This comment did NOT age well.Really? It blows my mind. Enduro may be an "event" that's all the rage right now, but it isn't going to sell bikes or be good media. It's cool and I'd love to do a multi-day one (as a father of two it ain't happening though), but DH grew exponentially in mainstream media last year. It is the marketing platform for mountain biking. Bike parks are still an infantile business and lots will fail as the few succeed and figure out the right business model.
No one outside MTB is going to pay to sponsor Enduros or the horrible media coverage that comes with the sport, just like motorcycle enduro. Motorcycle enduro has tons of participants, races everywhere and way more trail bikes in moto are sold than supercross bikes. But supercross sells.
There is no way media, video or major press coverage of enduro motocross will generate outside interest from sponsors. And I'm confident that it won't sell near as many bikes as the factories project. I think the money everyone is about to pump into it won't boost sales or put any company in the black.
It's a great crossover for DH racers to change up the routine in competition, but I think it's a step backwards for our sport. I think the thrill will be short lived and the exposure and excitement of Rampage and the World Cup have more staying power.
Not everybody can buy a Corvette or race it, but they'll buy an Impala with dreams of one day ripping out the clutch of a Vette.
I mean the sentiment wasn't wrong as DH is still treated as the most marketable thing and we still dont have good endoro race coverage.This comment did NOT age well.
When did you last use a modern Enduro bike on a ride with genuinely varied terrain? (as opposed to just mashing out long climbs to access derp trails) I'd say pretty much any modern true Enduro bike is far more descending orientated than anything else. And that makes them pigs to ride on flat and climbs in comparison to a true all rounder mtb despite generally having fairly good pedalling characteristics (which DH bikes these days also have) the only compromise towards climbing is the now far steeper seat angles which make little difference when descending but kinda ruins them for varied seated terrain.
I ride my Spire on DH trails all the time that have climbs in between. It's still not as fast as a purpose-built DH bike. And it sucks to get there compared to an XC bike. But it gets there, and it gets down the trail that would fold the wheels of the XC bike.
Yeah I'm in the same boat. Out of my riding friends, about a third/half of us still race from time to time. I like the days out, packing a few beers for after the race and spending a day riding, talking shit and then smashing myself for a stage and repeating for a few hours. Modern Enduro trails here are very similar to the good DH trails I raced on when I started in the mid 90s all the way through to around 2018 when i sold my DH specific bike. I never really liked the wide open, super smashy tracks that proper DH bikes really shine on. I like steep, twisty natural stuff and I can get a 170mm 27.5 Enduro bike through those at much the same pace as the 26" DH bikes I grew up riding.
Yeah there's something so pure about modern, race specific DH bikes that you've gotta love. The single purpose specificity is really awesome. Even XC race bikes have that going for them. Enduro bikes kind of have this bastardised thing going where you've gotta add a chunk of weight to them with a dropper and wide range cassette just to winch them to the top. Chuck in a water bottle and some spares and they're more like a rally vehicle than a formula one car.
I try to do one or two DH races a year on the Mega 275. I take the the spare tube and stuff off it, and cherry-pick the tracks or venues that I'm not gonna kill myself or the bike on. I doubt I'll crack the top 25% of the field but it goes alright.
DH bikes with dialed suspension are fucking sweet. If your trails and riding style need it then why not? It’s a lot cheaper to run a DH bike around here. Why does anyone need to race to justify a DH bike?
Nah my local stuff is crap on a DH bike man. Waaay too tight. I've started doing some locla park laps again just to remember high speed stuff again.
Amen and hallelujah. I haven’t raced in years but have had one since and have no intention of getting rid of one.
Totes agree
Clearly what you just need is an eSpire.
fyp
Would be great. Their e bike i think was more of an eSentinel though.
next one is 170/170
Yeah I know, I was mostly trying to rile up the ebike haters.
I'd say a modern enduro bike is more like a Jeep of an overlander vehicle with a bunch of extra winches and pads and shit strapped to them that can drive to the dirt and back. A rally car is still trailered in to race rally courses.
he got old (like the rest of us) and finally bought a shirt.
so you are saying we need dh bikes with a motor?
Parked in the wrong spot?
Yeah if I didn't live 2000km from the nearest chairlift, I'd have a DH bike in the garage for sure
Yeah for me a DH bike would still make sense distance wise but the chance to go to remote areas isn't there. Madeira, La Palma, Bali etc. A chance to puke while pushing your bike up a volcano at night because your lamp made you feel horrible is something I cannot pass on.
