Yes but @Jolyzara was talking about the Trek Checkout, which I think does weigh 5 pounds more than an Epic WC.
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Whoops, and generally agree with going w a World Cup or super caliber over the checkout if you can make the fit work w drop bars.
I was comparing the epic world cup to the Trek Checkout. That said, you can put in a rigid post and the Epic 8 would be even closer to the World Cup weightā¦ though comes with a $15k price tag.
Epic 8 would be my choice but I think the world cup is closer to the Checkpoint for comparison purposes. I saw one guy who put drop bars on it for a chunky gravel races. Talking about his bike he said he hold firm to the āsmooth is fastā mantra. 
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Bike looks great! Canāt wait to get mine out on the trail soon.
do you have a link to that front fender? I may install a shotgun seat on my bike for my daughter and that will reduce the chance her foot could make it between the tire and fork. Does it rattle at all? I had one on my ibis ripley and itās rattle a bit annoyingly when off road.
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That is the stock RockShox fender that came with the fork. No complaints with it so far, but Iāve used Mucky Nutz flex fenders with good luck before.
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Yep, I agree on Epic 8 over WC for MTB and Iād even pick the Epic 8 over WC for gravel racing. Small weight penalty and you get flight attendant and more travel when you need it. The biggest show stopper on both of those bikes for gravel racing is chainring limitations. I think both max out at 38. That works for some gravel races, but not for all. There are hacks with chainline and doing an offset with the crank to fit a bigger ring, but itās not ideal.
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Iāve done a few laps comparing a 160/150 bike vs a hardtail. At exactly the same average power they ran the sameā¦..as long as you used the same wheel set. However, the hardtail felt like a rocketship and the big bike felt like a slow squishy pig. But the stopwatch said they were the same. The big bike was a ton more comfortable but the feeling of slowness was unbelievable.
Joe
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Was it a flat loop? I just donāt see how this is possible with any kind of elevation.
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Yeah Iām in Florida so not many options for hills. But the math on 5# on a climb is surprisingly little. The problem is the feel of slowness vs actual slowness. You take a long rough course with a lot of climbing and I bet the big bike would actually be faster. I would like to test it someday though (although I donāt have either bike anymore)
Joe
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My testing and times couldnāt be further from this. Going from my Ripmo to a real XC bike with lockouts was a night and day difference - The XC bike was faster everywhere except descents. And combining Flight Attendant with a softer shock / fork setup has made my latest XC bike even better.
Thereās a reason nobody actually runs Trail / Enduro bikes in XC. Theyāre slower.
What kind of testing did you do? What kind of terrain?
Joe
Were you using the same wheelset and tires on both bikes?
Going from my Ripley AF to an Exie was a huge change and they are a lot closer than a Ripmo to an XC bike. Think tires/wheels are the biggest change followed by geo/suspension/frame. Weight change between the two bikes was like 8 lbs
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I got my Ripmo v2 down to sub 29 lbs at one point. Not an insane weight to race if you only own one bike. Plenty of Spurs and Rangers are around that weightā¦.plus the DW Link is incredible to pedal.
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Interesting discussion on HT Vs FS. I think itās pretty settled that for modern XCO courses a fully is faster, period. But I still ride an HT and I believe thereās still a use case for them:
- I ride a lot in the Alps. Alpine climbs tend to be more like gravel climbs (the singletrack climbs are mostly hiking trails). The HT feels quite good on these. Itās no coincidence that theyāre still very popular in the euro XCM scene. In the Alps you also end up frequently having to push and carry the bike at altitude, and you feel every extra gram doing so.
- I ride on a daily basis, even through winter and I maintain my own bikes. The HT is more durable in these conditions.
- I (and many others) also use the XC bike as a gravel bike.
- An HT doubles down nicely as a bikepacking platform, with easier luggage options and no need to readjust rear suspension for different loads.
So, for an amateur that prizes low(er) maintenance, wants a bike that still feels snappy and agile on gravel roads, has to shoulder it up hiking trails and also bikepacks, yes, I thinks HTs still make sense
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Not exact same, but both carbon 30mm, and XC tires on both. The Ripmo wheelset was probably marginally heavier, but I was also running lighter tires there and no inserts so probably a wash. Terrain is your typical Northeast Chunk, and I did run the Wilmington Whiteface 100K on the Ripmo first year, and then XC bikes the following two.
The DW-Link is a great pedaling bike, but even a 29# Ripmo with Fast Rolling XC Tires isnāt close to a real XC Rig. And, I have never needed more suspension for traction on the uphills or climbing.
Basically - the Ripmo was faster and more capable on the descents, but that was it. Overall, not close. But with that said - if itās what you have, run it. And if I could only have one MTB ever again, the current Ripley would get a strong look against my current Epic 8.
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All of my home trails - Northeast Chunk, tons of experience on both bikes on the exact same trails. That plus some time in the Adirondacks at Wilmington Whiteface - same course, both bikes set up for XC albeit differing levels of fitness too.
Iāll leave it this way - it wasnāt close enough that I needed to be too formal about it. And thereās a reason nobody in any XC Discipline or Race who takes it remotely seriously would run a trail or an enduro bike. (Other than the ārun what you brungā and just having fun)
But I should have clarified - FS XC Bike, not HT. I think a Hardtail isnāt the right tool for the job either.
29lbs seems heavy for a Spur. Mine is sub-25lbs for a medium and not a crazy weight weenie build.
2450g for the Spur vs 2860g for the Ripmo v2 frame weightsā¦so about a lb or so on the frame itself. I could be mis-remembering but I think my buddyās was around 28ish. Insert in back, Pike up front. Minimal carbon.
If you really wanted to get a Ripmo sub 27 itās definitely possibleā¦.advisable, probably not.
Just to chime in on FS vs HT.
Iām on HT for budget reasons. I have looked at a move to FS that is at the cheaper end of the market, i.e. a Chisel FS, but the weight penalty is more than I want. And buying a Chisel FS and upgrading it would put me at Epic 8 compās (on sale) territory.
Once Iām at Epic 8 Expert level, I believe it is as light as my hardtail, and has the lockout, so no disadvantages over my hard tail.
My experience with earlier FS was that it made rough technical sections easier, and provided less fatigue over longer races. I definitely want to move to FS for those reasons, but $5k+ is a lot of money today.
When asked for advice on what to buy, if someone is racing, I say HT if budget under $4k, and FS if budget over $4k. If just wanting to mountain bike and not race, then HT if under $2k and Chisel FS if over $2k.
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