The Carbon Enduro Chronicles: Hall Ranch
It’s my job to wring out my new 2010/11 Enduro Pro Carbon, and I take this job seriously.
Today I rocked another local benchmark ride: Hall Ranch in Lyons, CO.
Credibility
I’ve ridden this trail on four generations of Enduros, four generations of Stumpjumpers, two generations of Demos, an SX and a P.bike. I teach here. I shot MMBSii here. I know this trail — and how various bikes handle it.
Terrain
– Mellow uphill approach
– Semi-steep but very rocky/ledgy climb
– Short pinner descent
– Mellow climb to the top
– Turn around
The resulting descent, counting traverses and climbs, is about 20 minutes (40+ minutes for civilians) of swoopy flow, tricky turns and chunky pump. It is a great test of equipment, skills and fitness.
Bike setup
I feel like the suspension is getting close. I weigh about 185 pounds.
Fork: Fox Float 36, 60 psi, high speed compression at stock position one click in from all the way out, low speed compression five clicks in from all the way out (I wanted a bit more platform)
Shock: I’m testing an X-Fusion O2 PVA shock. Air pressure is 185 psi. On smooth climbs I set the 4-position platform lever to #4. On today’s choppy climb I rocked #3. On the descents I run #2, which seems to balance the fork. #1 feels too wallowy (for me).
Tires: Yesterday’s Left Hand Canyon adventure felt choppier than it should have. Today I lowered the pressure in my burly 2.3 Chunders from 40/42 to 33/35. That felt even slooooooowwwwer, but smoother.
Pedals: Back to clips.
Up
This bike climbs mellow grades extremely well. It weighs a hair more than my heavily built Stumpy, but it’s stiffer, and it’s white, and it’s badass. So there.
When the climbs get steeper and more technical, you really have to work. The rocky sections of the Hall Ranch climb are tough.
Today I easily cleaned every section I went for. If you rock good form and lay down the power, the Enduro goes up like the champ it is. But: In the sections where I cruised whatever style, my front wheel flopped or my tires bonked, and I walked.
Yeah man, if you want to climb steep/tech trails with the fork at full travel, you gotta be on it.
On hindsight, maybe an adjustable Talas would have been smarter than the Float.
Down
![]() Attacking Hall Ranch, two Enduros ago. |
The bike feels stable but nimble, planted yet flickable.
Ha, that sounds like marketing BS.
Let me put it this way:
I pinned the descent, and it was freaking sweet.
Now let’s get more specific:
– The rear end did a great job of absorbing the high-speed stutters and braking bumps. Many other bikes — every one I’ve ridden that wasn’t PUSHed — spike and chatter through that stuff. The new Enduro skates on through, which sets you up beautifully for whatever induced those braking bumps.
– The bike is stable and plush. Those qualities let you bomb through random gnar, but they require more effort when you want to flick and pump. That’s the nature of the all-mountain beast. Do you set your bike for gnar, pump or somewhere in between?
– I, of course, want a bike that’s firm when I want, bottomless when I want, and makes the right choice when I don’t know what I want.
Next
– Try even more low-speed compression up front. The bike is pumping well, but I want it to feel snappier.
– Quicker tires. Back to the trusty Eskars.
– Get the 1 1/8 steerer tube adapter, and try the X-Fusion Vengeance fork.
More wringing out. It’s my job.
— Lee
Know more. Have more fun!
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Dear Lee,
I thought about buying your book but a couple things are just wrong. First of all, in one of you comments you talked about a heart felt essay etc. so that you would provide a link to your “holly grail, pump track book.” Wow, is the spirit of riding really tooting your horn and and making sure all I’s are dotted and T’s are crossed?
The way you write sucks. Its like a 14 year olds scatter brain thoughts. Dont believe me? Read that sorry article about your Enduro exp. If you had to write your own essay, doesnt seem like you could pull it off.
With everything you said about the Enduro, I would say you were right on. But you could seriously read anything in the last 3 years and it would be the same story. Just written horribly, not sure how i found my way here… but it wont be hard not finding my way back.
D- for originality
C- horrible service for the Austrailian
Thanks Again,
MTB
Wow, thanks for the insight.
You are correct that these Carbon Enduro Chronicles are not tightly written. Many of the posts of this site are hastily written because I am super busy taking care of my family and doing work that pays. I think it’s better to post useful information — even if the prose isn’t dialed — than to wait until I can make every sentence perfect.
BTW:
There should be apostrophes and hyphens in “It’s like a 14-year-old’s”
– It’s is a contraction
– 14-year-old is a compound modifier
– old’s is possessive
Hey Swindler,
This is a blog. you know, like, free? What was it that your mother used to say? You know; “if you ain’t got nothin’ nice to say?” how does the rest go?
Hey Lee,
You’re singing pretty high praise for the X-Fusion shock there by saying the bike handles as good as any with a shock that has been “Pushed”. Or am I reading between the lines too much? I’m looking to replace my DHX Air 5 on my 2005 Enduro. I find the shock seems to blow through it’s travel, and sits deep in its stroke. I also wouldn’t mind saving a few grams. Can you compare the X-Fusion to an RP23?
Hey lee,
The few posts regarding putting a shorter travel fork on an enduro got me thinking. I have a 2010 carbon epic and ride and race mostly aggressive xc. I can’t afford another mtb in the stable and would like to make the epic a little more trail-worthy. I’ve been considering putting a 120mm through axle fork on it to slacken the head tube just a bit. Would this option achieve what I’m going for or would it screw with geometry to a pt to where it wouldn’t ride well?
Thanks lee!
BTW: your posts kick ass and extremely helpful and appreciated!
DHX Air 5.0 — Try dialing in the bottom-out control. Also, separately, try increasing the Boost Valve pressure. Those changes should help you stay higher in your travel.
X-Fusion vs. RP23 — Yes, I noticed excellent high-speed midstroke absorption on my X-Fusion. That shock has a non-stock tune created specifically for that model Enduro. All of these shocks are super-tunable, so that makes side-by-side comparisons difficult. But I will continue the testing!
Any thoughts on the epic 120mm?
>> Any thoughts on the epic 120mm?
I thought Epics had 100mm. A 120mm Epic sounds like my 2008 Stumpy Pro Carbon with Brains front and rear. That bike is a full-on trail weapon. Quick-pedaling, efficient-pumping and bump-gobbling.
Regarding the epic 120mm, I posted this a few posts prior:
The few posts regarding putting a shorter travel fork on an enduro got me thinking. I have a 2010 carbon epic and ride and race mostly aggressive xc. I can’t afford another mtb in the stable and would like to make the epic a little more trail-worthy. I’ve been considering putting a 120mm through axle fork on it to slacken the head tube just a bit. Would this option achieve what I’m going for or would it screw with geometry to a pt to where it wouldn’t ride well?
Thanks Lee
Duh. I need some sleep.
Adding 20mm to the fork would slacken the Epic’s head angle about one degree to 69 degrees. I think that would make a fun bike.
Not sure how that would affect warranty. “I was just riding along … off this massive drop …”
would it make the front wheel more prone to washing out? Also, how would it affect climbing? I just want to make sure it wouldn’t want to wander on the steeps.
Hey MTBSwindler, (god, that’s original)
Exactly who are you? What have you done lately, other than flunk basic English and be an ill-informed, opinionated dick? Everything you said could be said by a 14 year old; are you one? No one invited you or your comments on this blog. Piss off back under the rock you came from.
D- for being a dick
A+ for never coming back here