by JSatch » Thu Jun 21, 2012 1:34 pm
i'm not familiar with the terrain in the midwest, is there no variation whatsoever?
the bike you choose should mate with the riding you want to do, ie where you want to go with your riding level. as mentioned, the enduro would be the better suited for rougher, faster, steeper, maybe not full guns downhill, but very adequate for advanced techy rides, and still a very capable bike to climb. i'm more a person that prefers the bike handle the tougher, faster parts of the rides i do. i've tried dh on bikes not set up for it and it's challenging to say the least, and not safe, at least for my skills.
check out head angles to see how the bike is set up. there were a couple of excellent articles a little while ago here explaining bike set-up and what to look for in bike design for different terrain.
if you are going to challenge yourself with steep, fast and technical, the enduro is a capable machine that will give you confidence and can also get you back up the hill. if not, go for the lighter, steeper head angle bike.
(disclaimer- i own an older model speshi sx trail)