The decision time has now come on me getting a new mtb.
After a lot of looking & thinking and some demo rides I have come down to choosing between two bikes. The Whyte 46 & Specialized Enduro Pro. The bike are the same price, both have 6" of travel front & back. The 2 bike both seem good to me but I can't decide which one to go for. I have not seen any reviews for the Enduro Pro and the Whyte gets good reviews but the Duc 32 forks has got some bad comments & reviews made on them.
I will be riding both again before handing any money over
Please help me with any comment or opinion on this decision, good or bad either way.
i bought a Whyte 6 weeks ago and have found it a fantastic bike.
I had the same concerns about the forks as you and had heard that the seals were the main offender. This has been resolved due to faulty batch in the first instance, i've had no problem yet but i would n't expect one after only 6 weeks. However i did cover the point with my LBS ensuring it would be a warranty issue.
Another comment from the biking press is the torsional sideways flex in the forks. Ok, i've noticed it once on a fast side impact as i was skipping over some rocks, but given the travel and weight advantages this seems to me a positive trade off. In conext that was once in around 42 hours riding. ( yes sad i know, knowing how many hours you've rode!!)
Between the two, which has a better spec is subjective, but the only upgrade i've had is replacing the gear cables with Nokons, though this means your steed is less of an individual. if that bothers you!! The paint on the 05 version still leaves something to be desired.
As long as you have got the legs the Whyte will climb anything, the steering is sharp and responsive although it's a personal thing this thing floats fantastically, foget the crap form hardtail riders "feeling connected to the trail". Ask them who aches more after a ride?!
To me the specs more bullit proof than the spesh and i've yet to break anything on my Whyte which says a lot about it's robustness (paintwork not included!)
The worse thing about the bike is the noise! but thats the frame and there's nothing you can do.
The only right answer for you is your own preference, get out an ride them both, both are excellent bikes but the Whyte was right for me!!!
After much deliberation and testing of a few bikes, I took the plunge and went for the Specs Enduro Expert. I too got it for £2000 and consider it quite a bargain. Of everyone I have asked about the Enduro and the others I looked at (Orange 5 Hope; Cannondale Prophet 1000; Marin Wolf Ridge)the Enduro is by far the best ride. Incidentally, the bike I replaced with the Enduro was a Trek Liquid. I know there is less uniqueness about the Specs but great bike.
I can maybe add a little to this thread as I own both a Spesh Enduro Expert and more recently, a 2006 Whyte 46.
The Enduro is a superb bike, no doubt about it. Having said this though Ive spent about £900 upgrading it ( carbon bars and post, HOPE stem, skeweres, and 6sti brakes, XTR runing gear, Fox DHX Air 4.0 shock, tyres etc ) which of course is to my own preference.
Good points are:
SUPERB Fox forks Great geometry Frame strength Weight
Bad points are:
S**** 5th element shock ( replace with a more reliale Fox DHX Air shock )
Climbing ability Choice of some componentry like stem and brakes etc.
Ive only managed to ride the new Whyte 46 on two occassions so far and have to say I absolutely love it and despite what people say, its worth every penny of the £2700 rrp.
Bottom line is that both are superb bikes but have to admit that the Whyte has better handling and climbing ability.
The Enduro seems to be more "bombproof" as people like to say, and if youre running a decent shock its very very nice going fast downhill. In fact you can go as fast as you can and the bike soaks it up, really does.
I looked at the Spesh but bought the 46 .I've been riding the 46 for a year now and love it. It's such a capable bike. I ride DH too, so my riding style is very aggressive and I give the Whyte a real thrashing when I take it out.
The DUC32's are amazing, the new Maverick seals are fine and no long have the leaky issue their older brothers had, but what most people don't know is that you can fit Dorado seals instead (almost the same), which have a small additional seal at the top of their internal edge resolving the problem completely.
