I’m a big time enduro racer that is looking to add XC now. I’ve narrowed my bike search to 3 bikes. All have felt good to me but can use some pros and cons from some seasoned XC racers. The 3 bike I’m looking at is a Yeti SB100. Santa Cruz Blur, and Ibis Ripley. I know the go to weapon is a Specialized Epic. But I really can’t stand Specialized and even demoed an Epic. Didn’t like. Any advice would help. Thanks
Looking at some modern XC bikes. Can use some advice
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I happen to have an Epic and I like it alot, but if you don't my 2nd choice in that list would be a Blur. I think the SB100 and Ripley moreso are too "trail" to be race bikes. Both a great bikes, but you would be giving up a little relative to proper race bike. I think a Ripley would be a great trail bike that you could do a lot with, but would never be a race bike. The SB100 could be raced and do ok, but I would not buy it as a race bike. There is also the new Trek Top fuel which also is a bit heavy, but should work. An new Pivot Mach 4 as well as the older, but still effective Scott Spark RC. Giant Anthem Advance 29er is also solid, but often overlooked. All of these I would consider "Modern Geometry"
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I have never ridden BC bike race, but while people talk about how "tough" it is I have a feeling it is not that technical. Maybe for an XC race, but still with in the capablites of an XC bike. I took by Epic to Breck Epic last year and it was the perfect bike. In the entire 200+ miles of that race there was only 1 place where on a descent the bike was pushed really to the limits tech wise. That was with a fixed seat post too. This year I am going back with short dropper and feel that it will be perfect. Breck Epic is not BC bike race for sure, but other than dealing with slick roots and wet I would not worry one bit if I brought my Epic for that. The only reason I worry about slick root and wet is that I ride and race in the desert so for me is 90% dry, loose and rocky. Even when I ride in the high mtns it alot of dry loose and rocky. Breck also has alot of similar rocky terrain so my skills and normal tire choice match that well.
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I'd suggest adding the Intense Sniper and Pivot Mach4SL to the list. I'm on the Intense and it's a great bike for what you describe. Reading reviews you may see references to a flex issue with the rear end; Intense is about to release a revised link that will address this. (I've seen/ridden a version of this fix and it makes a huge difference). With that mod it's a great bike, super light and efficient but with aggressive geometry. With Intense's direct-sales model it's also a lot less expensive than a Pivot or Yeti. I ride mine on lots of very technical trails in the PNW and it's a riot; would make short work of the BC Bike Race.
I haven't ridden the new Mach4 but have owned Pivots and other DW link bikes and they're great.
I haven't ridden the new Mach4 but have owned Pivots and other DW link bikes and they're great.
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Trek has two new XC racebikes out...or nearly out. The 2020 Top Fuel is out and the '20 rear sus Supercaliber is due in early Sep.
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I'm very happy with my '19 Orbea Oiz. 2 bottle cages, good race geo, and no specialized brain.
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While not an enduro racer, I was doing a similar search as you, looking for a bike that could handle the BC Bike Race, and maybe do the occasional XC/marathon/stage race, but most importantly, act as my do-it-all FS trail bike for all of my non-SS or geared HT riding. I had an Intense Primer 140/130 bike, which I loved, but it was just too heavy and too much travel for what I needed.
I narrowed it down to the SB100 and Blur TR, and went with the SB100. I am thrilled with it, and love how it rides, climbs, feels, etc. It's definitely an "all-day" kind of bike.
The Blur TR might weigh slightly less, but I didn't like the remote lockouts and it just didn't feel as solid as the SB100. The Ripley v4 is a great bike, but will be slightly heavier than the SB100, and I just don't need the extra travel that the Ripley offers.
Any one of the three would be a great choice; just depends on your preferences.
Coach Jonathan from trainer road is a very good mtber and racer and loves the sb100. Check his instagram. Describes it as a downcountry bike. Perfect choice for MTb nats at winter park. Didn't see a single pro on a HT there except Ruth Winder, who crashed.
I think the most important thing is to pick a bike that has a reputation for reliability and is easy to find parts for.
