#Quiver killer series

Riding it fast on gnarly terrain required extreme focus. IвЂ™ll probably never race enduro on the Neuron again. But should you really use one bike for both XC and enduro? Well, thatвЂ™s up to you. TheyвЂ™re efficient uphill and capable downhill. If you want one bike that can do it all, mid-travel trail bikes with 120-140mm of travel are ideal. I'll stick to the enduro bike for enduro racing though. In the extreme heat, I struggled to stay hydrated and ended up borrowing a hydration pack halfway through the event. However, I was very jealous of XC bikes that could carry two bottles. When I was extremely fatigued, I appreciated the extra comfort the NeuronвЂ™s suspension provided. After 12 hours of racing, I managed a sixth-place finish in the solo category, riding over 100 miles and climbing over 10,000 feet. I battled riders all day and didnвЂ™t feel like I was at a huge disadvantage on climbs, and on descents, I was able to push much harder than many of my competitors. Most racers used XC bikes, but I was surprised to see several other mid-travel trail bikes. To really test myself and the Canyon, I decided to race Sunrise to Sunset at Elephant Rock, a 12-hour endurance race. IвЂ™ve done a lot of cross-country races but never one longer than 40 miles. I found myself wishing for a bigger fork and a shorter stem to improve downhill performance. Riding at race speed, I bottomed out several times and got bucked around in rock gardens. My tire choice was spot-on and the bike also felt pleasantly agile in tight corners. I managed to stay uprightВ to nab a modest 17th place finish in my age group. My race run went well and I rode all the A-lines until halfway down when I went off the trail and fell into a bush. The race track is a purpose-built downhill trail with plenty of drops, jumps, rock gardens, and technical features.ДЄt the start, I had the least amount of travel (not counting the guy on a hardtail) and a few racers expressed concern for my safety after seeing my bike.

#Quiver killer series

Photo: Eddie Clark MediaДЇor the enduro half of my experiment, I raced a Session Series eventВ at Floyd Hill, Colorado. Hanging on for dear lifeВ through a rock garden. Like the Neuron, these are 29вЂќ trail bikes with 120-140mm of travel that weigh in the 27-30 pound range. I went with the Canyon Neuron, but here are a few similar options thatВ might kill any mountain biker's quiver. This added nearly 2.5 pounds to the bike but gave me more grip and confidence.

For gnarlier trails, I swapped to downhill tires with CushCore inserts.

With lightweight XC tires and carbon wheels, the Neuron felt efficient on cross-country trails and even occasional gravel rides. The Neuron in enduro mode with downhill casing tires and inserts. I purchased a 2020 Canyon Neuron CF 9.0 SL from The ProвЂ™s Closet that slots almost perfectly between myВ Cannondale F-Si XC hardtail and Reeb Sqweeb enduro bike. SHOP TRAIL BIKES | SHOP ALL MOUNTAIN BIKES My quiver-killer trail bikeДЄ true quiver-killer needs to keep up with XC bikes uphill and enduro bikes downhill. But can one bike really do it all? I decided to buy a quiver-killer and go racing to find out. These mid-travel bikes can supposedly handle any riding discipline, replacing your entire fleet. Photo: Eddie Clark Media (left), FinisherPixВ® (right)Дo you only need one mountain bike ? New trail bikes are so versatile that the bike industry describes them withВ a catchy buzzword: Quiver-killer.