[Closed] Spesh Enduro as an everyday trail bike? Too much? Calling Tracey to the forum.

My expert is sub 30 and lighter than many peoples alu trail bikes. It should therefore be capable as a trail bike but depends what you define as xc. I wouldnt want to use it on bridleways etc but that could be me.

It somehow feels a lot of bike when not riding what its meant for. Even on trail centres.

Got one as a 40th birthday present for myself! At the time it was the only bike I had and as a result it was used for everything. Initially thought it would be hard work but it turned out the opposite, sure there are times that 160mm of travel was deemed too much by mates but I managed. Found it climbed amazingly well as long as I stayed seated which suits me as a typical 'winch and plummet' kinda bloke! Point it downhill tho and it does a proper job! Sat unridden for two years now due to a shoulder injury but just can't bring myself to sell it!
Cheers
Steven

I had one of the older ones, yes it was abit too much for everything. That said i did love riding it.

Have you thought about the Stumpjumper. Slightly less travel and just as capable.

I have also been considering the Stumpjumper evo, but there's something Ive always loved about the look of the Enduro.
We mostly ride around the Surrey Hills, so Leith, Holmbury etc.
I've read some reviews that say climbing causes the front end to lift. I'd be on a large frame size but I'm not really sure how they size up? I'm 6ft.

I got one and use it for all rides, round the woods, trail centres down the canal path

Lyriks set to 170 can't see any problem with it as an all dayer

They are a great bike but do require bearing maintenance

Medium size here and I'm 5 10

I've just put my 2008 S-Works into semi-retirement (had a 2004/5?? Elite before that). It's got 150mm at the back and 170mm Vengeance up front and I just don't get all this 'overbiked' nonsense, unless you are an XC whippet. It weighs 31lbs and I'd happily take it on any ride.

Stumpy will be flexier, less travel and steeper angles, but it will be lighter - that's not saying it isn't a great bike, but it's not the same as an Enduro.

Yep, stumpy isn't as capable, it's just that Renton is selling another bike.

I'd agree with the overbiked stuff too, a hell of a lot of my mates ride 160mm bikes as their only bikes.

choppersquad - Member
I have also been considering the Stumpjumper evo, but there's something Ive always loved about the look of the Enduro.
We mostly ride around the Surrey Hills, so Leith, Holmbury etc.
I've read some reviews that say climbing causes the front end to lift. I'd be on a large frame size but I'm not really sure how they size up? I'm 6ft.

Im 5 11 and ride a large so should be fine.

Very happy with mine. As long as you're happy with winch and plummet, you will be too! Not going to win any hill climbs, but a really fun all rounder.

I'm keeping mine by the way. Decided not sell it.

I was trying to say the stumpy and particularly the evo would be a better all rounder.

It depends on where you do the majority of your riding..
Mine's a 2005 model,it was my first full suss & I used it for a couple of years mainly around Rivi but also doing trail centres I even did the Isle of Man E2E on it.I also took it to Morzine a couple of times.
Whilst it did all the above,I felt like I was overbiked on most stuff so I retired it & bought a 100mm XC bike,which I much prefer for most of my riding.
Last year I rebuilt the Enduro for a trip to Les Arcs & I used it again the other week for a trip to Antur Stiniog.I enjoy it for that type of riding but even at Glentress I prefer my 100mm Anthem,but my riding's more rolling it than going for max Gnaar.

sorry for hijack,i got a 2106 stumpy frame and shock forsale on pinkbike if any good to you

Me Abigale and Katie all ride Enduros as everyday bikes. Most of our riding is done in the Peak but we do regularly travel into Wales and Scotland. Our Summer holidays are always in the Alps. I do have a Stumpjumper and so does Kevin as his everyday bike. Its the Enduro that always puts the biggest smile on my face. Its not over heavy at sub 30lbs climbs as well as I want it to. Abigale flys up hill on hers.
If you shop around you can build up an awsome bike for a lot less than you could imagine. My latest S works 650b came in at just under 3k. Frame fork and rims bought in the sales. Some nearly new drivetrain off the classifieds. Brakes bars and stem out of our bits box.
saying all that the 650b Stumpjumper Evo frames in the Bike Scene sale are a steal at that price.

Recently sold my alu 2012 enduro as i found it far to much bike for 90% of my riding. Mine came in at around 33lbs, and I can't remember it being a great climber, but it wasn't a dog. Far better than the heckler before it.

