Totally agree. Bravo. It helped me. I was questioning whether I made a mistake buying my new trek top fuel 9.8 XT (M/L 2022) as a trail bike - I’ve had it for about a month - driving it around the drive way. Wondering if I should keep it, is it the right size, etc…as a side note, I did get the enduro slash 7 gen 5 (M)- completely different - aluminum frame - tons of travel, heavy - and it’s a gem. I love it. Now I haven’t compared the trail (all carbon) to the enduro on the climbs yet - okay all this to say, before this video I was debating on keeping the trail bike (sell it) - but this Intel helped me to understand its a good idea to have both for different riding experiences. What’s weird though - I feel like my arms lean too heavy on the bars of the trail vs more upright (comfortable) on the enduro. Anyway, thanks for this video!! I subscribed!
Most people today seem to over bike themselves. I have been guilty of that in the past. You need to buy a bike that is made for the trails you ride, not the trails you wish you ride.
I’m guilty of this. But people, like me who rides bike park has a party/enduro bike. So when Going to my local trails, i have the beefy bike most of the time. So in these situation, it’s okay to overbike in the trails rather than being underbiked in the bike park.
The trails I ride mostly only technically need a trail bike. But I ride very aggressively, so I need an enduro bike. I’ve been riding enduro for the last 15 years. So I’m just used to it also. I blow thru my 150mm pike ultimates on light trail rides.
Thing is, it's so dependent on the bike and what you want to do with it nowadays. You can get extremely DH capable bikes which are also great all-rounders and pedal brilliantly. And you can also get trail bikes which get out of their comfort zone quite quickly. It's so important to look at the specific bikes, rather than only the extremely general terms of "enduro" and "trail". Sacrifices and gains are generally so marginal now.
My country is full of rock gardens and gnarly technical terrains, very mountainous, up-down kinda place. So I took a really aggressive trail bike, with 64° head angle and 36mm stantions and 150mm travel. Has 203mm rotors and 4 piston brakes. Kinda leans into enduro territory, but it still considered a trail bike
I bought a trail bike and couldn't be happier it is perfect for the trails where I live! It has 140 front and 130 rear with 29" wheels and it is just perfect 👌 Its just a do it all bike for the average guy who just wants to have fun on the trails and not race :)
Terrific video! As a former XC racer now returning to my love of hard off-road riding (no racing, now just for fun), all the new tech and terms have been overwhelming. Selecting a brand difficult enough. ‘XC’, ‘Enduro’, or ‘Trail’ within brands the next bottomless rabbit hole. You answered countless questions of mine in this video. Thx!!!
Super helpful!! Thank you very much. Been trying to decide between a trail vs enduro for my boys - and you’ve just sold us on the right decision. Awesome video - cheers mate
Finally found a video with plain, clear explanation of difference between mentioned types of bikes :) I have trail bike, hardtail so taking into consideration of present preferences a bit outdated. I have never ridden a bike with full suspension so I am really curious of my impressions. I am going to rent one for a try and see how it goes. Thank you for making this video.
Fantastic info. Gratifying to learn that at least some of how my Trek Slash 8 (enduro) handles on climbs and tamer terrain isn't entirely due to my lack of skill! I'm over-biked for a lot of my local riding, light trail or down-country rig would be good addition to my arsenal. Thanks Clint.
I ride a 2019 Stumpy LT with 150/150 and all I ride are enduro trails. It's perfect! And I also take it on 40 mile 6000ft rides with no issues. A lot will depend on the rider at the end of the day. Great video......I remember watching you race years ago when I lived in Jax..but now I am in Spain. Anyway, take care and thanks for the vids.
Again excellent video which clearly explains differences in geometry, among other interesting things. I have no choice but to sub this channel, keep up the good work ☀️
Excellent video. I got a 27.5 Enduro. Boy have I become fitter. Now moving over to a 29” Titanium hardtail in a trail/XC setup. So expecting a fast climbing bike and challenging technical downhills. Just deciding on tyre sizes and fork travel (frame is optimised for a 44 with 140mm travel. Issue is component availability, but I keep my Enduro till I can complete it.
I have an Occam as well with 150/140, nudging it more towards enduro but still in the trail category. For rocky/rooty riding the 29" wheels have been great. Just rolls over things that would hang me up on smaller wheels.
