anything smaller and you definitely know you're on a bicycle! (I bought a Commencal and love it, by the way.)
Get used to not having a motor to help you panic rev before you jump anything too serious or drop off a steep ledge with the wrong body position. Those are the things that I immediately noticed.
On the flip side though, mentally, you'll look at the biggest jumps at the bike park, think they're not that big, and have a good guage of how much speed you'll need to hit them
Make sure it has:
-A Dropper post
-11 or 12 speed drivetrain
-descent tires
-descent brakes
(unless you really want to upgrade after you buy)
My top 5 bike choices to check out are:
Devinci Troy
Transition Smuggler
YT Jeffsy
Santa Cruz hightower
Agree that 160/150 is the way to go, it will get you around Derby and Maydena. Just don't get sucked in to the first bike that looks good, take your time in choosing. I would recommend going and having a chat with the guys at Vertigo or Mad Mtb in Derby about bike size and possibly hire a bike to try out something similar.
Now while the bikes that have been recommended are all good ones, price and availability in Tassie/Aus may not be ideal. You'd should probably checkout whats available in Launnie and whittle down choices from there. I would add a Giant Reign and Norco Range to that list, well priced & spec'd.
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