The trails for BWR are not usually that rough of technical. Any MTB even a hard tail should work fine.

For a fast rolling tire something like the Vittoria Terreno might work. I havent used the 2.1 29" MTB version, but I like it in 40C on my gravel bike. I also just picked up a pair for my 650b wheelset in 47C. The 40C's roll fast on pavement and handle fine on dirt.

Scalpel or Epic would be good choices. The Epic is a bit clunky when you actually ride over something rough and if you're riding a lot keep in mind that only a Specialized shop can service the Brain (most of the time). Scalpel has the downside of the proprietary front hub but I've wondered if there isn't an aero advantage to having a single stanchion when doing ~18mph.

For tires, the Terreno seems like a decent choice though I have no experience with them. I ride Mezcals down here in FL and those are pretty darn fast so they must be doing something right with the compound.

Go for a full rigid 29er

how technical are the dirt sections of bwr? like xc race technical? if not, than full suspension is probably overkill. if you want full sus for riding in general afterwards that is different. if you want a mtb for a gravel race with 90mi of pavement and for leadville, then get the lightest 29er hardtail you can. and probably try and get one that can accommodate at least a 38t up front for bwr, and 30 or 32 for leadville. i used an older cannondale flash 26 with 27.5 wheels and thunder burts 2.1 for VT overland and it is was probably lighter than all the gravel/cx bikes, and perfect for all the gravel and pave sections, but ran out of gears on the DH and flats where pack was pushing 28 mph+.

Good catch! I will update that I want a full suspension bike, as I already have a gravel bike and don’t own any MTBs.

BWR is not that technical. I want a full suspension MTB that I can ride SoCal single track on once done with the BWR.

I would say that SoCal single track is mostly rideable without any suspension, but when it gets chunky or too steep, I have to hop off my gravel / cross bike. I would like to be able to stay on the bike.

I do want to keep my setup pretty light, which is what attracted me to the Santa Cruz Blur.

The reason I liked the Epic was the brain suspension, but there is the risk that the proprietary lockout is what I will curse in the long-run of bike ownership.

blur and epic are good choices, i have a scott spark and love it. also as mentioned before the scalpel. look at canyon lux , trek supercaliber. all these are top of the line bikes, i'm sure there are some lower end versions, but you won't get the lightweight necessarily. for BWR sounds like a bigger chainring and fast rolling tires will be important, also on the fly suspension lockout.

I have used my current generation Epic FSR with a 38 tooth ring and Thunderburts for gravel duty and in general it can hold its own... but those tires still feel slow for road work... While the brain is quirky and some don’t like it... I think it’s great for my style of riding when set to full firm as it feels very rigid when out of the saddle pedaling for climbs and attacks.

A friend of mine races on a Scott with the twinloc remotes (not sure the model but it is their lightest XC dual suspension version). He loves it and from what I can see it is just as fast as the Epic. He has told me he switches the suspension constantly when racing (and loves it) so if you don’t mind a more manual approach that might be an even better setup as you can run full lock out on the road.

Bruh. I will take you out, you know, shreddin' the gnar, and change your mind about that. When you're in a fetal position at the side of the trail I'll change your mind about at least front suspension.

Like a 9-10 on the gnar scale.

Saturdays are for the boys. I'm still gonna send it.

trek supercaliber

I have a Scott Spark, I use the 3 position lockout all the time. A lot of people who say you don’t need lockouts have never ridden them.

I dig this kid.

Also, as far as FS bikes (for maybe like a 3-4 on the gnar scale if you - OP - can do a lot of it on your gravel bike) go my preference would probably be:

1) Pivot Mach 4 (w/ live valve)
2) Specialized Epic
3) Scott Spark RC

That was awesome! lololol

If you have a gravel bike use that for BWR and get a solid trail bike for everything else.

I went through a similar analysis last year, wanting to add a cross country / marathon MTB. I looked hard at the Epic but the proprietary Brain shock ultimately turned me away. I read a lot of first hand accounts of people sending them back to Specialized for rebuilds and warranty issues, on top of its unnatural, delayed reaction. Check out the forums at MTBR and Bikeforums.net. Proprietary and potentially unreliable? Pass.