Hi there! Many thanks for sharing. Now I understand that I only need a cross country bike or perhaps a Gravel one since I mainly ride 70% in the city and 30% in the country. LIKE.
Great content as always. My sentinel still makes a good trail bike when the trails are smoother.. would be interesting to try a mullet version of the sentinel or the patrol.. would open up that playfulness a little bit.
I’ve ridden my Stumpjumper 27.5 for my first year of riding. I basically made it a “trail-duro” because I didn’t know how much I’d like DH. I like XC too, but DH is just way to much fun. Just picked up an Enduro to replace it. Sad to see the Stumpy go, but soooo looking forward to the longer wheelbase, 29s and 170mm travel.
I recently bought a TranceX 29 which I am real happy with. It’s a trail bike, but burly. Good travel and modern geometry...that is similar to the groundbreaking Mondraker. I have to admit it is not that snappy and the head angle takes some getting used to!!
I really appreciate straight to the point well presented videos like this. i’m thinking about picking up a trail bike. would you justify owning both and just pick the bike you are going to ride that day based on the trail conditions? i just don’t want to be in a situation where i’m riding one more than the other. thank you
I just bought a Poklygon Siskiu T8. It seems to be somewhere between the two. But the T stands for Trail (Bike). It has 65deg head angle and 2.6in tyres and 780mm bars. But it has 140mm travel on 29in wheels with Fox 34 on front and Fox DPS on the rear.
I stopped trying to make my trial bike more enduro with gripper heavier tyres to cope with the rougher stuff I sometimes ride because it was just making it worse, the fun window was getting smaller and harder to stay in. Now I'm on even lighter tyres than before it's more fun and quicker everywhere; I'm smashing long standing PB's too
Hi great video! I have a Rallon 160f 150r, i do enduro, and my area its natural rockgardens, roots ..the problem its also few days a week i ride with xc friends a do 50k 1500+ routes, so im considering hace more trail bike.. The problem with yeti sb130, revel rascal, switchblade its they are very good on descend and climbs, but i think still heavy to enjoy long climbs or blue trails, more than 30lbs i guess, maybe Stumjumper ...or ripmo.. And its when i think something like Spur, tallboy, pivot 429, should be great pedalling, very lights, and still good descenders. But not sure if can descend just a bit slow in enduro stuff or you are all the time exposed to a fall. If will be something like spur with 130 130..or 140-130mm in 28 lbs...modern geo Cheers
Great video. Cemented which type of bike I should choose. Was torn between the two, but will now go with trail; specifically the Canyon Spectral. Thanks!
I'm definitely over biked for my local trails (super fun on the decents but punishing on the climbs), this is why I'm now in the market for a trail bike. I'll save my enduro for the bike park.
i recently bought an enduro bike since i wanted an upgrade from my 10 year old short travel 26 xc trail bike thats falling apart. its so much better going down black diamond downhill trails but pedaling up is harder. cant wait for park season!
I like the fact that my "trail" bike is pushing just toward the threshold of enduro, which is what I wanted when looking for this 140r/150f Having a 66.5° HTA, the additional 51mm offset on my PIKES I think is a good balance. It's a 29er Stumpjumper and feels very stable. Don't totally understand why the offset is trending toward LESS these days, but that changes from year to year it seems. Why though would riders going to longer fork travel (more than 160) be looking for LESS offset increasing the trail? Doesn't matter, just curious, these things puzzle me sometimes lol. ~JSV
As far as suspention between the 2 of them I have a deluxe now and wondering besides managing heat for performance what gains would I get going to a super deluxe? I'm pretty happy with shock now, but it makes me wonder if going to piggyback is even better? I had a dpx2 about 3 years ago and like the feel of deluxe better.
I found at my age 60, don’t race and ride like I use to DH, it was hard to fined a good over all long travel bike to stay up with my younger friend on their “Trail” bikes. I did come across a Canyon Strive CF with 170mm travel and it has a push button system that helps the bike pedal up hill it seems as good as the trail bikes. Granted more travel on a bike is harder to ride dirt jump places without using more speed to hit them, because the suspension absorbs the apex of the jumps before the lips and slows the bike down, this Canyon seems to pedal better for those hits. But any bike with suspension will be a bit tougher on jumps like that, without speed. They are met to mimic downhill bicycle , better then my 30-year old Foes. But my Foes DH does still stay up with the Enduros on descending, with 26” wheels. Check out the Canyon bike I was riding and let me know your input. Nice video.
