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2007 Enduro S-works vs Ibis Mojo SL...

4554 Views 27 Replies 13 Participants Last post by  nathanbal, 
T
Hi All and Merry Christmas :thumbsup:

I've posted this over on the Ibis forum to get their thoughts, so for a balanced view I thought I'd pop it up here as well (hope that's OK!)

Basically, I'm in a bit of a quandary with regards to choosing a new bike, so I thought I'd put the question out to the forum. A bit of background first:

Currently I ride a Yeti ASR-sl which was my first ever full-sus rig. I bought the frame secondhand on Ebay with the view to get back into MTB racing, I used to be a pretty decent XC rider in my 'youth' ('cause I'm so old now at 31 ;) ). In the end that hasn't eventuated and what I've ended up doing is just 'plain old' UK trail riding. Lot's of singletrack mixed with rooty descents and the odd steeper bit to test me (which I usually bottle due to a lack of skill!). I weigh in at around 93kg kitted out and I've found the ASR to be a bit too light weight for me, I'm always at the bottom of it's 4" of travel (I don't have a particularly 'light' riding style either).

For the past year or so I've been coveting the Mojo SL as my next full-sus bike, I love the design (so different to other bikes) and I love what I've heard about it's capabilities. So I've been saving my pounds (and pennies :) ) with a view to purchase a frame in the New Year. Trouble is, a SL frame in the UK comes in at £2000... I have a £300 credit at my LBS, who just happen to now stock Ibis, so I could get it for £1700. Then I'd need a new fork and a set of wheels to match (or at least a front wheel, as I'd most likely go for a TA setup, I'm considering the DT Swiss EXC 150 TA as my front end). So all in I'd be looking at around £2500 for the Mojo + fork + front wheel.

On the other hand, I've found an 07 Enduro S-works frame on sale for £1500 fully built up as follows:

FRAME: 2007 S-Works
HANDLEBARS: Easton EA70
GRIPS:ODI Lock ons
FRONT BRAKE:Shimano XT
REAR BRAKE:Shimano XT
FRONT DERAILLEUR:Shimano XTR
REAR DERAILLEUR: Sram XO
SHIFT LEVERS: Sram X9
CRANKSET:Shimano XT
RIMS: DT 4.2 d
FRONT HUB: Specialized bolt through
REAR HUB: DT 240s
FRONT TIRE: Sp resolution 2.3
REAR TIRE: as above
SADDLE: Fizik gobi
SEATPOST: Thomson

This is around 50% off of the RRP... I could sell quite a few of the components off this and probably recoup at least another £200 if not more, so all in I'd be looking at around £1300 for the whole shebang, which is very tempting...

Both seem to be similar bikes, 6" of travel with very similar geometry. I think the Mojo would be a tad lighter but not by much, maybe a pound? The main difference I guess comes down to the DW-link vs the FSR (Horst) four bar setup. What are the thoughts on both?

So... what would you do in my place? Probably a silly question to be asking in this forum I guess, ya'll are going to recommend the Spesh Enduro right? ;) But I'd like to know why you'd choose it (or indeed, why you chose it over any other top-end bike on the market!)

Cheers chaps, thanks for reading my long post, I appreciate your time and thoughts :thumbsup:
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rangerbait
Is that the Enduro or the Enduro SL? (The '07 Sworks Enduro SL will be carbon, '07 Sworks Enduro will be brown Alloy).

I've heard nothing but good things about the Mojo...
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T
It's a carbon frame, so it'd be the Enduro SL I guess? I too have heard nothing but good things about the Mojo, and to be honest it's been my 'dream bike' for quite a while, but this Enduro is looking like a pretty good deal... I just wonder if it isn't too much bike for what I do, but maybe with a bigger bike I'll be a bit more confident and learn some new skills...
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rangerbait
4
tensim said:
I just wonder if it isn't too much bike for what I do, but maybe with a bigger bike I'll be a bit more confident and learn some new skills...
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Here's the different Sworks frames from '07, taken from their site:

http://www.specialized.com/bc/SBCBkModel.jsp?arc=2007&sid=07EnduroSL

Personally, I would factor the value of having a warranty on the frame into my decision.

BTW- The Mojo and the Enduro SL are both similar in travel, weight, and geometry.

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e-bo-b said:
Personally, I would factor the value of having a warranty on the frame into my decision.

BTW- The Mojo and the Enduro SL are both similar in travel, weight, and geometry.
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I know they're both 6" trail bikes, they have similar geometry as well... the obvious difference is the FSR vs DW-link suspension... what are the pluses and minuses of each?

The frame is definitely the carbon s-works (black/red/white)...
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rangerbait
tensim said:
the obvious difference is the FSR vs DW-link suspension... what are the pluses and minuses of each?
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I have no idea about the benefits of the DW-link, but I'm sure someone else here does.

And as far as the warranty...Ibis only offers a 3 year anyway, so not a huge loss in going with a used frame.
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T
Hi E-bo-b,

Thanks for taking the time to pop an answer into this thread, appreciated. Both bikes would be new frames, there'd be full warranty on either one. I have heard good things about both companies warranty service, Ibis is very highly rated for their hands-on approach whereas Specialized have the advantage of being huge and everywhere! Both seem to get things sorted out quickly in their own way...

