Short-Travel 29er Showdown - SB115, Spur, Scalpel SE and Oiz TR.
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- Опубліковано 6 сер 2024
- The hardest part about this whole showdown was trying to come up with a name for this type of bike. I couldn’t bring myself to use the “downcountry” word. “Upduro” is even worse. “XC-ish” felt too vague. So, I settled on a generic yet descriptive name. Welcome to the Short-Travel 29er Showdown. None of these bikes are pure cross-country race rigs, nor are they full-blown trail bikes. They fall into no man’s land between the two categories. Additionally, we found we could separate these four bikes into two smaller subcategories - long-travel XC and short-travel trail. The Orbea Oiz TR and Cannondale Scalpel SE fall into the former, while the Transition Spur and Yeti SB115 are in the latter category. Now that I’ve used up my hyphen quota for the month let’s get into how these bikes ride. www.bebikes.com/the-hub/short-travel-29er-showdown-sb115-spur-oiz-tr-and-scalpel-se
0:00 Intro
1:34 Orbea Oiz
4:36 Cannondale Scalpel
7:19 Transition Spur
10:38 Yeti SB115
13:15 Awards
Orbea Oiz Review - • Orbea Oiz OMX: First R...
Cannondale Scalpel Review - • Cannondale Scalpel SE ...
Transition Spur Review - • Transition Spur Review...
Yeti SB115 Review - • Yeti SB115 Review: It'...
Discounted Demo - www.bebikes.com/tellusyoucame... - Спорт
Great feedback, thank you. Thee SB115, Ranger, and Spur all on our wish list. One other review put the 115 bottom of the pack but you guys and one other roundtable praised the 115. Will be moving from an Izzo and wondering how any 3 of these stack up. Loving the short travel segment.
Nice video. So many different bikes. Different categories. It can be confusing but your video kept it straightforward. 👍😎
Thats always the challenge when making these videos too. Glad it worked out!
Finally got to try these along with the old niner rkt 9 rdo, was shocked I liked the Scalpel SE best. Really hated the spur and that was the one I thought going in I’d like the best. I’m 6’4” 190 lbs, thought the Scalpel SE would be too short in an XL but somehow it was very comfortable. The Orbea felt scary downhill even compared to the old Niner with less rear travel. And for myself if you get up to pedal uphill on occasion I felt the Cannondale kept the best traction. Really liked that Cannondale uses Shimano brakes even with Shram components, they felt much more confident when going downhill. The true test was playing with my power meter and heart rate from my road bike. Which confirmed the Scalpel went uphill with the least effort. My fastest time was with the Niner, second worst time was with the Traditions, it’s slow to climb compared to the others and didn’t have a great turning radius with its longer more slack set up. I felt like the XL Spur was more difficult to steer through rougher tight New England trails. Orbea felt the fastest but on a timed trail it was slower then the Scalpel SE which surprised me and actually used more energy to climb as well as having a slightly higher heart rate during the climb. Downhill I actually liked the Yeti the best, unfortunately uphill it was the worst, lost traction easy when standing through tough stuff, was a bit heavier then the rest also. Never bothered measuring it since it was the slowest uphill. It was tough finding bikes to test took me a few months to get through my list. Also tried the Specialized Epic EVO, didn’t love its climbing ability lots of lost traction without its auto lock out system that’s used on the regular Epic. Everyone has raved about the Spur so I was most excited to try it and which probably caused some of my let down, definitely not as fast or as agile as raved about. For a trail bike it’s lighter but still just a trail bike, no XC turning ability, no XC climbing ability, no real trail downhill ability, it’s a twener that missed the marks for me. Due to its geometry you feel like you should be going faster but it quickly bottoms out and gets sketchy. While the Cannondale gives you a realistic feel of the control you have over thinking you have more control then you do and letting you get into a tough ride. I wish I could combine Cannondale’s uphill traction with Yeti’s downhill. Felt like the Cannondale wasn’t the best at any category but it fell into 2nd or 3rd in every to average out as most well rounded for myself. Never found Trek or Scott in stock anywhere in a demo XL or even a regular stock XL.
Thanks for the excellent comments. Surprised about the Spur. This is why it is so important to actually ride a $6000 bike before a blind purchase.
Awesome review! Some great side brand nods. Solid
Hey thanks. Glad you liked it!
Very wonderful video !!!
I really liked it.
Thanks to the author for the job
Glad you liked it!
