Setting up an Enduro SL's suspension

PB Forum :: All Mountain, Enduro & Cross-Country
Setting up an Enduro SL's suspension
Author Message
flag RapidRob
Posted: Jun 23, 2009 at 7:57 Quote
sfsdspecconcept wrote:
The E150 is meant to be uber plush, so good choice on switching it out for the domain for more aggressive riding. I would hold off on the rear shock personally. It has a 5 year warranty and according to the spec sales rep for my shop, is supposed to hold up to some pretty good abuse
I've been pleased with the rear shock. have really abused it in the past 18 months & only had to send one back so far. But my warranty was voided by my local spesh dealer when he saw these photos, pretty lame on their end. So i decided to make it suit my riding style, voided warranty or not.
flag wirenut013
Posted: Jun 24, 2009 at 18:23 Quote
wouldn't it have been easier to just get an sx trail?
flag AMBikerJJ8
Posted: Jun 24, 2009 at 18:30 Quote
wirenut013 wrote:
wouldn't it have been easier to just get an sx trail?

I was going to do that, but an '09 (lighter than previous models) is like twice as expensive as the SL, and I'm STILL paying off my enduro. I LOVE the Specialized suspension though. Perfect for the trails around here. Super supple for the huge braking bumps, but the compression curve ramps up near the end for bigger freeride stuff. I have my suspension set so I bottom maybe 3 times max in the rear and 1-2 in the front (I could still lose some air from the fork).
flag RapidRob
Posted: Jun 25, 2009 at 6:09 Quote
wirenut013 wrote:
wouldn't it have been easier to just get an sx trail?
i asked my spesh dealer that same question, they told me the SL would handle what i ride, and steered me away from an sx. The SL is marketed as an aggresive all-mountain bike, but its really a xc set up in my opinion. The fork is uber plush for small bumps only. I've had tons of people ask me why their forks bottom out hard on 2-3 foot drops with the recomended air pressure for their weight range
flag wirenut013
Posted: Jun 26, 2009 at 19:45 Quote
RapidRob wrote:
wirenut013 wrote:
wouldn't it have been easier to just get an sx trail?
i asked my spesh dealer that same question, they told me the SL would handle what i ride, and steered me away from an sx. The SL is marketed as an aggresive all-mountain bike, but its really a xc set up in my opinion. The fork is uber plush for small bumps only. I've had tons of people ask me why their forks bottom out hard on 2-3 foot drops with the recomended air pressure for their weight range

my dealer did just the opposite.. they reccommended the stumpjumper for the local trails but i got the enduro anyways.. i find the suspension works quite well.. Im not doing 8 foot drops but i have yet to have a problem.. i feel that the pressures the factory gives for weights only work for xc.. i talked to a few people and they just said if your riding aggressive just add some air..

ive done 4 foot drops and not bottomed on the factory settings for my weight class.. so i think it also matters how smooth or sloppy you are as a rider.. my one buddy has an s-works enduro sl and we are identical weights when geared up.. we put our bikes on the same settings and i rode faster and jumped further and dropped further than he did and he bottomed, i didnt..

but i feel the bottom line is everyone has an idea of what they want and the feel they are after.. its all prefrence and what works for you. Beer
flag RapidRob
Posted: Jun 28, 2009 at 13:04 Quote
wirenut013 wrote:
RapidRob wrote:
wirenut013 wrote:
wouldn't it have been easier to just get an sx trail?
i asked my spesh dealer that same question, they told me the SL would handle what i ride, and steered me away from an sx. The SL is marketed as an aggresive all-mountain bike, but its really a xc set up in my opinion. The fork is uber plush for small bumps only. I've had tons of people ask me why their forks bottom out hard on 2-3 foot drops with the recomended air pressure for their weight range

my dealer did just the opposite.. they reccommended the stumpjumper for the local trails but i got the enduro anyways.. i find the suspension works quite well.. Im not doing 8 foot drops but i have yet to have a problem.. i feel that the pressures the factory gives for weights only work for xc.. i talked to a few people and they just said if your riding aggressive just add some air..

ive done 4 foot drops and not bottomed on the factory settings for my weight class.. so i think it also matters how smooth or sloppy you are as a rider.. my one buddy has an s-works enduro sl and we are identical weights when geared up.. we put our bikes on the same settings and i rode faster and jumped further and dropped further than he did and he bottomed, i didnt..

