How much better is a modern big enduro bike than my 26" 10yr old DH bike?

I have a Cotic Jeht which is 150/140 with Lyriks and Hope brakes and wheels.

That is already a super capable trail/light enduro bike - you'd need to go to a 'super' enduro bike with 170/180mm travel really - but it would probably quite easily replace your downhill bike and you'd be able to pedal it back up.

The new Bird Aeris 9 with the 180mm rocker would suit that fork very nicely...

You already know the answer. When did you last ride the 10 year old dh bike?😂

How did you impulse buy a set of expensive forks with no bike to put them on? Is it me or is that just mental

What would i feel if i went for a big 29 or mullet enduro bike.

You'd feel awesome!

Get it done, you're not getting any younger.

How did you impulse buy a set of expensive forks

They weren't expensive! They were a bargain

How did you impulse buy a set of expensive forks with no bike to put them on?

Bah, merely a technicality. 🤣

You've never bought bits for a bike you've not actually bought yet?

Heck I've bought bikes for riding I don't actually enjoy!

Has anyone made such a jump recently from old tech to modern?

None are quite the right size, buuuut...

Mrs_oab has xs Giant 27.5 trail bike on 2.3 tures from 2014 - is pretty competent, if a little twitchy.

Youngest_oab has 2017 6Fattie 27.5 -135/260mm longer(ish) and definitely lower, and slacker with -2 headset. It's very good, much more capable due to bigger tyres (2.4), much better damping and (mainly) the geometry. It's still quite conservative though...

Which takes me to eldest_oab's Rocky Mountain Altitude 29er on 2.5/beefy treads- 170/170mm, slack, low, long. It's an absolute monster truck through the rough - it's hard to understand how quickly rough ground goes under your feet and yet how calm it feels. Yet it's still sprightly enough to fling around under him, to winch uphill. It was only needing only a longer dropper and better disc pads to enable warp speed to truly be unlocked...

So yes, modern geometry, better/stiffer frame details and better damping makes a big, big difference. The brakes on the Rocky are the one weak point - and they are XT 4-pots on 180 rotors - but only because the rest of the bike is so capable.

I've had a few 26" DH bikes and my last was a YT Tues around 10 years ago. I used to take a DH bike to the Alps every year then I switched to a 27.5 Geometron and went much faster absolutely everywhere and didn't have to push it home.

I love DH bikes and I'm dying to try a big modern one but they're a very hard thing to justify these days.

We have been discussing this a lot over the last few days, as I'm in Les Gets on a 14 year old Canfield (boxxers with splug) and the boys in the chalet are amazed I can still keep up. I also have a 180mm forked (yari with splug) Merida ebike out here. The ebike is great but still not as good as the Canfield for the proper rough stuff, once you've got over how short it is!

So for me, still having a dh bike was good, not so much for how good it is- though I do like it- but more because I was less precious about it, and it can be built a bit more solidly and cheaply than I want my enduro bikes to be. I'm probably 9/10ths as fast on the rocketmax but I'm at least 47% more twitchy when smashing it off big rocks or loading it onto a tractor uplift or grinding it to bits with fort william grinding grit.

I mean, my entire 224 evo cost me about as much as I've spent on the fork in the rocketmax.

Yeah, that is very true. I don't feel bad hammering the DH bike into the landing of a massive jump, but I do try not to do it on the ebike.

How did you impulse buy a set of expensive forks with no bike to put them on? Is it me or is that just mental

I was planning on building a cheap, short travel HT over the next year or so using second hand parts.

Got the frame but then some bargain Lyrics turned up at CRC that were far too long for the frame. Bought them, then a set of the bargain Hope wheels so felt duty bound to buy a new frame to go with them. My bargain Pace RC627 frame arrived this week!

It's easily done when a PSA is waved under your nose and you have bits you can sell to fund it.

I last rode the DH bike about a yr ago. This year in the alps i was in a mixed group so rode the HT, as it works well for me.

It sounds like a modern big enduro bike will flatter my skills and be fun too. Im off to check that Bird with the 180mm link!

We have been discussing this a lot over the last few days, as I’m in Les Gets on a 14 year old Canfield (boxxers with splug) and the boys in the chalet are amazed I can still keep up. I also have a 180mm forked (yari with splug) Merida ebike out here. The ebike is great but still not as good as the Canfield for the proper rough stuff, once you’ve got over how short it is!

