Cross Country VS Enduro Mountain Bike Race | The Ultimate MTB Battle

This is Cross Country VS Enduro. The Ultimate Mountain Bike battle. Scotty Laughland and his Canyon Exceed VS Neil Donoghue and his GT Sanction. This is going to be one of the closest battles we've had so far...
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Enduro Mountain Biking is the newest cycling discipline on the block. Cross Country is one of the oldest, but both take on a similar courses. Watch Neil and Scotty battle it out to see which is faster.
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Leave us a comment below!

[@thisisnotme4577]

"You are going down." "Eh, no its uphill first." :D

[@johnmarkmiranda5895]

I caught up that too. XD

[@chadthundercock4982]

Eks Dee

[@KandiKlover]

Lolololololo bahahah!

[@adiyantosoponyono8070]

Wkwkwk

[@nickrogers6441]

Logically, the xc bike had to win in a race where the ups and downs are a race or all xc racers would ride enduro bikes. It would be interesting to see Neil on his xc bike and Scotty on his enduro bike have a race also.

[@abelramos8652]

The truth is while the average xc rider can do a decent enduro race a average enduro rider will not finish a xc race

[@abelramos8652]

Having said that, cross country sucks, to do that go to a road instead. MTB is jumps and all that men ... fun it’s called

[@aggelostrifw2280]

@@abelramos8652 xc is a great experience u are just mad for some reason

[@abelramos8652]

Α&Ν Β what? Un saying a xc rider can do a more than decent enduro race while a enduro will suffer on a xc race

[@tyronethelion3417]

@@abelramos8652 bc it's true. I do down country, we are all mountain bikers don't be mad at the different disciplines just because they can do things you can't. You can do things they can't so chill

[@JDR71326]

@@abelramos8652 u can still do jumps and go down some trails along u are confident with speed if u think a xc bike is gonna screw up then idk but in a better fork and Thicker tyres and they are the fastest bikes + up hill why not

[@stuartcarson9378]

Now swap bikes and do it again.

[@Fromheaven007]

Yes, it would be the best idea.

[@dawn9782]

NO.. they would die at the top of the climb.. i already can feel their hard breath at that finish line.

[@maxlambert6587]

yeah because scotty is probably a fitter person its not a fair comparison if they only do it on one bike

[@carlosadorno1544]

Agree... they can swap bikes and do it again... then compare time with xc bike vs time with enduro bike for each... it would be a good xc vs enduro part 2!!!

[@maxlambert6587]

yea i wish they would see this so they could do the part 2

[@Raumance]

As much as I am a enduro fanboy it's just faster overall to be faster on the ascents.

[@Ghrostillo]

Raumance yep, you can be seconds faster on the descends but minutes slower on the uphills

[@Johnroberts2013]

I would still rather be slow at climbing and rip the descents though. Only fun thing in climbing is technical challenges. Everything about descending is fun. Who cares if your slower if your having more fun?

[@tamasvarga67]

Mr.Moonboy Same here.... I rode both enough and unless racing XC/marathon I don't care being slower on the way up as there is no comparison on the way down... :)

[@internetenjoyer1044]

going up hill is fun. Finding the right gear then just dealing with the burn, and the sense of satisfaction afterwards

[@alexunlv]

@@Johnroberts2013 Clearly the Enduro bike was way more fun! I mean look at that thing! Rider was having a blast!

[@steviegriffin3513]

Editors had a field day with this video. The quality of the edits and filming from GMBN lately has been mega.

[@izac6988]

Should of swapped bikes and done it again to see that it wasn't fitness related

[@Sfou.]

Dick Whittington thats what i was expecting to happen too

[@xDope12]

yea.

[@claytonhorvat7598]

Isaac Lowton Yeah. In my opinion a cross country bike is fastest just based on the fact climbing takes way, way, way longer than decending.

[@belawantingang9779]

Agree

[@djbutch123]

look how that Fox 32 flexes at 2:50

[@martincantwell2557]

djbutch123 thats kinda scary actually..waiting for something to snap.

[@markcocjin]

I looked at it again. The fork did not flex. It was the carbon frame.