Nice job on the video, easy to relate to your input. I am now riding an Epic Evo Pro, and have an SC Highball as my back-up. After riding HT bikes for about 30 years, riding the Evo has been a HUGE eye opener for me about what makes a mountain bike fast (and fun). Every time my Evo breaks down (last time due to somebody running into me, trails have become pretty busy during the pandemic) it's a difficult adjustment to go back to the Highball. I look at the Highball as a capable gravel bike now, and less so as a MTB. Another "short travel 29er" may be added to my stable in place of the Highball, and your video provided some great insight. The Spur is looking pretty good, but so is the new Blur TR (and SC's lifetime warranty). Decisions, decisions...
I can 100% vouch for the Spur. Haven't ridden the Blur yet, though. We are waiting for our XL demo to arrive. Hang tight for that review.
I feel like the 2021 Tallboy would have been a great add to this comparison! Great video guys.
the Tallboy and Ripley fall into the "Trail" category, where all the bikes in this showdown are a little more XC. It does look like we need to do a Spur vs Ripley vs Tallboy video though.
Biker's Edge yes pls! Looking forward to see that!
@@bikersedge I would love to see the Spur v Ripley v Tallboy. All bikes I am considering for my next bike.
Biker's Edge the Revel Ranger is on my short list, but not a lot of information out there
I love(d) my Spur. Until it got stolen.😞
Pretty great reviews.
Hey thanks!
Good line up
We are lucky to have so many cool bikes to choose from.
Have myself a Spur 🤙🤙 love it
Nice 👍
How do you feel about it a year later? Any upgrades or new bike you're considering? Curious since I'm thinking about and looking for any other options
@@LastAphelion alright there mate? How timely you should ask. Whilst there was nothing wrong with the bike, decided to sell it and get myself the Orbea Oiz TR. Haven't got the chance to ride on the Oiz however but if you go to my channel in end Aug, you would likely see the Oiz post built 🤙🏾🤙🏾🤙🏾
Great reviews and format, question......I've got an Occam with a 36.....looking for it's lighter little bro...Spur seems like the ticket...love your opinion.....Thanks and keep up the great work
Hey thanks! I think any one of these would be good as a short travel option. If you want lighter, I'd skip on the Yeti. It would probably weigh the same as your Occam. The Spur would be great if you prioritize DH performance. The Scalpel and Oiz are both going to be super fast uphill.
Very well. No more info then I wanted.
Hey guys thanks for the comparison. I think we all appreciate these types of shootouts. I am interested in the x01 spur but saw its back ordered well into next year. I am a tweener kind of like Brock although I'm a little taller 5'10" and was wondering what Brock preferred in the end. I am worried the large would feel too unwieldy esp around techy climbs but would feel better on not getting bucked on downhills.
Brock ended up fitting much better on a medium Spur. Transition has a lot of overlap with their sizing recommendations. I'm 6'2" so I kind of fall between a L and XL (about the same split where you are between M and L.) I rode both and decided on the XL. I feel like the longer reach and wheelbase really emphasize the strengths of this bike. Plus in our area most of the climbs are more open and straightforward.
@@bikersedge thanks guys. I am probably going to look at a large although I don't know if I'll be able to find one
Best of luck! If you're in Utah, let us know and we can help.
How about the Epic Evo and Blur S TR. Lots of peddling with some rocks and roots for fun in the Midwest. Will be adding the Oiz to the list of ST Extreme XC bikes.
We don’t carry Specialized so we won’t be able to do the Epic Evo. The Blur TR isn’t new for this year so that’s why it didn’t make it into the showdown. These bikes are all new as of this year.
On the subject of the SID suspension did you ride both the Ultimate and Select+ versions and was there a noticeable difference between the two? While I appreciate the intended use of the Race Day Damper, I am leaning more towards the select+ platform for general trail riding or longer rides and am wanting to know if there is a discernible difference (besides the weight)
My Spur has the Ultimate and our Scalpel demo has the Select+. To be honest, apart from weight, I couldn’t really tell much difference.
Just discovered the Cannondale Scalpel SE thanks to you guys, makes it even harder to choose! Why haven't you included the Blur TR or Epic EVO?
Glad we could throw a wrench in your plans! We didn’t include the Blur because it wasn’t new this year like the rest of the bikes in the video. And we don’t carry specialized so we didn’t include the Epic.
Conner. Another great video. I wonder if the ibis ripley fits this category? I have a sb100 that I’m considering giving to my son and was thinking about getting a ripley or the sb115.
I think it fits with the Spur pretty well. It’s less XC than the sb100/115, Oiz and scalpel. It’s more of a trail bike.
