Mountain biking has been booming for several years now, and this rapid growth has brought with it a host of subcategories. For example, you don’t just “ride mountain bikes” anymore—you ride cross-country, all-mountain, downhill, etc. A relatively new term that’s been used in all kinds of ways lately is “enduro bike.” So what exactly is this enduro bike—is it just another passing fad, or a real movement?
What is enduro?
The exact history of enduro is a bit murky, as different countries have different definitions of what enduro is. To keep it simple, enduro is a mountain bike race format that sits between cross-country and downhill. Most of the time, as is the case at the GAAP enduro race at Mont-Sainte-Anne, the race includes about 80% descending and 20% climbing and is divided into several stages. Enduro is gaining momentum all over the world, including in Quebec, because the race format is very different from other disciplines. First of all, you’ll find a particularly strong sense of camaraderie and meet laid-back people who are there to have fun. Maybe the format of timed descents and untimed climbs has something to do with it, since it’s similar to a regular ride—climb up just so you can bomb down as fast as possible!
Enduro bikes
Enduro offers a fairly complete take on mountain biking, since it combines both the physical and technical skills of the sport. This new trend, combined with the ongoing quest for the ultimate do‑it‑all mountain bike, is driving a wave of new equipment. Manufacturers Devinci and Rocky Mountain both offer more aggressive versions of their bikes for riders who like to pedal up mountains solely so they can bomb back down. In addition to offering bikes like the Rocky Mountain Altitude Rally Edition or the Devinci Troy RR tweaked for downhill enthusiasts, Devinci even offers a model developed specifically for enduro. The brand‑new 2015 Devinci Spartan first appeared at Crankworx 2013 and at the World Downhill Championships in Pietermaritzburg, where the course was less demanding than average. These bikes are characterized first by slightly more travel, often around 150 to 165 mm, and also by geometry that strikes an appealing balance between descending and cross‑country.
The changes to make
If you already own a full-suspension mountain bike and want to make it more aggressive on descents, here are a few tips that will boost your confidence on the way down. A dropper seatpost such as a RockShox Reverb is a must, since for every descent you can simply press a lever to lower your saddle height. The extra clearance will help you feel more comfortable on more technical descents. Your cockpit should also be revisited to adjust your position on the bike. By shortening the stem to 35 or 50 mm, your weight will naturally shift rearward, increasing your confidence. Along with a shorter stem, take the opportunity to widen your handlebar. While the norm used to be under 700 mm, we now see 780 mm bars used on enduro bikes. Finally, make sure you have powerful brakes, because in enduro, weak brakes will suffer on long descents. Whether it’s Avid Trail brakes with 4 pistons instead of the traditional 2, or Shimano XTR Trail with a heat sink to maintain braking power, don’t forget to use rotors that are large enough! Enjoy the ride, and don’t hesitate to sign up for an enduro race—the camaraderie and the thrill of descending at full speed will get you hooked! Here’s a video that gives you a glimpse of the enduro trails you can ride at Mont-Sainte-Anne.
Enjoy the video!