[@goonswarm007]

djbutch123 I think it was a big technical riding mistake. But hey the frame is still alive.

[@carlosgomezzzzzzz]

looks scary but the bike can take that and more

[@djbutch123]

markcocjin yeah I think you're right. it's interesting because "reviewers" always talk about how stiff or sloppy front ends are but rarely is it visualized

[@RGCastro7]

Scotty's time in the gym is paying off! Nice show, guys. Will we see a rematch with Neil on XC and Scotty on Enduro?

[@FesteringRatSub]

That would be good to see

[@anonymouspeoplesuck6403]

No neil on dh and scotty on enduro

[@onthetrail4709]

Wow finally a real race between you too! Now you have to battle you just with one bike discipline

[@Night_Diver81]

That was awesome!! More VS racing like this please.

[@Pienimusta]

Perhaps Neil has to hit the gym next time =P

[@tonibaloni12]

and needs 60-80 grams of carbohydrates

[@Ghrostillo]

Fran Rod He gets fitter

[@MonsterAliensnations]

Fran Rod Its because Scotty has been in the gym videos lately :P

[@koreanmtnbiker2931]

KOOL ! I just bought a X-country hardtail !

[@Ewan.f15]

Really cool to see the lads pushing themselves in the name of fun, awesome video yet again!

[@Seanpaulnz01]

Neil on the jumps: whour...whour... WHOUR!

[@jdbforYHWH]

AWESOME! TOTALLY AWESOME! Definitely one of, if not the best ride vids you guys have ever done! You're heart was in it! Thank You guys for what you do and how you do it! Freakin' LOVE this channel!

[@TheKooster31]

"You're going down" "no it's uphill first" TOP BANTER

[@williamrobinson2452]

Fantastic & amazing you found two identical human beings for a right swell and accurate bike only test.

[@kingrat738]

Top drawer XC racers are fast on the climbs and just as fast on the descents... I'm slow on the climbs and ok on the downs =(

[@Jose-hq5gv]

“It goes downhill like a scolded cat” 😂😂 got to be the best phrase ever

[@neilgooders6758]

Scotty isn't going to get a Xmas card off neil now 😂

[@gmbn]

Probably never was....

[@3akpy4uBau]

but what was diference time in up and down sections?

[@oscarhatchermtb4132]

I love these verses battles guys, keep em coming!

[@hydra66]

judging by the relative levels of knackerdneas, either Scotty just pushed it a lot harder on the uphill, or Neil's super fit from all those extra reps in the gym. More direct face to face races please- bmx track

[@mc540flip]

That was some serious 80's montage music!

[@TheMattfell]

need more races........................................... this was good fun @GMBN

[@djphathill]

This is why XC is in the Olympics and not Enduro...

[@Toastybear1]

the one thing i learnt from this- is that scotty is an excellent xc rider- and neil is an excellent downhiller!!

[@ZonunLibra]

At 2:48 did anyone else notice fork structural difference, how they manage the bump. XC bike was bending a lots

[@CareFreeCommuting]

The Downhill isn't punishing enough to make it a fair fight.

[@CareFreeCommuting]

There's not even a need for suspension on that dirt trail.

[@CareFreeCommuting]

Fran Rod I mean, there are trails that become far more comfortable on a FS and can save some energy by crushing over rocks instead of gettin techy with them, however, this trail is for a CX Bike not an Enduro...which makes it very unfair. I hope they do another video where they switch off using the same bikes and pick an actual ass kicking trail on the downhill.

[@joe12321]

Eh, you could say the same for the climb!

[@IsaacHaupt]

I would like to see it with a more technical climb. I hate climbing fire road no matter what the bike. How do they compare when doing all around technical riding with both climbing and descending?

[@Roaming50]

I agree that the trails that they ride are not technical. The Enduro bike was always going to lose. With that said I was surprised how close it was at the end. Now if only they came to Colorado and tried that here. You don't see many hard tails in this neck of the woods and there's a reason for that. I'd put money on a mid travel bike being faster than both the hard tail and Enduro bike.

