Should I go full DH bike or Enduro?

PB Forum :: Downhill
Should I go full DH bike or Enduro?
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flag michaeldunn05
Posted: Dec 25, 2019 at 16:25 Quote
I've been looking at bikes for a less than healthy amount of time and I'm stuck. I live within 2 hours of four DH parks, but my local trails are pedal access. I want to spend a summer riding at these parks but everyone's suggested an enduro bike. The only problem with that is cost. The bike I was looking at (Trek Slash 9.8 ) is $5800 new. Way more than what I have to spend. ~$3800. Even the 9.7 is $4700. I found a used Pivot Phoenix Shimano Sainte build for $3500. It seems like the way to go but I'm not sure.
flag jcfrantz
Posted: Dec 25, 2019 at 17:57 Quote
Hey mate, there are a lot of good options for enduro bikes in this range of price, Cube, Canyon, Specialized, Giant, GT, just take a look on the website to find a dealer near your place or go to the pinkbike session of enduro bikes.

If you are not an expert mountain biker DH trails are usually too technical and danger. Enduro trails start usually in Green and Blue lines, but DH trails are black diamond or double black diamond with a lot of features likes jumps and gaps.

Enduro bikes are more popular, and there are more options of trails for enduro in bike parks and everywhere in the world.
flag jamesashton
Posted: Dec 25, 2019 at 18:04 Quote
Iwould go with a dh, if your local trails are good. you can always hike to the top if the trail is really good, and If you are close to 4 dh parks, it seems like a dh would do. or if you want, you could buy both used and have both, still spending the same amount
flag cesarg
Posted: Jan 6, 2020 at 10:15 Quote
Lucky for you, you don't necessarily have to choose. There are bikes out now that offer essentially identical performance to DH bikes of 4-7 years ago, but accept being pedaled. Bikes like the Rocky Mountain Slayer, Banshee Darkside, Rose Soul Fire, and Propain Spindrift all have builds within your budget, and are all capable park bikes. The only times you would notice the performance benefit of 2cm more travel and 1 degree slacker head angle are when racing against other riders with DH bikes.
flag howmaybesgo
Posted: Jan 6, 2020 at 12:12 Quote
Transition just put the Sentinel on sale. Can pickup a carbon GX for around your budget or a carbon NX for way under.

Personally, would get the enduro for a 1 bike fleet and only grab a DH if it were a second bike OR I lived at the base of lift access.
flag DuelingBanjos
Posted: Jan 13, 2020 at 2:29 Quote
I have both dh and enduro bike, it's the only perfect way if you want to ride both trails and parks imo.

However if i were you i'd get one of these 'super enduro' or whatever they call them bikes, something with 170mm of travel. These bikes pedal really well nowadays and are also good in the parks.
flag chickenrunz
Posted: Jan 13, 2020 at 2:34 Quote
it's very simple. if you need to pedal and want only 1 bike, get enduro. eg giant reign is not that expensive. the only thing about enduro is even if you have ridiculous amount of travel, the handlebars are still very low compared to a DH bike but hey can't have it all!

if you don't need to pedal or you can afford 2 bikes, then get a DH bike.
flag englertracing
O+
Posted: Jan 13, 2020 at 9:53 Quote
chickenrunz wrote:
it's very simple. if you need to pedal and want only 1 bike, get enduro. eg giant reign is not that expensive. the only thing about enduro is even if you have ridiculous amount of travel, the handlebars are still very low compared to a DH bike but hey can't have it all!

if you don't need to pedal or you can afford 2 bikes, then get a DH bike.

20mm rise bars and a stem you can flip
flag Loki87
Posted: Jan 16, 2020 at 13:55 Quote
jcfrantz wrote:
Hey mate, there are a lot of good options for enduro bikes in this range of price, Cube, Canyon, Specialized, Giant, GT, just take a look on the website to find a dealer near your place or go to the pinkbike session of enduro bikes.

If you are not an expert mountain biker DH trails are usually too technical and danger. Enduro trails start usually in Green and Blue lines, but DH trails are black diamond or double black diamond with a lot of features likes jumps and gaps.

