We tested these four super enduro bikes:
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All topics in this test:
Successful models
Yellowed fluttering ribbons hang forlornly in the forest. Here and there, fishing nets still line the edge of the track. We follow the remains of the Enduro World Cup through the rutted trails around Canazei in the Dolomites like sniffer dogs on a scent. Just four weeks earlier, the world's top enduro riders were battling for podium places on the same ground. We, on the other hand, used the five stages in the heart of the Dolomites to test what are perhaps the fastest enduro bikes in the world in the footsteps of the pros. The composition of the bikes in this test differs significantly from our usual comparisons. Instead of just sending enduro bikes from a certain price category onto the circuit, in this test we put the four fastest professional bikes of the World Cup in Canazei to the test, under race conditions on the original track.
Pivot rider Matthew Walker's winning bike will start from pole position. With the Pivot Firebird Team, the US brand offers its customers the racing specification of the professional team as a series bike on a one-to-one basis. On board the carbon enduro bike you will find flawless Shimano XTR equipment, carbon Reynolds wheels, Continental tyres and factory-grade Fox suspension. Only an additional puncture protection insert on the rear tyre gives Walker's race bike a little more puncture protection than our test model.
The second fastest bike - the Commencal Meta V5 - from Frenchman Alex Rudeau was unfortunately not available for this test. The Yeti SB 160 from enduro star Richie Rude is therefore the runner-up in our comparison. The basic model is the T1 equipment variant for 10,390 euros. In terms of equipment, however, our candidate does not completely match the racing team's work equipment. Both the braking system and the drivetrain come from Sram. The team riders, on the other hand, rely on Shimano components. However, the add-on parts, which are decisive for the riding characteristics, remain the same. In other words, the suspension consists of a 38 mm Fox fork and a Float X2 shock from the Factory series. Yeti went all out with the tyres especially for this test, specifying Maxxis tyres with the robust double-down carcass and inserts for maximum puncture protection at the front and rear - just like Richie Rude.
Podium contender number three goes by the name of Specialized Stumpjumper EVO S-Works. "But that's not the actual enduro bike from Specialized", some of you are probably thinking. Not entirely wrong. But team rider Charlie Murray didn't pack the wrong bike for Canazei, he deliberately opted for the lighter and more compact bike with slightly less suspension travel throughout the season. His race bike therefore features Rockshox suspension with a slimmer Lyrik Ultimate fork at the front. However, our test bike is equipped with the Fox counterpart due to a lack of availability. In addition, Murray's bike uses Sram's new Eagle transmission for shifting, not the Eagle XX1 AXS drivetrain we tested. The tyre setup? Race-ready!
The last bike in the top four follows the command of Canyon rider Jesse Melamed. Equipped with a coil shock and a 170 mm ZEB suspension fork from Rockshox, the standard bike comes Canyon Strive CFR TLD Melamed's race bike very closely. As with Specialized, the biggest difference lies in the drive. Here, too, the professionals have opted for the latest transmission technology. When it comes to tyres, the Koblenz-based company specifies a Maxxis combination with a tame EXO+ casing, while the Canadian company relies on the most powerful DH version.
Also exciting: During the race in Canazei, Melamed rode his Strive with an asymmetrical headset shell to minimise the unusually long geometry.
Our testers on the race track in Canazei
Back on the race track: colleague Peter Nilges mills through the long gravel bends of the first stage on the extremely flat Canyon Strive. There are still around 600 metres of singletrack ahead of us. On the open, upper part of the ski slope, I envy my colleague for the smoothness and poise of the longest bike in our test. The Yeti is similarly long and has extremely good traction. A similar picture emerges on the full throttle sections of the Infinity Trail and in the upper part of the famous Tutti Frutti Trail. Here, the stable straight-line stability of both bikes means you hold all the aces.
However, high-speed expertise alone is not enough to beat the tamer competition from Pivot and Specialized in the downhill rankings. This is because Canazei is dominated by sections of the trail where gravity alone is not enough to ensure speed. Tight bends, undulating trails, short intermediate climbs and even hairpin bends require a lot of physical effort to generate and maintain speed. In these scenarios, the weight and length of the two bikes turn out to be a noticeable disadvantage compared to the bikes from Pivot and Specialized.
Almost four weeks after Matthew Walker crossed the finish line fastest on his Pivot Firebird, we are certain: in Canazei, on the trail of the pros, our assessment also favours the compact geometry and intuitive riding characteristics of the Firebird. The reactive and lightweight Specialized can also score points under these circumstances. The Stumpjumper EVO masters the transfer sections uphill and crisp intermediate climbs the best. However, the successes of Richie Rude and Jesse Melamed also show that anyone who has the skills to push their bikes through the Dolomites for a day under race pressure can also utilise the advantages of smooth running and extreme composure to achieve the best times on a course like Canazei. Unlike us testers, who with our more modest abilities only chase after yellowed fluttering ribbons.
Facts, figures and data
Geometries of enduro MTBs: The measure of all things
Longer and slacker - this trend has had a lasting impact on the geometry of mountain bikes in recent years. But have manufacturers now overshot their mark?