If you are training for BCBR you are going to put some miles on your bike and a 7-day stage race is notoriously hard on bikes. I would put your ear to the ground and find out what bikes are standing the abuse of riders who put thousands of hard km on the bikes. I think Santa Cruz makes very reliable bikes that are relatively easy to maintain. For those who use and abuse they hard to beat.
In all honestly BCBR overplays how technical it is. I am in Squamish right now and rode a bunch of course today plus trails that are considered far too difficult for BCBR. I had zero issues riding the trails at speed with step-cast 32 and 2.25 Aspens front and rear. For reference I am on a 2019 Orbea Oiz the XC version.
If you are training for BCBR you are going to put some miles on your bike and a 7-day stage race is notoriously hard on bikes. I would put your ear to the ground and find out what bikes are standing the abuse of riders who put thousands of hard km on the bikes. I think Santa Cruz makes very reliable bikes that are relatively easy to maintain. For those who use and abuse they hard to beat.
In all honestly BCBR overplays how technical it is. I am in Squamish right now and rode a bunch of course today plus trails that are considered far too difficult for BCBR. I had zero issues riding the trails at speed with step-cast 32 and 2.25 Aspens front and rear. For reference I am on a 2019 Orbea Oiz the XC version.
I have done BCBR four times in the past five years. Three of those were on a Scott Spark (the 120mm version). It's been an excellent bike for putting in the miles on rocky terrain and racing stuff like BCBR. No issues whatsoever. The Twinloc thing can be polarizing. I actually plotted to remove it before getting the bike... Now I'm totally sold on it. For marathon racing (or BCBR) I really like being able to control the suspension over the really varied terrain. BCBR has a lot of singletrack, to be sure, but you sometimes have to grind it out on fire roads to get up there.
The technical difficulty of BCBR is definitely subjective. Some people, who ride/race on tame terrain are blown away by it. Others, who, say, live in BC to begin with, will notice that the race uses plenty of "blue trails" and avoids the truly gnarly stuff the area is known for. It is an XC race, afterall. I ride/race XC mostly in Quebec Canada and, while the race was certainly challenging in every way, it wasn't scary or beyond my capabilities. Fantastic event with loads and loads of wonderful singletrack in a beautiful part of the world.
The bikes around me in the race (top 50ish) are usually "modern" "progressive" XC race bikes -- dropper post, 100/120mm travel, slackish, 2.35 tires with some durability and bite. Seems like every manufacturer is making one now.
The technical difficulty of BCBR is definitely subjective. Some people, who ride/race on tame terrain are blown away by it. Others, who, say, live in BC to begin with, will notice that the race uses plenty of "blue trails" and avoids the truly gnarly stuff the area is known for. It is an XC race, afterall. I ride/race XC mostly in Quebec Canada and, while the race was certainly challenging in every way, it wasn't scary or beyond my capabilities. Fantastic event with loads and loads of wonderful singletrack in a beautiful part of the world.
The bikes around me in the race (top 50ish) are usually "modern" "progressive" XC race bikes -- dropper post, 100/120mm travel, slackish, 2.35 tires with some durability and bite. Seems like every manufacturer is making one now.
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Out of curiosity, I checked out the Yeti. $7,999 USD...geezus!
Yea seems to be to going rate on anything equipped
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They're expensive, but at least they're heavy and unreliable
I kid, Yeti's are great bikes though I personally find the whole SI link a bit of a kludge.
For non-dentists, check out the Intense Sniper, way more bang-for-buck!
TBH everything is pretty damn good these days.
Go demo a bunch of stuff, find what you like, by the build you can afford, and ride the crap out of it.
The bike you like riding and feel comfortable pushing yourself to the limits on will probably be the fastest, even if it is a pound heavier than something else.
Go demo a bunch of stuff, find what you like, by the build you can afford, and ride the crap out of it.
The bike you like riding and feel comfortable pushing yourself to the limits on will probably be the fastest, even if it is a pound heavier than something else.
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At least the SI is hidden on the XC bike.
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