All Around Bike Recommendation

Related:
Trail / All-Mountain
Question
Bike Buying Advice
Trail Hazard
Edited Date/Time 5/1/2018 4:11pm
I am new to the MTB scene AKA a "Trail Hazard"! I am switching over from Moto and just looking for a good all around MTB. The Santa Cruz Hightower and the new Specialized Stumpjumper have caught my eye. Looking to stay around $5.5K on the bike. Any Recommendations?
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sspomer
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sspomer 5/1/2018 4:33pm
5/1/2018 4:33pm Edited Date/Time 5/1/2018 4:34pm
plenty of moto cross-overs here! welcome! we have a lot of bikes reviewed in our product guide. it could be a good place to get more info and comparisons - https://www.vitalmtb.com/product/category/Bikes,3/riding_type/all_mount…

how's the riding in omaha? is it river bluff-style riding? i lived in kansas for a year (1998) and while there wasn't much vert, there was a ton of fun riding (lawrence). even had a ton of fun snowboarding at snow creek in western missouri.
Trail Hazard 5/1/2018 5:39pm
5/1/2018 5:39pm
sspomer wrote:
plenty of moto cross-overs here! welcome! we have a lot of bikes reviewed in our product guide. it could be a good place to get more...
plenty of moto cross-overs here! welcome! we have a lot of bikes reviewed in our product guide. it could be a good place to get more info and comparisons - https://www.vitalmtb.com/product/category/Bikes,3/riding_type/all_mount…

how's the riding in omaha? is it river bluff-style riding? i lived in kansas for a year (1998) and while there wasn't much vert, there was a ton of fun riding (lawrence). even had a ton of fun snowboarding at snow creek in western missouri.
Thanks for link I'll do some digging! I haven't actually been out to any trails here as i am new to the area and I am still recovering from my latest knee injury. I am spending way to much time behind the keyboard watching reviews on bikes so I can pick one up as I get cleared to ride.
Big Bird
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Big Bird 5/1/2018 7:51pm
5/1/2018 7:51pm
Welcome to Vital, Trail. Or do you prefer Mr. Hazard? Feel free to add an "Introduce yourself" in the forum. We always love to hear some moto tales. Also, I'm not usually a shill, but I work at Art's Cyclery. We have some ridiculous close out deals on Intenses since they went direct. I could build you one tomorrow. And I finally have a whipping by to pack and ship it for you.
Broken_spoke.photo 5/1/2018 8:27pm
5/1/2018 8:27pm
sspomer wrote:
plenty of moto cross-overs here! welcome! we have a lot of bikes reviewed in our product guide. it could be a good place to get more...
plenty of moto cross-overs here! welcome! we have a lot of bikes reviewed in our product guide. it could be a good place to get more info and comparisons - https://www.vitalmtb.com/product/category/Bikes,3/riding_type/all_mount…

how's the riding in omaha? is it river bluff-style riding? i lived in kansas for a year (1998) and while there wasn't much vert, there was a ton of fun riding (lawrence). even had a ton of fun snowboarding at snow creek in western missouri.
Trail Hazard wrote:
Thanks for link I'll do some digging! I haven't actually been out to any trails here as i am new to the area and I am...
Thanks for link I'll do some digging! I haven't actually been out to any trails here as i am new to the area and I am still recovering from my latest knee injury. I am spending way to much time behind the keyboard watching reviews on bikes so I can pick one up as I get cleared to ride.
First of all, Welcome! we all hope you heal up quick. Regardless of what anyone says, demoing a bike should be your first step. I would look to see what is offered near you and choose accordingly.If you have already done that I would start looking at direct sales brands. I shouldn't be saying this as I work at a specialized dealer but, YT industries and Canyon have some insane bikes at your price point. If you are looking at a 29er I would go with the YT Jeffsy 29 CF PRO Race. It comes in at $5,000 so right under your budget. It is a great all-rounder with big wheels. On the 27.5 side, I would go with the Canyon Spectral CF 9.0 Pro. The YT has fox suspension and a mix or different brands for drivetrain and brakes while the Canyon is running full SRAM. Specialized is still a great brand, I own too many, and my current is the 2017 Expert carbon 29. The new model looks to be even better with a metric shock that you can tune more easily than the previous autosag crap, and you get a full carbon frame for not much more than previous years. Good luck and hope to see you on the trails!
hd4rider
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hd4rider 5/2/2018 8:47am
5/2/2018 8:47am
Ibis Ripmo is another great bike you can get within that price range, as well as an Evil The Following.

Regarding places to ride, Sunbridge Conservation Area in St. Joseph, MO (~2 hours away) has some pretty great 250-300ft river bluff descents. Also, Kansas City has some amazing trail systems with big jumps and drops.

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