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Specialized Enduro unveiled for 2020
Following 20 years of evolution, the latest iteration of the Specialized Enduro arrives as the biggest and baddest one yet.
As EWS stages have become as gnarly and as steep as your average World Cup DH race track, the requirements for a modern enduro bike have changed. These days, to survive a weekend of EWS racing you basically need a downhill bike that you can pedal up.
With this in mind, Specialized’s designers set themselves two relatively simple but challenging goals with the new Enduro. Firstly, they wanted to make it a faster bike when pedalling. Secondly, they wanted to make it faster when plowing really rough, and very technical terrain.
Sounds easy enough right?
Demo-Inspired Design
In order to achieve these two attributes within the same bike, Specialized’s engineers went back to the drawing board to build an all-new Enduro platform from the ground-up.
It’s immediately apparent from first glance that the 2020 Enduro is a completely different beast from the current model. There’s a brand new frame, new geometry and sizing, and an all-new suspension platform.
Drawing upon the latest Demo downhill race bike, the Enduro makes use of a low-slung linkage that drops the shock right down into the belly of the frame. As well as lowering the centre of gravity, Specialized says the new shock placement has allowed it to build a stronger and lighter frame, since it no longer needs the cross-brace like the previous X-Wing frame design. Front-end stiffness stays the same, while the back end is purportedly 12% stiffer than the old bike.
Read the full story here - https://singletrackworld.com/2019/08/specialized-s-works-enduro-first-ride-review-2020/
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0:00
hello everybody its wheel here from
0:01
single track magazine and single track
0:03
WorldCom and this Hulk of a bike right
0:06
behind me here is the brand-new 2020
0:10
specialized enduro that's right we've
0:12
got a brand new specialized enduro for
0:15
2020 and we've been riding it today out
0:17
here at the Northstar resort in the Lake
0:19
Tahoe in the US and I can tell you right
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now this is an absolute monster of a
0:25
bike now to start off with this video
0:26
we're gonna talk a little bit about some
0:28
of the changes on this bikes you can
0:29
probably tell straight away it's very
0:30
very different to the old enduro
0:32
we're going to go through some of the
0:33
details on this frame and also the
0:35
component package and then we're going
0:37
to talk a little bit about how this bike
0:38
rides on the trail based on some of the
0:40
writing we've been doing here at the
0:41
Northstar bike park
0:43
[Music]
0:55
you
0:57
right so let's talk about some of the
1:00
changes on the new enduro compared to
1:02
the old version straight away you can
1:04
tell we've got a brand new frame a brand
1:06
new suspension design new geometry we've
1:09
got a new carbon-fiber frame here the
1:11
big headline news with this bike is for
1:13
2020 it's 29 or only so we have a
1:15
hundred and 70 ml travel front and rear
1:18
and 29 inch wheels as far as we're aware
1:20
there are no plans for a 27 point five
1:23
inch version
1:24
I think specialize is really pitching
1:26
this bike as a full-blown mega enduro
1:28
race bike so they've designed it as a
1:30
purpose-built race bike it's long it's
1:32
slack it's got a really plush suspension
1:35
design primarily it's built to excel on
1:37
very steep very technical very rough
1:40
terrain so they've committed to 29 inch
1:42
wheels and we've got this new suspension
1:45
design which is bringing the center of
1:46
gravity to bike much much lower so what
1:48
I'm gonna do is I'm going to show you
1:49
through some of the features on this
1:51
bike and we'll go through what's new on
1:53
the 2020 specialized enduro right so
1:57
we'll start off with the carbon fiber
1:58
frame now for 2020 there will only be a
2:01
carbon fiber frame in the enduro there
2:03
are no alloy models planned again this
2:05
is all about specialized committing the
2:07
enduro to being a full-blown race bike
