Bigger wheels, slacker head angles, shorter chainstays and high pivot rear ends. We could go on and on like this forever, considering the incredibly fast-paced, bold and innovative development of enduro bikes over the last 10 years. But these big evolutionary leaps are now history, taking place in the enduro boom’s early years. So what does the future hold?
Modern enduro bikes are unbelievably good, but the path leading here was marked by scepticism, heated debates, and the question of the real benefit. Meanwhile, things have largely settled down. New geometries are no longer big surprises, 29″ wheels are the norm, and even high pivot rear ends are nothing new. So what now? Have we reached the point of marginal gains and facelifts? Will any brands dare to take big leaps, or has the potential for real innovation been exploited?
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When you look at the latest high-end enduro bikes, electronic components have become indispensable, regardless of whether it’s the rear derailleur, suspension, or for data collection. But what else is technically feasible, what makes sense, and what is purely a gimmick? To find out, we looked beyond the bike industry, to the automotive, aerospace, and IT sectors for inspiration, and asked: What if…?
And what about the current state of technology? We grabbed this season’s 14 hottest enduro bikes and set off for sunny Liguria to find out. Rocks, sand, high speed and big hits were on the agenda, putting the best enduro machines on the market to the test. Our conclusion: modern enduro bikes have matured, and they’re damn good. But there are big differences in the way they handle on the trail, nonetheless. Some models stand out from the crowd, capable of combining seemingly opposing traits and making them the perfect all-rounders.
It’s not just bikes, but also us riders that continue to evolve, and there comes a point in everyone’s life where you might think about having kids. Becoming a parent and accompanying a person as they grow up can be amazing, but what does that mean for our beloved hobby? Is it one or the other, baby instead of biking? Don’t worry; with clever bike parenting you can have both. Our editor Moritz didn’t just try it out for himself, but also got Germany’s fastest mountain bike daddy Christian Textor involved for a bunch of tips on how to combine bikes and babies.
Have you already passed this stage, and now your offspring is on your rear wheel, yelling at you to go faster? Then we’ve got the solution to take their bike skills to the next level: with the V-PACE MORITZ 24. This small shredder comes specced with child-friendly components and a host of clever features, as well as a special wheel concept that makes it handle like a full-blown mountain bike.
For all the cross-country and race fanatics, we got our editor and marathon runner Bene excited about the brand new GHOST LECTOR World Cup 30 and sent him to boot camp together with our old-school coach, putting both bike and body through their paces. But is the new LECTOR really made for the racetrack, and did our editor Bene survive?
If you’re not riding your bike, giving it a bit of TLC can be a lot of fun too. Especially when you’ve got a sexy toolbox where each Allen key has its own cut-out in a foam backing. Slovenian toolmakers UNIOR think so too. That’s why we visited the former Yugoslavia to take an exciting look behind the scenes of their tool manufacturing process, learning how old tech like colossal forge hammers can work together with precision laser robots.
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Cheers, Peter
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Words & Photos: Peter Walker