I have a 160/160 with 27.5s and 65 degree head tube angle. I ride Alafia and Balm here in FL and feel a little over biked most of the time, but don’t mind. I just ride for fun.
I think trail bikes are still very capable going down the rough stuff just generally not as fast and composed as an enduro. I use my 150/130 trail bike for enduro type of riding all the time and I dig that I can still do XC type of riding and being able to climb anything. Trail bikes would be an excellent choice for XC riders who want a funner, more capable bike on the downhills.
One quick note- travel is how much your wheel moves might be the best way to put it. There seems to be some confusion where people think that their rear shock’s travel is indicative to how much the actual rear end of the bike moves despite the fact that they’ve been told how much travel the rear is capable of.
Think you're a little optimistic on the weights. yeah, if you buy the $8000 top of the line model, you can get there, but Specialized's entry-level Stumpie this year is something like 35-36 pounds. Trek claims their $4300 Fuel EX 9.7 comes in at 30 pounds, but it's undoubtedly probably a pound heavier.
Offcourse it depents where do you live but I think a "downcounty" or short travel trailbike is the bike what does it all. Fun and fast.Broke all my PRs, only on sprints and easy terrain climbs the xc hardtail is faster.The Top Fuel is 2 kg heavier then my hardtail but overal faster. It is as fast as an xc bike uphill and downhill as an trailbike.And so much fun.
i was facing this dilemma and opted for the new revel rail 29, which is really more all mountain...with 160mm up front/155mm out back, i am ready for the more dicey enduro-type rides but i can still climb local SoCal fire roads/single track with ease
I have an Enduro bike even tho I don’t live in a area with large terrain bike I ride really aggressive no matter what and like to go to bike parks so I think Enduro bike for me was the right choice because I was bottoming out my old trail bike
Great content Clint! I have a Stumpjumper alloy 27.5 with a stock travel of 150mm/150mm Front and rear. Fox Rhythmn 34 and Fox Dps but I upgraded my suspension to DVO Onyx 160mm and DVO Topaz T3 air. So would my bike now be considered as Trail/All-mountain/Mini-Enduro? 😃
So I’ve got a good mix of trials local to me, ton of climbs but a good down hill amount as well. I really want an enduro bike for the extra travel and jumps but it seems like everyone is saying it’s gonna make climbing impossible. What should I do?
Am thinking of starting to ride again. I never had a mountain bike hardtaial seems to be for me a first timer .I use to ride a xc bike for 4 years 160 miles a week.. looking for something under $1000.any advise .I liked the xtrada,bezango and virus nuclus. At 64 am starting late but I really want to do this . better late than never.
Thought the piggy back was to increase the oil volume so oil viscosity doesn't decrease as you ride a long run ...because it's temperature doesn't change as much? I understand that bar width in enduro has peaked and a bit more moderation has entered, and consideration of how tight the trees are on trail.
Totally agree with this video. If you don’t use shuttles or race enduros stick with a trail bike. Trail bikes are more fun to climb and feel more poppy and alive to ride on the trails. Enduro bikes lose a lot of the trail feel.
Yes, I had to pick one to be my primary trail bike. But my gut feeling is the Jet 9 will be redesigned soon and I will get on the new one to review when they do.
Clint, what about the all-mountain category of bikes? I mainly ride a 2019 Scott Genius 730 which is labeled by Scott as an all-mountain bike. Comparing it to the specs you talked about for trail and enduro bikes, it seems to fall in the middle. What do you think about this category?
@@ClintGibbs That's fair. The Genius has 150 mm of travel in the front and rear, so it could be described as a long travel trail bike or a less aggressive enduro bike.
Nice video but spur is basiclly an aggressive xc bike. The Scout is really transitions trail bike and it can go anywhere and is so much fun. You can make your aggressive bike super fun on easy trails with light fast tyres. Most true Enduro bikes these days really to much for all but high level racers or thouse who have big steep mountains.
