Test 170-millimetre bikes 2023: 3 exciting enduro bikes in an exchange of blows
Laurin Lehner
· 26.11.2022
We tested these three enduro bikes:
(Click to go to the individual rating)
The contents of the 170-millimetre bike test
The test report
Bikes are designed for you out there. Think again! It's not like that! In most cases, bikes are built for racers. For example, the downhill weapon Intense Tracer. The engineers worked hard to build an enduro bike that could cope with the tough tracks of the Enduro World Series (EWS). Naturally, the Intense team left touring suitability out of the equation. Understandably so. The result was a downhill machine that was built for the fast straight line. That's good, because after all According to our reader survey, almost 50 per cent attach importance to downhill performance when buying an enduro bike - In their eyes, the uphill is just a means to an end. If you see it that way, then a 170-millimetre bike is the best choice. Santa Cruz throws its brand new Nomad into the ring. In the Californian company's portfolio, this is more of a freerider than a race enduro bike. And yes, you can feel that in the bike. Because it is more moderate in its orientation - but rolls in the same suspension travel class as the test competitors.
New to the business: the young Hamburg bike company Sciu. Company founder Gjovalin Pepaj worked for Santa Cruz for many years. Now he is doing his own thing and wanted to start his Sciu Aspen a race enduro bike that generates as much propulsion as a trail bike. Next year, the bike will prove itself at the Enduro World Series. This mountain bike also ranks in the 170 millimetre class. However, we found the Sciu Aspen to be more of a classic enduro bike with a wide range of uses. It perhaps best fulfils the requirements of hobby enduro riders. In short: Although the test scores of all bikes are close together, the intended use could hardly be more different.
Conclusion on the test of the 170-millimetre bikes:
Racers and shuttle fans will love the Intense Tracer. If you want a bike with a wide range of uses, go for the Sciu Aspen. The Santa Cruz Nomad can do both very well, but it's wickedly expensive.
Under power? Pros & cons
Electric components, such as gears or dropper posts, are becoming increasingly popular*. Rightly so? Two opinions.
PRO: Stefan Frey, BIKE tester
"E-parts on the bike? I think it's great. Fitting them is child's play and can be done in five minutes. That's not the rule. Anyone who has ever fiddled with cables through the frame knows what I'm talking about. The operation is very intuitive - it's impossible to get confused and the batteries last a long time. The disadvantage: the price."
CONTRA: Dimitri Lehner, FREERIDE tester
"Oh, please, not another battery that I have to charge. There are already too many. I hadn't thought about it on a trail ride and suddenly I couldn't change gear. What a load of rubbish. I don't need electronic suspension either. For me, biking means freedom, digital detox, e-detox, physical experience, breathing deeply, being myself."
>> The individual tests and results of the three enduro bikes can be found under the following links here:
Application range of the 170-millimetre bikes
Weights in comparison
Park ranking of the 3 Enduros
- Santa Cruz
- Intense
- Sciu
Race ranking
- Intense
- Santa Cruz
- Sciu
Explanation of the FREERIDE ranking
The number (maximum 10 points) reflects the overall impression of the testers and is not an
addition of the performance points.
- 10: Test winner, it couldn't be better
- 9: Very good. Buy recommendation
- 8: Good. Solid performance
- 7: Below average. The product has weaknesses.
- 6 and less: We can only warn against this!
This is how we test:
Three testers rode the bikes for two days on the EWS race track in Canazei in the Dolomites. The Tutti-Frutti has everything you need to test the capabilities of an enduro bike. The track is fast, steep, technical, rough, winding and twisty. Here we were able to ideally compare the downhill skills and playfulness of the three test enduro bikes. Short uphills on our test course provided information on how well the three competitors can be pedalled uphill.
Laurin Lehner
Editor
