Seems like everything's on sale, and since I've been getting back into riding...

Yeah, this is a what bike should I buy thread. Sorry, and TIA.

Rode a ton 15 years ago. Stumpjumper 26" hardtail, Yei 575 26", Sanra Cruz Bullit DH.

Had a couple kids and had to prioritize. Began riding again quite frequently recently. Stumpjumper is the only bike I still own. Feels super small and steep now that I rode a friend's 29". And my 12 YO is quickly growing out of his 24" so he wants my 26".

Test rode an Specialized Epic Evo that had a steep discount. Was looking at the Intense 951's at Costco (I'm in retail and I don't have a problem with someone selling out for big bucks as long as the product doesn't suffer, which it does not seem to have). The XC version and the Epic seem to be similarly spec'd, priced, and weight (both around 28lbs which is kinda important to me coming off a 21 lb Stumpy). Seems like I am going the carbon route.

Reviews on both say that there isn't a huge difference in uphill or downhill between the XC and Trail models on the 951 or the Epic vs Stumpy. But I mostly ride East Coast flowy stuff and would probably feel a huge difference between my current hardtail and the XC oriented 951 or Epic. Plus they are about 4 lbs lighter before updating the wheels and cassette eventually. My downhill days are far behind me.

And then thoughts in general on those two bikes? I'd love a Pivot or Yeti or Ibis, but looking to stay sub $3k. Not really looking for the DTC brands either. I tend to buy something and keep it forever so would rather spend a couple bucks more on something I know.

I did see you can easily adjust the 951 to be a little slacker if this old guy can actually learn a new trick. Also, I have short legs and long torso if that matters geometry-wise.

TLDR: Looking for a full suspension but pedal oriented and light - Epic EVO or Intense 951 or? Go for the Trail oriented one or stick with my gut and go XC-like.

Thanks in advance for humoring me.

Not sure which epic evo model is sub 3k now, could be a great deal. I’d look at the Ibis Ripley AF, trail bike but oriented towards efficient pedaling. Currently discounted to around $2600 with a solid deore drivetrain, fox performance suspension, and decent wheels. Seems hard to bear when buying new.

Buying a bike at Costco is essentially DTC.


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All things equal I would take Specialized over Intense any day of the week. Better support, dealer network, resale, etc. And you can go test ride one...
XC vs Trail? Do you like riding your hardtail and picking the best line or rolling over it? How much climbing are you going to be doing? Do you want a quiver of one or will you be willing to buy another bike if you get back into it?
Rocky Mountain has some good sales going on now too.

+1 on the Ripley AF, although sizes are selling fast at the current discounts.

I owned the 951 Trail and while it was perfectly fine, I don't think it is a great deal now that other brands are in stock and have discounts available. I'd take a Deore, NGX, or SLX build of the Ripley AF before buying an Intense 951 Trail again.

Story might be different if you could still get the great deal for $2k from the 951 outlet, but at ~3k, there are other bikes on the table now (unlike during COVID when I bought my 951).

Also worth a look at the Izzo Core 3 which is marked down to $2999 now.

Sounds like weight is important to you - the Ripley AF is not light, so try to check one out in person before buying.

Thanks for the quick replies - sounds like I'm out on the 951.

Epic I can get steeply discounted cash deal at local shop as he is overstocked and has my frame size.

Ripley looks great at the price but I don't see any smaller frames available at the $2600 pricepoint. Thinking I need a Medium, but not 100% sure. 28" inseam, 5'7". And the weight is a factor too as someone pointed out.

I used to be more downhill oriented and would suffer on the pedaling but these days and at my age and ability, some long flowy singletrack picking my lines is more my speed. Would be good to have the bigger wheels and a little cushioning for the downhill without losing too much pedal-ability over my hardtail.

I think I have my answer. Thanks!

I would ask your buddy if he has a normal stumpy that you can compare to the epic evo otherwise take the deal and ride it.