What Specialized do you ride? Any experience with the Enduro?
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T
Does no-one have any thoughts on this? Lot's of thread views, but no posts (apart from e-bo-b, cheers mate :) ) All thoughts and views welcome, thanks :thumbsup:
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H
I can add that I have an Enduro SL and love the bike. Does everything I can throw at it. Very plush ride yet pedals like a goat. I would have loved to try out a Mojo but no dealers around me so can't input on that end. What I would do is test ride both and let yourself decide which you like better. There is no better judge then yourself...
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Vespasianus
You got to make up your own mind. I test rode a dw linked Iron Horse before buying a Titus ML. I rode a BETD linked FSR before that and actually preferred the ride of the Titus. The dw linked Iron Horse just felt dead and the ML felt like a better technical granny gear climber. Don't know what a Mojo rides like or a Enduro SL for that matter, but I bet they both really ride nice. You have to make up your mind if one of these bikes works with your ridding style and terrain.
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rangerbait
tensim said:
What Specialized do you ride? Any experience with the Enduro?
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I have been on an aluminum Enduro SL for about 18 months now, and I absolutely love it. The geometry feels completely dialed to me, striking a perfect balance between descending and climbing adeptness.

The e150 fork (not sure if your build includes it) is incredible, but requires a lot of attention (well documented in this thread) in order to keep it working like it's supposed to.

Hopefully you can get a chance to ride both the Enduro and the Mojo before you have to make your decision.
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C
For that price it's a steal. A £1200+ more for the mojo makes it a very expensive buy for very minimal gain (I doubt there will be any gain, in fact the fork will track better than any singe crown fork) though could you justify the extra spend without testing?
Me, I have an aluminium expert and this year was an absolute bargain.
Don't forget the warranty in the UK for specialized is second to none.
The fork needs maintenence but I have just done mine and you should be able to do it in less than a couple of hours.
I know what I would do, but then I am biased towards the enduro. But it's your money.
Keep asking questions.
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Stumpy_Steve
dude, at that price the enduro is a steal. id personally buy it, ride it, find someone in your area that has a mojo, double check, and if its that much better, sell the frame/fork and buy the ibis from your lbs. sounds more expensive, but you'll get a mojo with better parts for cheaper than you normally would have, and would be positive on the ride you want...
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T
Hi Stumpy_Steve, Merry Christmas :)

I'm reaching pretty much the same conclusion, for a nett cost of around £1300 the Enduro S-works is a total bargain isn't it! I'm off to test ride a demo this afternoon and all going well I'm just about certain I'll be posting a pic of my brand new ride in the next day or two :thumbsup:

I can always jump ship to the Mojo in the future, I think it'll always be my aspirational 'dream bike'... it just looks so damn sexy (it's my perfect pin-up bike :D )
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rangerbait
tensim said:
I can always jump ship to the Mojo in the future, I think it'll always be my aspirational 'dream bike'... it just looks so damn sexy (it's my perfect pin-up bike :D )
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No way dude, the SL's waaaay sexier (especially in carbon). The Mojo's lines are too cluttered.
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Stumpy_Steve
the sl is a great looking bike. just do kelstrs slick honey treatment, follow catnash's postings, and you'll be in like flin. enjoy your xmas gift; it's a damn nice one...
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chameleoneel
Well I guess it depends on how you like your rear suspension to feel.

I'd personally go with the DW-link. I HAVE NEVER RIDDEN IT, but reviews are universally pretty glowing. Seems Its a great all around design, plush, but snaps to attention under acceleration. Very little to no drawbacks in most implementations of the DW-link from several reviews I've read of bikes that implement the design or something similar (Giant's Maestro).

I have an SL and it has some peculiarities. FSR doesn't have suspension bob defeating properties by design, so that's taken care of by the shock. By the AFR shock's design, to have good snappy pedaling performance you have to sacrifice some plushness. It still pedals relatively well on the full "soft" setting, but its not as nice as some of these newer suspension designs so you often have to flick the switch between its 4 positions depending on what you are riding. The SL's rear also has a problem with not responding well to square edge bumps or chunky chatter type bumps on flat ground, even when set to full soft. I don't know if this is because of the AFR shock, or if its a characteristic of how the FSR rear was implemented on the Enduro.

I love the geometry of the SL, the overall feel of the bike is great and the E150 fork is tops. But that rear end leaves a good deal to be desired in my oppinion. Coming from a Giant VT2, I was just plain underwhelmed by the SL's rear end.

If you do buy the SL, make sure to get the 2008 upgrades if they haven't already been done. The upgrades are available to second-hand owners as well.
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gticlay
I have the brown anodized one pictured last. Converted it to a longer shock and longer fork... like Chameleoneel says, they bob a little but that's because the suspension is always active and you can really tell - it's always working. I don't do 'platform'... I prefer the suspension to always be working, especially when climbing knarly singletrack. Why would I want it to stiffen up?
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nathanbal
I have heard a lot of horror stories of the Mojo with frame cracks around the shock mount.

I have an 07 Alu Enduro SL and its awesome. At that price you cant go wrong. Someone has already said this but its worth reiterating, I doubt you will get anywhere near GBP1300 worth of value by going for the Mojo over the Enduro...
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D
funny youve heard a lot of horror stories about the mojo, ive never heard a bad word about it and i think it gets a flawless slew of positivity over in the reviews section, having said that, that a very good price the enduro is going for, if it has the 07 suspension though you may have future issues
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