Enduro Trends 2024 – The 6 most important trends and findings from our big enduro bike group test

What are the most exciting developments and features of modern enduro bikes? What’s establishing itself, what’s useful, and what could we actually do without? Can the top e-mountainbikes keep up with modern enduro bikes, and are expensive bikes necessarily better than more affordable ones? Here are the 6 most exciting findings from our latest enduro comparison test.

We took a cheeky look behind the scenes of our latest enduro comparison test and drew some very interesting conclusions. In this article, we’ve summarised the most important findings, key trends, and everything you need to know about modern enduro bikes and their future.

Old but gold

First off: the bikes in our last enduro group test, which we carried out in 2022, are by no means outdated, but with the rapid pace of development in the bike industry, it’s legitimate to ask ourselves whether older bikes might struggle to keep up with the times, which is why we’ve included some old acquaintances again in this test field. The answer is no! The winner of our Best enduro bike of 2022, the Yeti SB160, is still one of the best enduro bikes available on the market and, once again, proved what it’s capable of on the trail, only missing out on another title by a very slim margin. Bikes like the Canyon Strive CFR and Santa Cruz Megatower also delivered a mad performance both in our previous and latest comparison tests, giving the competition a really hard time. Of course, all three bikes have undergone some major updates – for example the new SRAM Transmission drivetrain – but have remained the same at the core. In other words, you don’t have to put your favourite enduro bike on Craigslist just because there are a few hot new bikes on the market that supposedly ride better. And of course, the golden rule for mountain bikers still applies: N+1.

Wheels are underrated

By the time we packed up at the end of our time in San Romolo, we had a couple of unrideable bikes to bring home. Sure, San Romolo is famous for its extremely harsh trails and brutal rock gardens, but enduro bikes should be able to take a good beating and survive a weeks’ riding holiday. One carbon rim shattered completely, while some of the alloy rims were so badly dented that the tires didn’t seal properly anymore. Plus, we had to true many of the wheels on a regular basis to maintain the spoke tension. And that’s despite the fact that most of the wheels that broke came with robust tires with Doubledown or even DH casings. Our guess: some brands save money by using cheaper wheels, even on top-spec bikes, because the big majority of customers simply lack the knowledge to tell apart a good spoke, a good nipple or, generally, a high-quality wheel from the bad stuff. However, we also had some extremely robust wheels that survived many more runs on the same test track in San Romolo – and in some cases even made it through several seasons unscathed. In addition, wheels – front wheels especially – contribute significantly to the handling and ride feeling of a bike, which makes it incredibly annoying when they break.

The cream of the crop

Just recently, the Orbea WILD M-LTD took part in the huge group test of our sister magazine E-MOUNTAINBIKE, where it came out on top of 26 e-mountainbikes, securing the title of best eMTB of 2024. If you look at its spec sheet, suspension travel and geometry, it fits perfectly into our enduro bike group test, so we were curious to find out how it fares against a test field consisting entirely of analogue bikes. Our conclusions: with the best eMTB, you’ll be breathing right down the neck of your enduro buddies on the trail, provided it’s fast and rough. On the other hand, as soon as the trail gets slower and narrower, the best enduro bikes will quickly disappear over the horizon. The best enduro bikes in this group test, like the Ibis HD6 and Yeti SB160, provide a similar degree of composure but are significantly nimbler and impress with super-intuitive handling and excellent suspension. This, in combination with the significantly lower system weight, makes them clearly the better bikes on descents. The only downside: your electrified mates can squeeze in twice as many runs in one session in situations where you have to get to the trailhead under your own steam.

Do High Pivot bikes live up to the hype?