Kudos on a fine choice of bicycle sir, always look back on my Canfield Jedi fondly and feel they haven't had the recognition they deserve for pushing the high pivot game forward since the last millenium

Having spent a fair bit of time at Dyfi Bike Park recently, I've been wondering how my (now sold) 26" Canfield Jedi would compare to the Zerode Taniwha I now (well, at least until the other day, when I trashed my shoulder) ride...

I've still yet to try a 29er and due to grumpy (and tight) old man syndrome, am still reluctant.

That said, between the increased reach, improved rollover and perhaps most importantly, additional BB drop below the axles, a decent 29er gnarpoon shred sled of the enduro variety would likely descend at least as well as yesterdays DH exotica, before proceeding to kick the pants off it when gravity turns mean.

There's no doubt bikes these days are far more versatile; though the 'all mountain' moniker has faded away, it's truer than ever

How did you impulse buy a set of expensive forks with no bike to put them on? Is it me or is that just mental

Come on, that's the sort of thing any normal person would do if they saw some nice forks on discount.

Then you just need to buy a frame to go with it. Then, having a nice frame and forks built up with old running gear, you might as well buy a nice XT drivetrain on discount to go with it. Plus some new wheels. And, having done that, you might as well finish it off with a new saddle, bars, stem, and grips.

Most expensive discount fork I ever bought.

Here's my take on the whole old v new thing. A relative bought a new 27.5 slack 'n' sorted hardtail and asked me to set it up for them. I did so and rode it round my local woods. It was as competent and dull as a TDI Audi Quattro. My own hardtail is a 1997 Airborne that rides like a 60s Mini Cooper. Sweet if you get it right but don't ever get it wrong. Way more fun and so much more rewarding than modern bikes. Similarly, my gravel bike is the most fun bike I have. Get it right or fall off.

i was thinking about a 180mm travel enduro bike, then those bargain forks were PSA’d. when i looked at the price and converted it to dollars, i realized that i couldn’t afford a big enduro bike.

my suggestion would be to use them as the beginning of a sturdy long travel enduro bike.

as mentioned above, you aren’t getting any younger.

My own hardtail is a 1997 Airborne that rides like a 60s Mini Cooper. Sweet if you get it right but don’t ever get it wrong. Way more fun and so much more rewarding than modern bikes.

Yes, as always, everything is more fun when it's more difficult, dangerous and your chin is way out over the front axle.

I rode my geometron G13 with a guy on a 26" trek slash.

The front of the bikes were Almost the same- head angle, bar height. The geometron had a much longer wheelbase.

The main difference was the rider, I was much slower😱

If my geometron got nicked that bird bike would-be a strong contender for a replacement. Especially in the burple colour!

Here’s my take on the whole old v new thing. A relative bought a new 27.5 slack ‘n’ sorted hardtail and asked me to set it up for them. I did so and rode it round my local woods. It was as competent and dull as a TDI Audi Quattro. My own hardtail is a 1997 Airborne that rides like a 60s Mini Cooper. Sweet if you get it right but don’t ever get it wrong. Way more fun and so much more rewarding than modern bikes. Similarly, my gravel bike is the most fun bike I have. Get it right or fall off.

I think it depends where you’re riding and what you’re riding to some extent. Some people just don’t like progress either.

A few years back I bought a 2004 Kona Caldera and built it up with a longer fork than it was meant to have (130mm Revelation), tubeless wheels and tyres, decent brakes, dropper etc. It wasn’t bad and went round easy trail centres ok and it managed some steep jab off piste tech without killing me. I’d say down the Twrch final pair of downhills at Cwmcarn at speed it was a little bit scary and beat me up quite a lot - but was more than do-able.

The replacement was a 650b Vitus Sentier with a 140mm Pike, longer reach, slacker headangle but quite short chainstays. That bike was hilarious round even a flat trail centre like Ashton Court / Leigh Woods. Wanted to manual and rip round berms etc - and much more stable at speed on more difficult trails / off piste. Not in the slightest bit boring.

It’s not necessarily a new bike is boring vs old bikes more interesting - the devil is always in the detail. Also now there are a lot of built trails with bigger features than there used to be hat old hardtails will be very scary on.

For that 38 I reckon as a fairly affordable price the 180mm version of the Aeris 9 would be a great home - love the blurple paint too 🥰

The alloy Transition Spire isn’t too expensive frame only either and is a brilliant enduro frame too.

