I am new to this forum. This is my first post. I like to ride off-road, on trails or on things approximating trails. These days I am trying to pay a bit more attention to having the "right" sort of bike for the riding that I most like to do. And this gets me to the reason for my post: I'm having a difficult time sorting out just what the different types of mountain bikes are optimized to do.
I've been looking at two models by Specialized: the Enduro SX Trail and the Stumpjumper. The marketing copy on Specialized's web site does a poor job of differentiating between their models. The Enduro is good for "All-Mountain, that doesn't mean just the easy trails..." while the Stumpjumper is good for "...riding a fast, flowing piece of singletrack."
Huh? I must say, that marketing copy just does not enlighten me.
Just what, exactly, are the differences likely to be between these two models? What are the design tradeoffs? Does the Enduro use a different frame geometry? And to what end? I really wish Specialize would post more details about the design tradeoffs between their models.
When I look at bikes in general, I see terms like "all mountain", "freeride", "downhill". Downhill is an obvious term. But what, exactly, does "freeride" refer to? I assume it doesn't mean to ride freely through the woods on traces of 30-year-old logging trails.
I know I should ask the dealer about all this, and I will one of these days, but the store is an hour's drive away (one way), and I'll be lucky to have the time to go back this week.
I sat on the Enduro in the store and really like the "feel" of it. I'm sorely tempted to buy one next spring. I couldn't try the Stumpjumper at all, because you have to cut down the seatpost in order to adjust it. For reasons I can't put my finger on, I visually prefer the Enduro. I'm not sure why that is. Could be just the paint job.
I wasn't really in the market for a $2000+ bike last week, and ended up walking out the door with a Rockhopper Comp at an end-of-season price that seemed reasonably good. The bike is great, and it's what I should have bought three years ago. I had been riding a Specialized Expedition model, which is a very capable bike, but not really the best thing in deep sand, wet sand, when going through mud holes. I still ride it around town though, because the Rockhopper's knobby tires are sub-optimal on pavement.
I've been looking at two models by Specialized: the Enduro SX Trail and the Stumpjumper. The marketing copy on Specialized's web site does a poor job of differentiating between their models. The Enduro is good for "All-Mountain, that doesn't mean just the easy trails..." while the Stumpjumper is good for "...riding a fast, flowing piece of singletrack."
Huh? I must say, that marketing copy just does not enlighten me.
Just what, exactly, are the differences likely to be between these two models? What are the design tradeoffs? Does the Enduro use a different frame geometry? And to what end? I really wish Specialize would post more details about the design tradeoffs between their models.
When I look at bikes in general, I see terms like "all mountain", "freeride", "downhill". Downhill is an obvious term. But what, exactly, does "freeride" refer to? I assume it doesn't mean to ride freely through the woods on traces of 30-year-old logging trails.
I know I should ask the dealer about all this, and I will one of these days, but the store is an hour's drive away (one way), and I'll be lucky to have the time to go back this week.
I sat on the Enduro in the store and really like the "feel" of it. I'm sorely tempted to buy one next spring. I couldn't try the Stumpjumper at all, because you have to cut down the seatpost in order to adjust it. For reasons I can't put my finger on, I visually prefer the Enduro. I'm not sure why that is. Could be just the paint job.
I wasn't really in the market for a $2000+ bike last week, and ended up walking out the door with a Rockhopper Comp at an end-of-season price that seemed reasonably good. The bike is great, and it's what I should have bought three years ago. I had been riding a Specialized Expedition model, which is a very capable bike, but not really the best thing in deep sand, wet sand, when going through mud holes. I still ride it around town though, because the Rockhopper's knobby tires are sub-optimal on pavement.