Cross country bike good enough for most of NJ?

My 2 cents:

1) Guy showed up to a ride the other day on a brand new Scott Spark. Looks great if if you World Cup mechanics taking care of your bike, but get out of here with that integrated headset and hidden shock.
2) It's not that it's an XC bike amount of travel, it's an XC race bike with very XC geometry. Lots of bikes with similar travel now with more forgiving geometry that would be more fun.

I'd prefer something more like the Ibis Ripley, Santa Cruz Tallboy, Cannondale Habit, Specialized Stumpjumper or maybe the Epic Evo.

@Cassinonorth beat me by a few minutes...
 
Santapez said:
1) Guy showed up to a ride the other day on a brand new Scott Spark. Looks great if if you World Cup mechanics taking care of your bike, but get out of here with that integrated headset and hidden shock.
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I don't own one, but I can sort of imagine dealing with the hidden shock. The headset though, no thanks.

On vacation last week I stopped by one of the local shops and they had this in stock. Trickstuff brakes etc...crazy spec. Would never pay $14k for a bike, but sure did look cool.

www.capecodseasports.com

Scott Spark 900 Ultimate EVO AXS

When you think of the perfect mountain bike, what comes to mind? For us, it's the all new Spark 900 Ultimate EVO AXS. Why, you ask? Well, beyond the fact that it is fast, lightweight and ultra...
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something like this is fine for 99% of NJ. its the rider, not the bike

weird2.jpg
 
Santapez said:
My 2 cents:

1) Guy showed up to a ride the other day on a brand new Scott Spark. Looks great if if you World Cup mechanics taking care of your bike, but get out of here with that integrated headset and hidden shock.
2) It's not that it's an XC bike amount of travel, it's an XC race bike with very XC geometry. Lots of bikes with similar travel now with more forgiving geometry that would be more fun.

I'd prefer something more like the Ibis Ripley, Santa Cruz Tallboy, Cannondale Habit, Specialized Stumpjumper or maybe the Epic Evo.

@Cassinonorth beat me by a few minutes...
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Often overlooked, but likely a perfect solution for the OP. I love my EE, but the regular SJ climbs great, descends well, and has just the right amount of travel for the vast majority of NJ.

Good suggestion about JORBAFest as well.
 
Santapez said:
My 2 cents:

1) Guy showed up to a ride the other day on a brand new Scott Spark. Looks great if if you World Cup mechanics taking care of your bike, but get out of here with that integrated headset and hidden shock.
2) It's not that it's an XC bike amount of travel, it's an XC race bike with very XC geometry. Lots of bikes with similar travel now with more forgiving geometry that would be more fun.

I'd prefer something more like the Ibis Ripley, Santa Cruz Tallboy, Cannondale Habit, Specialized Stumpjumper or maybe the Epic Evo.

@Cassinonorth beat me by a few minutes...
Click to expand...
I get the headset. I have an integrated headset on my Orbea road bike and am dreading the day my trainer sweat finally kills the headset bearings.

But how do you see the integrated shock as a bad thing? Seems like it’s protected from the elements being hidden in there. You can still adjust it relatively easily. And rear shocks are pretty much set and forget. It’s not like I’m removing my rear shock except to get it serviced (which is nowhere near as often as recommended :)
 
I used to say 120mm was the right amount of bike until I started following Chis Blevens on IG. Now I realize that I suck and the bike is irrelevant.

 
jShort said:
I get the headset. I have an integrated headset on my Orbea road bike and am dreading the day my trainer sweat finally kills the headset bearings.

But how do you see the integrated shock as a bad thing? Seems like it’s protected from the elements being hidden in there. You can still adjust it relatively easily. And rear shocks are pretty much set and forget. It’s not like I’m removing my rear shock except to get it serviced (which is nowhere near as often as recommended :)
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Depends on the frame, but setting sag when the bike is new can be a PITA. And during maintenance you've got a few more steps to get the shock out. Access to check or change air pressure could be really hard.

Yeah definitely more protected though. For XC type riding I'm sure it's ok in there but heat buildup would probably be an issue on long descents. But that's not the application for that style of bike anyway.

For myself I could deal with the hidden shock way before I could deal with the headset routing. I'm even annoyed with the bikes that route brake lines in the frame which is basically everything now but way less of an issue.
 
Steve Vai said:
I used to say 120mm was the right amount of bike until I started following Chis Blevens on IG. Now I realize that I suck and the bike is irrelevant.

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He’s pretty ridiculous. Even among the pointy end of UCI World Cup, they still regard his skills as next level.
 
Trek top fuel handles north jersey fine. I got it since i ride the road to the trails a lot and didn’t want anything to slack. Has the flip chip so can make it more XC geo (high) or more slack (low) easily. I’ve learned to like the low setting better once getting used to the different angles on the climbs.
 
jShort said:
He’s pretty ridiculous. Even among the pointy end of UCI World Cup, they still regard his skills as next level.
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Yeah, I watch Enduro Bro Edits from Creek and the like with dudes on 170 bikes with full DH Gear and then see Chris hucking something twice as big on a 20lb bike with 75mm travel in a skinsuit 😂
 
lycokayaker said:
Looking at coming back to MTB. I have been doing a lot of road and miss the trails. I used to ride a Scott genius that wasn’t a great climber. Would a Scott spark rc with 120mm of travel front and rear do good for most of nj or be under gunned ? Help me out please


Bill
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I ride 150mm for almost everything and I like it better. Short travel bikes are twitchy and less fun for me. So if you can get a great deal on a 120mm xc bike then sure you'll probably love it since it's light years better than anything from a decade ago. But consider a 140/150mm trail bike and you'll be happy you did.
 
A well- setup 140/120 modern geo FS is more than enough for just aboot any NJ singletrak dirt/rox. If you are doing the climbing.
 
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