Specialized Enduro Comprehensive Review

[@TheAngryHusky]

I love geeking out with these kind of long form videos. Enjoyed this one.

[@briancahal]

Thanks. More to come.

[@dimsoneill]

Me too.

[@DesertLifeRC]

I'm 5' 10", and own a '23 Enduro Expert (Modded of course). Absolutely love it !!! I ride an S4. The thing absolutely shreds everything down here in the southwest, and the only place it feels like a limo is in the super crazy tight switchbacks that some of our trails have out in Las Vegas.

[@benphillips1149]

Im 5 10 and run a s3, definitely feels like a ripper in the corners after sizing down

[@finroddd]

very very good video, thank you! just before a few days I watched review of the same bike and it basically said nothing that really matter about this bike. This video on other hand was super informative and useful. I would really love to see more videos like this. Please, do some more.

[@briancahal]

Glad it was helpful! More videos on the way.

[@SudoChuckwalla]

Great video, definitely a fan of the long form stuff. It’ll be interesting to see how this bike changes whenever specialized updates it.

[@jlh530i1]

On the ratio, I also ride a Raaw Madonna v2.2. I compared it back to back with my s4 enduro, and In it’s long chainstay setting it has a 1.83 vs 1.88 of the enduro. The Raaw certainly feels like it corners better and the bike just feels more intuitive to ride altogether imo

[@mattleonard5268]

*leverage ratio

[@TekNullOG]

I’ve had this bike since November 2020. I ride an S5. Unlike both of you, I ride my stack low. When I raised it by just 5mm with higher bars, I experienced the vagueness in steering. I dropped it down again and keeping it low gave me the traction I like. While I love the S5 length (I’m almost 6’2”), the stand over is a bit high for my short legs. (but long torso is great on S5)

[@flyingnorseman]

Dont ride enduro just XC/trail but always interesting to listen to knowledgeable people discuss bike characteristics. Its still applicable to my fascination with MTB performance.

[@andymajewski9084]

Great to see you back, and it was cool hearing what the difference in a higher vs. smaller FC:RC ratio felt like to you. My Nomad 6 is 1.82, and it feels like it corners in a nice balanced manner - previous bike was 1.86+ and it ran wide on corners all the time. OTOH, another bike I had with similar reach but that ratio ~1.75 felt like the rear end was a mile behind me in corners.

[@jackbelmont1502]

I’m 6’1” and had a s4 enduro. The chain dropping and numb front end were REAL for me. The second I started pushing the bike I would fear losing the chain and/or going over a lose berm. Didnt know these were common things people experienced on it, but it was enough to drive me into a different bike after only a year and a half of owning it. The suspension did feel great though!

[@briancahal]

Thanks for sharing your experience!

[@andersonsridebikes]

Specialized bikes are all very leveraged. I’ve owned the Enduro, Stumpy Evo, and the Kenevo SL. The Kenevo SL is the only one that allows me to run below a 700lb spring. Bigger riders definitely need custom tuning to make the Specialized suspension platform work.

[@janeblogs324]

Say more

[@mrvwbug4423]

That's because the Enduro is running 170mm on a 60mm stroke shock, not a good recipe for big riders on coil. Nukeproof Giga gets away with the 60mm shock stroke more by virtue of being a single pivot and not a horst link. Ironically I haven't had any issues with my RM Altitude despite still being 160mm travel on a 60mm shock, but the Altitude has a 42% progression curve vs the 26% of the Enduro (pretty sure the Altitude has the most progressive back end of any enduro bike), the tradeoff is that at 250lbs I can't run a coil, but I can run zero spacers in the X2 outside the bike park (and 1 spacer in the bike park) which basically makes the Altitude ride like it's on a coil

[@ollibehindthebox5905]

​@@mrvwbug4423ewh. Thats Not good. Iam about 240 pounds and want to buy an Enduro with Coil. In my Old bike i run a 650lb spring on the DHX2..

[@justing6614]

100% agree!! The only coil shock that works for me is a CC tigon shock running a 550-670lb progressive spring with 30psi in ramp up chamber i weigh 98kg fully kitted.

[@mattleonard5268]

*leverage ratio

[@broccolirob8268]

Great deep dive. You really explained the front-end vagueness in corners to a tee. My bike, Canfield One.2, has a 1.93 F/C ratio and I get this feeling. I'm still playing around with set up since I only have a handful of rides on it. Love the video.