[@petayV8]

So glad I have both

[@kellyredoble6467]

thanks for inspiring us to ride our hardtails coz thats all we can afford at this time.thanks guyz a lot it means a lot.

[@WildOutdoorLiving]

Well, it makes sense that the XC bike would win what was a pretty text book XC race.

[@nicholasmasciaga4777]

Wild Outdoor Living the downhill was quite technical i for xc

[@WildOutdoorLiving]

A lot of XC races have gotten to be pretty darn technical. It depends on the region but you'll see everything short of gap jumps and six foot drops in XC races these days. We couldn't see the whole course they rode but that downhill certainly wouldn't be out of place around my area.

[@stefansax9787]

Wild Outdoor Living as long as the distance you're going up and down is equal, the xc bike will always win

[@WildOutdoorLiving]

Stefan Sax Yep, that's what I am saying.

[@Humtuk]

now we need to see the video where you guys switch and Neil gets the XC bike and Scotty is on his Enduro bike, haha

[@cubedout1923]

Enduro should start at the top and go downhill first while XC goes uphill first

[@oldchronoman5915]

Scott and Neil should switch bike types and re-run and compare times. This was actually a just a Scott v Neil race. I do like these video formats, contrasting equipment in side by side runs

[@tannereckersley1249]

You should do a video called xc hardtail VS aggressive trail ready hardtail. Like if u agree

[@handsomebwonderboy8146]

Another fine video guys. Keep up the good work. Oh and a wee shout out to the camera man. Some nice shots in there.

[@qwertztrewqfull]

"I could actually hear you pretty hard on my tail right at the end and i was pushing" ^^

[@TapsaTre]

"no, it's uphill first" GODDAMNIT :D

[@AchrafRa]

But being faster on the downhill is all the fun

[@colesisler582]

AchrafRa If you get good at climbing, you'll realize there is something oddly satisfying about making it up steep hills.

[@pikherz]

If going downhill fast is all the fun, then why don't you strap a few kilograms of additional weight to your bike?

[@aussietrail-rider1492]

George Hypotenuse and the Triangles M O M E N T U M

[@pikherz]

Oh I love that word.

[@JanKowalski-pe9lo]

@@pikherz Because weight is not related with downhill speed kid? Go back to school lol

[@luketcg]

With a dropper post the xc bike would have had even more separation... But I was disappointed they didn't do a second lap on different styled bikes

[@jlhuk52]

It's good to see my local trails at the forest of Dean being used frequently by you guys.

[@angusdavies1953]

Enduro vs Downhill on a long descent

[@ln663]

Bike moving by itself... cool!

[@user-me2xf4pi9x]

"downhill like a scolded cat"......"claw back that time".... i've seen many things today, but amongst it all, I see what you did there.

[@jeffaitchison6444]

More please! awesome video. maybe enduro vs downhill? good job guys my favourite so far

[@Allison_Burgers69]

gmbn should do more of this head 2 head race

[@yoados2949]

what if scotty is just a faster rider than neil?

[@LewisWheatley]

yoad granat i think both of them should have done a test on each

[@yoados2949]

pretty much what i meant

[@pytek23]

yoad granat Neil is soooo much faster that Scotty

[@bbarker5766]

I have to agree with some other's comments as the decent did not look like a typical enduro downhill at least around here. Also the climbs don't matter as much in Enduro as you're only timed on your descents.

[@moomooproductions8735]

The Canyon bike looks nice and has a nice color theme but The GT catches my eye...

[@tamasstrezi]

Nice one! Especially seeing you guys gasping for air at the end:D

[@ZaiyordNurdin]

Love Neil saying it's uphill first

[@2012BSCVCEPE]

So many other factors involved in this bid than just the bike. VO2Max of riders, ability, area of speciality. Maybe the same guy does both?

[@callumoleary5918]

You Should do which shock linkage is fastest

[@scottjames794]

Neil needed to be on full Carbon Enduro and then repeat the test....that way the bikes would at least on the same level...and it looks like Neil and Scott are pretty close to each others ability.

[@bitumen83]

Im wondering what result would it be if Neil was on carbon 29er enduro bike?

[@Be4tJumper]

i think he would be slower as he wouldn't be used to the bike.