The Trek Supercaliber looked really interesting, but it wasn't out at the time I was shopping. Plus, I didn't want to buy a brand new model with a proprietary shock.

I looked at other bike manufacturers' XC bikes as well and ultimately bought a Santa Cruz Blur, in X01 trim. Crazy light bike at 22.8 lbs in size medium and is more than enough for the dirt trails in my area. We don't have any rocky or gnarly trails that require massive suspension travel, and I'm not a jumper.

If you want to go with a value brand, check out Sniper. They have a nice XC bike as well.

Ultimately, I found that the bike manufacturers offer similar prices for similarly equipped bikes. To me, it really came down to whether I preferred Shimano or SRAM for gear change and brakes, whether I wanted a dropper post, avoiding proprietary parts, and how light of a bike ($$$) I was chasing. You should definitely trying shifting and braking Shimano and SRAM systems, particularly the gear shifters because they operate differently.

Reminds me of the first time I stepped into a surf shop and heard them talking about a board that had tail cancer. It was a 10 minute long conversation and I understood maybe 5% of it.

Not sure where you are in SoCal, but I would look into trying multiple bikes. There used to be a shop that you could rent a Yeti for a day or weekend. Felt is out there -- you should be able to demo a bike from them.

No idea what your budget it. Want to really reach -- I would go with a Yeti SB150 or SB100. I briefly demo'd a 150 with electronic shifting. Had to give it back before I started to cry in joy and jealousy.

I’ve ridden both the Epic and Epic Evo. The “clunk” effect is real with those bikes. It’s not the end of the world but it’s distracting IMO. I wanted to like that bike but, ultimately... just didn’t get along with it.

WRT the Supercaliber, I rode one at Santos about a month ago (a friend of mine was one of the first people in FL to get one). Something that isn’t really communicated in the marketing literature is that some of the 60mm of travel comes from seat stay flex. Go over some roots or rocks and the suspension feels undampened IMO. It takes the edge off but you feel like the back end is bouncing around.

If two bottles in the front triangle are a requirement for the rider I think the Cannondale Scalpel and Canyon Lux are better options. I rode the Canyon out at Sedona last year and I was impressed with how composed that bike was through rough sections. Grip shift was weird though that’s remedied easy enough. Used the lockout when riding pavement between the event grounds and Javelina but even when open on pavement the pedal bob is pretty minimal. If that were my bike I’d just take the lockout off the fork and leave it on the rear shock. YMMV.

WRT Shimano vs SRAM, that’s a very good point. Both Eagle and the new Shimano 12 speed are very, very good. Some people get along with the shape of the Shimano shifter, others SRAM. FWIW hyperglide+ isn’t a gimmick, crazy how smooth it shifts but it’s not “necessary” and I would prioritize ergonomics in selection. I’m one of those weird birds that prefers Shimano shifting and SRAM brakes 🤷🏼‍♂️ horses for courses.

My husband has a new SB150 and loves it! I have a last year ASRc and I am not giving it up. I was going to suggest a used one but 2016s are selling for more on Craigslist than I paid for mine on clearance.

I am interested in tire recommendations too as I’m doing a gravel tri with friends later this year and don’t really need a new bike for one race.

If you want an actual Mountain Bike Tire:
https://www.bicyclerollingresistance.com/mtb-reviews

Conti Speedking II
Schwalbe Thunder Burt
Schwalbe Big One

Or

Big-Gravel:
Rene Herse Antelope Hill (700c x 55 = ~29x2.1")
Schwalbe G-One Speed (700 x 50c or 60c)

---

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I didn’t know they made the G-One Speed that wide. Color me intrigued 🧐 could be really fun and fast on my F-Si for some of the smoother trails down here in FL.

Panaracer Gravel King Slick. Probably need to go 650B to get them in the width you want though.

Why not just rent or borrow a hardtail for the rave, and then buy whatever bike you really want, without having to worry about racing on it?

Reason I suggest, I have a short travel trail bike, a salsa pony rustler, that is by far the most fun and my favorite bike. That said, I would NOT want to do Leadville on it!

That is a great idea!

I have been trying to use the race to justify my purchase. Total tunnel vision!

Trek Supercaliber with the dual lockouts.