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Originally Posted by carlh

I would ask your buddy if he has a normal stumpy that you can compare to the epic evo otherwise take the deal and RIDEIT

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I wholeheartedly concur.

back in the day junior was working at one of them chain stores that do everything but nothing well, they knew he had bike & ski experiance so they wanted him to be their bike, guy

after a month he said " I'm sorry i can't do this cuz I've worked at a real bike store "

they said thanx for your work and come back anytime for a job

I would look at Santa cruz/ Yeti/ Ibis products and at the money you will be spending it better speak to you

I dug the Yeti and the SC even more but I haven't owned an Ibis

A killer deal on the Epic Evo sounds hard to beat for your schenario as long as you don't want more travel (otherwise look at the stumpy). Which build are you looking at?

I will say that the Intense 951 XC isn't a terrible option if any of the deals that brought it to ~2000-2500 came back. If you aren't aware, it is an Intense Sniper frame with a different paint job (I believe it is equivalent to the Sniper T) and a bit of a parts bin build-kit. So definitely not an XC race bike--more similar to the Epic Evo (dare I say "downcountry"). I haven't ridden one, but people seem to like the Snipers.

If you are looking at the base Epic Evo (and not the Epic Evo Comp), I think the Intense 951 actually still compares favorably. It is the slightly heavier Rhythm version, bit I think you'd be much happier with the Fox 34 over the RockShox Reba. The TRP Slate T4 is a nice brake and I'd 100% take it over the 2-pot Level T that comes on the base Epic Evo. The wheels on the 951 are probably the first thing you'd want to upgrade, but the Specialized wheels aren't anything special either. If you are looking at the Epic Evo Comp, it wins hands down over the 951 in every category.

And at least in my brief period of ownership, Intense was responsive and seemed to treat the 951 stuff the same as mainline Intense for any warranty/parts issues. And if you buy from Costco...they will take a return of it no questions asked. Part of the deal you make with them is that they want you to be happy and they know you are buying a bike without being able to test it or have a mechanic assemble it...if you aren't happy after spending some time in the saddle, return it guilt free.

But if you are looking for more than 120/120 travel then yeah...I don't think the 951 Trail bears any consideration--It is an Intense Primer frame, and now that everything else is available, I can't see any scenario where buying a Trail/Primer is better than half a dozen other bikes. Whereas the XC/Sniper is a frame that some people actually really like on its own merits (not just cheapness).

FWIW, I'll have a size run of Stumpys (expert-level builds) for sale in a couple of weeks... probably around $3500-3800'ish.

I haven't ridden the 951 from Costco but a friend had a Primer and I rode it a number of times. Rad bike, just a really solid pedaling platform that also felt great descending. I think it was 130/120 back then. Shortish travel but the 29" wheels helped make up for it. That was the bike I was going to buy back in 2020 but with Covid they were not available. Same with the Ripley which was my second choice. I got lucky and was able to get my hands on a Spur instead.

As to frame sizes, I'm 5-4 with 30" inseam. I've ridden mediums before from Santa Cruz and my Spur is a M. But the medium Primer and Ripley were both too tall for me. On the Primer standover height was really tall and the the seat tube sticks up high enough that it would limit my ability to run a dropper post. I had to lower the dropper on my friend's Primer over half way to ride, so in that size I'd only be able to use about 2" of drop. Ripley standover wasn't as tall but it had the same issue with tall seatpost. The small size in each frame fit great.

Not a fan of specialized but being able to test ride one and having a local shop who is a dealer for support is pretty huge. I'd definitely want to be able to check out the sizing on the Intense or SC.

Thanks all for the advice. They have a stumpy in stock but only alloy in my frame size and it feels heavy compared to the carbon Epic. I'll test ride it to see if I wanted the more travel but still leaning towards a lighter pedally short travel FS. They have an Epic comp but in a large. That looks like a nice bike too - extra travel, better fork, lighter weight. Might be out of budget if I find it elsewhere...

