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Moving back to tahoe, what bike should I take??

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big_slacker

· V-Shaped Rut
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Discussion starter · #1 ·
Hey all. I'm a former south shore local who moved away for work. Now almost 10 years later I'm going to be moving back! Beyond stoked about this as you can imagine!

Some things have changed in my riding, in bikes and I'm guessing on the trails up at the lake.

So the current situation. I've got a couple of bikes, an Ibis HD4 (27.5 enduro that can pedal) and an Evil Following MB. (Short travel trail bike that can shred) When I lived at the lake before it was mostly XC/trail riding and I don't recall trails that something like the FMB couldn't handle. For reference I ride the FMB mostly on PNW style blues and blacks but usually break out the HD4 for double blacks and the local freeride park.

So, if I'm planning on just taking one bike with me which one? The idea is to have an all purpose trail bike and probably pick up a DH bike for N*. I do love to go fast downhill but also like the challenge and fitness of big climbs. Lean more toward shredding though, especially since living in the PNW. :D

Keep the FMB and get a new/newer DH bike?
Keep both and convert the HD4 to a park bike?
Sell both and get a longer travel (140-150) trail bike and used DH bike?

Also, tires? I'm running the PNW standard DHF/DHRII combo but conditions are way different at the lake. From hero dirt all the time to dusty/sandy. Any suggestions?
 
#3 ·
Personally, for Tahoe riding I think you'll want something that handles square edge hits the best...the ability to maintain momentum in rock gardens is a nice feeling. Both of your bike choices would work in that regard.

For tires I have had great luck in Tahoe with the Michelin Wild Enduros. They hook up great the loose over hard conditions and roll well too.
 
#4 ·
I actually prefer my Enduro 29er to my Demo at N* and Whistler. It does everything the DH bike does and is way more eager to launch. Plus I can ride it over to the east side of N* on weekdays versus having to push the Demo a good bit of the way. I haven't ridden the Enduro at South Lake but I think all the trails down from the TRT would be a blast on it and the TRT pedaling and climbs manageable. So IMO trade the HD4 for an Enduro or something like it and keep the Following for the strictly pedally stuff.
 
#6 ·
I would sell both, get a do it all longish travel 29er that pedals well for trail riding (Ripmo, Enduro or Stumpy, Hightower, Jeffsy, etc.) and get a cheaper used DH bike that you can beat up, or rent DH if you don't do too many park days

Sure riding your trail bike at the park is super fun and these things are capable, but the main problem is wear on the bike and the other problem is not enough weight - one full day at N* or Whistler is like a season on your bike - I've tried to convert my old trail bikes to mini-DH bikes, but the platforms are just not built for it and I beat the sh!t out of them and they did not hold up - another time took my Slash 29 on a road trip to BC and did a couple days at Whistler trying to save $ on DH rental - had a blast, but it was never the same even after 1 day of riding park - rented a Session for the other park days and while both bikes were fun, IMO the stability and durability of a proper DH bike cannot be beat - you need the weight / mass for that stable, planted feel

Having said all of this, while I slightly prefer 29er, I really don't think it's that big of a deal so keeping your HD4 which pedals great, selling the Evil and buying a cheap DH or renting would probably work great as well
 
#9 ·
skyno said:
IMO the stability and durability of a proper DH bike cannot be beat - you need the weight / mass for that stable, planted feel
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IMO 90% of people will be faster at any bike park in Ca on something like a 2020 Enduro. Its just as long as a lot of dh bikes, with the proper "dh" components it will be just as heavy, and the suspension platform is so good. Only reason I would ever recommend a dh bike to someone is if they wanted to travel and race DH.
 
#10 ·
RBoardman said:
IMO 90% of people will be faster at any bike park in Ca on something like a 2020 Enduro. Its just as long as a lot of dh bikes, with the proper "dh" components it will be just as heavy, and the suspension platform is so good. Only reason I would ever recommend a dh bike to someone is if they wanted to travel and race DH.
Click to expand...
Interesting concept - I have not ridden the Enduro at a bike park or on any trail that really pushes that bike that so cannot compare, and I have never owned, only rented DH bike a bunch of times, but there is no doubt in my mind that I am much faster and more confident on almost any decent DH bike that I don't usually ride and is not even really set up for me, than I am on a long travel trail bike that I regularly ride and is perfectly set up for me. I am willing to accept the possibility that maybe I just feel faster

I know that bikes like the Enduro / Nomad / Slayer / Firebird are ridiculously capable and are blurring the lines, and I suppose it could solely come down to heavy duty components like burly coil shocks / forks and DH casing tires, but for my experience I doubt it - for me, I think it is also the geo, extra travel, and especially the weight distribution, which also explains why I feel much faster and more confident descending on an Ebike than a trail bike even if the motor is off

It would be interesting to have some good riders do laps on proper DH tracks on these different bikes and see what the differences are - seems like something those British GMTB guys would do

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Discussion starter · #11 ·
RBoardman said:
IMO 90% of people will be faster at any bike park in Ca on something like a 2020 Enduro. Its just as long as a lot of dh bikes, with the proper "dh" components it will be just as heavy, and the suspension platform is so good. Only reason I would ever recommend a dh bike to someone is if they wanted to travel and race DH.
Click to expand...
I think it's more about the bike being able to handle the abuse of park riding, though yes if the frame is strong enough I don't see why something like an Enduro built up properly wouldn't also be able to handle it. I will say that the HD4 did great at Whistler BUT the braking bumps at speed on A-line and others were pretty brutal and having a heavier coil sprung bike DOES help with that.

In any case, I thought about this on my ride today. 2.5 hours with a 35 minute gravel pedal to/from the trail. The HD4 on the gravel, haha! Not like it can't pedal, it was fine. But it's definitely a tank compared to the FMB. Would be a ***** hauling up to high meadows or star lake. I think that a nice capable mid travel trail bike will do just fine and I'll worry about DH later.
 
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big_slacker
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