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Best two bike stable?

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Best two bike stable?
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flag kingch24
O+ FL
Posted: Dec 13, 2021 at 17:21 Quote
I'm currently on a 21 SJ Evo and 17 Demo 8. I thought I had the best of both worlds, but I found myself riding my Evo 90% of this summer once I got it dialed and the Demo 8 only at the bike park on flow jump trails. The Evo is really adjustable, so I was able to take it from the trail bike category throw on a cascade link, coil, 170mm air shaft and put it in the 64 degree head tube angle setting...Enduro bike! Well now the Evo fails in the mellow trail category and really once the going gets really rough and fast it fails yet again. This brings me to my current conundrum...sell both bikes and start over. Goals....
bike # 1) fun on everything including mellow rolling terrain and blues in my home area, good for all day pedaling, playful and fun on jump flow trails, something I can start doing more jump tricks on.

bike #2) Bike park and enduro ready, will rarely see anything other than black diamond rated trails, still have to pedal 5+miles up a road to the top several times in a day, dh bike park dbl black capable yet still fun and playful.

I love Transition as a company. Bellingham is a regular trip for me each year. I have friends, relatives, acquaintances on them, and my bike shop of choice carries them.

Decisions.....

Bike 1 possibilities: Spur, Scout

Bike 2 possibilities: Spire, Patrol

help?
flag BeaverCreaker
Posted: Dec 13, 2021 at 20:33 Quote
Scout and Spire

Putting myself in your shoes, Bike #1 is the easier decision. Scout checks all the boxes. I'd say Spur if you prioritized speed up the climbs a bit more, but it seems you want a more playful and jibby bike right now. Scout all the way for that. I'd have no issue with pedaling the Scout all day. I'd take the Scout out for smaller stuff at the park as well, for getting stylish and messing around with new tricks and jibs.

Bike #2 is the harder decision. Spire gives you more variety on top of the Scout in my opinion. It has the bigger wheels for ultimate roller over factor, and the geo is longer than a lot of DH bikes. It basically replaces your downhill bike, but you will just have to adjust for less suspension and quite a bit more feedback (not always a bad thing).

The Patrol might be a little more zippy in the bike park, but if that's what you're after I'd go for something different all together, IE a freeride bike with 27.5 front and rear like the Commencal Clash or Canyon Torque. The Spire will be fine on bigger jumps where you have the speed to overcome the "unwieldy" feeling of 29 wheels, and then better on rough stuff than the Patrol.
flag kingch24
O+ FL
Posted: Dec 13, 2021 at 20:47 Quote
BeaverCreaker wrote:
Scout and Spire

Putting myself in your shoes, Bike #1 is the easier decision. Scout checks all the boxes. I'd say Spur if you prioritized speed up the climbs a bit more, but it seems you want a more playful and jibby bike right now. Scout all the way for that. I'd have no issue with pedaling the Scout all day. I'd take the Scout out for smaller stuff at the park as well, for getting stylish and messing around with new tricks and jibs.

Bike #2 is the harder decision. Spire gives you more variety on top of the Scout in my opinion. It has the bigger wheels for ultimate roller over factor, and the geo is longer than a lot of DH bikes. It basically replaces your downhill bike, but you will just have to adjust for less suspension and quite a bit more feedback (not always a bad thing).

The Patrol might be a little more zippy in the bike park, but if that's what you're after I'd go for something different all together, IE a freeride bike with 27.5 front and rear like the Commencal Clash or Canyon Torque. The Spire will be fine on bigger jumps where you have the speed to overcome the "unwieldy" feeling of 29 wheels, and then better on rough stuff than the Patrol.

Your analysis agrees mostly with my thoughts. The scout I’ve been pretty sold on. I’ve just wondered if it was too close to the spire/patrol. I also lean more towards the Spire, but being 5’8.5” and experience butt buzz many times on my 29ers the mullet had me interested. If I went patrol I would set it up as 170/170 like the spire.
flag Dragonfly-
O+
Posted: Dec 13, 2021 at 23:00 Quote
I know this might not be feasible cause of shortages, but maybe buy one first then ride it for a month if so and decide what your stable is missing more and choose based on that.
flag mtbtrekracer
Posted: Dec 13, 2021 at 23:22 Quote
Have you considered just a 1 do it all bike?
lots of bikes these days that fill that spot... You could Call it All mountain or something Beer
flag kingch24
O+ FL
Posted: Dec 14, 2021 at 7:03 Quote
mtbtrekracer wrote:
Have you considered just a 1 do it all bike?
lots of bikes these days that fill that spot... You could Call it All mountain or something Beer

I have done the one bike thing and it doesn’t work for me.
flag kingch24
O+ FL
Posted: Dec 14, 2021 at 7:06 Quote
Dragonfly- wrote:
I know this might not be feasible cause of shortages, but maybe buy one first then ride it for a month if so and decide what your stable is missing more and choose based on that.

