Parts at risk: Interim results of the FREERIDE endurance test bikes: Scor, Cube and Specialised

Winter damage: Cube Stereo One55 C:62 SLX 29

Eight months ago, tester Tim decided against a genuine enduro bike and is still happy about his decision today.

My endurance test bike not only had to prove itself in enduro races in autumn, but also had to put up with visits to the bike park. Now in winter I had the Cube Stereo One55 primarily on my home trails in the Palatinate. I'm still surprised at how potent the suspension of the mid-range trail enduro bike is in nasty terrain. Initially, the rear suspension offered little counter-pressure in the middle section. Especially on jumps, the suspension sagged. Without a volume spacer and adjusted air pressure, the problem was solved. The combination of sensitive suspension and balanced geometry makes the Stereo a real all-rounder with plenty of playfulness. But there is also something to complain about. The luggage compartment including tool bag in the down tube seems practical, but the ingress of water corroded my multi-tool. Too bad. In addition, the "boot lid" is now rattling. During winter maintenance, I noticed that the cables showed signs of wear in the bend area of the steering head. The bearings, on the other hand, are unimpressed by mud and snowy rides.

Interim conclusion: My Cube Stereo performs well and continues to be fun on almost any terrain. However, details such as the cable routing and the rattling flap are annoying.

Salmon rolls: Scor 4060

The Scor 4060 is a trail enduro bike. A bike category that tester Dimitri Lehner hasn't been able to do much with so far. Until now!

In real life, I don't fall in love quickly (unfortunately). In biker life (maybe the right one), I fall in love in a flash. For example in the Score 4060. What a great box! Everything fitted right away. Sit on it, feel good. Hammer handling. Super chic look. The only thing I struggled with at first was the colour. It was a very "woke" colour, even though I'm an old, white man. But in the meantime I've become friends with the salmon pink colour. The Scor's wide range of use is exactly to my taste. On alpine tours, I enjoyed the comfort of the large wheels. They saved me on nasty roll-offs and edges. On easy trail laps I'm happy about the good acceleration and in the bike park about the suspension. So far, the bike has only creaked minimally, which is due to the fact that I ride 50 kilometres on it every day, even in the rain and mud. But soon I'll be taking it apart and giving my favourite a wellness pack.

Interim conclusion: It must be love!

Once in cheaper, please! Specialised Levo SL Expert

The Minimal-Assist bike impressed tester Laurin so much that he didn't want to give it back. Now he at least has to swap it.

The Specialized Levo SL won our Minimal-Assist Trailduro comparison test. Why? Hardly any other minimal-assist bike feels as much like an organic bike as this one. The Levo SL steers directly and lively over the trail. The suspension (160/150 mm) generates pleasant counter-pressure and thus ensures a lot of playfulness. In terms of drive, the minimal assist motor from Specialized was long regarded as the benchmark - the US brand now has serious competition. The Fazua and Bosch drives are more powerful, while the TQ motor is at least quieter and smaller. Which brings us to one of my biggest criticisms: The Levo SL is annoyingly loud, which kills the vibe on uphills. Weight is crucial for minimal-assist bikes. That means: the lighter, the more organic bike feeling. And since magazines like us usually only test such sinfully expensive models (due to availability) and base their practical impressions on them, I now want to try out the aluminium model and swap the Expert model (18.2 kilos) for the Comp Alloy after more than 2000 kilometres. More in the next FREERIDE.

Interim conclusion: Yes, the new Specialised Levo SL has improved and is a benchmark for me. Unfortunately, the bike is very expensive, so I'm now swapping the Expert model for the aluminium version.