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...is a bloody fun bike. Went to demo day this morning and went thought the Spesh range. Main goal was to decide between camber and stumpy evos for the one do it all bike. Just for fun thought I would have one ride on the enduro. Not the coil one as that would be silly for a relative mincer like me. But what a lot of fun. Not that bad climbing but a total blast to ride and my first time on a long travel bike. Could almost be tempted!
The epic felt very twitchy after that!! First time I was not blown away by the epic.
Almost impossible to choose between the two evos (even the carbon bling stumpy version). Both fun but camber not as good uphill as before but I am out of practice.
And the lesson - most bikes are bloody good fun to ride. Couldn't tell much difference with the specs other than wheel size on one rooty bit. Could have bought any one of them?
P.S. Apples and pears, I know.
Just wanted to try different bikes to rule options out!
What size wheels did you try?
Just returned from afan, had an enduro elite 29er on demo from my lbs. Probably the most fun bike I've ever ridden. Climbs well, fast on the flats and an absolute monster truck on the descents!
Now all I need is to find £3600,
Do you still live in the Churt/Hindhead area where i used to reside?
...if so buy the Enduro, any wheelsize will do and enjoy Gibbet Hill, Whitmore Vale, Devils Punchbowl etc in a way you didnt think possible on previous bikes!
Bikes are so capable these days i find myself looking for stuff i'd struggle to walk down just to see if the bike (and me!) can handle it....and usually the bike can, modern mountain bikes are great arent they?!
i treat myself to a enduro 29er as a bit of a get well pressie.
it is a very nice bike, but i find it needs rough steep terrain for it to be fun. on rolling easy stuff it seem a bit sluggish.
might be my lack of fitness tho.
IIRC Dirt's review of the 29er said essentially "practically nobody can ride this to its limits". Still never had a go on one, do want.
All 29ers apart form the fancy Stumpy which was 659b. Preferred the cheaper stumpy with the 29ers. I have demoed here before (pitch hill) and the final little drop from the graveyard has a rooty or a steely finish. The 29ers are just so much better in the roots IME, that section always makes my mind up.
Not far away deviant. I mince down Gibbet occasionally on my ancient trek 26 HT with 100mm looking enviously in the guys on long travel bikes. But truth be told, I am a wheels on the ground rider, and enduro possibly overkill. But f rom wanting to rule it out definitively, it has lit a small spark. The enduro would have to be part of N+1 though. Wouldn't fancy either of the climbs up the Punchbowl on the enduro!!!
Very, very difficult to choose between stumpy and camber evos. I thought it would be easy (camber) but the '15 stumpy was better than the last one I tried ('13). The CEvo reminds of the Trance 29er which I wanted to buy before the stocks ran out 2 years ago.
Great day out - thanks freeborn cycles and the companies themselves.
From the posts about your riding NW (your riding is way beyond me) I would suggest that you would love it.
I dunno, I ride hard things but badly 😆 But it does sound like it'd suit me, I love the whole "massive 29er" thing. I like big bikes that aren't afraid to be big bikes.
Have you tried a Remedy btw? Another long travel 29er but really good allrounder manners. Stupidly expensive though, only reason I don't have one.
i reckon a very good rider would want no more bike. it would serve for dh duties and everything else.
bike feels proper bombproof solid, even with a 19 stone lump on it, i just wish i had the balls and skill to let it go a bit more.
also, a big plus point. nearly a 1k cheaper that similar specced 29'' bikes from other manufacturers.
the fancy Stumpy which was [b]659b [/b]
Wow. That does sound fancy.
The enduro feels like the range rover to the epic WC's caterham - not that I have owned either car. Trek pricing got silly so no. Mate used to ride a Reign but found it too much, but these latest AM 29ers seem to have nailed things.
Still will probably go for the bike you hate - the camber, albeit in evo version.
ton, I did let go of the brakes a few times and the smile was immediate!!!
If it helps, a mate just got a 2014 camber evo in a sale for £1500 to replace a broken old trek fuel.
He's absolutely loving it on exmoor and the quantocks and smashing previous strava pb's left right and centre. Seems like a good compromise between up and along speed and downhill fun.
Mine is now almost completed, just missing a chainring and a new hose for the rear brake, which no matter how many times I go over the maths I just can't afford this month 😥
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The Camber has always been more of a "compromise" bike (nothing wrong with that though) but the newer Evo Cambers have definitely tipped the balance more towards downhill / fun.
I've shortlisted the 2015 Camber Evo or Whyte T-129 as my next bike. Slackish 120mm travel 29ers just seem to hit the sweet spot for me.
Just got a Whytes T129 scr 29r ....awesome
If you can only have one bike get the stumpy 29er. If you can have two, get the camber and the enduro.
*depending on what trails you ride.
My spesh enduro 650b is amazing when it works. Dont really get the stumpy evo's geometry, doesnt seem very 'evo' if you ask me and felt like it after the enduro too...
No idea how you choose between a camber and an enduro as the uses will be different, depends where you ride and what you like to do, but i'll always rather be over biked than underbiked.
Well offer price is for one day only, so need to make my mind up. Annoyed that I had seat post too low on the camber today which made the climb a pain. Starting to wonder about the compromise issue.
money is for spending...nothing else.
spend it, earn some more........ 8)
May be ton, may be.
The other thing today is that I completely forgot about the dropper post and just slipped off the back as usual!
I am on a Spesh Enduro 29er.... I bought it because the '12 Bandit 29er was being pushed to and beyond its limits...
What a good decision it has turned out to be.... the thing is amazing and I am now getting top tens at trail centres.... not many, but the odd one or two but that is still pretty damned amazing.... one hell of a bike!!
[i]From the posts about your riding NW (your riding is way beyond me) I would suggest that you would love it. [/i]
tbh I use to ride the Punchbowl with a pal who lived in Milford and now live and ride where NW rides. Apples and Oranges.
I can't imagine that a long-travel FS 29er is anything other than total overkill for you - I'd try a 29er HT first, just to see whether it's the 29er that makes the difference rather than the suspension.
Cheers, sold on 29
That was confirmed yesterday.
Enduro is too much for most if my riding but had me thinking about the stumpy eve as opposed to the camber.
Dealt on the camber evo plus reverb - might need to invest in some faster tires too!
Spending money on myself - 😳
I have a Specialized 2.3 Slaughter in the back of my Camber. It's super fast rolling.
I bought a 29er enduro for racing..........erm.........enduros.
It's an amazing bike and gives you back what you put in. Loves to be hustled and ridden hard. Great on steep and gnar. A little dull if you ride it at trails centers, but that's maybe as I find trail centers dull anyway. Horses for courses, etc.
I found it surprisingly nimble for a bike with such big specs. Can't wait to take it to the alps this summer. Broom, Broom.