[@joshclarke7700]

Been on this bike for a couple of years now. Biggest issue I have had is the headset cups keep cracking on me. On my 3rd frame now. First 2 lasted 500 miles before they cracked and I'm not expecting this one to last much longer. Would have gone with something else but Specialized has been really good with the warranty process and I figure when this one breaks I will trade it in for the new, updated model. Also, I run minimal headset spacers to keep weight on the front end so I don't have the wandering issue. Does feel a bit much on tighter/slower trails but really comes alive at speed. Haven't experienced any chain drops but I do get very loud slap from time, especially on g outs. I'm also running the shortest chain I can get away with so maybe that helps with the drops. Experimented a bit with a mullet setup. Made the bike a lot quicker to turn in and easier to lean but went back to full 29 as it felt better in almost every other situation. Felt a lot more feedback through the pedals with the mullet setup as well.

[@jonathanangieri153]

Fkn sick in-depth discussion brian. Really appreciate what your doing with these videos. I wish you guys elaborated a little bit more on how effective the Ochain was on this bike. Would have liked to have heard how it worked in the high speed rough stuff under hard braking etc... Also, just more discussion on how the braking in general was with this bike. Either way it was freakn great to hear y'alls opinions. Cant wait for another one of these! Happy thanksgiving bro

[@nikdommen]

The ochain made the suspension feel smoother and reduced some of the feedback into your feet and added bit more calmness at higher speeds. The suspension on that bike seems to work well under braking with or without the ochain. It didn't really help with the chainslap issue as much as I had hoped, however i have only used it at the stock 6 degree setting and the chain still dropped once in a race run.

[@moosicman101]

this is perfect. please do more just like this. sj evo next!

[@peterhaworth6859]

Brilliant chat guys..really insightful 👌

[@mtbinthepnw6736]

Never had a chain drop from mine - crazy

[@nick_john]

Since I’m 5’6” and ride an S2 I’m not having a cornering problem. I can get in and out of a flat corner pretty fast if I drop my bar and turn it just a bit more than the lean. As long as the tires bite I’m good.

[@briancahal]

Right on, the s2 must feel super balanced

[@alexthemtbr]

I had a pretty similar experience on my S4. Noticeable enough that my buddy Jake was like bro… did you forget how to corner 😅 Much happier with the large Nomad v6 now. Still could use a touch longer CS though

[@briancahal]

Can’t be getting called out on your corner game haha

[@HannyDart]

I had the Enduro in S3 being 5.10; These are my thoughts: - Ride feel is pretty much spot on with what you said. Easy to get a long with from the get go. - I also had the chain slap issues dropping chains and making the bike loud af. - Had the sensation that the bike gets really harsh entering the last third of the travel. on three different shocks! - The headset is shite and it would come lose almost every ride... I had one of the bikes with the infamous headset crack and got it replaced (thank god that took _only_ 4 months... smh) and on the new frame I was hesitant to just tighten up the headset pretension bolt like you would on an aluminium frame. - *MAJOR ISSUES* with dirt and/or rocks getting tangled up in the linkage when riding in wet/muddy conditions... On alloy bikes thats will mainly result in cosmetic issues (giant reign for example) but on carbon bikes this is completely unacceptable and I'm kind of disappointed in myself for not realizing that before bying as everybody can anticipate that from just looking at the bike. - dropper post insertion is just long enough to ride a 180 oneup. other brands did not work for me above 150mm which is not enough for an enduro bike (even back in 2020). - although through the many links kind of isolated, the shock being trunnion and yoke-driven is really bothering me on principle. - ended up cracking the frame at the downtube while normal riding from a fist-size rock being flung up by the front wheel and hitting the weak downtube protector... sold the cracked frame as specialized would only offer a laughably low crash replacement discount (and because my initial comp frame had the headset crack they send me an s-works replacement and having cracked that i would have had the buy another s-works frame instead of a comp...) I am now on a medium aluminium transition spire and I couldnt be happier!

[@briancahal]

All good notes thanks for sharing your experience!

[@HannyDart]

well I can only say what I experienced... on both frames the headset apparently didnt seat correctly somehow. It could also be swat tool in the steerer, tho! Im still running it on the spire without any issues tho, albeit with higher preload.@@bikeguy6800 with the crash replacement it was just unfortunate that specialized does not offer comp frames as crash replacement eventhough you crashed a comp frame. you are forced to "upgrade" and pay the stupidly high price for the sworks frame.

