Review

Preview Group Test: The 10 fastest Enduro Race Bikes 2014

04.04.2014
by

The Enduro Race Season is ready to go, on April 19th the Enduro World Series kicks off in Chile and we will find out who put in the most training over winter, who got fast and who got fat! There will be a lot of talk about which bikes are the fastest and we could not wait to find out! So we loaded the van with the finest enduro bikes of 2014 and drove down to Finale Ligure Italy to find out once and for all, which is the fastest Enduro Race Bike! If you want to find out which bike came out on top you will have to check out the upcoming issue #010 of ENDURO being released by the beginning of May in english.

We issued a challenge to the industry’s biggest bike manufacturers, “build us the fastest and most uncompromising race bike!” The price and the model spec-list didn’t matter, we just wanted the best.

One thing was immediately clear when we received the test field, filled with bikes like Jared Graves very own legendary Yeti SB66C and team replica bikes from Cube, Focus and Canyon, we could not do a normal test on local trails, we needed to unlock the full potential of these bikes! So we decided to head to the formidable trails of Finale Ligure and put the bikes to the test on real race tracks, along with professional time measurement and the support of Valentina Macheda, Manuel Ducci and Enrico Guala, we were going to figure out which bike is the fastest.

Follow Robin as he takes an untimed run down our test track:

Enduro Magazine Race Test Track Finale Ligure from WWW.ENDURO-MTB.COM on Vimeo.

Here we have an overview of the worlds fastest Enduro Race Bikes:

Scott Genius LT Tunes / Yeti SB 66 Carbon

scott, yeti

Canyon Spectral Factory Team Edition / Trek Slash 9

Canyon, trek

BMC Trailfox TF01 XTR / Focus SAM Trailteam Edition

Screenshot 2014-03-18 17.18.05

Specialized S-WORKS Enduro 29 / Cube Stereo

specialized,cube

Commencal Meta AM Factory / Norco Rage Carbon LE

commencal norco

Before we started our 11 hour journey down to the trails of Finale Ligure, we carefully loaded all the bikes and stuff into a Mercedes Van.

Der wahrscheinlich teuerste Sprinter der Welt - mit den 10 Racebikes haben wir den Wert des Wagens sicherlich verdoppelt!
Probably the most expensive Mercedes Sprinter in the world – with 10 top race bikes in the back we easily doubled the value!
Unser Domizil für die nächsten Tage war das Hotel Regina direkt im Ortskern von Finale
Our home for the test days was the Regina hotel right in the center of Finale. Perfectly located, not far from the beach and with a parking space for the shuttle in front of the hotel it was a great base for our test.
Vor der ersten Abfahrt stand der Track-Walk gemeinsam mit dem Sieger der Super Enduro Series 2013 Manuel Ducci auf dem Programm. Der italienische Meister zeigte uns nicht nur die besten Linien sondern gab auch sonst viele nützliche Tipps für den Test
We started the first day with a track walk together with the winner of the Super Enduro Series 2013 Manuel Ducci. The Italian champion not only showed us the best lines, he also gave us other useful tips for the entire test.
Das Enduro 29 von Specialized bügelt dank seiner großen Laufräder alles platt!
Robin hard on the gas! With the large 29″ wheels, the Specialized Enduro rolled easily over everything. You just have to grip the handlebars and point down the middle!
Der Mann ist mittlerweile eine Legende - Enrico Guala, Organisator der Super Enduro Series und des EWS-Rennens in Finale Ligure überwachte in unserem Test die Zeitnahme!
The man, the legend – Enrico Guala, organizer of the Super Enduro Series and co-organizer of the Enduro World Series monitors the timing for our test!
Robin voll fokussiert!
Robin fully focused!
Das Shuttle bot nur bedingt Zeit zum Verschnaufen. Im Auto wurden sofort alle Eindrücke im Testprotokoll niedergeschrieben.
No time for a break on the shuttle runs. In the car, all the impressions get recorded in the test log immediately.
Ruben lotet die Grenzen des Norco aus...
Ruben explores the limits of the Norco …
... Schwachstelle waren in diesem Fall die Schläuche, wir können nicht verstehen warum in einem Racebike noch Schläuche montiert sind.
… Vulnerability in this case -the tubes! Tubeless is essential for race bikes!
Auf die hundertstel Sekunde! Das Freelap-System überzeugte im Test
Accurate to a hundredth of a second! The Freelap system ensures exact times during testing.
Flach, steil, verblockt und flowig, unser Test-Track hatte all das zu bieten!
Flat, steep, rough and flowing, our test track had a bit of everything to offer!
Ebenfalls mit im Testfeld: das Arbeitsgerät des Focus Trail Team - das Focus SAM.
Also part of the test field: the implement of the Focus Team Trail – The SAM.
Ohne Mampf kein Dampf! Mittags stärken wir uns mit leckeren italiensichen Gebäck
For lunch we enjoyed great Italian sandwiches.
Traumhaftes Licht und genial Trails, Finale verwöhnte uns an den Test-Tagen mit top Bedingungen.
Gorgeous light and awesome trails, Finale spoiled us every day with top conditions.
Nach den Abfahrten diskutierten wir unsere Eindrücke noch mit Manuel und Valentina, es bestätigtes sich wieder einmal....
After testing the bikes we had some interesting discussions and it confirmed once again …
"Tire make a huge
…”Tires make a big difference!” But there are many other factors that affect the handling of a bike, both positive as well as negative. Find out in the upcoming issue what makes the biggest difference!
"You are my nightmare!" Auch der äußerst sympatischen Shuttlefahrerin Sonja haben wir einiges abverlangt!
“You are my nightmare!” We tested even the most sympathetic shuttle driver, Sonja from Cascina del Groppo, with our demands! Shuttling until way after sunset! We are so sorry Sonja. If you want to have the most fun shuttle driver in Finale definitely call her!
Ruben fuhr von allen drei Testern die schnellste Zeit und wurde ordentlich gefeiert, die Frage ist nur - auf welchem Bike?
Ruben put down the fastest times of all three testers, and ensured it was celebrated properly, the only question is – on which bike?

Guess the fastest bike and win a cap!

What’s the fastest bike? Place your tip now below. hTe winners shall be drawn at random from among all correct answers submitted. Good luck!

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Verdient! Ruben gönntthen sich am Ende eines langen Tages leckeres italienisches Eis

If you want to find out which is the fastest bike for the 2014 season, you must wait just a little longer. In early May ENDURO issue #010 INT hits the digital shelves, there you will find the full test with all the information and impressions of the fastest bike in the world – of course, as usual, its free & digital!

In the meantime check out the current issue here.

Pictures: Christoph Bayer Words: Christoph Bayer / Trevor Worsey

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