‏This spin up Sulfur Springs Road was the first of dozens for the Mtbr Enduro Compare-O test crew. Photo by Tyler Frasca.

This article is part of the Mtbr’s Enduro Compare-O. See all the stories in this special section here–https://reviews.mtbr.com/category/enduro-compare-o-2014

‏Buzzwords are a funny thing. When amplified and repeated enough, they have a way of moving from stylish jargon to inescapable, played-out slang. And while words such as “enduro” may indeed become tired and clichéd, they usually contain some grain of truth…some reflection of the Zeitgeist they came to represent.

‏So while we debated calling our comparative bike test a good number of things that included “trail bike,” “all-mountain,” “long-travel,” and the like, we ultimately settled on the Enduro Compare-O because “enduro” captured the moment and “compare-o” made us laugh…and we like the whole awesome bikes/let’s laugh/pass me a beer thing.

‏We’ll undoubtedly get comments telling us enduro is a form of racing and not a style of bicycle–and in the strictest sense that’s true. But upon describing enduro to the uninitiated, they usually say something like “I do that, that’s mountain biking.” Which is exactly our point. Whether or not you ever zip-tie a number plate on, you’re already racing an enduro–with your riding buddies, against some anons in the Stravasphere, or with yourself. So embrace the baby blue (Pantone 801, if you’re keeping score at home), clip-in (if that’s how you roll), and join us for the ride. We have much to show you, and you’re not going to want to miss out.

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‏Yeti was enduro blue before enduro blue existed. Actually, that’s desert turquoise…never mind. Photo by Tyler Frasca.

The Method to Our Bicycle Madness

‏So how do you fairly evaluate 22 different bicycles, some with divergent intents and design objectives, in a short amount of time with a smattering of riders each with their own biases?

‏It’s a tall order, but we came up with a set of criteria, had people ride as many bikes as they could and assigned five editors to ultimately compile and make sense of the data. And by data we mean commentary on quantifiable things such as weight, spec, and measurements. But more so on the perceptions of how a bike climbs, corners and descends. How it handles small bumps and big hits and g-outs. The kind of confidence a bike inspires, or not.

‏I’ll take one of each please. Photo by Tyler Frasca.

‏As you’ll see the rules of “bench racing”—the practice of looking at specs on a page and estimating performance–doesn’t really apply anymore. We rode bikes with 120mm of travel that felt plush, as well as bigger bikes that cornered like slot cars–the opposite of what one would expect. And wheel sizes–oy vey–that debate is far from over, and nowhere near clear cut.

‏We concentrated on what we believe to be the performance characteristics of a bike’s frame, but as you’ll read, it’s impossible to ignore how parts selection–suspension, tires, drivetrain, etc.–contributes to the overall feel. While we were tempted to come up with a stock spec to put on every frame, ultimately we decided that in the real world, most people buy complete bikes and that’s how we should test them. In a few instances, we swapped parts to see what would happen, but with a couple exceptions this was just exploratory research or because something got broken.

Soquel Demonstration State Forest-Tested

‏When some people hear “demo” they think “demonstration,” others think “demolition.” Both are possibilities at our test track, the Soquel Demonstration State Forest located near Mtbr’s San Francisco Bay Area headquarters.

‏Demo Forest, as it’s known locally, features one of the area’s best and most popular trail systems, and is a real-world test bed for local companies such as Fox, Specialized, Santa Cruz and Ibis, all of whom spend time there logging laps and testing prototypes. It’s also home to the Santa Cruz Super Enduro, a single-day, multi-stage enduro race.

‏‏Lauren Gregg looks cool and controlled putting a bike through its paces on Sawpit Trail at Soquel Demonstration State Forest. Photo by Tyler Frasca.

‏Its combination of technical terrain, respectable vertical and relative accessibility–with a little help from our friends at the forest office–made for what we think is a fair evaluation venue. We used Demo’s fire road climbs to evaluate long, consistent, in-the-saddle slogs, then pointed the bikes up crunchy trails most people ride in the other direction to evaluate technical climbing. We cruised through rolling terrain too, then pointed the bikes down more techy, gravity-oriented trails. Along the way we hit some drops, booters, skinnies and wallrides.

‏Did our test route lack anything? Well yeah, moisture for one thing. California is in the midst of an historic drought and it’s rained only a handful of times in the last year. Some might say this places an unfair burden on a tire’s dry condition performance, though we would argue a decent, properly spec’d, all-around OEM tire should be able to find some traction in the dust.

‏‏While much of the country suffered through polar vortices, northern California enjoyed too warm and too dry weather for January. (And if you cry us a river, we’ll collect the runoff and water the trails with it.) Photo by Tyler Frasca.

‏Tight turns are also in short supply at Demo. While there’s a few snaky sections, there are no tight switchbacks. Instead we found ourselves creating tight cornering events to help get a feel for the bikes’ handling. Not ideal, but sufficient for our purposes.

The Tester Riders: Pros vs. Joes

‏‏BMC-sponsored pro enduro-lete Aaron Bradford added some steeze to the proceedings. Though he didn’t test bikes for us, his assistance with setup was invaluable. Photo by Tyler Frasca.