[@jlh530i1]

I’m not a talented bike rider but I agree on that 29% sag comment. Mine is at 28% with a 30mm stem and 780 handlebars

[@kresnacakra78]

I'm from Indonesia, have a specialized enduro expert 2021 size S2, I'm 170 cm, It's a nice bike, corners great, I felt at home instantly and I loved it. It's a silent and fast bike. However, after 6 months, the Fox rear suspension lock does not function, I have it serviced at 1 year and now still function properly. I hate the 28 holes rims, since I broke mine and difficult to find 28 holes rims. Also hate the free hub, with low POE. I wish specialized equipped it with 32 holes rims to withstand abuse and better freehub since it's an expensive bike. The headset needs serviced regularly at least every 3 months, it squeeks from time to time. Last thing, I have replaced the freehub and linkage bearings.

[@Norcaljedi_ea]

Nik dommen on the internet what is going on?..love it! Kid knows his shit!

[@andremtb480]

Need more adjustability. Love what Santa Cruz is doing on the new V10 - three way adjust headset and chainstay. Same with Canyon on the Sender. All bikes for people who are really trying to push the limit should have some meaningful reach / CS adjustability. Need this stuff to trickle down to enduro bikes. A little extra weight is worth the adjustability in spades.

[@andersonsridebikes]

Completely agree on the long front center comments. I’ve found that running a 2.4” tire up front is a must. Anything bigger makes the front end feel more vague and unpredictable

[@briancahal]

Never thought about running a 2.4 to compensate but I can see how that could work. Thanks for the recommendation

[@mrvwbug4423]

That's definitely a fault with the bike, especially as low as the Enduro's stack is (lower stack "should" feel better in corners). I ride a RM Altitude and the front end feels incredibly precise and predictiable, with 10mm higher stack than the Enduro, and a bog standard 2.5 assguy up front (a tire known for sometimes feeling a little vague).

[@symmetricon1982]

I'm on team long chainstay. I learned to shred on an size L SB150. I'm 5-11 and I really had to to keep my chest committed over the bars. I recently bought a RM Altitude Powerplay. I absolutely love the way it carves in the long chainstay position. I can ride much more upright and relaxed on it. The front end predictably is so much better.

[@mrvwbug4423]

I have the regular RM Altitude and actually love it in the short chainstay position, corners amazingly well, and like you said, you can ride very natural and relaxed on it, no having to really hang over the front. It's also comfortable enough to be an all day pedal bike on regular ol XCish trails.

[@stevenparisi]

Damn dude the difficulty turning the enduro - exactly what I’ve been experiencing. Thought it was just me for the longest time. Good to see some validation. Curious to hear what you guys think is a bike that does this much better

[@briancahal]

In my experience I like the handling characteristics of any bike with a longer Chain stay as long as the rest of the package is still good. I got along really well with my dreadnought, as well as a banshee titan I rode a while back. Transition seem to have some good geo too but I haven’t ridden one.

[@jakemtb54]

@@briancahal how tall were you and nick?

[@tucker__]

Been thinking the same on my s3 at windrock. Specs - 25 mm stack, 40mm rise bars and 180 zeb. When it compresses on a hard g-out the bars feel like they go to my knees lol. The chain slap in insane too. Going to have to try the Ochain.

[@Jimmy_Pritch]

Same here mate, s3 25mm stack 50mm riser bars. Slack position. 55mm stem. 180 zebs. Came off and s4 and tried everything to get it right but couldn't.

[@jakemtb54]

how tall are you?

[@jakemtb54]

@@Jimmy_Pritch how tall are you?

[@tucker__]

5,9 @@jakemtb54

[@jlh530i1]

I might’ve missed it but what length fork and geo setting are you using? I found the s4 to also be a bit vague feeling (183cm height) but also found improvement when using the high geo setting and a rxf38 set at 170. Also found tires that have a bit more pronounced cornering tread like a kryptotal to be more precise than an assegai.

[@anthonyrosso6942]

Agree with you, most satisfying thing is properly railing turns

[@ryansteiger6960]

Thank you for the video Brian 👍

[@bike-czech]

As 5'10'' can not imagine myself riding 486 reach where I live.I've tried to ride 475mm reach last year. But my preference would be 460-465mm. If I need stability then I probably just need go slacker and longer on chainstays, but not longer on reach.

[@mrvwbug4423]

You'd probably feel fine on the S3. You must have shorter arms. I'm also 5'10" and 475mm reach feels perfect for me. 486 would be pushing it for me even, I've demoed a bike with 490 reach and struggled to keep enough weight over the front. You might also like a Knolly Chilcotin in size medium, it's 463mm reach with a tidy wheelbase, but still has tons of travel with very well sorted suspension.

