Best Enduro Bike of 2021

Built for the descent but will also get you uphill with your own power is a tough combination to find. Specialized has come pretty close to nailing it with their new Enduro bikes. The combination of long travel and modern geo has given this downhill rocket the legs to get back up the mountain. The seat tube could be a bike steeper to really help the pedaling efficiency, but it is a small price to pay for the wild downhill skills this bike comes with. It is controlled and composed but also poppy and playful, it has amazing traction when you need it and really just wants to go fast. Add the cool SWAT downtube storage, and it’s hard to find any flaws in this beast, making it our Best Enduro Bike of 2021.

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See Our Best Long Travel Mountain Bike Review 2021 Article HERE!

This bike wants to go downhill, and it wants to do it fast. I feel like the review could be done at this point, but I’ll continue. Specialized has improved the anti-squat in this version of the Enduro to make it a decent climber as well. For these reasons, plus some others, it has been named our Best Enduro Bike of 2021. So what else has Specialized brought to the table with the Enduro?

The Bike

Specialized has not changed too much with the Enduro but the changes they have made have helped to improve the anti-squat and turned it into a fairly good climber. It won’t ever come close to some of the short travel bikes of the world but it wasn’t built for that. The bike can be set up in a low or high setting, the low setting can cause some pedal strikes while climbing rocky areas, so that is something to consider depending on your local trails.

Specialized has gone to a different style of bike sizing as well. Instead of the Small to Large scale, which can pinhole some riders to certain bike sizes, Specialized is now using their own scale the S1-S5, with S4 being the closest to a large. Really the scale is set to give riders the chance to pick the bike more for their riding style than their size. If you want a more stable ride, go for a higher value on the S scale, if you want a playful and poppier bike, then a frame with a shorter reach and wheelbase will be what you are looking for.

The Enduro also comes with the SWAT system, a storage compartment behind the water bottle cage in the down tube, where you can store an extra tube, snacks, you name it. The stem also has a multitool and chain tool stored in it for ultimate convenience. It will make you wish every bike had the feature—no more backpacks or hip packs.

Climbing

Downhill

This beast has risen from the ashes to smash the downhills. If you ride hard and want to go fast, then look no further and head to your local bike shop with a credit card in hand. This Enduro is so close to a DH bike, all you’d need to do would be to add a dual crown fork and away you’d go. With 170 travel on both ends of the bike, this bike is ready to party. Stability is the name of the game with the Enduro—on the trail and in the air if that’s where you like to hang out.

Build Options

Specialized has done this cool thing where they slightly change the wording on the frame of the bike and are able to add about $5,000 to the price tag. When Specialized becomes S-Works, look out wallet, things are about to get pricey. I mean the new name does come with all the bells and whistles and the fixen’s or whatever you want to call them, but ouch!

As of right now, the Enduro frameset costs $2,699 for full carbon with the SWAT downtube storage and with rear suspension included. There are two Specialized Enduro bikes, the Comp ($4,499) and the Expert ($5,999). The Expert comes with the Fox suspension system, while the Comp comes with a Rock Shox set up.

The 2021 model of the S-Works Enduro will only set you back a paltry $9,999. Now, it does have a SRAM XX1 Eagle drivetrain, SRAM Code RSC 4-piston brakes, and upper and lower carbon linkages—saving an extra 210 grams from the frame. Plus, the FOX FLOAT suspension is set up with a rebound and compression adjustment, so I mean it’s legit fully loaded.

The Bottom Line

If your local trails include big climbs with even bigger and burlier descents, this bike is worth a look. Super capable and controlled at high speeds on the downs, while being poppy and playful when you ask it to be. The Enduro is essentially a DH bike while still being able to pedal it to the top of the mountain in the first place.

Sure, it is a bit pricey, but all models of the bike come with the SWAT storage, something that all bikes wish they had. You will also never be the last one to the bottom, ever, again… ever. So if you ride hard and don’t have a chair lift anywhere near you, this bike will get you to the top in style and get you to the bottom with a new PR. There isn’t much else to ask for from our Best Enduro Bike of 2021.

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