2:09
and as such we've got a very high tech
2:11
carbon fiber this is the s-works model
2:13
so we have a carbon fiber front-end
2:15
carbon fiber rear end the carbon fiber
2:17
that's used is fact 11 M carbon fiber
2:20
this is the same whether you get the top
2:22
and s-works model or the base level
2:24
model they're all the same carbon fiber
2:26
front and rear
2:27
however the s-works model does get
2:29
carbon fiber linkages so we've got a
2:31
carbon fiber rocker there and these two
2:33
control linkages for the rear shock
2:35
they're also made from carbon fiber
2:37
that's only on the s-works model the
2:39
cheaper models will come with alloy
2:40
linkages instead you do save around 250
2:43
grams going to the carbon fiber linkages
2:45
there on the s-works so a reasonable
2:46
amount of weight has been saved there
2:48
you can tell straight away I mean the
2:51
shock placements changed on the previous
2:52
model the shock actually mounted to a
2:54
strut up the top here just underneath
2:57
the top tube now a specialized has
2:58
brought the shock right down to the
3:00
bottom of the frame this is all about
3:02
lowering the center of gravity of the
3:03
frame keeping that weight nice and low
3:05
down the characteristic of the
3:07
suspension has changed it's designed to
3:09
be really plush through the early
3:11
mid part of the stroke but it ramps up
3:12
quite nicely at the end it's more
3:14
progressive than the previous enduro so
3:15
the idea is that basically you shouldn't
3:18
really bottom out really at all if you
3:20
have the the pressure set up correctly
3:22
in the rear shock here we'll talk about
3:23
the rear shock this is a standard metric
3:26
shock and the stroke here is 60 mil so
3:28
very very big shock
3:30
this particular model on the S works is
3:32
a float x2 so we have the piggyback
3:34
reservoir here now the the way that the
3:37
seat tube flares out here the shock
3:39
actually pierces through the seat tube
3:41
through this tunnel here the specialized
3:43
says this frame is compatible with coil
3:45
shocks with air shocks with piggybacks
3:47
with non piggybacks basically any shock
3:49
will fit in this frame so that's pretty
3:52
cool
3:52
speaking of standardized a sizing
3:55
specialized it's got a threaded bottom
3:57
bracket on here this is a bit of running
3:59
thing with a lot of new specialized
4:00
mountain bikes no press-fit bottom
4:02
brackets we've got a good old-fashioned
4:03
threaded BB on here which is quite nice
4:06
in terms of other standards we've got
4:08
regular boost spacing on the back here
4:10
so no new funky hub spacing on the back
4:13
after the seat tube here this remains a
4:16
34 point nine millimeter diameter for a
4:19
34 point nine millimeter seat post now
4:21
you'll see here on the s works model
4:22
we've got the wireless reverb from
4:24
RockShox this is the AXS model so why
4:28
let's drop a post here and this post is
4:31
actually a little bit smaller than 34.9
4:33
but there's a little shim here this is a
4:35
really nicely machined shim which sits
4:37
inside the seat tube here it allows you
4:39
to run a smaller diameter seat post you
4:41
don't have to run a 34-point nine
4:42
millimeter dropper up here we have the
4:45
wireless remote for the RockShox reverb
4:48
so you simply press that down drop the
4:50
saddle and then to raise again you just
4:52
hit that and it pops back up very very
4:54
neat very very impressive up front we
4:56
have the Fox 36 factory fork this is the
4:58
grip to damper in here so high speed and
5:01
low speed compression adjustment down at
5:03
the bottom we have high speed and low
5:05
speed rebound adjustment as well 170
5:07
Miller travel we've got the reduced
5:09
offset so it's a 44 millimeter offset on
5:12
here head angle on this bike is just a
5:14
lick over 63 degrees that's about the
5:17
same as the demo downhill bike so it's
5:19
very very slack on the front end the
5:21
seat tube angle has been steepened so
5:23
this is 76 degrees
5:25
now this is important to note 76 degrees
5:28
is based on a theoretical BB to saddle
5:30
measurement for each frame size so so it
5:33
isn't 76 degrees to the seat collar here
5:35
