Set me up for EWS 2020

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flag toby9843
Posted: Oct 15, 2018 at 23:42 Quote
So, I'm considering selling up the DH and Freeride bikes and moving from DH racing to Enduro for 2019 with a view to having a crack at an EWS in 2020.

If you were going to race a full season of enduro what would you go for bike-wise? I'm thinking:

Santa Cruz hightower LT
Orbea Rallon
Tranisiton Sentinel
Orange Stage 6 RS (or factory if I can afford it)
Bird AM9
Commencal meta 29 team or signature. (reach looks very short on the medium??)

A few limitations:

Price, somewhere between about £4-6K tops.
I carry my bike with a thule proride so I need that down tube space to grip it (hence the capra 29 CF Pro not being on the list).
I want it to be a 29er as I have had one in the past and they just do roll faster.
Carbon or Alloy, not bothered either way.
I don't want to have to swap a lot of stuff and good brakes are a must.
I'm 178cm and have had no end of dramas with seat tube length as I like the reach of large frames but hate having saddles knocking into my knees/thighs when they're slammed because the seat tube is too long. Anywhere from 420-440 ish seems good for seat tube length and reach would be 440 up. (current bike has 465 reach and is nice).

Any thoughts/suggestions? I was just up at Fort William at the weekend and the orbea's were really popular. Santa cruz just seems a bit expensive to me and the transition is great but reviews say a bit sluggish on climbs.
flag BarneyStinson
Posted: Oct 16, 2018 at 0:22 Quote
Any reason that the White G160 or Scott Ransom aren’t on the list?
flag HobNob
O+
Posted: Oct 16, 2018 at 2:15 Quote
toby9843 wrote:
Santa Cruz hightower LT
Orbea Rallon
Tranisiton Sentinel
Orange Stage 6 RS (or factory if I can afford it)
Bird AM9
Commencal meta 29 team or signature. (reach looks very short on the medium??).

From the list you have put together, and your choice on material, as a privateer who's raced EWS's over the years, I would say reliability & longevity should be a big priority.

Therefore I would safely say, no carbon. In Finale last month I raced my Sentinel, and some of the rock strikes I had, would have ended some of the carbon bikes I have had over the years. I would also stay away from carbon wheels for that reason too.

I would discount the HTLT, weird geometry & just a sticking plaster fix to having a longer travel 29er from SC. Clearly about to be replaced soon.

Orbea - the large isn't actually that big a bike. I'd have to be firmly on an XL. I don't know what it is about them, Ijust don't like them.

Sentinel - sizing on them is great, suspension works well, perhaps a touch light on rear travel for some of the more savage EWS stuff, but the geometry makes up for it IMO. Not light, but not outrageously heavy. Mine is 32lbs.

Stage 6 - No bottle cage so it's an instant no from me. Don't want to have to race in a backpack, especially when some of the rounds now insist on back protectors too.

Bird AM9 - actually interested in this. Geometry looks great also, ride reviews sound good, pricing is good, would be a serious choice for me.

Meta AM - a little bit inbetween sizes on that for me. Reviews sound positive though. Be interested to try an XL and see what it's like.

Other stuff I would consider would be the RAAW Madonna, that looks good on paper.

Biggest challenge in reality, is getting in the series probably in 2020. They are harder & harder to race now & over the last 5 years of racing in them i've noticed the standard of riding has gone up considerably.
flag toby9843
Posted: Oct 16, 2018 at 2:31 Quote
HobNob wrote:
toby9843 wrote:
Santa Cruz hightower LT
Orbea Rallon
Tranisiton Sentinel
Orange Stage 6 RS (or factory if I can afford it)
Bird AM9
Commencal meta 29 team or signature. (reach looks very short on the medium??).

From the list you have put together, and your choice on material, as a privateer who's raced EWS's over the years, I would say reliability & longevity should be a big priority.

Therefore I would safely say, no carbon. In Finale last month I raced my Sentinel, and some of the rock strikes I had, would have ended some of the carbon bikes I have had over the years. I would also stay away from carbon wheels for that reason too.

I would discount the HTLT, weird geometry & just a sticking plaster fix to having a longer travel 29er from SC. Clearly about to be replaced soon.

Orbea - the large isn't actually that big a bike. I'd have to be firmly on an XL. I don't know what it is about them, Ijust don't like them.

Sentinel - sizing on them is great, suspension works well, perhaps a touch light on rear travel for some of the more savage EWS stuff, but the geometry makes up for it IMO. Not light, but not outrageously heavy. Mine is 32lbs.

Stage 6 - No bottle cage so it's an instant no from me. Don't want to have to race in a backpack, especially when some of the rounds now insist on back protectors too.