[@stefansax9787]

bitumen83 29ers aren't faster on climbs. also 1kg less weight because of a carbon frame wouldn't make much difference

[@bitumen83]

yea, that's why 98% of XC guys are on 29ers because they are "not faster" on climbs -___-

[@stefansax9787]

29ers roll faster on flats and can be better on the downhills, but on a tarmac climb it has no influence. with 29er you can ride a hardtail, which is more efficient on climbs, and it will still go downhill well. thats why the xc guys ride 29ers

[@CanIHasThisName]

I'm riding a 29er and they're not really faster on climbs. The advantage of a 29er kicks in once you're at a certain speed. On climbs, it comes down to the leg strength and gear ratios.

[@djcbikes3098]

agree with @Stuart Carson

[@TommyHuynh]

Have the two race on a loop with a more technical DH segment and I'm sure the Enduro bike will pass up the xc bike. The point of an Enduro bike is to be able to climb but more geared to bomb technical DH. In Enduro races the climbs are not timed only the DH for each segment. When I ride with my friends we all take our time climbing up, its going down where we have fun. I assure you there are no xc bikes riding down the trails we ride our Enduro bikes.

[@CrazyCyclingVlogger]

Thanks for a real vid about real cycling. Had to come here after watching the pure garbage video about Zwift on GCN. You've made my day...

[@maximo15]

middle of winter here in cleveland. I miss riding

[@arqomx]

Please do timed comparison of this video.. That way we can see the detail on how each bike fares on each section.. And with separate start so Scotty doesn't block Neil's line on downhill section :D

[@tamasvarga67]

Boring fire road uphill and proper fun trail on the way down - I'm riding for fun so for me there is no question... :) But it was a great video guys!

[@47FOXTROT]

It was a great video and I definitely like the head to head stuff.

[@DrSlipstream]

The uphill run takes longer than downhill, so it's not really a fair test. The xc bike might have been 5% slower going uphill, but because going downhill is so much faster it would have needed to be 20% or so faster than the enduro bike to be able to catch it. At the same time, though, it's still a fair test. Just more proof that the most time is lost in the uphill sections

[@andrewpickard2020]

Are we going to see enduro vs DH ?

[@MusicStuffSome]

I only really have one good mountain bike so I use my Trek Remedy trail bike for the local XC races just for fun and can let it rip on the techy downhill bits but I do often wonder how much quicker and how many places I could make up if I had a propper XC bike and could learn to ride it reasonabley on the downhill parts. That was a fun video cheers :)

[@Aberration79]

Come to Cwmcarn and do it... Twrch or Cafal Climb then pedal hounds or Y Mynydd DH

[@niepuchale5556]

Classic Concept "The Best Bike is the one you have".

[@lelolek]

movie shows that XC is faster but also downhill is more FUN!! and much more stylish jumps! such my opinion

[@wouter2462]

finally the video I always wanted

[@polygonzero]

The track itself seems more of an XC track, I wonder if the results would still be the same if the same race is done on a real enduro track

[@dudneunshf7f]

If it was a real enduro track the enduro bike would win, with was a xc track the xc bike would win, this track is some parts xc and some parts more enduro, and the xc won because it's more versatile

[@razcohen5590]

there is also the question of fitness and technique that comes into play in these sorts of "tests". For example put The Don or Scotty who are a lot more skilful and fit than I and me on any bike whatsoever and they would probably whoop my ass both up and down the mountain... I think that in the end of the day both are great tools for there specific type of racing... for the average joe either would be overkill if you enjoy both climbing and descending and going somewhere in the middle would be the "best" "tool for the job" which is ultimately HAVING FUN in the great outdoors!

[@jamesturner9858]

Neil why didn't you ride your Scott mountain bike? Doesn't that have full suspension lock out switch on the handlebars. Which would have helped your climbing?

[@dougharvey9766]

I think you guys need to do down hill first, as any overtaking could be done on the flat wide fire road where there is more space for both riders. plus it was a great challenge and Neil gets a re match

[@jonalaufs69]

Although you did a great Job als usual, I habe to say, that it is hard to compare these two, because Theresa are specific trails for both categories. For example the xc bike would struggle extreme in a ews Stange, aß well aß the enduro bike would habe no chance on a xc track.

