Specialized has followed the trend to radically reconfigure 29er enduro bikes with its latest long-travel offering. The Californian brand’s 2020 model year Enduro has seen a significant design upgrade, including a completely reoriented rear suspension set-up.
Specialized has been marketing the Enduro for 20 years and the latest iteration has clearly been influenced by the company’s Demo downhill bike. The Enduro’s rear-suspension is now served by a lower-link shock, which is homed in a completely reshaped front triangle.
A tunnel base at the seat tube allows for this new rear-suspension package and it delivers 170mm of travel. This is more than almost the most ardent technical rider would ever need, especially applied to a frame rolling 29er wheels.
Frame specification mimics most of the current long-travel 29er geometry trends and it weighs 14.47kg. The head angle is 63.9-degrees and on a large equivalent frame, your reach number is 487mm.
We say large equivalent, because Specialized has continued its S-grade sizing convention with the new Enduro, eschewing the traditional size chart and replacing it with a choice of S2-S5 sizes.
If you desire an even slacker head angle for those ultra-steep Alpine descends, a flip-chip will relax the bike’s geometry by another 0.4-degrees. Clever features abound, such as meticulous cable routing ports into the chainstays and Specialized frame-moulded stowage spaces.
As a range Specialized will be offering the new Enduro in four specification grades, and they are all carbon – with no value alloy frame offering anymore. For those who require the most focussed composite Enduro, the S-Works model even features carbon-fibre suspension linkages, which might sound like overkill, but they do save 250g of weight.
Range and pricing:
- Specialized S-Works Enduro - £8,999 / US$9,750 / AU$15,000
- Specialized Enduro Expert - £6,249 / US$6,550 / AU$9,800
- Specialized Enduro Elite - £5,499 / US$5,310 / AU$8,000
- Specialized Enduro Comp - £4,499 / US$4,510 / AU$6,800
