Rode Whistler last weekend with two buddies who both have Enduro bikes. I rented a DH. Obviously got the bug and am now hooked.
After the wife went to bed last night may have made an irresponsible;e (or respsonible depending who you ask) purchase and bought myself a MTB. Figured it’s easier to ask for forgiveness than permission.
I’ve been looking over PinkBike (which I didn’t know existed a week ago) and have felt totally overwhelmed by the options. So many brands, bikes, components, and upgrades. Hard for me to judge what premium the owner’s upgrades are actually worth, considering I didn’t even know dropper posts were a thing until now. My goal was to purchase a used $5k bike for around $2500. Everyone. I talked to said to avoid sub $2k bikes as love for one wouldn’t last long.
As I was doomscrolling the web I stumbled upon a 2021 Specialized Stumpjumper EVO Expert, new-in- box, sold by incycle. It was $2800 off the $5000 list price, bringing the total to just under $2,200. Decided to bite the bullet and buy it after I checked a handful of Reddit, YouTube, and forum reviews where everyone spoke pretty favorably of the bike back in 2021/2022 when it was reviewed.
Background: Im 39 and live in the PNW. Back in my teen years I was a nationally ranked and sponsored BMX racer, but have been out of the bike scene since high school. Riding Whistler last weekend reignited the stoke and was pretty happy that I was able to ride (and clear) all of A-line. I don’t know exactly what type of MTB’er I want to be, but I certainly feel most comfortable on flowy jump tracks as that is most reminiscent of my BMX era, but did hit a few black tech trails at Whistler and can see myself exploring that world more.
What’s confusing to me as a person new to the scene is what type of bike is most appropriate for a variety of situations (trail vs enduro). At whistler, I rented a DH Commencal. My buddy and I switched bikes for a run and I hopped on his enduro Transition and honestly could not tell any difference. I felt comfortable on both and didn’t feel like one outperformed the other. I also have a 10yo that is very interested in MTBing so could see this becoming our “thing” together over the next decade.
Question 1: Is there anything I should know or consider about my purchase that I am ignorant to? Any upgrades that should be immediate, or ride it for a while and try and enjoy the virgin experience before I go down the rabbit trail of upgrading. I can still cancel the purchase as the bike has not yet shipped, but don’t think I’ll find a better deal than I got considering not a single used STJ Evo Expert on PinkBike is priced cheaper than what I paid.
Question 2: How big of a barrier is distance to trails for you all? Although I’m in the PNW, I live about 50min from any decent trails. While I’d like to think that wont be an issue, I hate traffic and commuting. If I was 10min from epic riding I’d have gotten back in to biking years ago, but knowing I have to drive an hour kinda kills my soul a bit. Do you find yourself riding less when the distance to trails is increased, or do you suck it up and hit the road?
by Iovemyusername