[@cubeinformationltd141]

Lets see the same rider on the different bikes with some kind of measure of exertion at different points in the course - eg heartrate or strava suffer score!

[@Rasakson]

Music at 2:50?

[@erazemcernic1160]

You should do 29inch vs 27.5 inch wheels

[@joshuagrenville279]

Could you do a challenge with an average rider on the ideal bike vs one of you guys on whatever you can buy off ebay for under £100.

[@joshuagrenville279]

Bungle2010 best idea i had was to go to a local trail centre and spend the day racing loads of different people. i admit the more I think about it the less sense it makes.

[@antrace92]

Great video! I love both disciplines

[@moonte7933]

now go on a proper dh track and repeat the test....not that xc/trail thing you had there

[@CanIHasThisName]

Well, as long as you're going to have equal amount of climbing and descending, the result is going to be the same. There's a reason why time of climbing is not counted in enduro.

[@skullmanUK]

ok but you have to use a proper DH bike

[@moonte7933]

skullmanUK neah...i rode a hardtail on dh tracks no problem...except for speed

[@moonte7933]

CanIHasThisName technically yes but you usually have pretty smooth climbs where the difference between ht and fs would pe about the same,but on the downhills there comes a point where hardtails just crawl through while fs fly...but it makes no sense to argue as it is strictly dependent on the conditions of each track and they vary a lot

[@CanIHasThisName]

Well, i guess it really depends on how much time you can make up for on those climbs and straight sections. At race pace, the suspension really works against you. As for the DH sections, it probably comes down to how ballsy the rider feels, and what his legs and hands can take. And yeah, the particular track would also be a huge factor - for instance, I bet you could find a track or two where the rider would fatique out on a hardtail before getting to the bottom.

[@rizahafas6563]

because uphill is much more time consuming than downhill. Being efficient in uphill can steal much time.

[@briannoojin1710]

That was cool, but over, say, 60 miles the enduro has to come out on top. The CC hardtail is for speed over short distance.

[@babbidgej]

You guys just rode up a road; ride up a mix of technical single track and road, and then go back down. That I feel would be the better test of this.

[@Skracken]

Good choice of music!

[@yakbiker75]

looking at that result, I'd say a 120-140mm trail bike would have beaten them both. Not loosing as much on the climb and same again on the descent.

[@crisp9774]

scott: your going down. Neil: nah its uphill first. lol

[@emilekholm3345]

This video gave me a smile on the face 😂

[@krissimon2502]

So would a 120mm travel pro built 29er trail bike be the best of both worlds?

[@mariuszw2263]

Hey GMBN crew. You know what I'd gladly see? A simple test where you ride 4 bikes on a trail similar to that one (climb & descent). Bikes being: XC hardtail, hardtail funbike (slack w\ long-travel fork), mid-travel (130mm max) trailbike and an enduro bike. What for? For you to tell us which one you had the most fun on. Cheers :)

[@Kheops63]

The uphill section is way too smooth for an mtb ride

[@stevepage6296]

Awesome video love the soundtrack

[@acb5015]

This is a big reason I just got my Giant Anthem SX. My Santa Cruz is built for downhill and sucks all the energy out of me.

[@diegoeleazar9154]

Our joints are the best suspension.

[@dbjbeast1323]

Do one with downhill bike video

[@3akpy4uBau]

uphill)))

[@srrider6956]

Are we gonna see a 2v2 or 1v1 race of the presenters same bike race any time soon? Would be a great video!

[@n4th4n1]

My enduro bike (full susp) weighs 11.5kg so with suspension locked its as fast as any XC!

[@stefansax9787]

Nathan Toon no, because the geometry is different.

[@chriskrajewski6568]

@Nathan Toon and probably a bit more pedal bob depending on how much travel you got

[@aimokan]

Enjoyed that! The music tracks should've been the other way around though imo.. :)

[@edmarsh2730]

Would a giant stance or trance be good for intermediate jumps