‏We felt the most useful feedback on these bikes would come not only from well-practiced bike reviewers, but a cross-section of riders that represented–not unlike our readership–the full spectrum of mountain bike preferences, talents and abilities.

‏In the end, our ragtag gang included a current pro enduro racer, a former X Games gold medalist, and a self-confessed “recovering XC pro,” who, incidentally was not just our only female test rider, but a regular at the area dirt jump trails.

We wouldn’t feel right about “Pros and Joes” without a real Joe—in this case Joe Carpenter. Photo by Tyler Frasca.

‏In the extra-mediocre midrange were enthusiastic weekend warrior types, a smattering of industry wonks, and our own esteemed staff. We also had one very Angry Singlespeeder, an into-thin-air Coloradan, and a token guy named Joe, just to make Pros vs. Joes subhead fully legit. Some of us race, some don’t, all know how to have a pretty good time on the bike.

The Speed Dating of Bike Tests

‏OK, maybe “speed dating” sells us a little short, but our rides were by no means long-term evaluations. Though we spent three days flogging the bikes as best we could, you can’t find out in a test ride what a few weeks, months or a year on the trail will tell you. No, we did a round-robin evaluation with three or four riders trying each bike for laps that lasted between 1-2 hours. Most bikes also got an additional test stint from the editor writing it up. In the end, our tests might not tell you which one to marry, but I’d bet we’ll do a better job than eHarmony finding you a bike to date if not go steady with.

‏The truth is, there’s not a dog in the bunch. Finding the one for you is more a matter of matching your preferences with our discoveries. Even if you picked one that’s “not your type,” you’d still be going home with a hottie. Which brings us to our next point…

Mountain Bikes are More Versatile Than Ever

‏Take almost any one of these bikes back in time to the 1990’s Grundig World Cup-era and put the same bike under a top-five XC racer and a top-five DH racer and they’d be in it to win it–they’re that good. With as specialized (small “s”) as the disciplines and equipment was back then, nobody would have believed one bike could do it all. But the performance capability gap is now smaller than ever, particularly for those mere mortals among us who, like these bikes, fall within the meat of the bell curve talent-wise.

‏Though today’s downhill courses are generally more treacherous, and the cross country tracks place more of a premium on climbing (ergo weight) than they once did, we’re starting to see exactly these bikes appearing on start lines when the former is more of a “pedaler’s course” and when the latter ends up being an “aggressive XC” track. We are closer to the elusive “One Bike” to-do-it-all-and-do-it-pretty-damn-well machine than ever. Never before have bikes been so dramatically tunable with a change of tires, and, at most, a fork swap. These are truly amazing, capable, versatile machines.

Trickle-Down Bikenomics

‏We already know the number one complaint from you will be about price. No two ways about it, all of these bikes cost a serious chunk of change, with a couple pushing into five figures.

‏Setting aside the value you place upon mountain biking in the economic scale of your life, there is a point at which returns diminish. Spending $5,000 gets you an awesome bike, but spending $10,000 does not get you one that’s twice as awesome. Which is why you’ll see us showing you a frame-only price for each bike, as well as directing you to any trickle-down versions that may be in a manufacturer’s line.

‏Almost all the bikes in our test are carbon, but many of the manufacturers make less expensive alloy versions of the same bike. Good geometry and a good suspension design make for a good ride, regardless of materials. For most people the extra grams and perceived lack of stiffness is irrelevant. Our advice: Buy the best bike you can afford and love the shit out of it.

How This Thing Rolls Out

‏Over the next few weeks, we’ll be posting daily “First Looks” at each of the bikes in our test. This will give you a sense of what the bikes are like fresh off the shop floor. We’ll observe and offer our un-ridden opinions, as well as give you liner notes on the manufacturer, the spec and the bike itself.

Ritchey dropped off a box of stems in dozens of lengths and configurations to help dial in our bike fit. It made a huge difference—thanks guys. Photo by Tyler Frasca.

‏The series will also include a number of sidebars on trends we’re seeing, likes and dislikes, how to approach buying one of these bikes, and even a write-up on the Demo Forest trail system–a worthy trek if you live nearby, or visit the Bay Area at some point.

‏Once we’ve made it through all the “looks” we’ll start to publish our evaluations of each bike–what we call the “Bottom Line.”

Mtbr Site Manager Gregg Kato did it all–riding, wrenching and shuttling. He puts the all in all-mountain. Photo by Tyler Frasca.

The Mtbr Enduro Compare-O Golden Pliny Awards

‏Finally, we’ll conclude by awarding the prestigious “Mtbr Golden Pliny” to the best bikes in each category (listed below). If you’re unfamiliar, Pliny is a particularly savored IPA made by the Russian River Brewing Company an hour or so north of Mtbr HQ. As we’ve identified bikes and beer to be the two main components of our collective DNA, we thought it fitting to honor one with the other, thus the hoppy homage.

2014 Enduro Compare-O Bike List

Check out the bike articles here.