05 Enduro v. IH MKIII

CBJ · Feb 23, 2005

Are you sure they will be the right kind of bikes? The IH is not build for that kind of riding. I was thinking Azonic Saber with 5" or 6" travel and a little more beaf - just a suggestion.

dw · Feb 23, 2005

Hey ssk,

The Mark III definitely fity your criterial 1 and 2 beautifully, but the bike was never really intended for DH use. That being said, Sam Hill raced a full year of mountain X and a week at Whistler on his Mark III last summer with no ill effects. I would'nt suggest it for someone your size though. Personally, I d suggest a 7POINT instead of a Mark III if you are thinking of doing DH runs.

Dave

rockwool · Feb 23, 2005

i'd lood at a 4X bike instead of a trail bike considering you want to ride all this different stuff, your weight and pedal well. look at bikes like turner rail, sc blur 4X, cove hooker sl and such. they're about 4" and are perfect for dhing in small hills

OGRipper · Feb 23, 2005

As between the two I think the enduro is closer to what you need. You are a big dude and you need something pretty burly for DH and DJ. Not on your list but howz about a heckler with a DHX and a firefly plus? Pedals great, super versatile, tuff enuff.

rpk1988 · Feb 23, 2005

Go for the 2005 Specialized Enduro Trail SX. That would handle more of what you are willing to do, esp. since it has a coil shock. The air probably wouldnt cut it for you.

Frankenschwinn · Feb 23, 2005

Heckler...

-BB- · Feb 23, 2005

rockwool said:
i'd lood at a 4X bike instead of a trail bike considering you want to ride all this different stuff, your weight and pedal well. look at bikes like turner rail, sc blur 4X, cove hooker sl and such. they're about 4" and are perfect for dhing in small hills

I'd agree...
Look for a 4x bike.

rockwool · Feb 23, 2005

blur 4X would hold up better than a heckler. also check out the norco vps six

Zutroy · Feb 23, 2005

-BB- said:
I'd agree...
Look for a 4x bike.

Third that...i think a heckler might be outta it's element being DJ by somone 200+ who's not smooth

Zark · Feb 23, 2005

Enduro SX maybe?

rigidhack · Feb 23, 2005

Given the lack of serious downhill, maybe the Prophet would fit the bill? The MKIII is a good looking bike, but not really meant for what you hope to do with it (like DW said). I've always found the enduros pretty pricey for what they are. The Heckler sounds like a good choice. If you ever leave Texas, or if you want to do more drop oriented riding, the Transition Preston looks like a good call.

MTB_Rob_NC · Feb 23, 2005

rockwool said:
blur 4X would hold up better than a heckler.

You are basing that on what exactly? I am thinking SC is in for a world of hurt with the Blur 4x. I know so many people buying this bike as a heavy duty trail bike. Which sounds like a great idea. However at the same time I know no less then 6 good friends of mine that are XC oriented that ride Blurs. All of them have had to replace the bushings every few months and replaced at least 1 frame/swing arm EACH. They bypass most of the stuff I hit on our regular trails, once the guys that start hitting those options on the Blur 4x, I think you are going to start hearing about additional issues.

On the other hand I have a Heckler and aside from an air shock problem I originally had it has been trouble free. (maintained the pivot once, ie.. took it out, cleaned, repacked).

I too live in a very flat place, mostly ride trail, but like to hit some small DJ's, ride urban and have even taken it DH'ling in SnowShoe.

Sorry to derail the thread a little regarding the Blur 4x. The 05 Enduro is one sexy looking bike, but spec'd out this year in the same if not higher price range then the Heckler.

Dogboy · Feb 23, 2005

Mtb_Rob_FL said:
You are basing that on what exactly? I am thinking SC is in for a world of hurt with the Blur 4x. I know so many people buying this bike as a heavy duty trail bike. Which sounds like a great idea. However at the same time I know no less then 6 good friends of mine that are XC oriented that ride Blurs. All of them have had to replace the bushings every few months and replaced at least 1 frame/swing arm EACH. They bypass most of the stuff I hit on our regular trails, once the guys that start hitting those options on the Blur 4x, I think you are going to start hearing about additional issues.

For one thing the 4x frame is at least 1/2 pound heavier than a regular Blur. I'm 180lbs and rode a regular Blur for a year and a half w/ a 5th and had no bearing/bushing issues. I always wished it was a little burlier so I could do bigger stuff and that I could run a bigger fork/slacken it out. Now there's the 4x-perfect-for what I wanted. For ssk I would recommend the Enduro. The 05 is so burly. At 7 1/2 lbs, it's more like a mini-Demo than an old Enduro.

MTB_Rob_NC · Feb 23, 2005

ssk said:
The heckler sounds like it could fit, but I've got some mental block against buying a single pivot bike. I don't want to give up XC-type pedalling efficiency, but I need something strong as well without too slack of angles.

You won't be disappointed with the pedaling characteristics of the Heckler, so long as you take the time to set it up properly. My weight ranges from 195-185) I ride the 5th Element coil, with a 450lb spring and XC friends of mine have been behind me visably noticing (and commenting) on the lack of movement while pedaling, even up inclines.

That being said the Fox DHx was not available when I got my Heckler, and that shock looks sexy :drool:

and is almost a full lb lighter then the 5th coil.

mobius · Feb 23, 2005

From my understanding ur asking for a heckler. They are beef frames and great do it all bikes. The DHX from my understanding you can't get with it right now. At least that is what someone posted up so i dunno.

