[HerosMustRise]

Recently, I've looked into getting a Santa Cruz 5010. Swapping the wheels for 29ers eventually for faster speed on a heavy bike. I race XC and I want to go into enduro. I realize the Bronson would be a better choice for Enduro but not with my budget. The question is, has anybody raced the 5010 on Enduro and Cross Country? If so how did it feel, did the 130mm travel do enough on enduro and did it preform well in both XC and Enduro in all?

 

[Harold]

Recently, I've looked into getting a Santa Cruz 5010. Swapping the wheels for 29ers eventually for faster speed on a heavy bike. I race XC and I want to go into enduro. I realize the Bronson would be a better choice for Enduro but not with my budget. The question is, has anybody raced the 5010 on Enduro and Cross Country? If so how did it feel, did the 130mm travel do enough on enduro and did it preform well in both XC and Enduro in all?

Depends on what enduro races you're talking about. Sometimes they can be super burly, sometimes not. Sometimes the riders on the podium are on xc race bikes. Just depends on the course and how competitive you want to be.

I've also seen people race Bronsons and other burly bikes in xc races. That's not to say they were competitive for a podium spot, but they were out there. So again, depends.

If you want to show up and complete a variety of events, a 5010 is probably a solid bike for that. Unless you're a monster already, you probably won't be competing for top spots in any event you do, though.

 

[HerosMustRise]

Depends on what enduro races you're talking about. Sometimes they can be super burly, sometimes not. Sometimes the riders on the podium are on xc race bikes. Just depends on the course and how competitive you want to be.

I've also seen people race Bronsons and other burly bikes in xc races. That's not to say they were competitive for a podium spot, but they were out there. So again, depends.

If you want to show up and complete a variety of events, a 5010 is probably a solid bike for that. Unless you're a monster already, you probably won't be competing for top spots in any event you do, though.

Well I race Xc with plans on leaving that type of racing and going into enduro. I'm not too worried about XC in this decision, but more of a 'Can the 5010 handle itself in Enduro, with the 130mm opposed to 150mm' I've read the Bronson would be better for Enduro but price wise the 5010 is a correct compromise for it.

 

[Harold]

Well I race Xc with plans on leaving that type of racing and going into enduro. I'm not too worried about XC in this decision, but more of a 'Can the 5010 handle itself in Enduro, with the 130mm opposed to 150mm' I've read the Bronson would be better for Enduro but price wise the 5010 is a correct compromise for it.

Doesn't change that it depends on which enduros you're talking about. Might be more than you need. Might not be enough.

Sounds to me like you need to ride some bikes and figure some stuff out. Doesn't sound to me like you've got a very good grasp on what "enduro" actually means for you. Sounds to me like your only exposure to it is from reading about it.

 

[HerosMustRise]

Doesn't change that it depends on which enduros you're talking about. Might be more than you need. Might not be enough.

Sounds to me like you need to ride some bikes and figure some stuff out. Doesn't sound to me like you've got a very good grasp on what "enduro" actually means for you. Sounds to me like your only exposure to it is from reading about it.

That's the plan, going to demo bikes at The Hub by Pisgah. Thanks for the tips however.

 

[Sidewalk]

Depending on your class and preferred racing will make the differences. If you are racing Cat 1 or Pro, then no you will not be competitive on a compromise. If you are racing C2, maybe. Cat 3, probably.

Buy the bike that leans towards your style of racing, just deal with the consequences of the weaknesses in the other form.