Bird AM9 - actually interested in this. Geometry looks great also, ride reviews sound good, pricing is good, would be a serious choice for me.

Meta AM - a little bit inbetween sizes on that for me. Reviews sound positive though. Be interested to try an XL and see what it's like.

Other stuff I would consider would be the RAAW Madonna, that looks good on paper.

Biggest challenge in reality, is getting in the series probably in 2020. They are harder & harder to race now & over the last 5 years of racing in them i've noticed the standard of riding has gone up considerably.

Mate thanks so much. What a great answer and if I'm honest, alot of what I was thinking. I think I'm maybe over carbon for longevity sake. Bird really is looking exceptionally good for everything I'm asking for. I just love the spec of the commencal in both team and signature spec but the reach on the medium just seems too short and the seat tube on the large just seems too long. Hmm. Good shout on the bottle cage mounts as well on the orange.
flag Davec85
FL
Posted: Oct 16, 2018 at 4:06 Quote
toby9843 wrote:
So, I'm considering selling up the DH and Freeride bikes and moving from DH racing to Enduro for 2019 with a view to having a crack at an EWS in 2020.

If you were going to race a full season of enduro what would you go for bike-wise? I'm thinking:

Santa Cruz hightower LT
Orbea Rallon
Tranisiton Sentinel
Orange Stage 6 RS (or factory if I can afford it)
Bird AM9
Commencal meta 29 team or signature. (reach looks very short on the medium??)

A few limitations:

Price, somewhere between about £4-6K tops.
I carry my bike with a thule proride so I need that down tube space to grip it (hence the capra 29 CF Pro not being on the list).
I want it to be a 29er as I have had one in the past and they just do roll faster.
Carbon or Alloy, not bothered either way.
I don't want to have to swap a lot of stuff and good brakes are a must.
I'm 178cm and have had no end of dramas with seat tube length as I like the reach of large frames but hate having saddles knocking into my knees/thighs when they're slammed because the seat tube is too long. Anywhere from 420-440 ish seems good for seat tube length and reach would be 440 up. (current bike has 465 reach and is nice).

Any thoughts/suggestions? I was just up at Fort William at the weekend and the orbea's were really popular. Santa cruz just seems a bit expensive to me and the transition is great but reviews say a bit sluggish on climbs.

You can clamp a Capra with a Thule pro-ride, picture in my profile.
flag toby9843
Posted: Oct 16, 2018 at 4:10 Quote
Davec85 wrote:
toby9843 wrote:
So, I'm considering selling up the DH and Freeride bikes and moving from DH racing to Enduro for 2019 with a view to having a crack at an EWS in 2020.

If you were going to race a full season of enduro what would you go for bike-wise? I'm thinking:

Santa Cruz hightower LT
Orbea Rallon
Tranisiton Sentinel
Orange Stage 6 RS (or factory if I can afford it)
Bird AM9
Commencal meta 29 team or signature. (reach looks very short on the medium??)

A few limitations:

Price, somewhere between about £4-6K tops.
I carry my bike with a thule proride so I need that down tube space to grip it (hence the capra 29 CF Pro not being on the list).
I want it to be a 29er as I have had one in the past and they just do roll faster.
Carbon or Alloy, not bothered either way.
I don't want to have to swap a lot of stuff and good brakes are a must.
I'm 178cm and have had no end of dramas with seat tube length as I like the reach of large frames but hate having saddles knocking into my knees/thighs when they're slammed because the seat tube is too long. Anywhere from 420-440 ish seems good for seat tube length and reach would be 440 up. (current bike has 465 reach and is nice).

Any thoughts/suggestions? I was just up at Fort William at the weekend and the orbea's were really popular. Santa cruz just seems a bit expensive to me and the transition is great but reviews say a bit sluggish on climbs.

You can clamp a Capra with a Thule pro-ride, picture in my profile.

I wonder if it's the same for the carbon as it looks a little thicker on the carbon framed bikes. I'll keep my eyes open in case I see one.
flag ondreja
Posted: Oct 16, 2018 at 5:06 Quote
maybe add pole machine on your list? though as aeris am9 owner I have my favourite on the list.
flag toby9843
Posted: Oct 16, 2018 at 5:16 Quote
ondrejaugustin wrote:
maybe add pole machine on your list? though as aeris am9 owner I have my favourite on the list.

Yeah the pole machine is pretty amazing. Saw one at Fort William over the weekend and it was pretty cool. Bit pricey but everyone seems to love them.

Good shout!
flag Pablo16v
Posted: Oct 16, 2018 at 6:34 Quote
I’ve had my AM9 for 6 months and I’m still well and truly in the honeymoon period, so this is obviously a biased reply, but here’s a few reasons why it would make a good EWS bike….

