 You don't need to be an 'investor' to invest in Singletrack: 6 days left: 95% of target - Find out more
If you had an 05/06 specialized enduro and you wanted to replace it with something that was similar but better, What would you get?
By better I mean it cant be any slower downhill,and any slower uphill.
blur lt?
alpine 160
Keep the bike, service the shocks and get some nice wheels?
An alpine 160 was the main one I had in mind, but I thought it might be a bit slower uphill, but I guess there wouldnt be much in it.
I'm only asking as I snapped my chainstay yesterday, and it looks like specialized are going to warranty it, but if they werent I might have looked at buying a new frame and transferring the bits over.
Santa cruz nomad looks decent, but dont know how well they pedal uphill.
I had an 05 Enduro before my Nomad and they are pretty similar in ability but the Nomad is about 4-5lbs lighter. Both descend really well but I think the Nomad goes uphill slightly better if anything.
Keep the frame and get it powdercoated so rear will match
[img] http://images.fotopic.net/?iid=1y5v2s&outx=600&quality=70 [/img]
[img] http://images.fotopic.net/?iid=1yc00z&outx=600&quality=70 [/img]
Tracey
If you can wait a bit, the new Chumba Evo replacement looks like it'll hit the mark perfectly. Might have to wait a bit longer now though as I think they're doing it in a VPP/Maestro type set up instead of Horst link as the prototype was.
I have a Giant Reign & it goes uphill as well as my HT - Smokes it on the downs though!
Enduro 04?
Replaced mine with a Blur LT. Occassionally miss the extra travel and stiffness at the front end, but a week of riding a Stumpjumper in southern Spain made me realise the Enduro was overkill 99% of the time.
If I had to make the choice again, I might look at a Nomad
Transition Covert
Repaint the Enduro like I did, then when you snap the chainstay (again) the replacement won't match!
Spesh will warranty the chainstay (there is another thread on here about the same thing) as it's a (very) common problem (I broke four and on the fourth instance I also noticed a small crack in the main frame so Spesh gave me a brand new 2010 Enduro frame).
After that I replaced the bike with a Nicolai Helius AM, which was about as close to my Enduro as I could find in terms of numbers but a little lighter.
Nomad is no were near 4-5lbs lighter; that must just be down to the overall build. The frame is about 1.5lbs lighter than the Enduro.
I don't think the Alpine 160 is a good replacement if you're a fan of the Horst Link; having ridden one you do notice the lack of performance on steep terrain when you need to drag your back brake to control your speed. It's not a problem for everyone but I didn't like it much.
Other bikes that would be a good replacement would be the Chumba and the current Enduro model.
Whats the 2010 enduro like? It looks more of a return to the 05/06 style - ie slightly heavier but more confident with it.
I tried the 2009 enduro, and whilst its undoubtably lighter than the 05 and better going up hill , it didnt feel anywhere near as confident going down. Not sure how much of that is due to the fairly poor rear shock and the 32mm forks versus the 36mm forks on the 05 enduro. Maybe with fox 36's and a decent rear shock it would be just as good?
mythic/banshee spitfire fits the bill. I've had mine for a few months now and I love it. They build to around 30lbs pretty easily. I keep mine in the slack shock position which is where it rides best IMO.
[IMG] 
[/IMG]
Alpine 160 if you're less worried about it climbing well, Transition Covert if you want something that will do most things well.