This is an interesting idea, but being the time of year it is much of my riding areas are not able to be ridden for the next 5-6 months due to snow. So in a months time I won’t learn much and I have to plan to have bikes sorted out when things open up.
flag BeaverCreaker
Posted: Dec 15, 2021 at 18:55 Quote
kingch24 wrote:

Your analysis agrees mostly with my thoughts. The scout I’ve been pretty sold on. I’ve just wondered if it was too close to the spire/patrol. I also lean more towards the Spire, but being 5’8.5” and experience butt buzz many times on my 29ers the mullet had me interested. If I went patrol I would set it up as 170/170 like the spire.

You could probably go with any combination of those 4 bikes and have a great time. It might make sense for you to go Scout and Patrol though.
flag Bm1117
Posted: Dec 15, 2021 at 19:53 Quote
Spur / patrol setup. Patrol will virtually pedal as well as the scout. I have a scout and I am switching to a spur / patrol setup. Just make a spurduro and you’ll have a much larger range of riding options with those bikes.

Especially since you live in Bend. Spur is perfect for that terrain.
flag kingch24
O+ FL
Posted: Dec 15, 2021 at 20:40 Quote
Bm1117 wrote:
Spur / patrol setup. Patrol will virtually pedal as well as the scout. I have a scout and I am switching to a spur / patrol setup. Just make a spurduro and you’ll have a much larger range of riding options with those bikes.

Especially since you live in Bend. Spur is perfect for that terrain.

The Spur is definitely a good Bend bike. My only issue being I ride the bike park mostly once that’s open. For living in Bend, I don’t ride Bend a whole lot because the trails here are pretty boring except for a few. The Spur could unlock some fun in these otherwise boring trails and help get some miles in, but I’d still probably rather go to the bike park or jumps at the lair. I just don’t see the Spur being versatile enough for my riding style.
flag Bm1117
Posted: Dec 15, 2021 at 21:30 Quote
But you going to have two bikes yeah? So wouldn’t you ride the patrol or spire at the bike park? You’d be really surprised once you rode the spur. Definitely opened my eyes.

No hate on the scout though. I have one as my only bike and I love it. It just doesn’t have enough travel for the really rowdy stuff and a lot of times it’s just too much bike for flow trails and quick after work rides on Galbraith
flag bikebasher
FL
Posted: Dec 31, 2021 at 15:54 Quote
Spur, alloy SJ EVO, alloy Spire, Demo 29.

The un-killable quiver...Cool
flag kingch24
O+ FL
Posted: Dec 31, 2021 at 16:18 Quote
bikebasher wrote:
Spur, alloy SJ EVO, alloy Spire, Demo 29.

The un-killable quiver...Cool

I sold my demo and picked up a carbon spire. Planning on going to cascade link and coil on spire with 180 fork making it 180/180. Took the cascade link and coil off the evo and i'm taking the travel down to 140/150.
flag Daray
O+ FL
Posted: Mar 8, 2022 at 18:02 Quote
Great post- not sure if you’re still looking or if your minds already made up, but I’m a big fan of the two bike quiver. I’m personally going for a similar quiver outcome, but went with a new Stumpjumper (non Evo) and I’m keeping my 2021 enduro. The enduro is a completely different animal from the stumpjumper Evo- I know it’s not a downhill bike, but it’s pretty good and if you need more you can throw the CC link in for even more travel (I haven’t tried this) - but I do have a coil shock and an air shock that I’ll switch out depending on the experience I want with the enduro.

I really like transition bikes and think if I was switching bikes I’d probably go with a spur and a patrol over stroked to 170mm front and back. I’ve owned both versions of the sentinels- and they were great, but definitely too much of a middle ground bike to fit in the two bike quiver.

I would worry that the scout would also feel pretty middle of the road but it would be a fun bike. If I got the scout I’d go with the spire. That said- anywhere where the spur is outgunned- I think the patrol or spire would do just fine as they’re pretty versatile as well.
flag Daray
O+ FL
Posted: Mar 8, 2022 at 18:12 Quote
Daray wrote:
Great post- not sure if you’re still looking or if your minds already made up, but I’m a big fan of the two bike quiver. I’m personally going for a similar quiver outcome, but went with a new Stumpjumper (non Evo) and I’m keeping my 2021 enduro. The enduro is a completely different animal from the stumpjumper Evo- I know it’s not a downhill bike, but it’s pretty good and if you need more you can throw the CC link in for even more travel (I haven’t tried this) - but I do have a coil shock and an air shock that I’ll switch out depending on the experience I want with the enduro.

I really like transition bikes and think if I was switching bikes I’d probably go with a spur and a patrol over stroked to 170mm front and back. I’ve owned both versions of the sentinels- and they were great, but definitely too much of a middle ground bike to fit in the two bike quiver.

I would worry that the scout would also feel pretty middle of the road but it would be a fun bike. If I got the scout I’d go with the spire. That said- anywhere where the spur is outgunned- I think the patrol or spire would do just fine as they’re pretty versatile as well.

Just read your last post- looks like a great quiver!
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