Who Should Ride An Enduro MTB?

with many new riders looking to step up their bike to something more serious i wanted to create a series of videos that help with that decision from trail to xc to enduro and even downhill it can get pretty confusing about what kind of bike will work best for you with many years of experience on all of the above i'm here to help bust some myths and answer some questions that you may have in this video i'm going to take a look at enduro mountain bikes where did these things come from what's so different about them and is this going to be the right bike for you i'll also be joined in this video by world famous youtuber brian from the channel bkxc and he's a big fan of enduro bikes riding an enduro bike it's like riding on a cushion you know you can always have less suspension you can always have more suspension but the enduro bike is the perfect amount of suspension and with brian we need to introduce a professional enduro racer so how about enduro world series superstar remy govan riding an enduro bike is really sick because you can basically go as fast almost as fast as you could on a downhill bike and then when you get to the bottom you can climb back up and do it again there are a ton of things to discuss so let's jump straight into it the term enduro comes from the racing discipline where riders are timed on multiple stages it's only the descents that count towards the clock and the climbs are not timed in 2013 the enduro world series was launched and with that a rule book was created manufacturers now had expectations that their bikes needed to meet for us as the consumer this meant that mountain bikes were about to become a lot more capable than they ever have been the courses got harder rougher and steeper and the bikes evolved alongside this what we have now are mountain bikes that can survive long days on technical and demanding terrain while all brands have their unique qualities there are some key features that can help you spot an enduro style mountain bike i think once you get around 160 mil of travel up front that pretty much defines it for me maybe downhill tires bit heavier parts than you put on your trail bike [Music] the suspension will typically have above 160 millimeters of travel the forks will be beefy and stiff and the rear shock a larger sized air canister to minimize overheating on long descents or perhaps even a coil shock brakes have larger size rotors with four pot brake calipers the seat post will be a dropper with a large amount of drop wheels will either be 29 inches or 27.5 with a trend towards the larger size tyres are also tough with thicker side walls to help prevent punctures and the frame itself will be designed with descending stability in mind but still has a comfortable position to pedal up with and this is where an enduro bike is strongest what's the best thing to happen to the enduro bike category uh 29-inch wheels for sure whoa controversial as the demands of what these bikes needed to take on changed over the years there have been some important changes in certain areas of the bike first and foremost is the geometry the angles of how all the tubes fit together the head angle on modern bikes is a lot slacker than before making them more stable and steeper trails more manageable they've also got a lot larger than they used to be and i'll explain more about why that is later on in the video in conjunction with the changes to frame design this has allowed the handlebars and stem to get wider and shorter respectively this has made these larger bikes far more responsive and made them less twitchy in the handling department every modern bike out there only has one chainring at the front not only does this make changing gears simpler but it also allows for better rear suspension design and of course there's the dropper post which has completely changed how we ride bikes and when the steep terrain gets rough rocky and gnarly just like we've got here because the bikes have 160 mil 170 even a little bit more suspension the bumps are of course going to be absorbed better which is going to mean less fatigue on the bike now this has come because endura races all the stages are much like a downhill course so you have multiple stages of big long rough racing and you need to keep as fresh as possible and this is where having more suspension is going to help that and it's on those long steep stages where people started putting much larger rotors on the front and on the rear of their bike this is a 200mm rotor this is probably what you're going to find on most enduro bikes by having the bigger rotor it means that the brake is not going to overheat as much and cause brake fade so your brakes are going to be able to work just as well at the top or the bottom of the trail and it's not just the big steep faster sense we're having these big four-pot brakes with big rotors is going to help i mean look look at this super steep feature and look how slow i can go down on it so for most of you watching having these big breaks is gonna help with confidence and just give you more fun on the bike i guess i could do this chris i could do this forever is there a slow world championships of mountain biking i might enter so what are these bikes like to ride well for a lot of people a modern enduro style machine will actually be too much bike that is uh it's not not spicy chris so let's talk about some of the riding characteristics that you'll find while riding an enduro bike and let's start off with the positives with all that suspension the bike is going to be able to absorb a ton of energy that would otherwise go straight into the rider and cause fatigue and there's no denying this on longer descents you could have the best brakes the best tyres and the most forward-thinking bike design in the world but nothing is going to save you from getting into energy debt like having more suspension it is possible to be more active with your arms but having more suspension travel on your bike will help get you out of sticky situations better and allow for technique that might not be so polished it'll just get you out of situations it'll get you out of really rough bad situations at least in your mind i think most of us probably never encounter as many situations as we think we will where it's like a big drop out of nowhere big nasty rough section but when that time comes every six months once every six months you have your enduro bike and it's perfect now one of the biggest positives of having an enduro bike like this one is if you come up to a really quite gnarly feature like we've got here you're never going to be under biked and more likely than not when you hit a big compression like we've got here you'll be able to ride away perfectly fine it wasn't actually that bad the free-fall was the most scary and this ability to save you from getting into too much trouble will also help with the most important thing in mountain biking confidence so let's talk about what it's like to ride these bikes on the seafood terrain and where the features of the bike will make things a lot easier so here we have a really steep trail and this is where that slack head angle and longer wheelbase is going to make things feel a lot more stable and more comfortable and