Mountain Biking - 2003 Specialized Enduro Reviews?

Does anyone own one of these pups? If so, would you please comment regarding:

- climbing
- decending
- overall impressions

ThanX!!!!!!!! :beer:

A XC / DH hybrid. So you're getting a dual purpose bike for twice the cost of a normal bike. It begs the question: Why not just buy 2 bikes? Thats not entirely fair, I suppose if you were really itching for a dual purpose bike then this would be where its at. I just can't see myself spending that much for one bike.

I own a 2002 enduro base model which is basically the same as the 03 except for some changes in the seatstay. Its a great all around bike on the uphills and the downhills. Its not going to climb like a stumpjumper but it still does a very good job with the adjustable travel (4 and 5"). Decending on the bike, while it cant be compared to descending with a bighit, it is still very plush and nimble. I recently took it to a rough downhill trail for the first time this season and it performed very nicely. If your looking for a good all around bike I couldnt reccomend it more. The only bikes comprable to the enduro that I could think of would be the Santa Cruz heckler, the trek liquid 10, and the Giant VT 2. But if you compare prices on those the enduro is definitely the best bang for your buck. I would totally recomend it.

Dil has a good point. I bought my enduro only 4 months ago, as a dual purpose (xc/light freeride) bike. Now that I have found out that I would like to get into downhill and freeride I have bought another bike and spent another 1500. Im still keeping my enduro as a xc rig. If you see yourself getting into freeriding or downhill I would reccomend having two bikes, one for xc and the other for fr/dh.

Even though I love my enduro, in hindsight I would have kept my rockhopper comp hardtail, and bought a freeride bike (like im doing now) instead of the enduro. So just really look into what you want to use the bike for and how long you plan to use it for that particular purpose. Last thing you want to do is find out you need a beefier bike 6 months after you buy one.

www.mtbr.com

To add to my post, I currently own a hardtail (Klein Attitude) that I ride with my buds and also race. I am looking for another bike that will compliment my hardtail. I want this bike for all-mountain type stuff - not racing. However, I also don't want a pig.

My knees are not great, and I don't want to beat them up more with a heavy bike on the ascents. So, I'm really looking @ a relatively lightweight freeride-type scoot. I don't mind paying a bit extra for the weight savings. I'm shooting for a bike, fully dressed, that will hit the scales in the 25-30 pound range. The bikes that come to mind (and also in Pharcyde's post) are the Enduro, and the Trek Liquid, and the S/C Heckler.

KleinMp99: Yup, I've checked that site. I'm just a bit leary of some of the posts. I have a better trust factor here. All of the bikes seem to rate a bit high on the site, but there is some great information there - thanX!

So after reading that little rant, any more recomendations???? ThanX! :)

I have a 2003 Enduro and I love it. It was simply the best fit in my personal quest for an all-around FS. A major consideration in that quest is that I'm 6'3", 260 lbs. Naturally, I am more concerned about the bike supporting my weight than I am about the weight of the bike. If you're concerned about the curb weight, you might be happier with the Liquid or the Heckler. I believe the are both lighter bikes for lighter riders.

There are soooooo many other bikes that will fit your description of intended use. What is your budget????

I mean if you want a custom bike to fit that criteria, you could look at a ton of 4-5" travel bikes. There are also many more Complete bikes that come to mind!

A couple of other ?'s:

How much travel do you want front/rear? For an "all-mountain" bike I suggest 4-5" rear and the same up front.

Do you want/need a super stiff front fork? If so, would you go to a 20mm thru axle for the front? More weight penalty and limited hub choices, BUT super stiff fork!

Do you want/need discs or will vee-brakes be sufficient? If Yes to discs, mechanical or hydraulic?

Do you want a single pivot or a multi pivot? IMO, I like the 4-bar offered on the Enduro. I have an Intense Uzzi SL that utilizes the Specialized patent for the suspension design.

What type of wheelset are you interested in, XC, FR or DH? The beefier the wheels, the more overall weight (DUH!), but you can get a relatively lightweight strong wheelset. i.e. Chris King Disc hubs laced to Mavic X317 rims...or 517 rims. If you want big and burly (but heavy) you could run their FR rim the F219 if disc, F519 for rim brake or if you want SUPER STRONG run their D321 rims. (I've got those!)

If this is going to be more of a trail bike, not your XC race bike, will you set it up with a triple chainring or a double with a bash guard?

BTW, the Enduro is a sweet bike, and will fit your needs well. If you're after lighter weight, Check out Santa Cruz's Superlight and/or Blur, Intense's Spyder or Tracer, Titus's Racer X.....etc.

L8R

[QUOTE]Originally posted by a2psyklnut

There are soooooo many other bikes that will fit your description of intended use. What is your budget????
-I'm willing to spend between $2-4k.


How much travel do you want front/rear? For an "all-mountain" bike I suggest 4-5" rear and the same up front.
-Yup - that's what I'm considering. However, having not ridden a F/S bike @ all, it's all just a guess @ this point.


Do you want/need discs or will vee-brakes be sufficient? If Yes to discs, mechanical or hydraulic?
-I'd like to go with discs as I ride in muddy conditions sometimes, and there doesn't seem to be much of a weight increase now. I'd most likely go with a hydraulic set-up also.


Do you want a single pivot or a multi pivot? IMO, I like the 4-bar offered on the Enduro. I have an Intense Uzzi SL that utilizes the Specialized patent for the suspension design.
-The 4-bar is a good tested design. However, I'm wide open on this one.


What type of wheelset are you interested in, XC, FR or DH?
-I'm relatively light (140-150 lbs), so I think that I can get away with a light wheelset.


If this is going to be more of a trail bike, not your XC race bike, will you set it up with a triple chainring or a double with a bash guard?
-I was only considering a triple, but that's a thought! :)


ThanX for the insightfull questions and comments. Any more insight is greatly appreciated!!!!! :)

Man if your willing to spend 2-4k then forget about the enduro. Look at what intense has to offer. The tracer and spyder, like a2 said are great bets if you want to spend the money. Otherwise, if you wanted to stick to the lower end of your price range, the Giant VT got a very good review in mba. I would definitely reccomend the VT over the enduro according to what I read in mba, and from some other users on different forums. All depends on how much you want to spend i guess. If I had a budget of 3-4k I would go with intense without a doubt.