Help with new XC bike decision

Here’s a few other posts on similar topics.

Steve’s list of bikes in the 2nd post is a great list of multipurpose trail bikes like the Ripley.

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Bummer if that last 100ml is dealbreaker for you. :joy: What kind of bottles do you use?

I would run a large frame anyway so it should be fine. The Orbea looks similar to my epic which is why I probably like it and I would potentially consider one as a replacement.

Just the normal 750ml bottles.

Lux CF SL 8.0 Pro Race

I bought a new Epic this year and I really do like it. My buddy bought the bike above as he’s more into marathon and long distance XC races. 110MM travel, ability for full lock out, X01 out of the box, internal dropper, sub 25 lbs with tubes, and it’s on sale. After riding his bike I would definitely consider swapping out of the Epic for the Lux.

Better specs than my bike, lighter, more travel and $1,200 cheaper.

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The hardest part when buying a Oiz is choose between all the color combinations in Myo. Was a nightmare for me! :joy:

I will likely never ride an MTB without a dropper again. I’d probably give up suspension before the dropper.

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Those decisions are the stuff of nightmares for me :rofl:

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Ugh, I almost bought this bike at full price and now it’s even harder to resist… but I really want that pivot. Decisions, decisions, decisions…

Thanks for the comments on droppers.

I race the Michigan XC CPS and I wouldn’t call the trails “all flat “ and “non-technical”. The trails are generally punchy, rooty, sandy and loose with about 2,000 feet of climbing. I have a dropper on my Scott Spark RC and moved up to Expert/Cat 1. Even for Michigan I recommend a dropper, even if you only use it in a few key spots. I won a race earlier in the year because I was able to rail a tricky loose downhill 30 seconds from the finish line. The guy on my wheel tried to stay with me and lost traction in a sandy turn, causing him to dab and finish 10 seconds later.

Below are the profiles of some of my races this year in Michigan that don’t look so flat:

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I’m a sucker for black and gold. Beautiful bike.

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I xc mtb all the time and have no idea what a downcountry bike is :man_shrugging:

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I live in CO now, and love it, but used to live in the Midwest. I miss those rolling trails! My local XC races have a very different profile.

image

The downhills are long, but not very technical (in the MTB sense; lots of fast turns tho, so what roadies would call technical :grin:).

The fast guys are running either a short travel full sus XC rig, or a XC hardtail. For slower, older guys like me, the long downhills are easier on a rig with a little longer travel. The dropper also helps - about one-two inches makes a huge difference on the fast descents, making the bike easier to move around.

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Ugh, I would hate to race that all up then all down profile. The punchyness of our XC races makes tactics interesting and the race engaging.

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Didn’t mean to imply that MI course are totally pancake flat, but compared to many other regions where people might be racing XC, it’s way less hilly, and the prevailing thought would be that a dropper is not necessary. There’s no denying that, on average, the MI race courses are far less technical than in other regions, and more about maintaining speed in smooth corners and the odd ‘rooty’ area.

My point is that even on those trails, I think a dropper is an advantage, and worth the weight penalty. If they’re an advantage on the non-technical trails, they should be a no brainer when the downhills get longer, steeper and more rocky.

Yep. The uphill is basically a time trial, where the fittest is fastest - no tactics to speak of.

And on the downhill, there’s no real tactics either - the most skillful descender is fastest, as people (for the most part) are pretty good about pulling over and letting faster people pass.

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Another shout out for the spark RC, with a dropper. It’s pretty darn light and pedals really well. I also like the lockout that makes the bike rigid front and bake, great for standing climbing.

Essentially an over forked XC full sus bike, usually 120mm travel in the front and 100mm in the rear, plus a little slacker in the HTA.

Such as:

Yeti SB100
Intense Sniper
Rocky Mountain Element
…and many others.

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Wondering what the OP ended up demo’ing and what his thoughts were. I was also in Moab demo’ing XC bikes. I was looking for 110-120 up front which led me to the XC/TR group of bikes.

I found sizing to be a bit of a head scratcher as brands are also over the place and everyone has a different opinion so I ended up trying both the L and XL in most bikes. I tried:
Canyon Lux - good bike for the $ but L was too small and XL just a tad big. not a good fit.
Orbea Oiz M10 TR - I really liked this bike and XL fit well
Fezzari Signal Peak XL - good fit but seemed more Trail than XC. Seemed a little heavy and slow relative to other bikes but some of that could have been setup.
Scott Spark 910 - Loved this bike. XL was too big. L fit well. Fast, handled well.
Spec Epic Evo - tried this in L and it was a little small. Could never get on the XL.

At the end of the day I am probably going to get the Spark 910 or the Oiz M10 TR but I really would like to check out the Blur before making a decision.

Unfortunately some brands were not there (Santa Cruz, BMC, et. al) and many brands did not bring their XC bikes give that it was Moab.

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I would say that you already have tested more bikes then most of us so i am sure whatever bike you pick you will be very happy with it. For me, i love my Oiz M10 TR!