you're probably going to get a lot more confidence riding something like this you're not too far off the back you're not diving over the front you're centered on the bike you're going to have grip on both the front and rear tire and that's why this geometry is so important for this terrain so for you person watching this video who's probably not a racer what that's gonna mean is that on these steep sections you're just gonna have a better time more relaxed in control more stable when you combine all the features of an enduro bike the slack head tube angle the big brakes and copious amounts of suspension it makes things easier on pretty much any trail out there i've seen many a rider take on more features because of this increase in suspension and that increased confidence and this principle also applies to downhill bikes and this is all well and good but you want the bike to get you up the hill as well and doesn't more suspension mean it's harder to pedal up a hill this is true but not entirely as the headshoe bangle got slacker and the reach became longer so the seat tube got steeper this was found to counteract the negative impacts those changes would have had on climbing and puts you in a much more comfortable position you'll also likely have a lockout on the rear shock or perhaps even a remote lockout on the handlebar and this helps make pedaling up easier but when things get tight on the trail the long length of these bikes does make things a bit trickier but as i was talking about before with these modern enduro bikes and their geometry the seat tube angle especially on my scott ransom that i've got here it's very steep which makes these tighter switchbacks a lot more manageable are we really bothered about how we get to the top we just want to get to the top but these enduro bikes they're not built for climbing they're built for going down and going down fast because you know they are race bikes that's enduro enduro race that's where it's from so it's not really that important but if you live in an area where you have a lot of these tight switchbacks then this is probably where this bike really isn't going to be for you you will have to be very exaggerated with the lines you take and while completely doable it does take some getting used to coming into a turn much wider is the only way of getting around these sharp turns and on that note it's time to talk about some of the downsides while those positives might sound great there really are more situations where you don't need as much suspension as you think unless you are regularly going to a bike park or live in terrain that is consistently rough you're going to be over biked that suspension that would have helped you limit your fatigue on the trail might actually start having the opposite effect and start to use up more energy as you try to maneuver it around your local loop so if you live in a place that doesn't have big mountains maybe that's more rolling hills you never climb for more than five minutes and descend for more than 30 seconds maybe the trail bike would be a bit better suited to that place that you live to get the most out of this type of bike you need to be going fast or riding steep rough terrain and it's this point that i know a lot of people probably aren't going to agree with but having owned every genre of bike for a while this is what i truly believe on most of the trails that most people will be out riding most of the time this is too much bike the situations where this is an appropriate mountain bike will be few and far between for a lot of people around the world but this has been the go-to type of bike for a lot of people over the past few years however with trail bikes evolving at much the same rate as enduro bikes i would bet that this is going to change from now on so what kind of rider fits a ninjuro bike well you should really think about the terrain you're riding most of the time as i've already been mentioning if you're living in the flatlands and you don't see mountains and you're not doing big climbs your trail bike's fine your short travel xc bike is fine but if you're traveling around and you're just looking for those epic rides just get the enduro bike it's great on the climb it's great on the descents just do it there aren't a huge number of riders out there that live in areas like bc here in canada with its steep trails and big compressions but there are many people out there who visit bike parks regularly and here we can start to build the rider profile that an enduro bike would be perfect for if you're visiting a bike park regularly let's say anywhere from one to three times per month then your bike is going to be subject to a lot of abuse and not just the bike but the rider as well you'll want to be able to ride as much as you can without fatigue getting in the way so given that we've learned that an enduro bike is designed to be more durable but can still be pedaled around this would mean that it would be ideal for this kind of mountain biker do you think you've gotten better at mountain biking because of an enduro bike the indoor bike has allowed me to ride my bike a ton more than i would have if i only rode my downhill bike which i used to bike time has increased a ton since i started riding enduro and uh ride gnarlier features than i would if i only had a trail bike and kind of bridges the gap really well my general viewpoint on this is that a lot of people are over biking themselves with something that has 160 ml travel or more especially now that the 29er wheel size is becoming the norm those larger wheels combined with the more progressive geometry that we're seeing out there means that a lot more travel on your bike isn't as important as it used to be but for those of you who do frequent the many bike parks popping up all over the place it's a wise choice plus you want your bike to last and not ruin your weekend by braking and thanks to the developments over the last seven years that's exactly what you're going to be getting i love my enduro bike i think it helps me become a better rider but nothing helps you become a better rider more than just going and riding your bike much like my t-shirt says just go ride it's just the number one thing the best riders in the world ride the most they don't have the best bikes all the time you see them on the trail sometimes in weird gear and like old helmets and old bikes but they're still fast because they just ride more than all of us there is still some time to pick up some zero dabs merch by hitting the link down below there are hoodies t-shirts and sweatshirts so you'll be able to represent your supreme biking skill and show your friends that you have never put a foot down while riding a trail so do you have an enduro bike were you happy with your bike choice let me know in the comments below and if you enjoyed this video hit the like button and subscribe so you get to see more videos just like it and there are many more videos to come thanks for watching fellow punters and i'll see you next time

Channel: Paul The Punter

Views: 320,880

Rating: 4.9379621 out of 5

Keywords: mountain bike, paul the punter, mtb, biking, bicycle, cycling, mountain biking

Id: LMdcSs-FQdU

Length: 13min 57sec (837 seconds)

Published: Wed Oct 28 2020