Bulgaria’s Dobromir Dobrev rode an as-yet unreleased Pulse RS1 at the EWS in Finale Ligure. The bike – still in pre-production – is made in Bulgaria and was only finished a few weeks prior to the ESW, where Dobromir finished 154th on the day.Made in Sofia, Bulgaria, the Pulse RS1 is a 650b flaunting a RockShox Lyrik fork with 170 mm of suspension. At the rear there’s a RockShox Monarch Plus RC3, and it shifts with SRAM X1 1×11. Braking comes from the SRAM Guide R with 200/180 mm rotors. In Bulgaria you’d have to pay around € 2,400 for the Pulse RS1.A newcomer to the industry, Pulse plan on direct sales to customers – a business approach that Dobromir claims was influenced by Canyon.The frame design on this pre-series model differs to the actual Pulse RS1.
Dennis Tondin – Mangusta Black Mamba
The Italian Dennis Tondin is actually more of downhiller, but rocked up to the Enduro World Series in Finale Ligure to claim 109th place for the Mangusta Bike Team. He was riding a prototype enduro bike designed by Mangusta, a small Italian brand.Despite only being known to build around 20 DH frames each year from their Italian base, Mangusta have designed their first enduro bike, the Black Mamba, which channels some undeniable downhill vibes.
Bruno Zanchi – Santa Cruz Nomad C
Italian Bruno Zanchi from Team Airoh ION Santa Cruz rode his Santa Cruz Nomad to a second-placed finish in the men’s master category at the Enduro World Series in Finale Ligure. Like any true Italian, Bruno’s bike sports a ton of Italian-made parts, like the Formula fork, EXT rear shock, Novatec Diablo rims and a drivetrain from Ingrid Components. We tested the Santa Cruz Nomad C X01 a while back, and here are our thoughts. This 11-speed 10-46 cassette from Ingrid Components is made near San Marino and hails from an exciting Guilio Mancini design (don’t worry, there’s an extra article on this cassette to come!). Over the next few months they’ll be launching a 12-speed cassette too.The crankset and chainring on Bruno’s rig are also Ingrid branded.
Daniel Gottschall – Alutech-Prototyp
Daniel Gottschall lined up in Finale Ligure with his Alutech prototype bike, although mechanicals prevented him from finishing. He works for Alutech Cycles Germany and funnels his race feedback straight back into the development of the brand’s bikes.Built around a frame based on the Teibun 2.0, the Alutech Race enduro bike has been hand welded by Alutech owner Jürgen Schlender and features custom geometry for Daniel. Unlike the series frame, he’s got a 1.5 cm longer reach and a slacker head angle by 0.4°. Plus, Daniel has also mounted E*thirteen’s new 27.5″ TRS Race carbon rims. He’s been riding with a RockShox PIKE fork on his bike for a while, which he got tuned by Anyrace Suspension in Munich. He’s stoked with the performance of the Golden Ride tuning on the forks: it’s reassuringly stiff in the stroke and super sensitive.The rear is made from carbon and is true to the series STS system bike.
Simone Invernizzi – Fulgur Roccia Racing Edition
18-year-old Italian U21 rider Simone Invernizzi competed on a Fulgur Roccia Racing Edition. Made in Italy, the 650b carbon bike weighs in around 13.5 kg. In Aspen, USA, Simone cinched his best result of the season, coming away with a proud 13th. Unfortunately he crashed out on the second day in Finale and didn’t finish.
Stephan Wöhrle and Martin Grebing – MÜSING Petrol 7
Like many amateurs, this pair from Germany had pinpointed the EWS race in Finale Ligure, marking it not only as the season closer but also as the highlight. Stephan Wöhrle and Martin Grebing both ride for the MÜSING Enduro Team, and spent the season chasing results on their MÜSING Petrol 7 bikes. Finale was their first-ever ESW and Stephan finished in 148th with Martin hot on his heels in 158th.Die MÜSING Petrol 7-Teambikes besitzen eine spezielle Lackierung, um sich von den Serienbikes zu unterscheiden. Vorne dämpft eine RockShox Lyrik RCT3 mit 170 mm und hinten ein RockShox Monarch Plus RT3. Bei der absenkbaren Sattelstütze vertraut das Team auf die kabellose MAGURA Vyron.
The MÜSING Petrol 7 team bikes flaunt a special paintjob that distinguishes them from the series bike. At the front they both ride a RockShox Lyrik RCT3 with 170 mm of suspension and a RockShox Monarch Plus RT3 at the rear. A cableless MAGURA Vyron dropper post finishes the build.
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As the proud father of Robin and Max-Philip, Manne has been there from the start and is the wise elder of the editorial team. He won his first cycling race in elementary school at a school sports day. After less successful attempts at football, he found his passion for cycling via endurance racing in 1989! The world of racing still consumes him and no one in the team knows the EWS pros better than Manne. As a former head analyst of a state agency, he knows how to do proper research and finds exclusive news that no one else has. He supports his sons in day-to-day business dealings as the authorised signatory for 41 Publishing – viva la familia!
