[LuckyNick]

Would I be totally uncompetive racing cross country with an all mountain bike? I race/ride DH/FR and I want to get a trailbike. I was thinking an all mountain bike that I could race with in some class..

For a bike example I was thinking the Specialized Pitch Pro.

 

[BushwackerinPA]

Would I be totally uncompetive racing cross country with an all mountain bike? I race/ride DH/FR and I want to get a trailbike. I was thinking an all mountain bike that I could race with in some class..

For a bike example I was thinking the Specialized Pitch Pro.

in sport youd have chance if your strong enough.

IF you got something just slightly more 'trail" like a trance X id say that you have a better chance. The pitch pro is just a crappy pedaler.

 

[Gregg K]

Ibis Mojo.

 

[Poncharelli]

When I first started racing, I was a long way away from the podium even with an xc race bike.

Riding an am bike definitely wouldn't help.

 

[LuckyNick]

Would a stumjumper fst be a little bit better? I forgot about the super D class maybe ill just do that instead of XC.

 

[blantonator]

Would a stumjumper fst be a little bit better? I forgot about the super D class maybe ill just do that instead of XC.

if you get one with a brain and a talas, you'll be ok. I had one with the triad shock and would not recommend it for racing. There is a guy here who races a Mojo in expert and is very competitive. His bike probably weighs around 21lbs though.

I'm racing my yeti asr5c(120mm bike) and have pretty much dominated cat 3, with 3 wins in a row. I'll be riding sport in next race, we'll see how I do with a 5" bike

 

[zrm]

The best tool for XC racing is an XC race bike. That said, if you're fit and have been getting enough xc riding in, you can do all right in the sport/cat 2 category. In the faster categories, unless you have a really big motor, you won't be able to hang with a heavy, inefficient bike.Or at least not around here, the competition is just too tough. Everybody is fast.

 

[LuckyNick]

ok im not looking to be the next best XC racer here I just dont want to be last and look completely out of spot, I just want to go to events and be able to race and finish long races if you know what I mean..But I dont want a full blown XC race bike cause thats not the only thing I would be using it for.

 

[merlin]

I race an Ibis Mojo, got on the podium at sea otter with it this year :thumbsup:

 

[rubystreet]

You'll be fine, I've won sport races on a Yeti 575. I don't know squat about the bikes you mentioned, but ditch the big knobbies on raceday for some light, fast tires and go have fun. You can make up time on the downhills, right?

 

[BushwackerinPA]

I won sport races in Utah and Pa on a 29lb 4.5 inch travel 26er......

and Ibis Mojo or Trance X could probably do ok though even in expert.

 

[AndrwSwitch]

The Pitch and Enduro seem like a little much. The FSR would be fine, especially with fancy dampers on the suspension. As others have said, in beginner and sport, there's a huge range of skill and fitness levels, and people roll up to the start line on all sorts of different bikes. I don't think I've seen anyone do expert on anything but a purpose-built XC bike (not necessarily new ones, though.) But it doesn't sound like that's your plan, so get whatever you'll have more fun on.

IMHO, most company's "Trail" category is their apology for turning the "XC" category into the "XC Race" or "Weight Weenie" category to the exclusion of riders who'd like a little more versatility.

Do you have anything remotely suitable in your stable now? You'll have a better idea what you're looking for if you go to a race or two before spending a bunch of money.

 

[LuckyNick]

The Pitch and Enduro seem like a little much. The FSR would be fine, especially with fancy dampers on the suspension. As others have said, in beginner and sport, there's a huge range of skill and fitness levels, and people roll up to the start line on all sorts of different bikes. I don't think I've seen anyone do expert on anything but a purpose-built XC bike (not necessarily new ones, though.) But it doesn't sound like that's your plan, so get whatever you'll have more fun on.

IMHO, most company's "Trail" category is their apology for turning the "XC" category into the "XC Race" or "Weight Weenie" category to the exclusion of riders who'd like a little more versatility.

Do you have anything remotely suitable in your stable now? You'll have a better idea what you're looking for if you go to a race or two before spending a bunch of money.

Thanks alot for the info...everyone else too. Yah just sport and beginner classes thats all. Basically I want to be able to race more classes when I go to race DH.