but i feel the bottom line is everyone has an idea of what they want and the feel they are after.. its all prefrence and what works for you. Beer

thats true and everything would have been fine had i not been doing drops on it. I wish my dealer would have steered me toward a sx trail. But as far as air pressure, i had added more then recomended to both fork & rear shock. The fork did fine with more air. Adding alot to the rear made it blow out after a while, so i just ran the replacement psi like the manual called for. The frame is still sturdy and very light, so i'm anxious to see how it will work with a more of a FR set up.
flag AMBikerJJ8
Posted: Jun 28, 2009 at 13:18 Quote
My SL's supsension is kinda weird. Even though I'm halfway through the season, it still doesn't seem completely broken in yet. Just yesterday I was riding and bottomed out the fork, and now today the fork seems super looser, but is at the same PSI. Confused
flag kgbrussian
O+
Posted: Jul 6, 2009 at 16:25 Quote
Hi, I figured this is the best place to ask my question, instead of starting a new topic. I ride an 04 Enduro Pro, with all stock suspension - Fox Talas RLC, Fox Float RL (at least that’s what I think it is). I want to upgrade the suspension, at least the rear shock as it doesn’t lock out or respond well to compression adjustments. I’ve been thinking about putting in a newer Float in the back, but not sure what to put in the front. Any suggestions?
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flag GlassGuy
Posted: Nov 14, 2010 at 10:42 Quote
Hi everybody!
I'm a new poster to the site after spending loads of time trying to diagnose and set up my newish Enduro Pro SL.
I'd been drueling over the Enduro SL's for a few years and when I found what I was told was a brand new '07 with brand new AFR shock on EBay, I took the hit and bought the bike.
Bike came with a mix of parts including a Fox Talas 36 which I've kept but many other parts I've swapped or am swapping including trying a shorter stem than I orig. rode.
I've ridden the bike only a handful of times so far.
I have two concerns....a) the XL frame may be wrong for me. I'm 6' 4" but I'm used to smaller, flickier bikes. This frame has a little more length than my XL size Jamis XLT 2.0. I've found it difficult getting the back end to pop and twist...small jumps/hops, etc. (I was not able to test ride any bikes before purchase---just not real easy in my area so i was going on faith and comments). Anyone my size riding a size Large? This could also be due to the longer chainstays which make for great climbing but a harder to pop up rear end. Or....the AFR shock.
And here is the second concern....the rebound of the shock is nearly non-adjustable. It pops back up way too fast, in fact in a rock garden I'm getting tossed off my line due to the bounce up of the shock.
Took the shock to a dealer and they recognized the rebound wasn't changing much and even though I am the registered owner of the bike, Specialized wants $200 to service the shock...what the hell??!! Is this normal?
So, here's my thought....I'm looking at getting a Fox RP23 for the rear and either get the AFR serviced or just get rid of it.
Has anyone added the RP23 and how did it fare??
And any thoughts on this bike not being much for, what I call..."style riding"..Ha ha! I like to throw my bike around while riding trails....pop over roots, fling the tail, catch air anywhere I can and so on.

Well, thanks to any thoughts and it's been great reading the previous info.

Cheers!
flag wirenut013
Posted: Nov 14, 2010 at 21:13 Quote
GlassGuy wrote:
Hi everybody!
I'm a new poster to the site after spending loads of time trying to diagnose and set up my newish Enduro Pro SL.
I'd been drueling over the Enduro SL's for a few years and when I found what I was told was a brand new '07 with brand new AFR shock on EBay, I took the hit and bought the bike.
Bike came with a mix of parts including a Fox Talas 36 which I've kept but many other parts I've swapped or am swapping including trying a shorter stem than I orig. rode.
I've ridden the bike only a handful of times so far.
I have two concerns....a) the XL frame may be wrong for me. I'm 6' 4" but I'm used to smaller, flickier bikes. This frame has a little more length than my XL size Jamis XLT 2.0. I've found it difficult getting the back end to pop and twist...small jumps/hops, etc. (I was not able to test ride any bikes before purchase---just not real easy in my area so i was going on faith and comments). Anyone my size riding a size Large? This could also be due to the longer chainstays which make for great climbing but a harder to pop up rear end. Or....the AFR shock.
And here is the second concern....the rebound of the shock is nearly non-adjustable. It pops back up way too fast, in fact in a rock garden I'm getting tossed off my line due to the bounce up of the shock.
Took the shock to a dealer and they recognized the rebound wasn't changing much and even though I am the registered owner of the bike, Specialized wants $200 to service the shock...what the hell??!! Is this normal?
So, here's my thought....I'm looking at getting a Fox RP23 for the rear and either get the AFR serviced or just get rid of it.
Has anyone added the RP23 and how did it fare??
And any thoughts on this bike not being much for, what I call..."style riding"..Ha ha! I like to throw my bike around while riding trails....pop over roots, fling the tail, catch air anywhere I can and so on.

Well, thanks to any thoughts and it's been great reading the previous info.

