Ideal setup for BC Bike Race

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Ideal setup for BC Bike Race
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flag Riptheguard
O+
Posted: Aug 27, 2018 at 7:16 Quote
Looking for recommendations on ideal bike for BC bike race, with this in mind: my goal is to complete the race and have fun. Competing for sense of accomplishment. I would describe myself as intermediate and will train to handle the cardio and endurance. Where I lack is technical and confidence. I’ve believe I’ve narrowed my search to a 29er, 140mm travel, 2.3 tires, a good climbing bike.

Been looking at Rocky Mountain Instinct, Santa Cruz Hightower, Ibis Ripley and Scott Spark. Interested in other opinions, suggestions, experiences. My primary riding is Ottawa (mont Ste Marie) and mont Tremblant area - Ste Adele., Kingdom Trails in burke and St Raymond near Quebec. Not overly rocky or technical. I wonder about YT Jeffsy but hard to make a significant investment without opportunity to see and feel and demo. Thanks in advance for ideas and thoughts. Ps my current ride is a steel framed single pivot Xprezo Wuuu that I love but don’t believe it’s capable enough for BCBR.
flag fillyo
Posted: Aug 27, 2018 at 10:52 Quote
I think you can't go wrong with the Hightower or may I suggest the Ripmo, I have a Ripmo, it moves around very well for a long-travel 29er, I am actually heading to BC this Friday with it.
flag mtbiker2k
O+
Posted: Sep 26, 2018 at 18:17 Quote
Riptheguard wrote:
Looking for recommendations on ideal bike for BC bike race, with this in mind: my goal is to complete the race and have fun. Competing for sense of accomplishment. I would describe myself as intermediate and will train to handle the cardio and endurance. Where I lack is technical and confidence. I’ve believe I’ve narrowed my search to a 29er, 140mm travel, 2.3 tires, a good climbing bike.

Been looking at Rocky Mountain Instinct, Santa Cruz Hightower, Ibis Ripley and Scott Spark. Interested in other opinions, suggestions, experiences. My primary riding is Ottawa (mont Ste Marie) and mont Tremblant area - Ste Adele., Kingdom Trails in burke and St Raymond near Quebec. Not overly rocky or technical. I wonder about YT Jeffsy but hard to make a significant investment without opportunity to see and feel and demo. Thanks in advance for ideas and thoughts. Ps my current ride is a steel framed single pivot Xprezo Wuuu that I love but don’t believe it’s capable enough for BCBR.
Look at the Norco Sight
flag gasman5
Posted: Oct 7, 2018 at 19:26 Quote
I did BCBR this year, and live near Ottawa and ride your trails. Rode a Norco Optic 29. I feel it was the perfect bike for me. Excellent obviously on the climbs and single track and better than I would have thought on the downs. Not a limiting factor at all on the descents in BCBR. Found it rode some of the descents better in the race than a bigger bike I had used on the same trails during a winter visit. Works great on the steeper MSM trails, Camp Fortune, obviously Kingdom trails, Perry Hill in Vermont, some good tech stuff in upper NY state. It is less travel than you talk about (120 mm/110 mm) but rides like it has more. Ran Maxxis Forekaster 2.35 front and Ardent Race 2.35 rear and they worked really well. I think you CAN have more fun on the downs with a bigger bike but there is a LOT of climbing! I was surprised to find my technical riding was more than adequate but my fitness sucked! Quite the opposite to what I had expected.
Hope that helps.

Riptheguard wrote:
Looking for recommendations on ideal bike for BC bike race, with this in mind: my goal is to complete the race and have fun. Competing for sense of accomplishment. I would describe myself as intermediate and will train to handle the cardio and endurance. Where I lack is technical and confidence. I’ve believe I’ve narrowed my search to a 29er, 140mm travel, 2.3 tires, a good climbing bike.

Been looking at Rocky Mountain Instinct, Santa Cruz Hightower, Ibis Ripley and Scott Spark. Interested in other opinions, suggestions, experiences. My primary riding is Ottawa (mont Ste Marie) and mont Tremblant area - Ste Adele., Kingdom Trails in burke and St Raymond near Quebec. Not overly rocky or technical. I wonder about YT Jeffsy but hard to make a significant investment without opportunity to see and feel and demo. Thanks in advance for ideas and thoughts. Ps my current ride is a steel framed single pivot Xprezo Wuuu that I love but don’t believe it’s capable enough for BCBR.
flag Riptheguard
O+
Posted: Oct 10, 2018 at 18:47 Quote
[Quote="gasman5"]I did BCBR this year, and live near Ottawa and ride your trails. Rode a Norco Optic 29. I feel it was the perfect bike for me. Excellent obviously on the climbs and single track and better than I would have thought on the downs. Not a limiting factor at all on the descents in BCBR. Found it rode some of the descents better in the race than a bigger bike I had used on the same trails during a winter visit. Works great on the steeper MSM trails, Camp Fortune, obviously Kingdom trails, Perry Hill in Vermont, some good tech stuff in upper NY state. It is less travel than you talk about (120 mm/110 mm) but rides like it has more. Ran Maxxis Forekaster 2.35 front and Ardent Race 2.35 rear and they worked really well. I think you CAN have more fun on the downs with a bigger bike but there is a LOT of climbing! I was surprised to find my technical riding was more than adequate but my fitness sucked! Quite the opposite to what I had expected.
Hope that helps.

thanks very much Gasman, appreciate your feedback. On both the bike setup and race knowledge....I suspect our local trail climbs don't do much to prepare us for what BC offers.
flag gasman5
Posted: Oct 24, 2018 at 20:02 Quote
[Quote="Riptheguard"]
gasman5 wrote:
I did BCBR this year, and live near Ottawa and ride your trails. Rode a Norco Optic 29. I feel it was the perfect bike for me. Excellent obviously on the climbs and single track and better than I would have thought on the downs. Not a limiting factor at all on the descents in BCBR. Found it rode some of the descents better in the race than a bigger bike I had used on the same trails during a winter visit. Works great on the steeper MSM trails, Camp Fortune, obviously Kingdom trails, Perry Hill in Vermont, some good tech stuff in upper NY state. It is less travel than you talk about (120 mm/110 mm) but rides like it has more. Ran Maxxis Forekaster 2.35 front and Ardent Race 2.35 rear and they worked really well. I think you CAN have more fun on the downs with a bigger bike but there is a LOT of climbing! I was surprised to find my technical riding was more than adequate but my fitness sucked! Quite the opposite to what I had expected.
Hope that helps.

thanks very much Gasman, appreciate your feedback. On both the bike setup and race knowledge....I suspect our local trail climbs don't do much to prepare us for what BC offers.

True we don’t have the vertical but 3 different laps at MSM or a ride in the Gats for 4 hours mixing the singletrack and bits of the double track can give 50 km and 1000m climbing. Both of these rides would be a good facsimile of a stage. Or two laps (50 km) at Forest Lea...
flag bigdutch84
O+ FL
Posted: Nov 3, 2018 at 16:43 Quote
I would also recommend the optic, I just picked up a 2018 c3 and it has exceeded all my expectations. Rides everything well and as someone already said it feels like it has more travel than it does.
Also enjoy the race it’s on my bucket list forsure.
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