The All-New Specialized Enduro!

Specialized started from the ground and built up an all-new version of their Enduro slaying sled, The Enduro.

With a new geometry, a new frame that was inspired by the new Specialized Demo, a new suspension design, and more travel, the new enduro is freaking fast going down the hill as well as climbing back up to the top. Oh yeah, did I mention that this thing has 170mm of travel?!? But you wouldn’t know it when you pedal it, though.

Starting with the suspension, the suspension engineers at Specialized realigned the leverage curve of the suspension at both ends of the travel. This means that the suspension is going to be lighter the beginning of the travel to improve small bump sensitivity yet it’s going to be harder in the last 30% of the travel to really absorb those big bumps and drops. This will give you as the rider a smoother suspension all the way through the travel.

These engineers also lowered the suspension design and the leverage ratios to improves pedaling and braking performance. By changing the leverage, Specialized has increased the anti-squat of the suspension by 40%, reducing the impacts that braking and pedaling have on the suspension. The result is a bike that can be pedaled when you need to get on the gas without losing a bunch of efficiency into the suspension.

By lowering the suspension into the center of the frame, the engineers at Specialized also lowered the overall center of gravity on the new Enduro. This allows you to get really low through corners and stay planted as you throw that roost through the berms!

When Specialized started this project, they weren’t necessarily trying to make the stiffest bike. And, while the new Enduro is 12% stiffer than the previous model, it’s all about balance. If the front is too flexy or the rear is too stiff, you’ll have a bike that’s impossible to control. Specialized tuned the carbon fiber of each of the frames and sizes using Rider-First lay-up schedules to design each frame, from the “small” S2 size all the way up to the big S5. Each bike is engineered to deliver the perfect balance of stiffness to flex for each size rider. Enduro is also design using the Beyond Gender philosophy where bikes are designed for riders, not genders.

The geometry has evolved from previous Enduro models to get the “Long, Low, and Slack” treatment we’ve been seeing in so many other trail and enduro bikes. This, along with dropping the suspension down and into the frame and shortening the seat tube to allow for longer travel dropper posts, gives the bike a more balanced and centered feeling. This will keep the Enduro in control and underneath you no matter what the downhill throws at you. And, when it’s time to pedal, the seat angle has been steepened to give you efficiency.

Momentum is your friend if you want to go fast. If your rear wheel is getting hung up as it tries to go up and over big, square bumps in rough terrain, you aren’t going to be as fast or in as much control. The new suspension design of the new Enduro has been tweaked to address this by changing the rear axle path.

This design allows the rear axle to move slightly rearward when it first encounters a square bump. This allows the suspension to absorb some of that big jolt before it arcs back up and forward as the suspension compresses. This rearward and then forward arc helps you to maintain that precious momentum to keep your Enduro moving forward, fast!

The graph below describes this path. The red is the new Enduro 29, the blue is the previous version.

You will notice a difference in how the sizes are labeled on the new Enduro models. They are no longer listed as Small to Extra Large. Specialized uses Style-Specific Sizing for the new Enduro. This will allow you to choose a frame size that best fits your riding style, not just your standover height. If stability is your main concern, choose a size up. If and are the biggest factors, size down. It’s pretty simple!

The all-new Enduro is a 29er bike. The entire bike was designed around 29″ wheels for better momentum which, in turn, means more speed, most importantly in technical terrain. There is no longer a 27.5″ version, just the , hard-charging 29er!

That’s the all-new Specialized Enduro! Check out Enduro at select local ERIK’S Locations or at shopERIKS.com!