Leadville Dreaming: What Bike?

[LedZeppelin007]

Hi,

I started out mountain biking in 1994 and stopped in 1999 to ride road.

In other words, I have extremely limited skills, no knowledge of MTBs these days, but good fitness.

It’s been a dream of mine to do Leadville one day.

My wife wants to go to Tahoe for her birthday which coincides with the Tahoe event that is a Leadville qualifier.

So, I’m thinking about picking up a MTB on a relatively limited budget ($4-6k).

The local trails here are very rocky and can be very technical, just as an FYI.

I can’t decide whether I should aim for a trail bike or an XC bike. XC bikes appeal to me, being speed and numbers driven. I worry very much about my “skills” and the impact of rocks and roots, etc. I’d also like to be able to ride local trails here.

If I had to prioritize:

1) Speed
2) Value
3) Flexibility

Any suggestions?


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[RockC]

The 2021 - 2023 Epic Evo would be my reccomendation

I've spent significant time on most of the current XC and downcountry bikes and in my opinion, nothing can compete with this bike. It's as racy and light as the raciest XC bikes on the market, while simultaneously being more well mannered when the trails get rough than any downcountry bike i've ever riden. In my opinion, it truely is the perfect quiver killer bike for MOST of us. It pains me to say this as I swore I would never own a Specialized, but the fact is they hit a home run with this bike.

I have heard good things about the new Allied BC40 as well but haven't been able to spend material time on it yet. May also be a bike to look into but likely would be signifcantly more money as you'd have to buy new, whereas there is a number of decent deals hitting the market of late on the Evo.

[LedZeppelin007]

The 2021 - 2023 Epic Evo would be my reccomendation

I've spent significant time on most of the current XC and downcountry bikes and in my opinion, nothing can compete with this bike. It's as racy and light as the raciest XC bikes on the market, while simultaneously being more well mannered when the trails get rough than any downcountry bike i've ever riden. In my opinion, it truely is the perfect quiver killer bike for MOST of us. It pains me to say this as I swore I would never own a Specialized, but the fact is they hit a home run with this bike.

I have heard good things about the new Allied BC40 as well but haven't been able to spend material time on it yet. May also be a bike to look into but likely would be signifcantly more money as you'd have to buy new, whereas there is a number of decent deals hitting the market of late on the Evo.

That helps a lot. I’m guessing a Stumpjumper would be too much bike/too slow ascending?


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[tonytourist]

I did Leadville in 2016 and have wanted to do it again but have let other goals get in the way of either doing a qualifier or even entering the lottery.
Seconding Rock's advice, the Epic Evo would be a great bike for it. I've owned a 2021 Epic Evo and a 2021 Stumpjumper and the Stumpjumper would be overkill for Leadville and definitely slower. Keep in mind that Leadville isn't too technical with the exception of descending Powerline and depending on where you are in the field, the Columbine descent can be sketchy because you might have a ton of people off their bikes and walking while you're going down.

[stoney]

Epic hardtail...Leadville is a glorified gravel race.

[RockC]

I'd caution against riding a hardtail. If you are looking to be at the absolute pointiest end of the race and gunning for a win in whatever class you are in, then yes, the hardtail is probably the way to go as you chase marginal gains... That said, for most of us who just want to survive and come in under 9 hours, the added comfort from the full suspension will go a long ways towards the overall experience. More and more of the pros are opting for full suspensions the past couple years it appears as they are lighter and more efficient each year. Also, it sounded like he wanted a bike that he could use for leadville, while also enjoying as an everyday quasi trail bike...

[caad4rep]

Short travel FS - pick whichever suits your eye best. I did it a few years ago on a Turner Czar and finished in 8 hours. If I were to do it again I'd use a Trek Supercaliber.

[LedZeppelin007]

So…. Not perfect, but it will have to do. Found a deal on a lightly used S Works 2021/22 Stumpjumper frame and a Fox 34 Factory Fork. I’m pretty sure this is appropriate for the local trails here, but I’m hoping that it can be set up to be competitive at Tahoe Trail. Possible?


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[RockC]

I'd say it's pretty significant overkill for both marathon XC and XCO events. Anything is possible obviously but you will be less efficient than you would be on an Epic Evo of similar spec level, especially on a course like Leadville where weight will play a factor. It's just a slower bike for everything other than technical downhill sections.

[Hexsense]

Even Epic Evo is overkill IMO.
The regular Epic with brain rear suspension is a better fit for the event with added efficiency.
Use just rear brain suspension though. Ditch the brain fork, it's suck.
Use either 100mm or 120mm normal fork with Epic rear brain. You get efficiency upgrade rear end, --trade ~20% of comfort for speed, while still have all the comfort up front.

My short list of dream bike for that kind of event:
-Specialized Epic with non-brain fork.
-Ibis Exie.
-BMC Fourstroke.

[LedZeppelin007]

Well, I backed out of the deal. Ended up ordering a Cannondale Scalpel Carbon 2. Still may be overkill, but seems to be more in the ballpark.


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[LedZeppelin007]

That fell through, too. Went local and got an Epic EVO. Happy with the purchase. Any sense in upgrading the SID Select for a SID Ultimate?


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[LedZeppelin007]

(I think I could sell the SID Select for around $500 and purchase a SID Ultimate for $750)


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[js]

I'd suggest no.

I have the same bike and did that upgrade - it's really just weight you save, and that's not much. I found the damping on the new SID to be a bit lacking (coming from a Fox Fit4), and it's no better between the Select or Ultimate. If anything, the Race Day damper may be a bit less impressive.

I love the steering precission though, so overall I'm still glad I have a SID, and it did move better at the end of it's first season than it did at the beginning, so give it time, but my experience was that it rode quite harshly to start.

[xcl]

(I think I could sell the SID Select for around $500 and purchase a SID Ultimate for $750)


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As mentioned by the previous comment its not really worth upgrading to the Sid Ultimate, I would personally change to a 34sc since it's lighter and is arguably more reliable.