I've only spent one day on the Scout and it was an absolute blast. I rode it on really tight, technical trails where you could not get a lot of speed, after riding my enduro bike on it. It was a lot better on those types of trails than the Enduro bike.
Hi Clint, I have Stumpjumper 2013 and the head angle is 68. Is it ok to upgrade the fork and rare to fox 34 or 36? I'm wanting to get rid of my bike but I've been using it for a long time and I m thinking of upgrading some parts instead.
Thanks Clint. Can you investigate and discuss the new and emerging trend of lighter carbon wheelsets for trail/enduro bikes? When you buy a new trail/enduro bike from a manufacturer today, you have the option to upgrade to carbon wheels for ≥ $1,000. However, those carbon wheelsets weigh about 1,650 grams (29er). However, there are now independent companies selling carbon wheelsets for trail/enduro bikes weighing 250-300 grams lighter than that. If I'm a high end bike buyer, why would I spend the upgrade charge for relatively "heavy" carbon wheels when I can buy a significantly lighter carbon wheelset that saves me just over half a pound of rolling resistance? That's not insignificant and can definitely lighten both types of bikes. I believe lighter carbon wheelsets are the future.
Not all carbon wheels are the same. Some ride really harsh and some are built with compliance. Stans wheel sets have become one of my favorite. They are laterally stiff which makes the bike feel more agile and precise. But they're built with some flex so that they don't ride harsh.
I'm speculating that the O-rings on the forks hadn't moved since the filming of the downhill segment? If so, your Trail bike worked closer to it's full potential on that trail than your Enduro bike did, meaning on that particular trail, the Trail bike was the better choice?
I purchased a Cube Fritzz for my first bike. I live in the flat plains of NW Florida. Hope I didn't waste my money since there isn't a lot of downhill here. The guy I purchased it from basically told me I wasted my money since it's more for lifts and downhill.
That's a lot of bike for Florida. It's okay if you enjoy riding it. But if you ever get to the point where you're not having as much fun mountain biking (with that bike in Florida) then consider adding a cross-country bike to your fleet.
I broke my kona process 153 frame. Trying to find a replacement. Impossible to find another process frame. So, I've been looking at Transition. How would you compare a Transition Scout? I like the 27.5 wheels and I have shuttles/DH trails nearby and peddly/rough trails nearby.
The Scout is a phenomenal bike. The slacker geo makes it a really stable bike on fast descents. I can highly recommend it. However, as with most bike brands right now, they will be back ordered for a while due to the way covid is hitting the bike industry. But in my opinion it would be worth the wait.
Just out of curiosity, I don’t see transition in a lot of other comparative reviews say from Pinkbike etc.. I keep thinking about them and want one for my next bike. Are they just not common? Or what do you think keeps them from being reviewed by large reviewers
They've been around for a while. Pink bike will do a review on one every once in awhile. It's just that they focus on trail and Enduro so they're a more focused company.
@@ClintGibbs they seam like their bulletproof bikes, I just am curious as to how they compare to say a nukeproof mega/gigs. Or a Santa Cruz Bronson, specialized enduro.
@@307.William once you get to a certain price point they're all good bikes. They all just ride a little bit differently. I absolutely love the way transition bikes ride. I tend to gravitate, no pun intended, toward the bikes with the Pacific Northwest style geometry.
Seems Fox is not thinking 27.5 bikes are trail bikes going forward. The Fox 34 doesn't have a 27.5 option. Personally I like a short travel 27.5 bike for my local trails in Minnesota. Speed and roll over isn't that big a deal for my riding.
Would you really consider the Spur a trail bike? Seems much more suited to XC. Seems you need to be at least 140F/130R to be an ALL-Around trail bike. ie Stumojumper, Revel Rascal...etc? I've seen the Spur handle some chunk...but, the rider was sure white knuckling it.
@@gregoryvierra6114 👍, I tried my brothers Ripley with is a 120 shock... on a few jumps and a drop I blew rigjt through the travel. I didn't want to touch the set up which may be the issue I'm 210lbs. He's 170.
Yea, I'd consider the Spur a "Downcountry" bike (heavy duty/burly XC bike). Spur is more than XC, but not quite a "trail" bike. The Scout would be the better example of a true trail bike from the Transition line IMO.