Enduro bikes are more popular, and there are more options of trails for enduro in bike parks and everywhere in the world.

By that logic nobody would ever ride dh because it´s dangerous and only for experts.
Seriously makes no sense. If the guy wants to ride downhill in the park, a dh bike is the appropriate tool for that, period. At some point you need to start learning and there are proper trails that are not double black.
You always need to learn how to handle the tool, so start out on blues and then move up. No need to adapt the bike according to the easier trails but rather to the more technical ones.

That said, local trails are pretty much out of the question with a dh bike.

In the end it comes down to how much time you gonna spend in the saddle.
If you´re a weekend warrior focused on downhill, you´re gonna end up in the park on weekends anyway and not have much time for local trails.
--> get the DH
If however you´re the kind of guy who wants to go for a ride every afternoon as well as park on the weekend
--> Enduro
Just assess your freetime in a realistic manner. If you´re always stuck at work till dark an enduro will be a waste of potential.
If you´re a student with lots of spare time you might be able to properly utilize the enduro.
If you end up going the enduro route with a heavy park focus, make sure the thing is up to the task. I´ve seen Trek´s get totally clapped out after a season in the park. Get something beefy.
Also GET A SPARE WHEELSET! Get a beefy set of rims and good dh-tires. They make all the difference in terms of reliability and grip.

You may also consider getting a dh-bike and upgrading the stable to an additional hardtail in due time. It´s not as big an investment and a nice change of pace, especially for just some mellow local trails. That way you can pretty much do it all and don´t have one pile of cash rotting in the basement, as a good hardtail can pretty much last you forever and will always be fun to break out for a quick lap.

At OP:
What country are you from?
Sounds like you live around my neck of the woods. Four parks all within 1-2h radius. Saalbach, Leogang, Schladming, Wagrain?
flag R-M-R
Posted: Jan 16, 2020 at 15:44 Quote
DH bikes are the least versatile of all mountain bikes. If you never plan to pedal up anything, you might as well get the added durability.

Here's a thought: just rent the bike. Think of how many rides it would take to pay off the price of a new bike! Used bikes go down in value by about half per year and take a fair bit of maintenance to work properly. Even if you pay a couple hundred more in the long run, you'll make a more educated choice when you make your purchase.
flag nj82tj
Posted: Jan 23, 2020 at 10:59 Quote
Living that close to lift access riding, I would go with a DH bike. Pick one up on the second hand market. I bought a 2017 Gambler on here for about $1800 and it's great. I had a Specialized E29 and it was too much for local trails and just not as fun as a DH bike at the park. Good luck with your decision.
flag englertracing
O+
Posted: Jan 25, 2020 at 14:33 Quote
As i see it there is two options
A buy one sick as bike like a, firebird, or nomad.
Buy two cheaper bikes a trail and a dh

But tbh riding the same bike always sort of improves your relationship with it....
flag DHhack
Posted: Jan 25, 2020 at 15:42 Quote
englertracing wrote:
As i see it there is two options
A buy one sick as bike like a, firebird, or nomad.
Buy two cheaper bikes a trail and a dh

But tbh riding the same bike always sort of improves your relationship with it....

I did the two bike thing the last two seasons. The dh bike is back to stock and for sale. I’d rather have a nice enduro bike with a second set of beefy wheels and tires like Loki suggested. If only the budget was bigger...
flag ThunderChunk
O+
Posted: Jan 26, 2020 at 1:57 Quote
i have a scott gambler and a specialized enduro 170mm. The enduro can do everything my gambler can including riding double black tech and flow in whistler. I actually have more fun on it. The biggest difference would have to be comfort and safety. I have more room for error on the gambler and I don't really have to pick and choose my lines. I can plow through the rough stuff. I can also ride longer on my dh bike and not be sore after. Park destroys bikes which is the main reason I ride my gambler instead of the enduro in the park. It's designed to handle the abuse of riding 40 kms of dh in one day.

If you can only have one bike get a 160 to 180mm trail bike. You don't want a dh as your only bike.
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