Who Should Ride An Enduro MTB?

Thanks to Brian and Remi for joining in!

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[CharlieWentOutside]

One thing that never seems to get mentioned in these discussions is that the point of mountain bikes is fun. The right bike for 99% of people is the bike that they're stoked about, the bike that they want that's going to get them outside and ride. Having the exact perfect amount of travel for your trails is less important than that imo. If getting that cool Enduro bike you saw on ews is what's going to make you psyched, I really don't think you should care about being "overbiked" or how many days per month you plan to ride park.

[ctsingletrack]

Getting on an enduro bike immediately changed my riding style. Quickly started saying hell yeah to stuff I had previously said hell no to.

[amargnwalkr]

Got an Enduro Bike last year. Love it! Yep, I'm over-biked most of the time, but the more important thing to me is I'm never under-biked. With good MTBs costing north of $3k, most of us aren't going to have multiple mountain bikes, so it's best to have one bike that can do (almost) everything.

[silaschambers]

Paul: Whats the best thing to happen to Enduro bikes?
Remi: 29" wheels
*Jordan Boostmaster with a 26er DH bike*

[jayesh]

MTBers fighting over Enduro, trail, and DH bikes.
Sam Pilgrim : Hold my hardtail

[ovrclcked]

I like your nuanced and detailed approach to who should ride an enduro. I live in Colorado and frequently ride in Utah, and I'd say that an enduro bike works pretty damn well for a lot of these areas. I used to ride a bike with 120mm travel in the rear and found that it held me back because the suspension would just get overwhelmed. I bought an enduro bike with 150mm travel recently and have crushed just about every PR I have along my local trails within 2 weeks of having the new bike. People told me I'd be over biked, the internet told me it is too much bike unless I'm always riding park or racing. That was simply not true for me, and frankly the most gnarly trails I've ridden aren't at bike parks. I think the recommendation that people living or commonly riding in actually mountainous areas should consider enduro bikes is good advice. I'm sure you can get down just about anything with 120mm, I've done it, but you're probably not doing it fast.

[madmiata]

Going from a XC hard tail to enduro. 2 months ago I ended up with a enduro/all-mountain bike because none of the trail bikes were in-stock. I am happy with the extra capabilities. I find myself going for the drops, jumps, and rough terrain. Definitely confidence inspiring.

[patdrumm]

I got really lucky and when I was shopping for my 'next big bike investment' 5 years ago a friend told me to get a Giant Trance trail bike. I didnt know much of anything so I took him up on the suggestion and did it. 140mm travel F+R sounded good to me and at the time lots of my friends were giving me grief for so much travel. 5 years later and I have progressed a TON and the bike has suited me so well for New England jank. I just upped the front to 150 to slacken it a bit for the bigger sends and faster rips but the bike is still perfect. I honestly couldnt see having an enduro bike in New England unless I was riding in the Whites all the time or hitting Highland every weekend. Trail for the WIN!

Thanks for doing these Paul. The bike categories is such a gray area to newbies and these should help a ton.

[Agent__]

I rode a rental enduro bike and I had my favorite ride ever!

[Sick-o]

Currently riding a Scott Genius and it’s my favorite bike I’ve ever owned. It bridges the gap perfectly between full enduro and trail. With 150mm travel, a 65 degree head tube, and big 29 inch wagon wheels it’s the perfect all around bike for someone who wants that extra squish and stability but also wants to crush climbs and flats.

[DeadsetYT]

My enduro bike reminds me a lot of my motorbike. So much FUN!!

[Diqed]

Honestly, to anyone watching this - buy the enduro bike. You'll always have more fun on the downhills and unless you're racing XC, who really gives a shit about taking an extra 20 seconds on the climb?

[reggieringgoldjr]

I'm a Retired Army Veteran, and I live in El Paso, TX. At 55 years old, I truly think that my Diamondback Mason 2 w/ 120MM of Travel out FRONT is just enough for me. I've ridden FS Bikes and I don't really like them. So the HT it is w/ 120MM of Travel on this Chunky stuff out here in El Paso, Paul for the Videos, and I'll definitely keep Watching them. I just Subscribed to the Channel as well. And I'm 6'2" 270, and it handles me very well. As long as I'm out in the Trail I'm HAPPY GUYS.

[nrg]

Awesome narration? Good explanations? An explanation of the history? Featuring fellow MTB YouTubers? Featuring MTB pros? Epic B-roll? This is gonna be sweet series Paul 🔥🔥🔥

[saml]

Haha still riding my 26” enduro. Still just as fun as it was in 2014

[johnnymcmurdo]

I got a 2017 specialized enduro a few months ago, best decision I ever made, perfect bike for where I live.

[pbrenneman]

I think you guys got it right, another thing I might add is the fitness level is going to play a role as well. A 150-170mm enduro bike is going to allow someone with less fitness to maybe ride all the way down a 3-4 minute trail and if they had a shorter travel bike they might start getting fatigued and need to take breaks. I think the enduro bike is perfect for either someone who rides a ton and pushes the limits every single ride or someone who rides once or twice a week and just wants to have fun and keep up without getting exhausted. Someone who wants to ride a ton of miles and have maximum fun like myself is probably better off on a shorter travel bike

[kwilson]

Paul: every modern bike has a one by drivetrain

Walmart bikes:

[jake_slopestyle]

I think it all depends on what you feel most comfortable on. For example I'm 6'2" and own a 130mm trail bike, now I live in Minnesota so honestly that's even a little over biked for the trails that I go to often! However I have traveled to the rocky mountains many times and rented full DH rigs, and they feel great to me I think because they generally have bigger reach numbers and longer wheelbases so I'm riding a MUCH bigger bike but I rarely notice it because I'm a big dude! Basically what I'm trying to say is if you are a smaller person you will notice a bigger difference than a bigger person might!

[pa]

My frist bike was 170mm enduro bike and i am super happy that i overbiked myself. I am tall and heavy and with enduro bike i dont have to worry anything will break. Also 170mm saves your knees and ankles a lot.