As the title suggests, looking to move into a full-suspension bike from my Specialized Fuse I bought back in 2020-2021 timeframe.
Riding: My home trails are the DTE trails in Southern MI, but also go to quite a few others in the area. I did some of my first downhill park riding this year, and definitely plan to go a lot more in the coming seasons. I am also out in CO a lot, and would like to ride some downhill out there too. I would say my riding is more biased towards typical trail riding with climbs and descents, but I am willing to sacrifice a bit there for better performance at downhill parks.
Experience: Been riding about 5 years now on my current hard tail. I would say I can tackle most blue runs, at least in Michigan, at the moment. Jumping is definitely the most fun part of riding for me. Ideally just looking to be an all around better mountain biker, but downhill experience (speed, fluidity) is where I want to improve most at this point in time.
Budget/Possible Choices: I would like to stay around $3k USD, which seems doable with some of the sales going on right now, but I can stretch it if the value/cost ratio is there. I'm a small frame rider, about 5'5. Some of the bikes I've been looking at are below (Spectral 6, Spectral CF7, Stumpjumper 15 comp).
https://www.canyon.com/en-us/outlet-bikes/mountain-bikes/spectral-cf-7/50041778.html
Open to any more suggestions, or opinions on the bikes I have listed. Thanks!
by ChrisKay0508
5 Comments
Can’t comment on the canyons but the stumpy is pretty great and I’ve never met anyone who regretted getting one. It’s also nice because you can probably ride one in person before you buy, or maybe even rent one depending on the options around you.
If they’re still available, the Kona Process 153 CR/DL is a killer deal on Jenson USA. Just bought one last week. Thing is a beast.
If you’ve got a bike shop that deals with them, or think they can put something together for you, look into Zink Bikes Vacay.
That is, providing that jumping and other tricks are what you’re seriously looking into…
I rode a stumpy. Excellent all ‘rounder
If you are looking to do more DH stuff, I’d think a longer travel bike is what would fit your wants. Others recommended the Kona Process 153 or a Stumpy which would fit the bill. You may also want to check [99spokes.com](http://99spokes.com) to expand your search.
I made a similar transition recently from a Marlin 5 gen 2 to a Devinci Django. Im not looking to ride parks or DH, I’m more into techy XC style trails. What a difference a better bike makes!
Happy shopping!