I would like to hear about the Scott spark how it compares to the rest of the field
Unfortunately we won’t be able to make that happen. We don’t have access to Scott at the shop.
Would love to see an in depth head to head of the Spur vs. Ripley! Thanks for all of the work you guy's put into these videos! Do you have an xl Spur for demo?
No XL Spur demo at the moment. I’ll see what we can do about getting a Spur vs Ripley vs Tallboy video done!
@@bikersedge I have a deposit on the Spur at the moment. It was a toss up for me between these 3 bikes. I haven't ridden any one of these but as a daily driver and I like to put in some climbs, a bike like the spur feels like it fits the bill. Anyone would be great I think but I went with the Spur on reviews, climbing and descending capabilities and I think it's the best looking bike between the 3. Please do a head to head with all these bikes, maybe I might change my mind!
@@bikersedge Absolutely love the reviews and your videos. Best out there hands down. I think it has the most comprehensive information, and non biased reviews. Well done.
Was a tallboy going to be something you thought of buying over the spur. How big a difference is the descending between the two with the spur in Stock form with the Sid. I am in Quebec right now riding and shit is rough out here. I will be planning more trips out east and out west. I went with the spur based on weight being a factor, and also that if may come close enough on the descending vs the Spur being on a different level than the tallboy climbing and technical cross country trails. I am hoping to do bigger distance rides and I wanted a bike that could do considerable miles but still party when needed. Thoughts?
They’re both great. We’ve had a ton of folks asking for a Spur/Tallboy/Ripley comparison. Looks like we will be putting one together here.
The Spur is a lot lighter and climbs better than a Tallboy. That will help with the big rides. It has the geometry for riding tough descents. It lacks a bit of travel and stiffness compared to the Tallboy.
@@bikersedge The stiffness was mentioned in a few videos (MTB savant) I'm 185 fully packed riding, so I hope In that zone where the vertical compliance of the bike will be an asset. As long as it's not "flexi" I'm a tiny bit worried about pedal strikes. I have a fair amount of tech here in the east coast. Shorter cranks could be the trick. Thanks for the response.
isn't the Spur just an ultralight version of an already existing style category? there's already too many categories with too much overlap as it is.
Connor, how tall are you? At 6’4” I’ve found that not all XLs are the same. With my current XL RM Element I sometimes find myself wishing I had waited and gotten an XXL (which was out of stock). I am definitely interested in the Spur, though I might wait until the 2022s come out.
I’m 6’2” and pretty comfortable on most XLs. I can see how some would be small for someone who’s 6’4”.
I have a friend who works in a bike shop in NY though i live in NC now. I can get a 2021 115 T-2 with XO for 7800.00, no sales tax due to me being in NC and FREE shipping, if i want ride wrap the partial is 150 and 250 entire, weight is 27 pounds even and carbon wheels drop another pound, they only have 1 in medium and it's the BLANCO/white, its BEAUTIFUL, he just sent me some pics Today
Great reviews! Which size would you recommend for a Spur for 50% flow trails, 50% narrow trails with lots of small ups and downs. I am 5.10 and currently on a large Intense Primer with 455mm reach and a 70mm stem
Size advice over the internet is so tough. Everyone is different. My general rule of thumb is that most people would probably benefit more from the stability of a larger frame than the added mobility of a smaller frame. In your case the smaller frame might help with the tighter trails. The best advice is to see if you can find one to throw a leg over.
Biker's Edge thanks a lot. Unfortunately Living in Denmark means it is absolutely impossible to demo the Spur. Will read a mio reviews and see where it ends :)
Yeah it can be rough to find one sometimes. Best of luck. Sorry I wasn’t too much help.
@@bikersedge No problem. Appreciate you taking time to answer and I hope you keep on doing all your video reviews. They are great content and highly valuable.
Hi Connor,
Big fan of your channel.
Please help me with this question, Yeti SB115 Vs Spur, same weight (not the model you have), which one is faster on a mainly flat trail?
I live in Houston .
Thank you
The Spur is likely the faster bike. It always going to be lighter than a comparably built 115 too.
@@bikersedge thank you
Ive heard some people say the Transition could have a limited rider weight. That the bike has built in flex that could be too much for heavier people. I'm 6'4 tall and 205 with gear. Interested to see what another tall rider's opinion is on this?
I’m not sure about a weight limit on the bike. Transitions website says there isn’t one. Even if It had one, I don’t think you’d be anywhere close to it at 205. It does use a flex stay instead of a pivot/bearing near the rear axle. That’s actually becoming somewhat common these days. I haven’t had any problems with mine even in some pretty nasty terrain. The suspension feels great.