[@bike-czech]

@@mrvwbug4423 I have apex index close to 1. So don't think it's arms. Probably just lower skill and more lower speed twisty terrain.

[@bike-czech]

@@mrvwbug4423 thanks for bike suggestions though. Knolly Chicotin looks interesting.

[@testtesttesttesttest884]

Dam you guys did a really great job articulating what I felt were my issues with this bike. The ext storia and cascade linkage might have not helped 😫

[@liwx]

5'10, ride 485 reach marin alpine trail, feels way much more stable then medium with reach 450-460 ish. i even use 50mm reach stem + slamed stem but paired with 40mm riser bar

[@mrvwbug4423]

There's better bikes than the Enduro these days. The RM Altitude in particular. I am also 5'10" with average proportions and ride a size L RM Altitude and it feels absolutely perfect, even with a fairly high stack (10mm higher than the S4 Enduro) the Altitude has an incredibly precise front end and feels like a scalpel through corners and in high speed tech. The Altitude is great in that you don't have to think too much while riding it, you can corner in a normal position, no having to force yourself to get over the front. Ride quality is nice and plush, but still has tons of support (I'm 250lbs and am running no spacers in the X2 on normal trails and only 1 spacer in the bike park), Mine has the 38 elite/X2 suspension combo. Also has amazing traction, I've actually cleared tech climbs that I couldn't clear on the Ibis Ripmo that I had before it.

[@downhilljedi]

Im 6-2 and rude a s5. I git a shirter stem and riser bars. The only place i have problems with is tight corners. Also.. how tall are you guys.

[@stephratsimba5746]

It seems like the bike with the longer front center feels like a 35mm stem where the front wheel is getting away from you on longer arc corners. Where the shorter front center bike feels like a 45mm stem where you have more control over the front end without much position adjusting. Is it similar to that feeling?

[@deankruse2891]

except these bikes the actual center of teh whee is out front, not just your hands, so the sensation and mechanics are a bit different.

[@RiderP411]

I did the same of overshooting stem spacers, the cockpit got too short and tall it limited my range of motion and front wheel washes out easily.

[@NilleMn]

Do you ride it in high or low flipchip. How long steam are you using?

[@Doggepp]

I chose between the Enduro and a Stumpy EVO when I bought my last bike - Always felt like the enduro basically is a "mini dh" bike, which intrigued me. But ultimately decided on the stumpy evo, since my riding is somewhat more trail oriented. Also since I did my own build, having the UDH was a big plus, since I wanted to run the new t-type drivetrain. WIll be fun to see what specialized cooks up with the new enduro, since at least some of the EWS guys are using the stumpy evo. Not sure why they feel like they dont need the enduro, maybe its just too much bike? Charles Murray doesnt even use a Zeb, I think he uses a 160mm Lyrik even

[@ollibehindthebox5905]

Didnt get the Enduro a UDH?

[@Doggepp]

@@ollibehindthebox5905 nope the enduro doesnt have UDH, but im pretty sure it will get update this year

[@ollibehindthebox5905]

@@Doggepp oh man... I want it so Bad and the prices at this time are pretty good. But without UDH i cant get a SRAM Transmission 😬 so i have to wait for the new model. They Already patented the Rear Suspension 👌🏻

[@Doggepp]

@@ollibehindthebox5905 Yeah I think its definitely worth going with the new one for transmission. I have transmission on my stumpjumper, and its amazing. And I actually bought another set of transmission xx sl during christmas discounts, so waiting for specialized to come with the new Epic/Epic evo, and building one up from a frame then!

[@troymortimer3487]

Did you guys play with any of the aftermarket linkage option?

[@dtroyan123]

What up Nik!

[@nikdommen]

Whats up dan!

[@taylorklein2378]

Great assessment of how the front end behaves when turning. I found myself tapping the rear brake to initiate that rear wheel drift then taping it again when exiting the turn to stand the bike back up. Definitely not the fastest technique.

[@briancahal]

Thank you! yeah the rear brake to initiate a slide on entry is something I use as a crutch as well and is a sign I don’t have confidence in the front end.

[@jakemtb54]

@@briancahal do you think a slightly smaller size would help you cornering?

[@Bonky-wonky]

A bike that feels like that in corners would be a big no no.. no matter how well a bike jumps, plows, manuals etc etc, if it doesn’t corner well I’ll give it a pass. Seems like SC really got it right with size specific cs length.

[@traildaddi]

Regarding the size choices, how tall are you guys?

[@briancahal]

I’m 6’1” and Nik is around 5’11”

[@traildaddi]

@@briancahal cheers. That's interesting, I'm 6 foot and debated whether to go S4 or S5......smaller never crossed my mind! I got an S4 and it does feel like a good fit.

