The world is changing rapidly. Politics, business, society, technology - the wheel is turning faster and faster. And sometimes you want to keep your foot out of it just to keep up. In the bike industry, too, no stone is left unturned. True to the motto: standing still means going backwards, development is galloping ahead. Whether this is always for the good of the biker is open to debate.
The best example: the mountain bike categories. Suspension travel and geometries are shifting from year to year. This can currently be seen particularly clearly in the enduro class. Once long-stroke all-rounders, enduro bikes have transformed into specialised competition machines within just a few years. The main reason for this is the abbreviation EWS. Seven of the eight enduro brands in this test have a professional team that fights for glory and honour in the Enduro World Series. Giant, Mondraker, Rocky Mountain, Scott, Specialized, Whyte and, last but not least, Yeti do everything they can to equip their teams with the fastest racing bikes. Only the newly founded Swiss brand Arc8 is not (yet) represented in the EWS hustle and bustle.
The full article with all the test results including points tables, technical data and grades is available as a PDF in the download area below:
- ARC8 Extra - 5500 Euro
- Giant Reign Advanced Pro 0 - 8,499 euros
- Mondraker Superfoxy Carbon RR - 8,499 euros
- Rocky Mountain Slayer C90 - 8,600 euros
- Scott Ransom 900 Tuned - 7,599 euros
- Specialised Enduro S-Works - 10,999 euros
- Whyte G-170C RS 29 - 4.499 Euro
- Yeti SB 150 T2 - 8,490 euros
Extreme geometries and, above all, solid material are required in order to survive on the increasingly tough trails and, if possible, without a defect (changing the material is not permitted in most races). In some cases, the demands on an enduro bike are even higher than those on a downhill bike. Why? Firstly, the downhill stages of the enduro routes are very similar to the competition downhill routes. But an enduro bike has to make do with less suspension travel. Secondly, enduro riders cover significantly more kilometres than any downhill rider, and not just on a race weekend. And thirdly, the large number of routes makes it almost impossible to memorise and hit the ideal line with centimetre precision, as is the case in downhill - which is why the equipment must have large reserves.
So it's no wonder that the weight of enduro bikes only plays a subordinate role in the developers' specifications and that the frames tend to become heavier and heavier despite the use of carbon fibre. As a result, the frame weight in this test field stabilises at an average of just under three kilos without the shock - for the purpose of durability and resistance in the event of falls. The same applies to the components. EWS pro Martin Maes, for example, combines the already very stable and heavy Schwalbe Super Gravity tyres (1250 grams) with a Cushcore puncture protection insert (260 grams) to minimise the risk of a puncture during the race. In our test group, only the enduro bikes from Arc8, Giant and Scott including pedals remain under the 14-kilo mark in terms of overall weight. The new Slayer from Rocky Mountain and the cheapest bike from UK mail order company Whyte, at 4500 euros, weigh well over 15 kilos. At least the positive breakdown record proves the product managers right. In our entire test procedure, with a tyre pressure of 1.4 bar at the front and 1.6 bar at the rear in the tubeless setup, we only had one puncture. Not a bad record.
Specialisation does not stop at enduro bikes when it comes to geometry either. A steering angle of 64 degrees in combination with 29-inch wheels was considered unrideable until a few years ago. In our current test group, however, these key data are standard. In addition, all manufacturers rely on suspension forks with little offset, which increases the trail and makes the bike even smoother. With this steering geometry and the increased wheelbase, the new enduro bikes are like a board on the trail at high speeds. In order to at least put enough pressure on the front wheel when pedalling uphill, the seat angle has been steepened to the same extent. An average of 76.5 degrees speaks for itself and ensures that, despite a long reach, you usually sit quite compactly and upright. Only when riding slowly uphill can the very slack head angle lead to tipping tendencies, as on the Arc8, which has the slackest head angle at 63.5 degrees, especially as the rear end sags slightly on steep climbs without a platform.
You can find the complete comparison test including all data, points tables and the score overview in BIKE 12/2019. The comparison test costs € 2.99 as a PDF. Why not free of charge? Because quality journalism has a price. In return, we guarantee independence and objectivity. This applies in particular to the tests in BIKE. We don't pay for them, but the opposite is the case: we charge for them, hundreds of thousands of euros every year.
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