Nothing suitable at all...just a 40lb 7.3 inch travel FR bike that would probably not work that great..haha

 

[Bioteknik]

a stumpy is still a fairly capable bike if you're in any kind of shape. I race with one and without a doubt, my fitness and overall bike handling skills are much more of a limiting factor than my bike

If you're a good gravity rider your bike handling skills will allow you to be pretty competitive in sport with any of the bikes mentioned

 

[biglines]

This is my second year racing and i am on a Trek Fuel EX with 130 front and 120 rear. It has gone on a diet and that has helped, and i have won a bunch of races so far this year, but i am going to be moving up after this year to expert and i know i will be faster on a more race oriented bike, so thats what i am currently building up. So to answer your question, yes go with a trail bike, you will only start to see its limitations as you get into the higher categories.

 

[mtb_chick]

I race a stumpy and it's great for the terrain I ride. I am faster on it than I would be on an xc race bike in the same terrain.... I've had good race results this year. My stumpy has a brain fork and rear shock, but I have been racing a borrowed 30lb comp for the last 2 weeks while my shocks get serviced. I'm definitely not as fast on it, and it's a bit of a pain locking/unlocking suspension but it's still competitive. I'm looking forward to how much easier it will feel when I get my bike back!

 

[tiflow_21]

You should be just fine on something near the lighter end of the AM spectrum. Too AM/Trail oriented and all the plushness is likely going to work against you. Like someone else said, ditching the knobbies for something more XC race oriented will help.

That said, an XC bike is definitely going to be faster. Kind of like going from a cross bike to a road bike, they'll both work but I'd never want to race my cross bike in a road race. I spent years overbuilding my XC bikes, after racing for a couple years I've started to see why people make so much of a fuss over weight and specific parts.

 

[Yanner]

I can finish mid-pack in Senior Sport in the Ontario Cup series on a 130mm Cannondale Rize, even though climbing and fast starts aren't my strong suits. If I was ever to upgrade to expert, I'd likely get something more purpose built, such as a hardtail 29er.
Our local race circuit has 600 feet of steep climbing over less than 7km and I can hang with riders who would easily drop me if we were out on road bikes.

I think if you go in with the attitude of doing it for fun, including racing for fun, you'll be fine with a trail/AM bike. Sometimes I'll scale back on a brutal climb, just so I can enjoy the following downhill and technical bits more, even during a race.

 

[gvs_nz]

I've got a Trance x Frame set which is a "Transformer". I race it XC but swap out the fork to quicken the steering as the Trance is to slow round tight singletrack.I use a gary fisher geometry F120 G2 fork. On endurance racing I go back to original fork. Swapping out to a lighter xc fork or putting a travel spacer in the original fork achieves the same result, but I like the extra travel of the 120 fork as our courses can use shuttle run downhills.
I use the standard set up for endurance races.
I've also got a longer shock to swap out and gives 140mm rear travel. I then run a 140mm fork for AM.
I can also use the longer shock at higher pressure and the original 120mm fork and quicken up the steering for xc courses that way.

On the our rough courses I wouldn't swap it out for a xc bike like an Athem. I'm pretty sure I'm faster on the Trance. With the maestro rear end and the right air pressure there is no disadvantage with the 120mm rear end beyond 1 extra lb frame weight. I'm faster and smoother over all the terrain and i don't get beaten up on the descents.
I'm a good climber anyway so usually out climb most people and the extra lb weight over a anthem is no disadvantage. in fact I think I climb better because the longer wheelbase and steeper seat angle on the trance gets me in a better, more fwd climbing position, with my knees fwd relative to the bottom bracket.
I've got a carbon hard tail as well which is 4 lbs lighter but i never use it anymore. on a local 50 minute circuit I'm 2 or 3 minutes faster on the Trance using the same wheel set and tires.
I run a 1 x 9 set up on both with similar weight components.

I'd love to run my Marin Mt vision as it is such a good handling bike with a brilliant rear end.But the the frame weight is an extra lb over the Trance X at 7.5 lbs. That's just to much to be competitive.

 

[Broke That]

Borrow a bike if you can first. You may want to buy a used bike too.
The problem is that XC racing can get addictive, and you might want to try a few bikes before you drop the coin on a full race bike.
Right now I'm racing an 05 FSR Enduro Comp with lots of pimp parts on it (and nobody would call it a race bike.)
I don't know what it weighs but I do have some light weight wheels and a selection
of tires for it depending on what I am doing.

I am fond of saying that I've never been beaten by a better bike, a better rider for sure, but never a better bike.