it's 76 degrees to the top of the saddle
5:37
that's the effective measurement so
5:40
specialized determines a rough saddle
5:42
height for each frame size and then
5:43
works that seat tube angle out to be
5:45
about 76 degrees so fairly steep
5:47
speaking of sizing the model i've got
5:49
here is an s3 so the Endura moves to
5:51
specialized new frame sizing convention
5:55
the smaller sizes at s2 we've got an s3
5:58
and s4 and the biggest is an S 5 and the
6:01
s5 I think the reach measurement is well
6:03
over 500 millimeters so very very long
6:06
in the top tube there the s3 which is
6:08
the size that I've been riding today the
6:11
reach on the s3 I believe is 464
6:14
millimeters so it's very very long it's
6:17
all sort of on trend as far as being
6:19
very slack very long again that reduced
6:22
offset fork so it's very very much up to
6:24
the up-to-the-minute in terms of
6:26
geometry trends we have a 21 millimeter
6:30
BB drop chain stair length on this bike
6:33
442 millimeters now you will notice at
6:36
the bottom of the shock here there's a
6:37
little stainless steel plate on either
6:40
side of the shock now this is a geometry
6:42
adjuster chip so you can actually undo
6:44
the shock bolt you can flip that around
6:46
180 degrees and it will change the
6:48
geometry it'll give you about point four
6:51
degree difference in the head tube
6:52
angles and it will also raise or lower
6:54
the bottom bracket height by seven
6:56
millimeters so you can use that geometry
6:58
adjustment chip and that will lift or
7:01
lower the bike and will also slacken or
7:03
steep in the head tube angle so you've
7:04
got a bit more fine-tuning available
7:06
there to adjust the geometry on this
7:08
bike so a useful tool for those who want
7:10
to set up the bike for perhaps different
7:13
trails different riding conditions up
7:15
front on this bike we have a nice
7:17
compact diety stem these stems will
7:19
either be 35 or 50 millimeters where a
7:22
daily stem on some models there will be
7:24
a specialized stem and that will be 40
7:25
or 50 millimeters so fairly short
7:27
compact stem but the thing with the new
7:29
sizing is the idea is all the seat tubes
7:32
are quite compact so you can choose the
7:35
right frame size based on the reach that
7:37
you want so
7:38
you could theoretically I could upsize
7:40
to an s4 or I could downsize to an s2
7:43
the seat tube length is different for
7:45
each of the frame sizes but all the seat
7:46
tubes are very very short they're
7:48
designed to accommodate a nice long
7:50
stroke drop a post and the idea is to
7:51
give you flexibility to choose the frame
7:53
size based on the reach measurement that
7:55
you want so despite being 464
7:58
millimeters in the reach it's very very
7:59
long so someone like me could
8:01
potentially size down to an s2 to get a
8:04
slightly shorter bike perhaps something
8:06
that's a little bit more nimble up front
8:08
here we have brand new carbon fiber
8:10
handlebars these are from specialized
8:12
these use a 35 millimeter diameter these
8:15
are brand new for 2020 they're 800
8:18
millimeters wide so nice modern wide
8:20
handlebar and you'll get this handlebar
8:22
width on each model on each frame size
8:25
so it's exactly the same whether you get
8:27
an s2 or an s5 or you get the
8:29
entry-level enduro or the s-works enduro
8:32
so the same all the way through the
8:34
range as for the wheels as I mentioned
8:35
before 29 inch wheels on the new enduro
8:38
the on the s-works model we've got rovol
8:41
traverse carbon fiber rims that these
8:43
have a 30 millimeter internal rim width
8:45
standard Jabin spokes with r ovals own
8:47
hubs here these are very very nicely
8:49
machined but the whole idea with those
8:51
Jabin spokes nice and easy to replace it
8:53
kind of runs with the theme specialized
8:55
has on on this new enduro and on a lot
8:58
of the new specialized bikes threaded
9:01
bottom bracket standard either ice shock
9:03
we've got regular boost hub spacing on
9:05
the back J been spokes here
9:07
normal drop a post so specializes no
9:10
longer doing its own drop a post this
9:12
kind of this move that specializes
9:14
making to make all of their bikes a
