Enduro race bike setups – tell me what your riding

So, what will everyone be riding for this upcoming Enduro season? having a go for the first time this year, seems like a tricky choice to get a bike which does not compromise on too much.

I’m only doing Dyfi, Brighton Big and Bonty 2412 this year. Got a Kinesis Maxlight xc120 with 100mm fox forx up front. Reasonably light for the kit it has on it.

Brother in law doing the same as above but with a few other bits and it running a Giant Anthem with Fox Forks and American Classic wheels. Really light bike. About to get a whole lot lighter as it looks like he’s struck a deal on a Scott Spark RC.

I rather go for robustness and comfort over lightness but there’s pros and cons to all choices.

none of those are really enduros they are endurance events.
enduros have timed sections, linking stages etc etc usually gravity based 150mm travel fun stuff!
there was an article by the Trans Provence event chap about the difference that was spot on

Zesty 714

Hemlock with lyriks in the front, dropper post, strong but light parts all over and whatever tyres feel appropriate (Specialized Hillbillies for the last one, worked brilliant on the sloppy descents and almost broke my soul on the climbs). Fairly ideal, but unfortunately it doesn’t stop me from sucking.

That’s assuming you mean actual enduros, not misnamed XC events 😉

I was pondering this last night, as I’d like to do a couple of UK events and maybe a Super Enduro event in Italy.

I’m riding a Spicy 516.
Mods: 50mm stem, 780 bars & dropper post.

I’m considering:
Single ring upfront (1 x 9) What size 32, 34, 36?
Sprung rear shock (Cane Creek DB)

TBF Fenboy, the term ‘enduro’ has been used for long distance XC events for longer than the kind of event you are talking about has existed. So I guess the OP really just needs to specify what kind of events he is talking about more precisely in order to get constructive answers to his query.

Anyone fancy a ghetto STW enduro league.

Free entry, post your trail center laps on Strava and let it do the rest. I’m sure it’d be easy enough to find 5 trail centers that everyone could ride in a year.

GT
Dalby
Llandegla
Afan
(somewhere in the South East to make it geographicaly spread out)

The advantage over organised events would be you could have 20 sections on a loop like Dalby which lacks the big hills required for 15minute decents and still have a ~30minute overall time for each trail.

Anyone know their way arround Strava better than me fancy setting it up?

To me “Enduro” still means 24/12/10 hour races and for those I’ll be using the Anthem. They’re at the podium at just about every single endurance race in the country. They’re popular because they’re fast, light and, most importantly, don’t beat you up like a hardtail so you can stay faster for longer.

Mine’s set up with a 100mm stem slammed to the top of the headset, 640mm risers but I’ll probably go back to 580 flats and bar ends with an inverted stem as the front’s a bit high. 100mm SIDs, ZTR/Olympic wheels, XTR brakes, XT 1×10 drivetrain.

If you mean “Enduro” in the euro sense then I’m using an Orange Five with 160mm Lyriks, 50mm stem and 740mm bars run 1×10 with an 11-36 chainring and dropper post. Again, these are pretty ubiquitous at races like this (at the Inners Enduro last week I reckon about half the bikes were Fives, including the one that won Senior Men).

Sam – Member

TBF Fenboy, the term ‘enduro’ has been used for long distance XC events for longer than the kind of event you are talking about has existed.

The ISD Enduro started in 1913 😉

But keeping it to pushbikes- I doubt you’re correct, the enduro format was established way back in the mid 90s whereas enduro used for xc seems to originate from the early 2000s. (if you know of older examples please do correct me, but I never heard it back then)

The ISD Enduro started in 1913

but it wasn’t called ‘enduro’ until 1980, and this is a mountain bike forum.

My perception of ‘enduro’ until very recently has been this and I’m sure others are the same, thus the need for clarification. What ‘mid-90’s DH oriented “enduro” events did you have in mind? In any case, it’s a moot point – the fact there was some ambiguity in my mind means that the OP may be best served being a little more specific about what kind of events he was referring to.