1. The geometry is up to date without being overly radical. Good reach size for size, slack-ish, good stand-over clearance and the BB isn’t so low that you pedal strike everywhere
2. It’s stable and fast on techy descents yet hides its length well when it gets tight and twisty, and when you’re not going full gas it just loves to have fun hopping and popping off stuff
3. It’s not overly expensive so you’ll get a great build for your budget
4. The raw option looks awesome
5. ML size has a 440mm ST and 475mm reach
6. It has water bottle mounts Big Grin
7. I carry mine on a Thule Pro-ride 591
8. They aren’t heavy, and I don’t notice any frame flex, so no real need to pay more for carbon (in my opinion obviously). My build is sub 31lbs with a Fox 36, CCDB Air CS shock (the heaviest piggy back air shock I think), appropriate strength rubber, LB carbon rims, XT 1x11
9. It has a threaded BB and external hose and cable routing so maintenance will be reasonably straightforward. Important point I think
10. Technical and warranty support from Bird is top notch. Another important point if you were to suddenly need something like bearings or a replacement frame if the worst was to happen

So there you go, 10 very good (and biased) points on why you should get an AM9 Wink
flag toby9843
Posted: Oct 16, 2018 at 7:44 Quote
Pablo16v wrote:
I’ve had my AM9 for 6 months and I’m still well and truly in the honeymoon period, so this is obviously a biased reply, but here’s a few reasons why it would make a good EWS bike….

1. The geometry is up to date without being overly radical. Good reach size for size, slack-ish, good stand-over clearance and the BB isn’t so low that you pedal strike everywhere
2. It’s stable and fast on techy descents yet hides its length well when it gets tight and twisty, and when you’re not going full gas it just loves to have fun hopping and popping off stuff
3. It’s not overly expensive so you’ll get a great build for your budget
4. The raw option looks awesome
5. ML size has a 440mm ST and 475mm reach
6. It has water bottle mounts Big Grin
7. I carry mine on a Thule Pro-ride 591
8. They aren’t heavy, and I don’t notice any frame flex, so no real need to pay more for carbon (in my opinion obviously). My build is sub 31lbs with a Fox 36, CCDB Air CS shock (the heaviest piggy back air shock I think), appropriate strength rubber, LB carbon rims, XT 1x11
9. It has a threaded BB and external hose and cable routing so maintenance will be reasonably straightforward. Important point I think
10. Technical and warranty support from Bird is top notch. Another important point if you were to suddenly need something like bearings or a replacement frame if the worst was to happen

So there you go, 10 very good (and biased) points on why you should get an AM9 Wink
You could work for bird mate. I think I'm basically sold. I reckon I'll book a test ride sometime but it's looking more and more like the perfect British riders privateer bike. Only the new rocket max to think about lol. On the am9 how do you feel in rougher stuff, DH style ground? I'd still like to hold my own in low level DH stuff maybe. That's why I was thinking about some of the longer travel 29er bikes as well. From what I hear though, the bird is plenty capable.
flag Jprestidge
FL
Posted: Oct 16, 2018 at 13:49 Quote
Nukeproof Mega? - some good deals at CRC at the moment.

JP
flag gnarnaimo
O+ FL
Posted: Oct 16, 2018 at 14:46 Quote
Trek slash 8?

Edit: nvm, he said reliable lol
flag mrtoodles
O+ FL
Posted: Oct 16, 2018 at 18:08 Quote
Kona Process 153 29er? Available in carbon or aluminium now.

Pretty hard to go past the Commencal for value for money, but your rack might grab where the shock goes?

I agree with earlier comments that reliability is paramount. Stay away from the cutting edge, ultralightweight stuff if you're a self supporter privateer. Repairing stuff at the last minute or doing an all-nighter to rebuild something is probably going to happen in season of EWS.
flag CAMERONN1303
O+
Posted: Oct 16, 2018 at 19:06 Quote
I actually race enduro and downhill, I would recommend a Scott ransom or a Devinci spartan. They both come with 29er (i refer to them as "grandpa wheels" even though I've run them for a while and love em so don't be offended). At the moment though id say go for a Spartan, they are reliable and the linkage is bomb proof (if you race downhill u would have heard that from the Wilson) and the 170mm platform just smashes over everything. I have owned tons of bikes and pretty much never paid full price but I liked the spartan so much I actually walked into the store and bought a top build 29er.

hope this helped and feel free to ask questions.
flag titaniumtit
Posted: Oct 17, 2018 at 4:19 Quote
Yeah those Devincis look real brutish in a good kinda way and Freeborn are the UK importer Iirc.

Also check out Ibis’ offering of the Ripmo as that may tick the seat tube box thang straight away for you.

Plus frame warranty is a healthy 7 years :-)
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