[@gregsurat3734]

If you had a choice to choose any frame to race enduro in the US. Which frame would you choose?

[@briancahal]

Hard to say as I haven’t ridden them all. Depends on your riding style. Banshee titan is one that peaks my interest.

[@benny360]

Odd, never dropped a chain in 3 years on my Enduro.

[@simpanczterritory]

Me neither. I suspect the derailleur - specifically the first-gen AXS, possibly Shimano stuff. I am on Mechanical Eagle.

[@josemorenoporras7506]

I drop 1 time the chain cos I forgot to set the lever back (clutch lever) while messing with the rear wheel/brake. It was in a pretty crazy compression full of break bumps,it was my last lap of the day and never realized I forgot to set the lever back in more than 10 laps. I have a Shimano XT mix with an Eagle 10-50 cassette,I like way more Shimano but their cassettes are junk for the money,cheap stamp steel looks ruined in 3 rides.

[@marloncordova9006]

I'm 5"9 with short let's short arms long torso and I like muscle bikes around,however, should I have gone with an s2?

[@jakemtb54]

I this s2 would be too small for you.

[@nick_john]

I’m 5’6” and ride an S2. You would hate the short reach.

[@Timon0808]

Could the stumpjumper evo be a could alternative?

[@briancahal]

I’ve spent some time on the stumpy evo. It’s a solid bike and I think it’s better balanced.

[@diamondsink2000]

I mulleted my S4, made the bike much easier to ride.

[@patc.5872]

What would be the first bike you would reach for "if you had a big quiver of bikes"?

[@briancahal]

Where are we riding?

[@patc.5872]

@@briancahal the steeps of Laguna Beach, the rocks of Santa Barbara mt. range, and the rowdy all mountain days with the boys in Utah.

[@briancahal]

@@patc.5872 probably dreadnought or titan. new dready looks pretty awesome

[@ethanrevitch]

Opinions on it going high pivot next year?

[@briancahal]

Idk I’m excited to see what they come up with. Been a long time coming

[@ethanrevitch]

@@briancahal for sure. They keep pushing it back. New stumpy is going to be sick as well.

[@testtesttesttesttest884]

Would love to hear your thoughts on the mullet. Did you do it via the WRP link?

[@nikdommen]

I did use the WRP link. I ran the S4 as a mullet and did not find it beneficial for my riding style and the terrain that I ride. It did make the bike easier manual and easier to lean/initiate turns. However, it reduced the traction on the rear wheel, made the bike feel more unbalanced and negatively impacted the roll over in rough sections. I am not a mullet hater and run my ebike as one and it works great for that application. I would theorize that if the chain stay was longer on the S4, it would help its mulletability, look at the numbers on Nekos trail bike for reference.

[@testtesttesttesttest884]

Wow thank you! Exactly what I was looking for. At this point I think I need to stop experimenting with the bike and accept the limitations of its design. I own a wide variety of bikes but this thing has been the hardest to get right. I just got an HD6 and it reminds me of the enduro’s vague unsettled front end.

[@ΤασοςΣιμοπουλος-μ3ξ]

Hi which is the height of nick?

[@nikdommen]

I am 5' 10"

[@ΤασοςΣιμοπουλος-μ3ξ]

Nick I am 1.80 cm,Do you recommend for me S4? Thank you very much!@@nikdommen

[@nikdommen]

I cannot 100% say what will work best for you. I have no idea what terrain you ride and how you ride. The tradeoff between the s3 and s4 is maneuverability vs stability. If its an option, I would try to go to a bike shop and pedal around the sizes, this will give you a better idea of what might work well for you. At your height you could ride either the 3 or 4, it ultimately depends on what style of handling you are after. @@ΤασοςΣιμοπουλος-μ3ξ

[@matteomclaughlin4090]

Was looking at a enduro, think I’m gonna pass 😂

[@kostouch5496]

I NEED ONE FOR FREE IN POSSIBLE

[@antoinetraversat9]

just rode jugs lol

[@TheCureThatKillz]

I just can’t take a guy serious who wears sandals with jeans. 😬

[@moonmuscle3332]

4:42 is where it starts to really get honest--respect

[@moonmuscle3332]

You guys need Canfield One.2's, mulleted. Yall would be fast as fuck--or the long travel 29 lithium (!70mm) Real talk...the CBF platform irons out every single issue yall were talking about. luckily Canfield designed their bikes around guys your size 5'7"-6'1"