Based upon having ridden some of the Innerleithen course last week, a dropper seatpost is a must have (I haven’t…).

Orange 5 with big forks like half the other riders – boring predictable choice but it works.

Trek slash 9 on agrifoglio (a mental 9km descent) factory spec except for a 50mm sunline stem and hi roller II tyres.

Will convert to a single up front, some light E13 wheels and tubeless and BOS suspension… some other bits of weight saving and she should be about 29.5 pounds

munrobiker – Member
To me “Enduro” still means 24/12/10 hour races and for those I’ll be using the Anthem. They’re at the podium at just about every single endurance race in the country. They’re popular because they’re fast, light and, most importantly, don’t beat you up like a hardtail so you can stay faster for longer.

Have to say I haven’t seen many Anthems being ridden by winners in the endurance races I did last season. I think people just think Anthems win endurance races because the marketing says so! 😉

Having said that, Munrobiker will now tell me of all the podium spots he’s had and I will eat my words!

Stumpjumper FSR. It’s not about the bike… especially if you ar enot thinking about podium finishes.

Sam – Member
TBF Fenboy, the term ‘enduro’ has been used for long distance XC events for longer than the kind of event you are talking about has existed.

Sorry, but you’re wrong.
Enduro events (timed descent sections linked by untimed ascent sections) have been around since the mid-nineties, just not in the UK, as discussed here.
Even the organisers of the Dyfi “Enduro” admit that their event is not an Enduro (on their website!)

nasher
…

I love that!

I’ll be rocking a Lapierre Spicy 316 2011 for the upcoming Gravity Enduo series. At the moment it’s stock other than a 2.5 Folding Minion on the front. Ideally, it’d be 1×10, have a Reverb and have BOS suspension but that’s a lot of dollar. 🙁

ive done the brechfa enduro, dyfi winter warm up and have the wentwood in 2 weeks. im also doing the 2 welsh rounds of the fetish gravity enduro all on my specialized enduro fsr. 160 front and rear, short stem, wide bars and my new dropper seat post 🙂 shes not a great climber(but then, nor am i) but she sure is good on the downs.

i did put up a photo…will try again

ash – Member
Sorry, but you’re wrong.
Enduro events (timed descent sections linked by untimed ascent sections) have been around since the mid-nineties, just not in the UK, as discussed here.
Even the organisers of the Dyfi “Enduro” admit that their event is not an Enduro (on their website!)

Ash, you may be strictly right – but if munrobiker, the CTC website and I all thought it might be something other than what you say there is a clear need for more precision in a ‘what bike for enduro?’ type post.

It does make me laugh when people get all wound up about an event name they’ve stolen from another sport. Then claim that everyone else is wrong. 😆

This is Enduro.

You’re talking about rolling down a hill on a pushbike. 😉

now…. MY GAS GAS EC250 is a proper enduro bike!!! (singlespeedstu) 😛

dead quick up the hills too 🙂

Singlespeedstu – I’m the first to admit that “Enduro” came from motorbike Enduro. Not exactly a “stolen” term though is it? more an inspired usage… The point being that the special stages / linking stages thing bears a lot of similarity in terms of the feel and atmosphere between motorcycle and MTB Enduro.

For example… what’s the most similar event ANYWHERE to Trans-Provence in terms of feel and atmosphere? Probably Redbull Romaniacs[/url] 😉

Ash.
I’d say “stolen” sums it up quite well.They’ve nicked the name from another sport no matter how you try and word it.

If they were to put tight time limits on the section inbetween the timed stages you migh have something a bit more like a propper Enduro.

For now you just have blokes in PJ’s rolling down a hill which is nothing like an Enduro no matter how much you try and tell yourself it is. 8)

Having said that, Munrobiker will now tell me of all the podium spots he’s had and I will eat my words!