Not sure if the Nukeproof Giga comes frame only but their frames can be quite affordable when sold on their own.

As you can build a 180mm enduro bike to be much lighter and more practical than a 200mm DH bike, it means the need to own a DH bike for most people doesn't really exist unless they are riding really really big stuff.

I think its going to be the end of the DH. Its in great shape and i have spare wheels and new DT rims for when i get giddy. I may just keep it for tough places like Antur. For the alps then the ability to pedal is good ive found.

Im loving the Aeris 9 in Burple too! I shall have a look around. As pointed out, im retired and not getting any younger.....enduro glory awaits! (Probably not!)

I used to ride a 26" DH bike and find my 27.5" boost Enduro hardtail ploughs through stuff far, far easier, and I wish I had rear suspension but can't justify the expense given limited riding spots where I am.

I'm your age and I think I'd be thinking about which type of bike is going to beat me up more. I'm not as flexible/elastic as I used to be and things hurt more now. The previous rider's pains frequently haven't subsided by the time i set off on the next ride. Maximum fun during 'me-time" is high up there. Taking a bike on holiday I'd be concerned about getting spares on the spot in the event of a breakage.

A few years ago I took an old DH bike and a more modern enduro bike to the Alps. I sold the DH bike for peanuts the week I got back!

As an older exDH racer I missed the DH bike a bit so used the 'not getting any younger' line and got a 170 29er with 38s 'while I still could'. It's incredible. I can ride the DH stuff I used to, or pedal it 30 miles round the Peak District. It's faster than my old DH bike but pedals better than my last enduro . It's even been fun on blue flow trails with the family.

If you only uplift and bash/smash then a DH bike is great but I suspect performance of a 29 enduro will be easily up there.

If you're looking at nukeproof giga price level for the frame then I'd also look at the deviate Claymore.

And you might as well look at the Geometron G1 too, you can run that at 175/180mm.

In my mind, no enduro bike will ever feel as fast and easy to ride as the Mondraker Summum I took to the Alps in 2013.

In reality, I'm probably going faster on my 29er trail bike now. And I always preferred freeride bikes anyway, which is what super-enduro bikes are getting towards now.

How big are you OP? I have a large Radon Swoop frame I'm about to sell for an affordable price, which has pretty modern geometry (475mm reach). Perfect for that fork.

So for me, still having a dh bike was good, not so much for how good it is- though I do like it- but more because I was less precious about it, and it can be built a bit more solidly and cheaply than I want my enduro bikes to be. I’m probably 9/10ths as fast on the rocketmax but I’m at least 47% more twitchy when smashing it off big rocks or loading it onto a tractor uplift or grinding it to bits with fort william grinding grit.

I mean, my entire 224 evo cost me about as much as I’ve spent on the fork in the rocketmax.

I can't help thinking all those "old" 26er DH bikes should find their way to this sort of semi-retirement. slap some reliable, cheap parts on em, worry less about weight, maybe they don't get raced anymore but they spend another few years as a cheap/zero cost uplift bike to save the posher ones....

I pretty much divested myself of all 26" bikes/bits some time ago and while my Stumpy 29er (135/160) isn't exactly a dream build I recognise the "precious" point, I certainly wouldn't want to smash it up and need a replacement tomorrow, it could do an uplift, but I'd be feeling a bit twitchy.

The only think that would maybe put me off trying to run a 26" DH machine today is decent tyre availability (and not actually needing yet another bike)...

I have a Nukeproof Giga. 180/170, 29er both ends. There is the mullet option. It pedals extremely well for a 35lb bike, and downhill it's way more capable than my last 160/150 bikes. I ride it instead of my 140/130 trail bike often because it's a lot of fun on non steep/rocky/etc terrain.

It's pretty tough as well. Except the paint. I spent a week smashing it down endless rocky trails on a Basque MTB trip and it was brilliant. Way better than the rider for sure!

Never had a DH bike tho so can't compare.

Thanks for your support and input everyone. I knew buying the forks was an ace idea. Im excited about a new build now.

@cha****ng im 5'8" and a little bit. Longer arms and 30" inseam.

I was surprised no one mentioned the rocketmax, but i guess it would need the fork shortening and may be a little too similar to the Jeht?

Thanks all

Ian

@cha****ng im 5’8″ and a little bit. Longer arms and 30″ inseam.

Sent you a DM on here

🙂