Also, why were you riding the transition with a 34? It comes stock with a sid
We reviewed this before Transition was shipping complete bikes. We had to build it up from the frame.
Great video!
What’s your take on building a Spur with a 130 folk?
Hey thanks. Id do a 130 on that bike all day.
Thanks for the quick response. Yeah - I’m thinking 130 on the front, with maybe some beefier wheels/tires could be great setup on an already sick ride.
Any experiences with the new SID developing bushing play as has been reported elsewhere?
Yes. The Sid off my Spur had to go back. RockShox was quick about fixing it, though. The Sids on our Scalpel demos have been fine though. Hit or miss I guess.
@@bikersedge cheers mate! I think at this point I'm gonna go FOX34 Step Cast and then grab a SID in a year or so when RockShox has worked out all the kinks. (I'm building up a Spur BTW)
Not a bad plan. The Sid (when it works) rides better than the 34 step cast for me. I’ve never really gotten along with that one. I’ll keep mine for sure.
@@bikersedge haha - and now I'm back to thinking the new SID...
I seriously feel like people are getting HUGE bikes when they don’t need them. I have a nuke proof scout 2021 and it has a 450 mil reach and it doesn’t feel short at all. I am also 6,0
I can also see the draw to big bikes. They’re stable, confident and let you get away with murder.
What about the evil following? It seems really similar to the spur
We don’t carry Evil. We don’t have access to do a review.
How does the Spur compare to the Orbea Occam? You liked the Occam but actually bought the Spur.
The Occam is far more comfortable on the DH. The extra travel is noticeable. The Occam is a trail bike, through and through. The Spur blurs the lines between trail and XC.
@@bikersedge do you attribute some of that to the Fox Float 36 on the Occam? I wonder if the Occam with Float 34 would be a touch less noticeable by that same comparison. In general I've actually been curious how different the Float 34 is from the SID (and the Stepcast).
How did the Spur in up with the Fox step cast fork? 👆🏻
I liked it more
Any thoughts on the YT izzo / Evil the Following in this realm?
I haven't been able to ride either of them. They both look cool though.
@@bikersedge Right on. I'm debating going from a Ripmo AF to something like this. I find I'm not so much into the high risk enduro type riding as I am general trail riding.
I go back and forth on this all the time. On one hand, a trail bike makes mellower trails more fun. On the other, It's less forgiving and I find myself more likely to crash. The reason a trail bike is more fun on easy trails, is it doesn't make them as easy.
@@bikersedge Having just moved to Bellingham WA and really wanting to explore Canada trails (non park) when the border opens I think I'm going to keep the Ripmo AF and throw some less burley tires on it (thinking DHF or Dissector / Rekon) I loved your video on tires recently!
If the Cannondale SE1 had about 15mm more reach and maybe a flip chip it would have my money over the epic evo.
Yeah. The extra reach would be nice. I don't think it could hurt much on the climbs. It would match the 67° head tube better too.
In your opinion, would the Spur be even better with 130mm fork?
Transition recommends against it. It’s crossed my mind though.
@@bikersedge Are you guys considering doing a lightweight trail bike head-to-head comparison? Say the Yeti SB115, Transition Spur, Pivot 429 Trail, Santa Cruz Tallboy, Ibis Ripley and whatever other bikes around 120mm of rear travel... that would be interesting if you did it in the format of your wheel test.
Pivot trail 429 would be my choice ride it and you will understand
I got to ride one last year. I'll keep my Spur.
Where is the Kona Hei Hei and specialized Evo? I want to know how the Hei Hei compares to these
We don't have access to Kona or Specialized at the shop. We won't be able to compare them.
I got the Kona a few months ago. It rips. My first ride was over three hours before I thought I should turn for home. My only modification I'm planning on is a bit grippier front tire.
Tim C Thanks for the reply. Always nice to hear an opinion from someone who actually paid for the bike.
May I ask what height you are and what size you got? I’m 5’10 so I’m a betweener... prob going with a large as 440 is a short reach on me.
Did you get the CR base model or CR DL model (green vs blue)? Haha...I noticed they are using different fork offsets for each model-same bike in every regard but different offsets which changes the wheelbase slightly.