10 podiums in 12 10-24hr races over the last 3 years ;).

I’m not especially good though, but the guys who are sponsored by XC Racer, Loco and several others who buy their own bikes ride Anthems and are beating everyone at the moment.

Stu,
Go to South-Eastern France, and educate yourself on MTB Enduro, in the place where MTB Enduro started.

Tight time limits, yes (generally). Pyjamas, no.

Stolen?? WTF? does someone have a copyright on the word? Surely you can have the maturity to see why the Euro-Enduro guys back in the mid-90’s adopted the term from motorcycle Enduro, and not genuinely think it was unfairly “stolen” ??!

2nd open team at Twentyfour12 – 29er singlespeeds, 3/5ths rigid. The guys who beat us were on Orbeas. Not an Anthem in sight 😉 Still, we don’t know what kind of enduros the OP is talking about, so I couldn’t possibly comment.

Ash.
I know how MTB enduro’s work
Go and ride a few Enduros, maybe a few ISDE’s and educate yourself on what a propper Enduro is. 😉

Tight time limits, yes (generally).

You seem to have no idea how Enduro time keeping works.
There’s often a few checks that are so tight on time that that’s where the event’s are won and lost. When this happens the special stages are kind of irrelivent.
MTB enduros are just won and lost on the special stages aren’t they?

I never said it was “unfairly stolen”.

I did know it’d get you going though. 😉 😆

Good lord! Maybe continue this argument on a new thread so the rest of us can carry looking at pictures of lovely bikes… 🙂

You seem to have no idea how Enduro time keeping works.

Really? Why?

There’s often a few checks that are so tight on time that that’s where the event’s are won and lost. When this happens the special stages are kind of irrelivent

I’ve witnessed enough motorbike Enduros to know this, but thanks anyway. In MTB Enduro, the same could (theoretically) very easily be made to be the case, simply as a function of how a given course is laid out. The format is the same… special stages, and time-limited liaison stages. The fact that you still seem to be refusing to acknowledge that there is a similarity between the motorbike and MTB version is pretty absurd. You are clutching at straws, and actually come across as quite bitter about the fact that MTB has adopted the term.

MTB enduros are just won and lost on the special stages aren’t they?

Yes…. but as above, if a liaison is tight for time, and you miss it, you get penalised. It’s all the same (or very similar) principle.

You really have bitten a lot harder than i thought you would. 😆

I though I might have had to try a bit harder TBH. 8)

It’s funny you should say that Stu but from where I’m standing it always seems it’s YOU “biting” and piping up about motorbikes EVERY time the Enduro discussion comes up.

You may (or may not) finally shoosh when there is a 2013 World MTB Enduro Series… Actually, here’s a thought: you could email UCI and tell them they’ve stolen a term and are wrong to implement it because it’s not *quite* similar enough to motorbike Enduro for your liking. I’m sure they’ll give a crap.

nasher – Member
i did put up a photo…will try again

It worked fine the first time. I wasn’t being sarcastic, I just didn’t put the photo in the quote to save space. 🙂

Another thread derailed 🙄

😆

Pretty sure the OP added the tags so it’s fair to say it’s Steve Parr’s Fetish sponsored “gravity” enduro races he’s talking about.

Me, I hope to be at Hamsterley and Eastridge and I’ll be riding a Prophet with 150mm Revelations. Used this bike at some of the Gravity Enduro series last year and some UK Avalanche Enduro races in previous years.

Anyway, back on topic, at Inners day/night enduro I was riding my Blue Pig, dropper post, short stem, wide bars and 1×9. Worked like a dream. The main problem was the idiot riding it, however for now I shall blame the, erm, the tyre/valve alignment, as that was very un-STW, and clearly cost me some places.

Personally, I don’t “get” the new breed of enduros- I don’t see the point in riding up hills if you don’t get timed on them.

However, they are excellent fun and I’d recommend them to anyone.