On the downhills it was sensational, although on the terain I rode it on it just flattened everything out to the point it was almost boring

I have both, a large enduro EVO and Stumpy Evo.
I ride around South Downs and Surrey too.

The Enduro is currently in mini DH mode, because since I bought the stumpy I've mostly been using that as my trail bike. The Enduro is a fab bike if you're mostly sticking it on the downhills. I definitely notice the limits of the Stumpy when pushing the rough trails. However, the stumpy is better for almost 90% of the trails I ride. It's more than capable of doing everything the Enduro can, just not as full tilt.

Having said this, my Enduro was always running 55rc3's and a Cane Creek coil shock and is awesome at places like BPW and for Alps trips. If I were in Surrey mostly and wasn't looking for just jumping and free riding I'd get the Stumpy Evo.

I can't think of one single ride where my Enduro 'flattened everything out to the point it was almost boring'.

Just ride faster?

Got the Spesh Enduro 29er as my one does it all bike, I've had issues with it parts wise but warranty dept has always sorted it out.

Its been great for all the local trails and for when I go away and hit the hills.

Great all rounder bike and got over 50 KOM's on it last year so it can be all that bad 😉

Just ride faster?

I think it depends on what type of rider you are,the Enduro's are very capable bikes aimed more at the trail/freeride type of riding.
I don't want to ride faster,I'm happy riding at my usual pace.The only time when I exceeded my Enduro's capabilities were out at Les Arcs & I ended up with whiplash... 😯
I can think of a few times where I was pushing my limited skills on a proper twitchy 100mm Giant NRS & enjoyed it,yet on the Enduro I would do the same stuff a hell of a lot quicker but be nowhere near the limit of the bike,so whilst it never became boring I never got the same sense of accomplishment.
That's why I only use it occasionally.

I have a S Works 29er that I bought second handed and gave some tlc, no way I could have stretched to a new one.

It replaced a 29 Transition Bandit. The reason I bought it was that I was riding Enduro and Alps trips on it and it was a step too far for the Bandit at full canter.

To give you an insight into the capabilities of the Spesh Enduro 29.

I went out and did the Enduro2 weekend in Les Arcs last year (recommended event, brilliant) and rode some very serious terrain... then on my return I had some work at a US airbase in Norfolk for a few days. I got some digs in Brandon next to the Thetford Forest trails.

A swift swap of the tyres to a Hans Dampf front and a Rock Razor rear and I gave both of the xc loops there a good bash at pace.

I was within the top 30 for the whole loop on the dread Strava and grabbed a few top 10s on segments.... no I am not trumpet blowing, my point is that over the course of a week I rode just about as diverse terrain as you can get and the Spesh took it in its stride.

Here is the rub though... the bike is great on pretty much anything I ride it on.... so long as I ride it hard, it is not a bike that shines when just being ridden, it responds best to being hammered.

What I would say is, if you are not going to the Alps or similar in order to access the upper levels of the bikes capabilities then there are bikes out there that work better and are more fun.

The Phantom, Smuggler, Mach 429 and the like are truely amazing and a little easier to access their sweet spots.

All of the above is just my humble.... I ride Surrey plenty and you are welcome to have a go on mine but it is a medium.

Cheers

Fair enough, personally I like to push my skills as far as I can (not saying that's to any decent level), on a bike that just feels right underneath me - I want the limiting factor to be me, not the bike.

I rode my '06 Enduro Expert as my almost only bike (had a full DH bike too) from '06 to '11 and loved it, I only got rid in the end because it was falling apart by the end.

The newer ones are better all rounders, the 06 ones had two BB height settings - one that had enough clearance that you didn't hit your pedals at least 3 times on any climb and one that handled well, but sadly not both. It was always a case of dragging uphill and smashing downhill - it mattered a lot less back then because no one had a dropper so rides were a lot more up or down anyway.

I've got a Tracer 275 now, same sort of thing but much newer, best climbing bike I've ever owned and descends far better than I ever could on the Enduro, it's my only bike and I never feel short changed with it.

My first one - look at that stem 😯

[img] [/img]

I had a 2005 S works Enduro as an everyday bike and loved it. Did all xc/24 hr racing and a trip to Canada on it and couldn't fault it. Only sold it to help pay for a new DH bike and regretted as soon as I did.

I think you could get a demo of one at the QE bike fest next weekend if you're south? Good mix of climbing and reasonable descents to get an initial feel for the Enduro?