OGRipper · Feb 23, 2005

As between the heckler and the blur 4x, I think it's kind of a wash but IMO the heckler might be better for light DH and general abuse. The blur 4x has additional gussets, a different swingarm, and (I think but am not sure) a slightly beefier downtube, not to mention geometry changes that make it more adept to 4x and dirt jumping. So it looks like the regular blur but there are a lot of differences. But even with the changes I think the angles are a little tight for dh, and it was designed as a fairly light and tight race bike, not a long-term beater. My understanding is that the heckler is a little more stout in the down tube and swingarm, and for a big dude that will take it to the dirt jumps and do light DH I think it makes more sense. You might want to check out BB heights too, not sure about the differences. As for the pedaling, it's true the blur (and probably a MKIII but I haven't ridden one) will "pedal better" but that will come with complexity (and expense). Hecklers are simple, tough, and very efficient when combined with a platform shock. Get a fork that's adjustable up to 6 inches (e.g., firefly plus or fox 36) and a shock with on-the-fly platform adjustability (like a DHX) and you'll have a super versatile rig for what you describe. Might not have the bling factor though...anyway those are my thoughts...

MikeD · Feb 23, 2005

Hardtail. I'm not kidding...

Maybe the Prophet or Blur 4x models as well. I think the Prophets are REALLY sexy.

Enduro SX might be a good option too.

MD

Zutroy · Feb 23, 2005

MikeD said:
Hardtail. I'm not kidding...

Maybe the Prophet or Blur 4x models as well. I think the Prophets are REALLY sexy.

Enduro SX might be a good option too.

MD

Ahhhh Hardtails...so much fun......That being said I've got a Foes ZigZag HT for sale in the ads....j/k.........the Prophet might be a good way to go. Never been on a blur 4x...but it looks really nice.

MTB_Rob_NC · Feb 23, 2005

OGRipper said:
Get a fork that's adjustable up to 6 inches (e.g., firefly plus or fox 36) and a shock with on-the-fly platform adjustability (like a DHX) and you'll have a super versatile rig for what you describe. Might not have the bling factor though...anyway those are my thoughts...

I dunno sounds/looks pretty freaking bling to me :eek:

mobius said:
From my understanding ur asking for a heckler. They are beef frames and great do it all bikes. The DHX from my understanding you can't get with it right now. At least that is what someone posted up so i dunno.

See above picture. My LBS has a Heckler with a DHX hanging on the wall.

MikeD · Feb 23, 2005

ssk said:
I've got an Endless so I'm good for a HT right now, but I can't do a serious trail ride on it. I'm just too big.

Here's a photo of an experiment I tried while my XC bike was broken. Even with this post, I needed 1.5 more inches of saddle height. Also, note the 26" rear wheel.

Maybe you just need a bigger hardtail, then...

I'd seriously give the Prophet 4x a look-see. 12mm rear axle with a light chassis that can go from 67/13" to 19/13.7" HA/Bb...sounds like a good machine for all your riding. And I think they have a large range of sizes, too.

MD

dropmachine · Feb 23, 2005

ssk said:
I've got an Endless so I'm good for a HT right now, but I can't do a serious trail ride on it. I'm just too big.

Here's a photo of an experiment I tried while my XC bike was broken. Even with this post, I needed 1.5 more inches of saddle height. Also, note the 26" rear wheel.

Cool! What are the tire limits like witha 26"? Hows the geometry?

Dogboy · Feb 23, 2005

MikeD said:
19/13.7" HA/Bb...MD

That's pretty slack

ska todd · Feb 23, 2005

ssk said:
dw, we need you to design a bike between the MKIII and the 7point, a heavier-duty trail bike.

[cough]Type 6[/cough]

-ska todd

Dogboy · Feb 23, 2005

ska todd said:
[cough]Type 6[/cough]

-ska todd

Hmmmm. What's that Todd

neaky:

ska todd · Feb 23, 2005

Dogboy said:
Hmmmm. What's that Todd neaky:

1 = 02.5-04 Hollowpoint
2 = dwDH - Sunday
3 = dw5 - MkIII
4 = dw7 - 7POINT
5 = dw3 - Azure
Type 6 = ...

-ska todd

ska todd · Feb 23, 2005

ssk said:
Type 6, hmm...

Is that the Yakuza?
If not, care to give some generalized vague stats?

no...this is a dw-link bike...

-ska todd

WaveDude · Feb 23, 2005

What about a Kona Coiler???

Bikael Molton · Feb 24, 2005

More info please! you've got to spill it...

ska todd said:
no...this is a dw-link bike...

-ska todd

BadFastard · Feb 24, 2005

ssk said:
I'm strongly considering both of these bikes, but I haven't been able to test either yet. I want something that's going to 1. pedal well 2. weigh ~30-35 lbs 3. handle light freeride/dj (ok, maybe a bit more DJing) 4. and I'd ue it for any DH races in Central TX

I'm 6'3" 205, not smooth

Can some of you with some experience on these two bikes give me some comments give me some input?

Quoting Keith Bontrager: Strong-light-cheap. Pick 2

DHS · Feb 24, 2005

type 6?
you gots to stop giving me ideas that i NEED a new trail bike. instead of just want.
bastards

05 Enduro v. IH MKIII

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