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Racing Hardtail in Enduros (To save money, currently on a budget.)

5K views 35 replies 14 participants last post by  ZHaunDK 
#1 ·
So I was wondering, from 1 to 10 on difficulty, how hard Fire Mountain, Snowshoe, Pisgah and Beech mtn triple crowns would be with a Giant Hardtail. Beech mtn has a hardtail class for the august event, so its clearly doable with a hardtail....and from riding hellbender, blue ridge rocks and bermese python so many times, its not that hard to require an enduro rental.

Have not ridden fire mtn, snowshoe or pisgah yet....how are the trails in respect for a hardtail?
 
#3 ·
To podium.....of course. or atleast top 5 in the upcoming events. snowshoe; pisgah....beech....

As for fire mountain; its past...and noone could take me to the enduro in cherokee..

Im bringing a former race bmx background and a few years of riding dirtbikes to my hardtail mtb rides.
 
#8 ·
Videos dont show in depth details.....like 17 foot drops....30 foot ramp jump road gaps.....

I ask this for true rider to rider experience. I could watch videos....but to the trails I havent actually ridden much or have not ridden at all yet....fire mountain....pisgah....etc....it looks easy in videos.

I watched videos on black bear...thought I could handle it. Rode it on the 2nd...then again on the 23rd and 24th.....with a giant glory 2 or 3. definitely was unsure about quite a bit.....

so thats why I ask.

So lets try again.

Snowshoe Enduro.....The Pisgah Enduro....and this years Beech MTN triple crown enduro....can a hardtail handle them?
 
#9 ·
You can totally ride a Hardtail in the Pisgah Enduro. You just won't be competitive, unless your skills are much higher than all of the shredders that call that forest home. Maybe you should head on over to Pisgah and ride the trails beforehand, and see what you think. That's what a real racer would do.
 
#10 ·
Ha, you couldn't pay me to ride Pisgah on a hard tail. Much less catch me paying my own entry and riding a hard tail. Pisgah is gonna beat you into submission on a hardtail.

If you are serious about racing Enduro, sell the HT and get a full squish.
 
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#11 ·
ok....well see when I feel like doing a 70.2 mile ride to camp grier road....or how soon I can get a ride there from someone....or how soon someone helps me take my road test to get my license. Whichever of the three comes first. Only have until August 10th to get pre race trail ride practice in. Raceday is the 11th to 12th.
 
#12 ·
Turn left onto N Water St
0.3 mi
Turn left onto Rivers St
0.8 mi
Turn right onto Hill St
256 ft
Turn left onto Holmes Dr
0.1 mi
Turn right onto Faculty St
0.5 mi
Turn right onto Winklers Creek Rd
0.3 mi
Turn right to stay on Winklers Creek Rd
3.2 mi
Continue onto Flannery Fork Rd
2.3 mi
Turn left onto Shulls Mill Rd
0.2 mi
Continue onto State Rd 1571
318 ft
Turn left onto Blue Ridge Pkwy
20.9 mi
Turn left onto North Carolina Bicycle Rte 2/Parkway Rd
456 ft
Turn right onto NC-183 N
2.9 mi
Turn right to stay on NC-183 N
0.7 mi
Turn left onto US-221 S
5.8 mi
Turn left onto Old Linville Rd
3.5 mi
Slight left to stay on Old Linville Rd
4.7 mi
Turn left onto American Thread Rd
1.9 mi
Turn left onto US-221 S
3.4 mi
Turn right onto Toms Creek Rd
2.6 mi
Turn left onto NC-80 S
1.9 mi
Turn left onto US-70 E
240 ft
Turn right onto Resistoflex Rd
0.5 mi
Turn right onto Old Greenlee Rd
489 ft
Slight right to stay on Old Greenlee Rd
3.0 mi
Turn right to stay on Old Greenlee Rd
0.4 mi
Turn left onto Columbia Carolina Rd
0.5 mi
Continue onto Greenlee Rd
3.3 mi
Turn left onto Parker Padgett Rd
0.2 mi
Continue onto Oakdale Rd
2.7 mi
Turn right onto Lackey Town Rd
0.4 mi
Continue onto S Railroad St
0.4 mi
Turn left onto Catawba Ave
194 ft
Turn right onto Commerce St
0.4 mi
Turn right onto Orchard St
0.4 mi
Turn left onto State Rd 1400
0.4 mi
Turn right onto Camp Grier Rd
Destination will be on the left
 
#14 ·
Buy used if you are on a budget. Full squish aluminum can be had for way less and carbon ain't worth nothing but bling factor. Hell, I bought a GG Trail Pistola for 2500$ fully decked out in XTR components and brakes with I9 wheels. Enduro machine ready to shred and decked out with some of the best parts available.
 
#15 ·
any bike is a race bike if you enter a race on it ;) I wouldn't waste time worrying about getting on the podium though... maybe just completing the event, and getting better would be a more realistic goal. I've ridden a 100mm xc hardtail all over pisgah, and also a 140mm full squish... there is no comparison in speed on the downs. You'd have better luck getting on a podium if you entered races that did not center around what your bike is the worst at (going downhill). Maybe a typical XC race in the mountains would be a better idea because you could play to your bikes strengths (going uphill).

like this: https://www.blueridgeadventures.net/couch-potato/race-3/
 
#16 ·
Pisgah is a large area....Im just talking about the enduro in old fort. Not the full range of the forest.

XC doesnt interest me....honestly....I only do 4X, DS, Enduro and Downhill. Im not a fast climber....much faster on the descents. PBJ, Ole Hoss, Middle earth, boat rock and rocky branch to name my most familiar trails.

Here is the stages for my august enduro.

Pisgah Productions | Pisgah National Forest | Pisgah Enduro
 
#19 ·
Pisgah is a large area....Im just talking about the enduro in old fort. Not the full range of the forest.

XC doesnt interest me....honestly....I only do 4X, DS, Enduro and Downhill. Im not a fast climber....much faster on the descents. PBJ, Ole Hoss, Middle earth, boat rock and rocky branch to name my most familiar trails.
Do you have Strava? How fast are you on those segments?
 
#17 ·
The Pisgah Enduro course is quite pedally, it actually favors a hard tail in places. However, Heartbreak Ridge has the capacity to bend you over and give you a good spanking if you're not careful. Kitsuma's not bad on a hard tail, there's some straight pedally sections where you can make up a lot of time, but you're going to lose some on the steeper/tighter sections.
 
#22 ·
Even though you made yourself come across as a bit of a punk, I'll chime in. If you're looking to podium, racing a HT might be the best way to do it. There were 2 HTs at the North American Enduro Cup, and only one finished. These were the same trails that a DH race was on recently. So if there is a HT class, you should have very few competitors. Or you could pedal a DH bike, like one of the pros did. Both options seem pretty horrible to me.
 
#33 ·
The Hardtail didn't last long. Kitsuma and Star Gap killed it during Pisgah Enduro. Talked to my sponsor a week or so after and we both agreed 350 dollars in repairs on a at best, 600 to 700 dollar bike isn't worth it. Brakes need to be bled, and replaced. Derailleur needs to be replaced. Brake levers are bent. Front Suspension is broken. Due to Riding and racing the Enduro Blind, with no test or Pre ride in advance, and the slick muddy and rainy conditions during Kitsuma and Star Gap, I finished 50th of 53 in Amateur Sport
 
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