[url= https://www.hargrovescycles.co.uk/hub/events/qe-cyclefest/?awc=2828_1462645813_06d1b73142e3a3dc5c64496fb8ffc6f3 ]QE [/url]

Mine the other week.On this kind of stuff it's great 😆

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This is all very useful, so thanks everyone for your info and comments.
I was also looking at the Tracer 275 but didn't think I'd be able to afford the carbon version even second hand?
Also had a look at an Intense Carbine in the Xmas sales. This was basically billed as a lighter, less burly Tracer.
Whatever I look at, it always seems to come back to an Enduro, and I suppose the only thing to do is maybe take a gamble on one and if it doesn't work out, chop it in for something else? It's very hard deciding how to part with your hard earned cash when in the back of your mind you're thinking that you're buying a bike which might just be too focussed on the Downs?

I love my "07 S-works Enduro - rode it consistently for 8 years and only just retired it. Most often hovering around the 28lb mark, it was light enough to go up things without too much pain and with good enough handling and suspension performance for anything technical. Great for 'winch and plummet' type riding.

However, as I am no longer fit enough to push it hard everywhere - it was a bit less inspiring on flatter and less technical terrain. Just the same as many other bigger bikes really. As a result, I usually had another hardtail for messing about it in the woods, towpath riding etc...

As a result, I'm not sure I would recommend as an 'only' bike for a middle-aged biffer, but still good if you are willing to really push it on the tamer stuff to still make sure you get your fun.

Hope that helps.

"Middle aged biffer" describes me perfectly

I had a 2010. It was too much bike for my local trails and only really came to life on DH tracks and more techy stuff.

If you live near mountains, go for it. Anywhere else, get a stumpy instead (Evo version)

It really seems to be a split decsion.
Some serious decision making to be done.

only really came to life on DH tracks and more techy stuff.

Ride faster. 🙂

Local loop.
[img] [/img]

choppersquad - Member
It really seems to be a split decsion.
Some serious decision making to be done.

a demo would definitely be too much as a trail bike.

Very true 😉 but you can never be over biked....

On a more serious note I took the new nomad out for a demo, awesome bike but as everyone said unless you have the trails for it get the Bronson. They were right, the bike was awesome but never felt good until it got going.

choppersquad
I was also looking at the Tracer 275 but didn't think I'd be able to afford the carbon version even second hand

The Alloy version is much more affordable, has exactly the same geo as the carbon and is very light bike in it's own right - the cheapest Foundation build (you can find them for £2k or less online) is 13.8Kgs, whereas a Carbon Bronson C R AM by comparison is 13.6Kgs.

The Expert build will be lighter still I guess.

surrey hills, i find my smuggler perfect, climbs fast, smashes the descents, jumps well (done all well known jumps in SH on it) efficient and engaging enough to do a tough 35+ miler in he SH and my local XC stuff (swinley, TH etc).

I have a process 153 as my big bike, so same category as the enduro, is wasted there.

Can't believe the amount of nomads/capras i see there, the riding in SH really is not that serious. Then i have mates with these kinds of bikes, for a 2hrish muckaround, they're more than happy with them.

What do you mean by wales??? Trail centres and BPW or proper places like revolution and black mountain cc?

I had an older style enduro (05) - it was a great bike, climbed fine, fantastic on the descents, boring on flatter trails. I used to be in the camp where I never felt overbiked (used to ride a bullet and a patriot for everything), but now I've got a stumpy 29er with a pike on it and it is just brilliant. Still fun to ride on flatter trails but capable of riding the steep and technical too.

I sometimes hanker after a bigger bike again, but not often.

choppersquad - Member
"Middle aged biffer" describes me perfectly

I was talking about me! Didn't meant to suggest it was you... Apologies.

I don't know your local trails, but I consider my enduro 29 (comp with monarch shock) too much bike for what I'd call "xc stuff" e.g. Twrch & Cafell at Cwmcarn, Afan Whites/Wall trail, Black Mountains Killer*, Gap ride. I can totally ride it uphill all day but it's not the best bike for the job - on flatter trails I lose speed because the suspension sucks up all the bumps limiting my ability to pump off stuff. At Cwmcarn I'm just as fast on the hardtail - something in between the two would be optimum for that kind of riding.

Definitely love the Enduro though, I just use it on steeper trails 🙂

* It was absolutely flipping excellent for about 90 seconds of this loop at the cost of being a slight chore for the remaining five hours...

I sometimes hanker after a bigger bike again, but not often.

