What was going on at the beginning of last season when Aaron Gwin and Troy Brosnan entered the Downhill World Cup on 650B enduro bikes? When Gwin actually won the race, the sensation was complete. Of course, Specialized doesn't miss out on a marketing coup like this. In 2015, the clever Americans are replacing the touring freerider with an upgraded mini downhill version with a 180 mm double bridge fork, larger wheels and customised geodata. Gwin's winning bike for everyone, if you like. The name: "Enduro" is totally absurd, but what the heck!
Trek's advertising department is not sleeping either. In addition to a downhill team, they also have trick machine Brendon Semenuk under contract. And because he is less and less keen on competitions and more and more keen on fat video segments in big-bike style, a pimped "Session" had to be created: the "8 Park" with smaller wheels, 190 millimetres of progressive travel at the rear and extra-short chainstays. Here they are, the two of them. The tuned ex-freerider in the speed set-up and the ex-downhiller with a focus on tricks. We asked ourselves: Do these things also make sense for mere mortals? And which bike is the better choice for everyday use in the park?
First, let's take a look at the Specialised. In our eyes, the predecessor was the perfect freerider: robust, but not too heavy. Handy for tricks, stable and safe at high speeds. Sensibly equipped with a telescopic seat post and a gear ratio suitable for touring. The new "Evo Expert" comes with the "Boxxer Team" travelled to 180 millimetres and a similar steering angle. The bottom bracket is significantly lower in relation to the wheel axles and the reach is now 7 millimetres longer in size M. Despite the 650B, the chainstays are shorter (420 millimetres). To achieve this, the seat tube had to be set extremely steep: At almost 77 degrees, you would be too far in front of the bottom bracket for pedalling. But the new "Enduro Evo" is no longer designed for pedalling. At least not uphill. That's why the telescopic seat post has been removed and the 1 x 11 gearing has been replaced with a ten-speed downhill transmission. Only the fat Öhlins shock and the proven kinematics have remained. Nevertheless, everything feels familiar when you first sit on the bike. And after just a few metres it becomes clear that Specialized has retained the character of its predecessor. The new "Evo" also manages the balancing act between manoeuvrability and smoothness very well. The good pop on jumps and the neutral, light handling in the air are just like before. However, you can now let it run even more at high speeds. Thanks to the larger wheels, you stand lower on the bike and feel extremely secure between the potent "Boxxer" with "Charger" shock and the full, but not too soft Öhlins rear end. The main difference to a pure downhiller is the slightly firmer basic set-up, which makes sense and is fun on flatter, bumpier trails in bike parks. Touring is passé, but the new "Enduro Evo" is better for park use.
Now to the trek. The downhill bike was already trimmed for the team riders last season with 27.5 mm wheels and a linear characteristic curve for maximum downhill performance. These thoroughbred race bikes are available in two versions in the current programme. The "Session 8 Park" is the last model with 26-inch wheels. For more pop, the kinematics have been designed to be even more progressive than on the original "Session" and the chainstays have been reduced to a typical specialised 418 millimetres. At the same time, the suspension travel is reduced to 190 millimetres at the rear. The simple "Boxxer Race" and a "Kage RC" shock take care of the suspension work. The bike is also rather simply equipped in other respects. The geometry is unusually short. A reach of less than 400 millimetres in size M and the short wheelbase emphasise the bike's trick orientation. This is offset by a total weight of 18 kilos. When sitting on the Trek, the feeling is familiar. We recognise the firmer rear end from its predecessor. In rocky terrain, the "Session 8 Park" rides almost like it did back then: firm, with direct feedback from the ground. The suspension passes on quick hits to the rider - a pity! Because of this and the short, high riding position, you feel a whole class less confident on the road than with the Specialized. Despite the firm, progressive rear end, there is no real joy of jumping on the trail. The bike feels quite heavy and not very agile. However, the suspension offers enormous reserves for botched landings, making it a good fit for Brandon Semenuk, who uses it to complete huge drops with rotations in Utah. The Trek seems too specialised for Central European bike park trails. It lacks comfort for the downhill sections and agility for the jump sections.
Conclusion: The Specialized has not been harmed by the reorientation. Full throttle or jumptrails are just as much fun in the park. The Trek is a niche product for extreme stunts. The pure downhillers in the series make more sense as park bikes for normal riders.
SPECIALISED ENDURO EXPERT EVO 2015 - DUEL WINNER
MANUFACTURER INFORMATION
Distribution Specialised Europe B.V.,
Info www.specialized.com
Material / Sizes Aluminium / S, M, L
Price / weight without pedals 4,499 Euro / 16.3 kg
MEASURED DATA
Front / rear suspension travel 180 mm / 180 mm
Rear suspension system Four-bar linkage
EQUIPMENT
Fork / damper Boxxer Team 650B Charger / Öhlins TTX22M
Cranks / gears SRAM Descendant /SRAM X0
Brake system SRAM Gui de RS DH
Impellers Specialised Roval DH system wheelset Butcher DH 2.5 (front), Slaughter DH 2.3 (rear)
TREK SESSION 8 PARK 2015
MANUFACTURER INFORMATION
Distribution Bikeurope B.V./Trek Germany,
Info www.trekbikes.com
Material / Sizes Aluminium /M, L
Price/weight without pedals 3,999 Euro / 17.3 kg
MEASURED DATA
Front / rear suspension travel 200 mm / 190 mm
Rear suspension system ABP Full Floater
EQUIPMENT
Fork / damper RockShox Boxxer Race / Kage RC
Cranks / gears Truvativ Descendant / SRAM X7
Brake system Avid Code R
Impellers DT Swiss FR 2150 system wheels Bontrager G4 Team Issue 26X2.35 tyres
FREERIDE RANKING: maximum 10 points. The score reflects the overall impression and is not the average of performance points. These refer to the respective bike category. It is not comparable with other bike categories.
