Enduro Bikes: A Buying Guide.
Establishing what Enduro is has been one of the features of 2013, with the Enduro World Series being the starting point for the sport on the international stage.
The bikes that riders can now buy have changed a lot in the last year, 27.5″ wheels seem to be the largest change, followed by the greater availability of XX1, the 11 speed system from SRAM. Apart from these points it is the overall setup of the bike that is the biggest indicator to what an Enduro bike is and despite the visible increase of the Enduro factor in the market place, it is still very hard to buy a complete bike that has the features that riders use on an Enduro race bike.
Below you will find the suggested (based on our testing experiences over the last years) component styles that will leave you with an Enduro ready bike that will be strong and perform at the top level at an Enduro race.
Get the right frame and you will be happy for years.
Frame
This can be a completely personal choice, there are so many to choose from. In general it is always best to go for a strong frame with at least 150mm of travel and a fairly open head angle. Carbon or Aluminium? Well just because the frame is carbon doesn’t always means it is better or stronger( ask about some secret frame braking testing via email), however in general terms carbon frames are lighter and stiffer, go for a recognised brand and you will be safe with warranties etc. Which brand is best? We like Santa Cruz, Specialized, Transition and GT looks fairly nice at the moment. However the best thing to do is to try before you buy, serious shops will let you, or go to a demo day.
When choosing a frame size always go for the biggest frame you can don’t be shy and get a medium if you are 1.90m tall. The top professional riders go faster on larger frames. Especially if it is rough.
If you like fast cornering go for a frame with shorter rear chain stays, if you like more comfort down a hill then longer chain stays are great as well. This is a personal choice each bike will ride differently.
Three forks all good but one felt better.
Suspension
This depends on the type of wheels and frame, it is better to opt for a 36mm fork with a 20mm axle if you want excellent strength and control, the lighter 34 forks with 15mm axles still flex too much in our opinion and are still too much of a compromise compared to a solid feeling 36mm fork.
Brand? Well the main three brands, FOX, Marzocchi and RockShox are all great. Between these three we would go for a Marzocchi 55 with air on the front. We compared all three 36mm forks a while ago and the 55’s were the best feeling fork.
However if you have the chance to try a BOS fork like we did recently, then go for one of those.
On the back, well FOX with their CTD shock have ruled this sector for a while, but the other offerings out there are also valid, most frames though these days are shipped with a FOX shock, just make sure it is set correctly for your weight and the rebound is not too fast.
Which wheels are good?
Wheels
This is the 1000 pound gorilla in the room at the moment and it affects the above choices. Personally we prefer 26″ wheels at the moment they are faster when having fun and changing direction quickly out on the technical trails we ride, (plus all the pro riders we have spoken to about this for fun prefer 26″ wheels) and there is a huge amount of tyre choice available…..but this is the year of the 27.5″ wheel and all the manufacturers are pushing them as the new wheels to own. We would say that for going in a straight line smoothly 27.5″ wheels are fast, but slightly boring, at the moment tyre choice is limited. Last winter we did a test with all the wheel sizes and we always had more fun on 26″…..
When choosing rims, honestly the only Carbon wheels worth getting at the moment are the ENVE you can actually feel a massive performance difference, otherwise go for some Mavic Crossmax SX if you can’t get carbon wheels.
Which tyres?
Tyres
This can be a personal choice but we recommend a 2.35″ front tyre that is fairly aggressive and grippy like a Maxxis Minion or a Schwalbe Magic Mary, with a faster rolling rear tyre like a classic 2.35″ Maxxis High Roller. Tubeless at this point is an option, and in our opinion the best way to go to avoid punctures and have a slightly lower rolling mass if you chose the right tyres.
XX1 style drive rings.
Drive Train
The Enduro standard for most professionals is a 1×10/11 setup. with a 32T or 34T on the front and a 10T-42T or a 11T-36T on the back.
If you must have 2×10 then go for a 36T paired with a 24T up front and 11T-36T on the back, with a mid cage mech. We recommend a clutch mech (type II or shadow plus) at a minimum.
If the bike you are looking at comes with a triple front chain ring, best leave that bike in shop, the large ring is dangerous with it’s leg shredding ability and pointless with the gearing it offers, we don’t know why bike makers still sell bikes with them that are aimed at the Enduro or all mountain sector, to us it only shows they got a good deal on bulk parts from the manufacturer, we are not children anymore, we do not need to show off with 30 gears.
Which brand? SRAM and Shimano both work well but the best at the moment is the SRAM XX1 11 speed system. If you are still on 1×10 then go for a SRAM XO or X9. If you prefer Shimano in this setup then the Zee is great value for money and super smooth. In 2×10 no beating an XT setup from Shimano for price and performance quality.
Chain management is personal, with a new style XX1 chain ring you don’t need a chain guide. If you don’t have one of the new XX1 style rings then a top guide is essential with a bottom roller for extra safety.
Cranks, personally if you abuse them and strike rocks a lot, then go for something tough. Light does not equal strong and most likely you will contact rocks that will win at some point. RaceFace and Shimano are great, we also like SRAM carbon crank arms, very strong as well as being light.
Simple but durable and functional controls.
Controls
Here can be personal again but for a good general starting point, a 780 mm bar which can be cut to length, and 45 mm steam is the standard to start from. This combination gives excellent control and good positioning on the bike without slowing the steering, if the bike has a 60mm plus stem, best leave the bike in the shop it is not going to be useful for the style of riding you will be doing.
Grips, so many to choose from, our favourites and widely sold are the Lizard Skin Peaty grips. Comfortable and gear bar feel.
Brakes are the thing you will use the most, the best brakes out there at the moment are most Shimano brakes. SLX or Zee are great value for money and offer amazing stopping power with excellent feel and great consistency in braking, even after long brake warming descents. There are many other brake brands out there, but for the moment Shimano are the best.
A telescopic remote control seat post is a must! Enduro trails go up as well as down, better than stoping to adjust your position manually, just push the remote. The seat post of choice for us at the moment is the Rockshox Reverb, nothing else we have tried so far has the same feeling, response and adjustment as the Reverb. Look after them well though, clean them and service them and they will last a long time.
Pedals are the other contact point most in use. If you ride flat pedals there is no beating DMR Vaults. If you ride clips then Crank Brothers Mallet DH are the best for stability in our opinion. Its personal though, so ride what allows you to eject easily if you need to and gives a stable base to push off.
Other Stuff
Make sure you have good knee pads, a bit of back protection and a good helmet. Comfort in all these aspects important, not all brands of protective equipment will fit well, it all depends on your body shape and sensitivities to the materials they are made from, best thing to do is try it on in the shop before hand.
Full face helmets are great for those who want to push themselves, they are light in weight nowadays and well ventilated, don’t use a motorcycle helmet as it wont help in a crash, it is not designed for low speed impacts like on a bike and will not offer protection like you think it will.
Gloves are mandatory, nothing worse than a grazed hand.
Lycra is for old cross country riders or road riders, the choice of loose stylish protective clothing is limitless now if you want to be cool then Troy Lee Designs is the coolest brand out there…