9:17
little bit more accessible and a little
9:18
less proprietary as well front tire is a
9:21
butcher grid trail this is also a new
9:23
tire it's got better pinch flat
9:25
resistance than the previous grid casing
9:27
so it's a little bit burlier this is a
9:29
two point six inch wide tire on the
9:30
front and we have the butcher grid trail
9:33
on the back 2.3 inch on the back so a
9:35
little bit narrower but as you can tell
9:37
plenty of space here to run slightly
9:39
wider tires if you so choose you could
9:42
always run a bigger tire in the back but
9:43
specialized will be specking the new
9:45
enduro with a 2.3 on the back and a 2.6
9:48
on the front so there you go there's a
9:49
bit of a highlights reel of the new 2020
9:52
specialized enduro how does it ride look
9:55
I've only had a short day of riding on
9:56
this bike so you'll have to take my
9:58
first impressions with a grain of salt
9:59
that said what sticks out to me with
10:01
this bike is just how plush the rear
10:04
suspension design is the kinematics of
10:06
this suspension design have been changed
10:07
quite a bit to the previous enduro the
10:09
main pivot has moved quite a bit far
10:11
forward and further up from the chain
10:14
ring and this is all about providing a
10:16
more real wood axel path now what
10:17
specialized wanted to achieve here was
10:19
to increase the bikes ability to
10:22
maintain momentum when hitting really
10:23
rough hard square edge hits and I think
10:26
they've done that the suspension on the
10:28
back of this bike is very very plush it
10:30
does a fantastic job isolating you from
10:32
the trail so when you're riding at
10:33
really high speed we had a couple of
10:35
trails here where you can really let off
10:37
the gas and you're riding through really
10:38
choppy sort of straight-line sections
10:40
and the amount of feedback coming
10:42
through the pedals is feels like next to
10:44
nothing it's very very comfortable very
10:47
very good trail isolation so you're not
10:49
getting so much feedback through the
10:51
pedals so very very comfortable great
10:53
traction really smooth you can just
10:56
carry that forward momentum without the
10:57
rear wheel kind of getting hung up on
10:59
square edge hits so yeah very very plush
11:02
on the back end overall I mean it's a
11:04
big bike it's very slack it's very long
11:07
big meaty tire on the front big Fox 36
11:10
on the front so it feels like a proper
11:12
steamroller to ride on you know full
11:14
gaps on really technical steep terrain
11:16
the riding here at Northstar Bike Park
11:18
hasn't been particularly steep and
11:20
gnarly so I don't think this bike has
11:21
been able to shine today we've been
11:23
riding much more kind of smoother berms
11:25
and you know tabletops and stuff like
11:27
that it's been a whale of fun to ride
11:29
but I'm certain this bike has got a lot
11:32
more potential to be tapped into
11:33
but overall it's it's a much bigger
11:36
beast than the previous enduro and that
11:39
was kind of coming because the new
11:40
Stumpjumper has gotten a lot more
11:41
capable a lot of enduro riders are
11:43
choosing the Stumpjumper these days for
11:45
racing and there's so this new enduro
11:47
has gotten bigger badder and burlier it
11:49
really feels like a mini downhill bike
11:51
and overall with that new suspension
11:53
design which has been inspired by the
11:54
demo downhill bike you can really feel
11:57
that when you ride it so yeah a bit of a
11:58
monster truck that's for sure now if
12:00
you'd like to read more about the new
12:01
2020 specialized enduro make sure you
12:04
get a singletrack worldcom
12:05
and you can read all about this new bike
12:07
and the full range for 2020 if you've
12:10
got any questions for me drop them into
12:11
the comments section below and I'll do
12:12
my best to answer them for you
12:13
if you like this video give us a thumbs
12:15
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12:17
subscribing to our YouTube channel for
12:18
plenty more video reviews coming your
12:20
way in the near future alright that's it
12:22
from me guys hope you enjoy the video
12:24
and I'll see you next time Giroux
#Sports