Cheers!

i think your just having some issues with your shock.. i'm 5'10" and i ride a large enduro sl. and its as flickable and lively as my demo 7. and there is no doubt that the bike is long.. my large is slightly longer than my medium frame demo 7.

i will say this though, if your coming from a bike with a steep headtube angle and high bottom bracket you got a big change in feel coming.. i ride my enduro in the low bb setting. if you put it in the higher setting itll obviously raise the bb and make the head tube steeper.. idk what type of riding you do but i perfer my settings low and slack for the downhills.. when i ride it at the bike park it feels more like a slope style bike than a triple ring all mtn bike..

ive heard of hit or miss suspension on these bikes which is a shame.. luckily my enduro and my buddy's s-works enduro are bang on what we wanted.. you might have a one of those ones that got a bad egg.. idk..

if i think of anything or hear anything ill let you know.. good luck though and i hope the enduro doesnt disappoint you
flag GlassGuy
Posted: Nov 15, 2010 at 5:46 Quote
Thanks for the input wirenut and good to hear some comments on bike size and handling.
My riding is mainly technical XC and I jump and bash everything I can find----I'm a very active rider and like to go fast! I'm taking a little trip this weekend that will have more downhill for me test. This bike has shown some promise....
I've been feeling it could be the shock that has been making the bike hard to get off the ground and I probably need to get more used to how the bike handles.

I've got a Fox RP23 on the way so maybe that's the key and I'll just ditch the AFR shock!---I'll give reports on how it all feels.
flag wirenut013
Posted: Nov 15, 2010 at 9:12 Quote
GlassGuy wrote:
Thanks for the input wirenut and good to hear some comments on bike size and handling.
My riding is mainly technical XC and I jump and bash everything I can find----I'm a very active rider and like to go fast! I'm taking a little trip this weekend that will have more downhill for me test. This bike has shown some promise....
I've been feeling it could be the shock that has been making the bike hard to get off the ground and I probably need to get more used to how the bike handles.

I've got a Fox RP23 on the way so maybe that's the key and I'll just ditch the AFR shock!---I'll give reports on how it all feels.

yeah sure thing.. now i have heard that certain years the shock and fork were made my x-fusion and other years by fox.. i know for a fact that 2008 was a fox year the others i am unsure of..
flag a-donch
Posted: Nov 23, 2010 at 10:06 Quote
RapidRob wrote:
Here's what i'm using it for.

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2357752


Hahaha...you're rolling an All-Mountain Bike with XC weight weenie wheels off an 8" drop!!! That's why you don't like the bike.

Just b/c it has a dual crown fork doesn't make it a DH bike. I've been riding an 09 Enduro SL Pro Carbon w/ the E150 for +/- 2 years, had the suspension serviced by Spesh after a year, and it has never given me so much as a hickup.

I ride the bike pretty aggressivley, have done a bunch of Super D races on it, and it has handled everything I've ever thrown at it. You obviously have some riding ability if you're rolling off that drop, but come on man. The fact that the bike handled that abuse is a testament to how amazing it is.

I've ridden Demo 8's over the years as well, and think they're the tits, but if you took one on a cross country ride you would think it was the worst bike ever made. The Enduro is a very capable bike and will be my "quiver killer" for a while (until I upgrade to the new one that is).
flag xccrazy
Posted: Dec 5, 2010 at 21:42 Quote
As some have posted above, the Enduro Expert is more of an AM/XC bike. I love mine and it's more than enough bike for me. Love the suspension that soaks up everything and I gun it downhill without any fear that it's going to let me down. It's a fantastic bike.
flag GlassGuy
Posted: Dec 30, 2010 at 15:52 Quote
wirenut013 wrote:
GlassGuy wrote:
Thanks for the input wirenut and good to hear some comments on bike size and handling.
My riding is mainly technical XC and I jump and bash everything I can find----I'm a very active rider and like to go fast! I'm taking a little trip this weekend that will have more downhill for me test. This bike has shown some promise....
I've been feeling it could be the shock that has been making the bike hard to get off the ground and I probably need to get more used to how the bike handles.

I've got a Fox RP23 on the way so maybe that's the key and I'll just ditch the AFR shock!---I'll give reports on how it all feels.

yeah sure thing.. now i have heard that certain years the shock and fork were made my x-fusion and other years by fox.. i know for a fact that 2008 was a fox year the others i am unsure of..

Wirenut, finally reporting back with the swap of the AFR shock to an RP23. Actually I've been off the bike completely for over 6 weeks getting the MCL in my knee to heal after tweaking a maneuver while surfing. Anyway, despite my legs being weak and slow the bike felt alive! The Fox shock has given me confidence I'll really be enjoying this bike...I was finally able to get the back end off the ground even flick the tail some(albeit very little being that I'm a weak puss right now). So, plan on pushing some weights and slowly get more aggressive on the Enduro and expecting to have some fun. What I'm considering now is if my Fox Talas 36 up front is not going to full travel therefore I'm pitched a little more forward than I'd like.

 


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