Specialized Enduro 29 reviews please.

As title

Can you give me your thoughts and experiences with the 2014/15 specialized enduro comp 29er please.

Thanks.

I have an enduro expert 29er with some Light Bike wheels so not an exact comparison but a few of my thoughts.

Super capable bike that is surprising nimble for what it is. I race mine. It was fantastic at the EWS last year. All that travel on big hops allows you to get away with bad line choices. It rails corners.

It’s a bike that suits a powerful rider that can push on to get the most out of it. I’m certainly not powerful so I feel that I’m a little overbiked (hate that phrase).

But, if I wasn’t racing or doing uplift days, I wouldn’t own one. I’d have something with similar geometry but less travel, like an Evil following or transition smuggler.

It may be up for sale this year if you are interested!! Large.

Love mine (another expert) CCDB takes some fettling and I really ought to get the volume reducer fitted but by **** is it fast. Uphill it’s ok but point it anywhere vaguely down and it just flies. It’s too much in my local stuff but Wales and Dartmoor its in its element.

The only sensible upgrade I’m planning is a wonky front ring. Money no object I’d fit it with Ohlins front and rear.

I have an s-works enduro 29. Fantastic bike but two weak points, firstly db inline is just not the right shock for a long travel bike, especially for the larger rider. That shock should just not have been specced on a 160 travel bike, I will be replacing it with the ohlins when money allows.

Secondly, and no surprise really, mine is an xl and with it being a 160mm 29er it does struggle on switchbacks, to the extent that I just can’t do them. It feels nimble flicking around trees and obstacles on singletrack, but when it comes to switchbacks it is just too big,

Literally finished by 2015 s-works frame build up last week, but not ridden yet. CCDB’s are being swapped for roxshox RC3 Plus under warranty. As soon as my frame was registered they sent my dealer out the new shock.

Mmm ok.

By the sounds of it I think it’s too similar to the 5 29 I’ve just sold so maybe not the right bike for me.

Cheers all.

I’ve ridden the 5 29er and it’s very different, way more lively, probably due to mega short chainstays for a 29.

I ditched the CCDBinle for a monarch plus pretty quickly. Much improved.

Why don’t you try some of the modern slack short travel (140ish) 650b bikes like the transition scout, 5010. I demo’d a 5010 recently it was amazing.

If it was me I would look out for all the demo weekends coming up in 2016 and book myself on them to try out as many bikes as I could. If you speak to the importers/distributers they will already know their 2016 locations which should help you find some within travelling distance. Its not a good idea to get a bike based on someone elses reviews as we all want something different from our riding. When we are buying we tend to stick with what we know works for us and then fine tune with what we have got in the garage to get the right feel. Forks, shocks, wheels and the rest we can interchange to get the best as all four of us want something different from our bikes.
Its easy to spend the money and end up on the wrong kit, its harder to recouperate the cost and even harder to admit it when we have got it wrong.

yep your plans are not to get buy a bike till later in the year so get to demo days (when you can)

Oranges list.. yes I know you don’t want a segment, but the demo days are usually a number of manufacturers so use it to plan

Personally I think your onto a looser, something like the Banshee Phantom/Transition Scout might be ‘stiffer’ than the orange (less travel but better geo IMO), but you aren’t going to get them for £1800 just yet.

Cheers all.

I may just go back to a 26″ stumpjumper as Ive always had them and always got on with them.

In fact there is a very nice looking stumpy evo on ebay now for a good price.

Have you tried a 26er lately.. after riding a 29er for a while?
I loved my Prophet, it was the best bike I’d ever spent money on, ran a 29er for a while, tried the Prophet again and sold it.
Just saying..

To be honest I havent rode any sort of MTB since last July so probably wouldnt be able to tell the difference 😳 😥

Friend of mine got rid of his 26 Five which he loved, tried the Enduro but didn’t like the way it rode (flexy back end and too far over the front he said) , tried my Codeine a couple times and then bought one He said it rode very similar to the five but was way stiffer and more capable. Best thing is to get out and try as many as you can even if they may seem a little left field

Given how little you ride maybe you’d be better just hiring bikes or planning your rides around demo days then when you’ve tried a few splash the cash.

All the positive geometry traits from the Enduro, (short stays, slack front) can now be found in the 2016 stumpys. Well worth a look.

Up, over and across country it is seriously rapid. I’ve climbed further up particular mountain passes than any other bike. Downhill I found it fast in someways and in other ponderous and top heavy. A couple of friends have them and seem to gel with them more. A lot will depend on what you are riding. Two trails that stand out as being perfectly suited to the Enduro 29er are the Coffin Trail between Rydal and Grasmere and the Ullswater shore path – both are technical, not flowing and rocky.

I’ve got a Reign now and much prefer it.

According to Strava neither bike has gone down the odd downhill as fast as the old Stumpjumper you sold me that I ran with Marzocchi 44RC3Ti forks. But this was before a series of confidence sapping crashes slowed me down… The Reign is however quicker on 90% of trails and some of what is not captured by the science of Strava is that it is being beaten 10% of the time by a bike ridden on dusty dry trails in prime condition.

Well Ive gone and done it.

Im back to old school 26″ wheels as Ive just bought a 2012 Spesh Stumpy Evo.

Ive had plenty of Stumpys before and know a large fits well.

Im back to old school 26″ wheels as Ive just bought a 2012 Spesh Stumpy Evo.

£5 says it lasts no more than 6 rides…

Actually, that’s not being fair to you! £5 says it lasts no more than 3 rides! 😆

I’m 100% with z1ppy here, once you’ve spent time on a decent 29er, it’s very hard to go back!

I will give it a chance.

Mboy…. I may be visiting you later in the year to have a look at the Whytes !!

once you’ve spent time on a decent 29er, it’s very hard to go back!

I’d disagree. I have a Spectral 29er FS – 140/130 travel and an SB66 in 26 flavour with 160 and 152 travel, and prefer the Yeti tbh. Wheel size is only one factor in the equation, not the dominant feature that some folks make it out to be.

once you’ve spent time on a decent 29erbike , it’s very hard to go back!

Fify
I’ll take the best bike for the job regardless of wheel size

I love riding my 29 , 650 and 26 bikes all great yet different

Maybe there is one bike out there that does it all, buy I’ve not found it yet