I'll go ride a few more. Thanks again!

Since you are after light, test ride a carbon 29er hardtail. It's night and day vs. an old school 26" hardtail. I picked one up this year used for cheap and only rode my trail bike once this summer.....

So, I want to preface this by saying that my Epic Evo is likely my favorite bike of all time because it is so versatile in what it can do AND that I have limited time riding it on the East coast compared to the west.

With that said, I do have to wonder about the link / suspension technology of the Intense vs. the single-pivot of the Epic. The Epic excels at going fast and sucking up singular bigger hits (in my opinion) and felt like it struggled on the slower, rooty, east-coast single track. There were times where I was wishing I had my Pivot because it seems to be better on those repeated small to moderate rocks and roots.

Now, I do have my suspension as firm and linear as I can - so perhaps re-tuning would have made the bike perform better. Keep in mind that riding on representative terrain is important for test-rides (if possible).

I personally haven't ridden an Epic Evo, but they're very popular around here (PA/East coast) for XC racers on rocky trails and light trail bike for long rides. Obviously not an enduro bike, but see them plenty on the trails here and think they'd be pretty ideal for many trails I ride often.

Does anybody have a comparison from a Stumpjumper to a Ripley AF? Dont want to lose any pedaling speed coming from a Ripley AF but would like a little bit more composure in rough stuff. Geo looks similar, just curious about the feel differences.

Where will you be riding mostly?

Front Range CO. I have a big bike to complement the Ripley so nothing super rowdy. Just want something that pedals well in the alpine/Buffalo Creek/mellower rides around here. Ripley is a super fun bike, I just get new-bike-itis every two years and I am just not reaching for it like I used to.

Lot of used deals in the $3K range. I've been seeing surprisingly nice carbon Ripmos in that price range on PB.

Pretty far into this thread without the obvious being stated: anything but Specialized.

:mad:

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Originally Posted by Jtlange

Front Range CO. I have a big bike to complement the Ripley so nothing super rowdy. Just want something that pedals well in the alpine/Buffalo Creek/mellower rides around here. Ripley is a super fun bike, I just get new-bike-itis every two years and I am just not reaching for it like I used to.

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Being in CO, shouldn't you be on a Revel Ranger?

Everything hasn't seam to hit the hitch racks yet. Figure 25%+ is a good starting point for bikes. When will cars get below MSRP?

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Originally Posted by skaredshtles

Pretty far into this thread without the obvious being stated: anything but Specialized.

:mad:

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.
OIZ then?

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Originally Posted by skaredshtles

anything but Specialized.

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Words to live by.

I've been looking at similar bikes. Canyon is tempting, Specialized has stuff in stock, I just discovered the Element, and I recently found a used Blur that is tempting.

I found this 2022 Pinkbike review that covers most of these. They also have individual video reviews of the bikes.

https://youtu.be/SXHnieMRa6E?si=JR9jBF-bPwqaVBax


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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Iowagriz

I've been looking at similar bikes. Canyon is tempting, Specialized has stuff in stock, I just discovered the Element, and I recently found a used Blur that is tempting.

I found this 2022 Pinkbike review that covers most of these. They also have individual video reviews of the bikes.

https://youtu.be/SXHnieMRa6E?si=JR9jBF-bPwqaVBax


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I demoed the Canyon and really didn't love it. Playing with the setup might have helped a bit but it just felt too racey for me and while it pedaled super efficiently, it wasn't "fun".

Was interested in the Epic Evo, but ended up with a screaming deal on a Yeti SB115 and I've been loving it with a 130 Factory 34 grip2 fork (so no lockout). It is a fun bike to pedal fast but then still ride on things I probably shouldn't--like pedaling to the top of the local resort and descending through some of the chunkier lift served terrain before taking mellower/rolling flow trail back to town.