Bikes with high pivot rear suspension are nothing new and have been around for over a decade. Nevertheless, they’re experiencing a major boom in recent years, with more and more manufacturers experimenting with high pivot layouts and some relying on the system on their modern enduro and even trail bikes. Like any other suspension system, a high pivot design has its pros and cons, and just because high pivot bikes are inherently composed due to the rearward axle path, this doesn’t mean that they’re always the fastest bikes on the trail. For example, the Ibis, which relies on a DW-Link with a conventional (virtual) pivot point, is even more composed at high speed than our two high-pivot candidates. And just like there are good high-pivot bikes, there are some bad ones too, like the GT Force, which took part in one comparison test a few years back. However, we aren’t too concerned about the additional maintenance that high-pivot bikes require due to the idler pulley, because many high-pivot bikes don’t necessarily have any more moving parts than bikes with conventional suspension concepts. It all comes down to the individual concept and how well it’s implemented. If you want to find out more about all different rear suspension concepts, you should take a look at our multi-part article.

High End ≠ High Performance

Some of the bikes in this group test have proven once again that the most expensive specs doesn’t necessarily translate into the best trail performance, with significantly cheaper bikes often performing better than their pricey counterparts. This is because top-tier bike models often rely on lots of carbon, a low system weight and plenty of bling that might look great on the shop floor, but doesn’t necessarily offer an advantage on the trail. With the YT CAPRA, TREK Slash and Santa Cruz Megatower, for example, we’ve opted for a more affordable spec variant that still delivers the same (or even better) excellent trail performance. This is mainly due to the fact that, despite the cheaper price, they come equipped with top-tier suspension (they might lack the bling, but most of the internals are the same), or a slightly heavier drivetrain, like the SRAM GX Transmission. Before buying, it’s worth taking a closer look at the second most expensive model, which relies on less bling but usually still offers top performance.

Will all enduro bikes have a storage compartment at some point?

Although the number of enduro bikes with an integrated storage compartment hasn’t changed since our last comparison test, and is still less than half of the 14 bikes, the trend of storage compartments is steadily continuing. We also know of several manufacturers who are currently developing a compartment system and planning to use it on next year’s model. While it’s much easier to integrate a storage compartment into the frame with carbon than with alloy, every manufacturer relies on a different cover, closure system and position for their storage compartments – and the differences are huge! BOLD and SCOTT, for example, position the opening of the compartment at the bottom of the down tube, which works well in theory but isn’t as practical on the trail compared with a conventional opening under the bottle cage. This is because the opening at the bottom forces you to turn the bike upside down to access the compartment. On top of that, the closure system is constantly exposed to grit, meaning that it easily gets jammed when riding in muddy conditions, and needs regular cleaning. Conventional storage compartments under the bottle cage, on the other hand, are easy to access and tend to stay cleaner. A simple plastic liner around the opening, like those of the Santa Cruz and GIANT, have proven incredibly practical, as it prevents you from cutting your hands or damaging a piece of clothing with the frame’s sharp edges. Without a doubt, storage compartments are extremely practical and, if they’re well thought out, add real value. Whether it’s snacks, trail essentials or a small rain jacket, you can easily stow them away inside a storage compartment. However, harder objects like multitools and CO2 cartridges tend to rattle and move around in the frame if the compartment isn’t closed at the bottom – though some manufacturers deliver their bikes with practical pouches. Of course, such items aren’t essential for your ride and if you prefer, you can attach them to the bike with a simple strap or use a small hip pack. So it’s largely down to personal taste to whether and what type of storage compartment you want to have on your bike.

Here’s some good news! Modern enduro bikes are incredibly awesome and well-engineered, although sometimes they could do with improvements. Nevertheless, the character and riding characteristics can vary greatly depending on the bikes and the differences only become evident on the trail. On the other hand, development has levelled off, while the eMTB sector is still in an experimental phase. However, while they have proved that they can indeed keep up with the broad mass of analogue bikes, they still clearly lag behind the best enduro bikes on the market downhill.

The test field

For an overview of the test fleet head to the group test: The best enduro bike 2024 – 14 of the most exciting enduro bikes in our 2024 comparison test

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Words: Peter Walker Photos: Peter Walker