Yep. Horse thief. It’s the most popular trail there. I can ride about half way down the drop-in, but then it’s just too much. A 5 ft drop into janky rocks isn’t something I’ll ever do!
I also rode some of the less popular trails like Troy Built and Mack Ridge. Those are more raw and you take more of a beating. Horse thief is smooth in comparison 
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That’s probably due to that aluminum rear end. Don’t know if they make it any other way.
So what bike are you riding in Pisgah? I’m trying to figure out my next bike and I also don’t want an uphill pig just to say I went down faster.
I’m on a bit of a franken-bike which is a combo of 2021 and 2018 components: 2021 Fuel EX 9.9 frame, 2018 Fox 34 140mm fork, 29x2.4 tires (XR4 front/XR3 rear), AXS X01 and AXS Reverb. It’s definitely no XC rig but still feels nimble and capable. ~27lbs aint bad either for a 140/130 bike
Probably me being overly picky, but 160mm travel is well beyond the “Trail Bike” category and squarely into “Enduro” territory.
Maybe that definition depends more on your local trails and riding style, but 160mm is a heavy hitter bike in every form I have ridden (Slash, Spesh Enduro, Nomad, etc.)? But that would be massive overkill for what I consider “trail” riding that isn’t heavily focused on the down direction, IMO.
I get all of that. My point is this thread is literally titled:
(italic emphasis is mine) The “trail” aspect of that matters, IMO.
You are talking about a different bike with more “downhill” direction and bigger hit emphasis, that I would argue is an “Enduro” bike and not a “Trail” bike based on your travel and use definitions.
The XC and DH limits you mention are not really at play here with what I consider as a “trail” bike, being pretty much the middle of those two extremes.
This is probably cheating BUT I’m going to bend the rules a bit.
If I were to get one bike to rule them all, I’d get the current Sworks stumpy.
12.84kg with chunky tires and the 34Grip2 fork. I would be happy to put it in trail mode with faster tires and I could race Leadville on it without really much hesitation or much extra time added.
Put the chunky tires back on, throw a 150mm Fox38 or Zeb on it, and really there isn’t anything that I’m going not hit on the bike at a bike park or any other feature. Anything big enough to where I need a bigger bike, I’m too old for that 
Yup, I totally agree that the Stumpy is the definition of a “trail” bike, IMO. It has morphed over the years, to match tech and use changes, but is always what I consider as a safe bet to recommend to most riders that say, “I want a mountain bike”. It is capable at the upper and lower fringes of the “trail” category and typical use.
That and Trek Fuel EX have been reliable options from the brands I sell, for trail use. Other brands offer similar bikes for sure, but these two are constantly working within that range we are discussing here.
Any bike can really be a “do it all trail bike” depending on where/how it’s ridden, but not every bike is really built to be a jack of all trades, there’s always some compromise but it depends on where and how you ride. That will dictate what your do it all trail bike is: for me, it’s an EX. For guys who ride more rowdy trails, they may be willing to compromise more on speed for capability. For guys who don’t ride any rowdy trails, a TF or a hardtail can be their do it all trail bike, because it handles all of the trails they ride.
I guess there’s really no straightforward answer to this conundrum.
Yup. If I had to buy a new bike tomorrow, it would probably be this.
My current Fuel is pretty close, given it’s a “hybrid” of two model years - the 2021 frame, and 2017 components. 130mm rear, 140mm front with the Fox 34 fork; XC oriented wheels.
I’ve been riding my “new” Fuel for a few months now and love it as an all-rounder.
Just curious what is your weight and what are you running for shock and fork pressure? Did you mess with volume spacers when converting the fork to 140?
I have an extra volume spacer in the 140 fork - I think three, whereas the normal is 2 for 140mm.
I’m riding an Ibis Ripley V4, perfect for enjoying both up and down, I’ve taken it on some silly trails too. Obviously it climbs well. I just built up a Status which I suspect will be more fun down and less fun up. Working out an injury so I can report back once I’ve gotten some time on that bike too.
Do you run the shock in the middle trail setting? I only lock it out if I’m doing longer fire roads or smooth climbs, otherwise just try to leave it in the middle mode
In the context of this discussion, trail is a category of mountain bikes. Largely accepted 120-140 rear travel ranges. Like musical genres, it’s just a quick way of communicating what you like and are looking for without going too far into the weeds.
Ditto, and specifically defined in this context via the OP:
I have a 2020 Scott Genius AXS build. 150mm front and rear with a Fox 36 Fork with a lockout that makes the bike almost hardtail stiff both front and rear. I have a set of STans Podium wheels with 2.4 Aspen race tires with inserts.
This is my do it all bike and what it means to me is that I can race the bike (and have in marathon racing) but also ride it on any of the trails I ride in Colorado. I considered the Scott Ransom but the bike is that much more burly and heavy so it puts it out of the category to really race it very well.
Same. On my 2017 model, I used the lockout a lot more. The 2021 model has better pedaling performance. IIRC, they increased the anti squat by about 10% with the 2021 frame over the prior gen.
I’m looking at two totally different bikes. A Yeti SB100 and then an Ibis Ripmo.
I sold my switchblade (2018) and I know the Ripmo would handle everything, but I also like the thoughts of the Yeti for almost everything I ride.