+1

I demoed an Enduro at the Freeborn demo day at Peaslake 18 months ago. I wanted to get it out of my system. Actually loved it, climbed much better than I expected and was great going down. so scratched and inflamed the itch!!!

In the end though bought a camber evo which I think is great for Surrey Hills although still wonder if stumpy evo might have been better.

In the end, I am too much of a mincer to make the most of an endure (although I wonder chicken-and-egg style which comes first, the technique to justify the bike or the bike to encourage the technique).

Love my camber evo though

Stumpjumper Evo 29er for me... I love it. Great for off piste South Wales, trail centres and trips to Italy. I'm not especially quick and only 5'8". I think if you're bigger or quicker, then the Enduro might be worth it if you're riding hard and on techie trails. For trail centres though, I think an Enduro will be overkill.

I have a 2011 XL enduro and love it.

It's a long bike with modern geometry and handles pretty much anything you throw at it. The only thing I did struggle with are tight and narrow trails, it was fairly hard to chuck around compared to other bikes.

Out in bike park wales last week and it was perfect!

It's going up for sale if anyone is interested 😉 (with new frame bearings and serviced shock).

I'm a middle-aged biffer too, I wear the label with pride!

Having owned and ridden different flavours of Enduro in the past, they've definitely moved the focus towards being a harder hitting bike. I found that the Stumpjumper Evo 29er answered pretty much all the questions my riding asked, especially when fitted with Pikes.

I went for a Stumpy Evo 29er in large at 5ft 11". It's pretty capable for charging all sorts of terrain especially with a Pike on the front, but light enough to ride all day.

I spent two weeks in the Alps on it last year, it's pretty close to the perfect trail bike. My only minor gripe is the amount of pedal strikes when climbing rocky terrain due to the slightly lower BB.

I usually take my hardtail to the Surrey Hills but for a longer ride the Stumpy is awesome.

I actually really like my Stumpy 29er evo.

I've had a couple of enduros, 3 pitches and about 5 stumpies (this is my 6th).

I would say that compared to the enduros and the pitches its definitely a more all round bike.

IMHO unless you are doing lots of hucking and mountain stuff then a current Enduro would be overkill.

My current stumpy ......
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Its currently stripped down and in bits waiting for me to get back in September when its getting a new bearing set amns a fresh coat of paint.

I can't think of one single ride where my Enduro 'flattened everything out to the point it was almost boring'.

Just ride faster?

that may be relevant where you ride, but not where I do. 90% of my riding is done up the pentland hills, there are very few rocks, it not steep, and its not particularly technical. I run out of peddaling power on the downhills before I get anywhere near the limit of the Enduro. Its far more fun on a 'smaller' bike.

I have an E29 as an enduro race bike and it's great when being, well, raced. A bit dull for just normal riding I feel. Had it in the alps for two weeks and it was mega capable and fine for all day riding. Had more fun the year before -40mm travel.

A stumpy 29er would be my call for a do-it-all bike if you are set on spesh.

I use my 5 for everything, even riding with my 4 year old...
A mate said to me that it's no good for local riding.. (ashridge)
Don't know how he came to that conclusion..

I'm not absolutely set on Specialized, I just like the Enduro.
I have a Yeti 575 at the moment which is amazing as an all-round bike, but as it's a 2009 it has standard quick release wheels and a straight steerer which rather limits me on new Forks. If I could find a pair of Fox 36's to bung on it, I'd probably be tempted to ride it into the ground. I do feel like my next bike should be a large though.
And jamj1794- old biffer really does describe me at 45, so you're absolutely right

I'm 42 this year - not on your own! 🙂

42.....pah!
You're just a mere pup.
Wait till you start sliding down the slippery slope to 50.
Maybe that's it?
Maybe I'm having a midlife crisis and feel the need to be more gnar?
Nah.....I just want a less flexy bike.

By the way, I've just been looking at Stumpy Evo's and they seem to have Fox 32's on them?
Isn't this a bit unusual for a 150mm travel bike these days?
Was expecting 34's to be honest.

I went from a 2009 Yeti 575 to a Enduro Expert 650b.
I've not been disappointed with the Enduro Expert, it climbs as well with hardly any pedal Bob and is more composed going down rough trails.
Its just more efficient at everything once I got it set up:)

*Whispers* I've just got a Transtion Patrol choppersquad- it's amazing. Stiff, light enough and has a lot of 'pop' for a 155mm bike.