I got the 2020 CR. The new 2021 models have a slightly different build kit but should be just about the same. Mine has the fox suspension and a GX drivetrain. I'm 5'9" and got a medium. I've got long arms and kind of wish I had a little more room. But I'm still dialing in the cockpit. About ready to slam the stem for a few rides. Also, I ride quite a bit on the road so I am more used to that style of riding (long hours in a areo position) so I still felt a little upright on some of my longer climbs (4-6 miles up). But man this thing can still shred the downs. Set a bunch of PRs in both directions.
Tim C you are the man. I am ordering a large today boss. Thank you for the help/input.
Where would the Ripley fall in this comparison?
The Ripley is closer to the Tallboy in the trail category. The Spur gets closer to those bikes than the others in the test. I guess the progression from XC to trail would be Oiz, Scalpel, SB115, Spur, Ripley and Tallboy.
@@bikersedge Where you put the Trail 429 in this order? In between the Ripley and Tallboy?
@@DnBQemist Haven't ridden it. Can't really say.
There's a few more new xc bikes coming out. Kona hei hei with 120mm and the salsa spearfish comes to my mind. 👍🏽 Nice review by the way.
Im also curious about where the revel ranger would fit in. What would be your view?
Dont hate on dowcountry fellas 🤣🤣 its like if I said enduro is a trail bike with more travel and a bit more travel(which they are)
I love the category. They’re some of my favorite bikes. Just think the name is silly.
“Hey I am Conner”. 😂🤟🏽
Forgot my name for a second there.
I’d like a Trance 29
So would I.
how do you think the spur would perform with an angleset to make it 67 degrees...climbing, tech climb?...I know, blasphemy...lol
Super blasphemous. I think if you want steeper, better climber it's better to just go with one already made that way. The Scalpel SE is 67 degrees. The long wheelbase and reach will hurt you more in tight tech than the degree slacker HTA.
@@bikersedge only asking because I have a spur, and although it's an amazing bike, coming off the RM Element I had, I wish the spur was a little more sprint'y on the climbs
I don’t think the changing head tube will make it more sprinty. That’s all in the rear suspension platform. I’ve found that running closer to 25-26% makes it really quick where running it at 30%+ makes it more comfortable on the DH. Transition gives you a range between 25-35% for sag. Play around with that a bit.
Did you ever throw on a angleset on your spur?! I'm considering doing that to mine
@@smoothmountain I never did...I ended up selling the spur and going back to more of an xc bike since I own a ripmo as well
Tell me these categories of bikes are t going to be the shiznit
Owithhh
Anyone else riding a 70.25 head tube angle hardtail?
I think my dad has one hanging up in his garage.
Everybody wants a flatter geometry....useless....my oiz tr rides exactly as well as my former trance despite it is 2 degree steeper. And it is so much lighter that it flies over any trail. A downhill bike can be flat ok, a cc/trailride has a different usage. 67+68° is perfect😊
Maybe an odd question, but why is ‘downcountry’ a stupid name?
It’s not really all that stupid I guess but sooner or later we’re going to have a name/category for every 5mm of travel. And that’s a bit silly.
@@bikersedge Hey, thanks for taking the time to reply. I can appreciate the Spur is somewhat difficult to categorize as there is not a shorter-travel counterpart, but there are a lot of brands making two versions of the same bike with the principle difference being a slight increase in travel. Thus, I would think ‘downcountry’ is the perfect way to differentiate between the two.
@@colinwatt00 I’d still argue that those bikes are both XC. For example even the Blur TR is very XC when compared to actual trail bikes like the Tallboy.
Does the ripley outpedal them all?
Not even close. The Ripley is really fast for a trail bike, but it can't hang with the Scalpel and Oiz. I'd want to ride it back to back with the Spur, but it would be really close between those two. I think it out climbs the SB115.
Biker's Edge mahalo!
@@bikersedge What about Ripley vs Spur on the downs?
@matt that’s the one I’m really curious about. The Spur has the geo but the Ripley has a little more travel and arguably a better performing suspension platform - at least more sophisticated and refined. I need to jump on a Ripley and do some back to back laps.
@@bikersedge That is the matchup I would want to see. Ripley vs. Spur! Question- For demos would you just ride Laps at Fruit Loops? For me it takes more than a day or two of riding to really decide how a bike performs in different situations. BTW, I love your dialog and inside jokes with Brock. "What about Wednesday?" "Tuesday works good too." Good times!
Orbea "O-E's"? No, it's Orbea "Oyzzz".
Glad the pronunciation police have arrived.
@@bikersedge no problem man, glad to help ;) .
It should correctly be pronounced "Oyyth"
Scott spark will beat them stop this nonsense..
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