62.9 degree head angle, 475 millimetres reach and a wheelbase of 1276 millimetres: If you take a closer look at the geometry of the Canyon Strive in this comparison, the dimensions are more reminiscent of a downhill bike than an enduro bike. In this comparison, the Koblenz-based company explores the extremes. And this despite the fact that our test bike is frame size M. To ensure that all bikes play in a similar league in terms of reach, we also had to order the Pivot with its large reach in frame size M.
But back to the extremes. If you take a look at the equipment used by the pros, it quickly becomes clear that long and slack geometries, like Canyon's, only help you to achieve the best time on most enduro trails to a limited extent. Canyon rider Jesse Melamed therefore uses the option on his Strive to shorten the reach with special headset shells. This makes the long geometry less of a problem for enduro trails à la Canazei.
But Specialized rider Charlie Murray's race bike also shows that other manufacturers have also passed their zenith. At least as far as use in the Enduro World Cup is concerned. After extensive testing, the New Zealander switched from his Specialized Enduro to the All Mountain Stumpjumper EVO for the Enduro World Cup. With this move, Murray even sacrifices a centimetre of suspension travel and the stiffer stanchions of Rockshox's ZEB enduro fork as well as the rear suspension's ability to swallow in favour of the more compact geometry.
But that's not all. In order to shift more weight to the front for more direct handling, Matthew Walker gave his already moderate Pivot Firebird the steep flip-chip setting. The steering angle measures just 65.3 degrees. For comparison: In our last high-end trail bike test with suspension travel between 120 and 140 millimetres, the average was 65.6 degrees.
What the scene insiders say
Rainer Lauterbach, Product Manager Canyon
With the geometry of the Strive, we have deliberately gone to extremes. Smooth running en masse and maximum control on steep sections are the key to enduro racing. And if our bike is still too long for you, we offer you the option of customising the geometry. Firstly, the steering angle can be steepened by 1.5 degrees using the Shapeshifter, just like a flipchip - but at the touch of a button. At the same time, the wheelbase shrinks, the bottom bracket rises and the seat angle becomes steeper. In addition, the reach can be shortened or lengthened by five millimetres using special headset shells. In extreme cases, this gives us a maximally fast bike, but we can still adapt the geometry for different areas of use.
Charlie Murray, Specialised Enduro Team
I prefer the Stumpjumper Evo on the narrow trails we ride here in Europe. The tight "French bends" are easier to manage with a smaller, lighter and shorter bike. I have the feeling that the Specialized Enduro would only come into its own if we were riding exclusively on fast, rough, full-throttle trails. But because the Stumpjumper Evo is already so capable and the trails in the EDR (UCI Enduro MTB World Cup) have a lot of technical sections, it was the perfect bike for the European races this season. By the way: I ride frame size S4 on both the Stumpjumper and the Enduro and I'm 182 cm tall.
The race track
Five different downhills, 2936 metres in depth and a total of 43.5 kilometres: The circuit in Canazei pushes both man and machine to the limit.
Stage 1 Titans: 3.1 km I 1 hm I 634 tm
Fast and open at the start, steep and winding from the second third onwards. The Titans Trail is a textbook enduro route, but unfortunately only accessible during the race or with authorisation.
Stage 2 Infinity: 3.9 km I 3 hm I 509 tm
After the first gondola, you have to work your way up the last 310 metres to the trail entrance. After that, a mixture of very fast, bike park-like trails and blocked root sections awaits.
Stage 3 Electric Line: 2.3 km I 7 hm I 451 tm
After 211 metres of elevation gain on asphalt, the Electric-Line offers boulder-strewn hollow paths, undulating nature trails and a few intermediate sprints.
Stage 4 Tutti Frutti: 5.7 km I 25 hm I 892 tm
Furious high-speed passages at the beginning, followed by tough intermediate climbs, technical nature trails and fast bends at the end: the longest stage of the race places rigorous demands on the rider's fitness and entire musculoskeletal system.
Stage 5 Ciastes: 1.1 km I 0 hm I 215 tm
Unfortunately, we had to cancel the last stage from our test round. A crash towards the end of the fourth stage forced us to end the test prematurely.
What our test crew says about the enduro bikes in the BIKE test
Max Fuchs, BIKE test editor
If I had to ride a bike in a race, I would immediately go for the Pivot Firebird. The weight is top, the suspension is first class. Thanks to the moderate geometry, the bike doesn't develop any momentum of its own and remains easy to control on any terrain.
Peter Nilges, BIKE Test Manager
The suspension of the Yeti SB 160 works sensationally well, and the geometry strikes the perfect balance between composure and manoeuvrability on most trails. I would only put the wheels on a diet to give the bike more agility.
Thomas Weschta, BIKE tester
Professionals may be able to handle bikes like the Yeti SB 160 or Canyon Strive. For me, however, these bikes are simply too sluggish away from steep bike park trails. On the lightweight Specialized Stumpjumper I'm faster, have more fun and enjoy the widest range of use.
Max Fuchs
Editor
