Nerding Out: The Most Successful Enduro Bikes

Mar 24, 2021
by Ed Spratt  
Sam Hill coming in hot and sliding into 5th after the day.


After looking at the downhill bikes with the most Elite World Cup and World Champs wins, we thought it would be interesting to look back through the past eight years of EWS racing. Look at our findings after we crunched the numbers from the EWS.

The Five Enduro Bikes with the Most Elite EWS Wins:

1. Commencal Meta - 22 Wins

Cecile Ravanel profile. Montaroux France. Photo by Matt Wragg

Hitting the top of the list is the Commencal Meta that has secured 22 Elite EWS victories. Currently, every Elite win on the Meta has come from Cécile Ravanel after she took the first of seven wins on the bike in 2016. 2017 saw seven more wins on the Meta with eight in 2018.

Although she has stepped back from full-time EWS racing, her young teammate Antoine Vidal has taken multiple Junior wins with the bike and now that he has moved up to Elites this year meaning the Commencal could see an increase in its lead as the most successful EWS bike in the coming years.

Ceciles Race Bike
Cecile Ravanel is rolling out in Finale aboard a new stealthy looking meta.

An off on stage two put Cecile behind Isabeau by some 16 seconds but she reeled in that time and in the end closed out the perfect season.

Year by Year Breakdown:

2018: 8
2017: 7
2016: 7

Cecile Ravanel was on fine form this weekend looking more aggresisve through the nasty rocks on stage seven than most of the male field.



2. Trek Remedy - 16 Wins

Tracy and her Trek Remedy 29

Coming in second place is the Trek Remedy that saw plenty of success in the early years of the EWS under Tracy Moseley and Justin Leov. While the Trek team are now using the Slash as their Enduro race bike, it has yet to notch any Elite wins. Kicking off with a stellar run at the inaugural EWS in 2013, Tracy Moseley began a four-year streak with a total of five wins in one season. This tally would only be beaten by 2015, where Tracy was able to secure six wins and Justin Leov took one win at the Glentress round.

Tracey Moseley played stage four safe this morning and took a third place finish. Moseley then got on the gas and took stages five and six to ride away with another EWS victory.
Tracy Moseley and her 29 Trek Remedy prototype

Tracy Moseley opened her account today with a win on stage one.

Year by Year Breakdown:

2016: 1
2015: 7
2014: 3
2013: 5

Today didn t start on plan for Tracy Moseley losing precious seconds and the lead to Anne-Caroline Chausson on the first stage of the day leaving her about 8 seconds back.



3. Yeti SB6C - 10 Wins

Sitting in third with less than half the wins of the Commencal Meta is Yeti's SB6C. The bike was first seen at the 2014 Winter Park round of the EWS under Jared Graves and he would go on to take three wins with the bike. Also riding the SB6C was Richie Rude who managed a total of seven wins.

The SB6C took its first victory at its frst race, then went on to take a second win in Whistler the next round. Following 2014, the SB6C took four wins in 2015 that were matched to a further four wins in 2016. Yeti wouldn't take another EWS win until the SB150 when Richie Rude secured five wins across 2018 and 2019.

What a magical two years for the Yeti crew. Back to back EWS World Championships under Jared Graves and Richie Rude.

Jared Graves SB6c
Colorado USA. Photo by Matt Wragg.



Year by Year Breakdown:

2016: 4
2015: 4
2014: 2

Richie Rude s Yeti SB6c has now won 4 out of the past 5 EWS races most recently here in Corral to kick off 2016.



4. Lapierre Spicy - 7 Wins

EWS Zermatt bike check

Fourth place goes to the Lapierre's Spicy. With seven wins spread between 2013 to 2020, the Spicy has the longest lineage spread of any bike at the EWS and it holds the title of the highest number of riders taking wins on the bike at three. Since the EWS began in 2013 the Spicy has seen top podium finishes by Nicolas Vouilloz, Adrien Dailly and Isabeau Courdurier.

Men with bikes.
Adrien Dailly Bike Check

After receiving a 20 second penalty for illegally shuttling a stage in practice Adrien Dailly would be pushed down from 5th to 9th in Colombia.

Year by Year Breakdown:

2013: 1
2017: 3
2018: 1
2020: 2

Adrien Dailly s Lapierre



5. Nukeproof Mega / Cannondale Jekyll / Ibis Mojo - 6 Wins

Sam Hill Overall Winning Bike
Jerome Clementz and his Cannondale Jekyll
EWS 6 2016. Whistler Canada. Photo by Matt Wragg.

Rounding out the top five Enduro bikes is a three-way tie with the Nukeproof Mega, Cannondale Jekyll and Ibis Mojo all hitting six Elite EWS wins.

Interestingly all three bikes have only seen success under one rider each. The Nukeproof Mega helped Sam Hill take multiple overall titles and six event wins. The Cannondale Jekyll saw incredible early wins at the start of the EWS with Jerome Clementz and the Ibis Mojo was skillfully piloted by the legendary Anne-Caroline-Chausson.


Winning Stats Breakdown:

photo

Topping the most winning brands is Commencal with Cécile Ravanel's 22 wins on the Meta beating out every other brand with multiple riders and bikes. Yeti just beats Trek with 17 wins to 16 wins in second and third place. Then rounding out the top five brands is Intense and Lapierre with eight and seven wins respectively.


photo

Coming as no surprise the top two winning bike and rider combinations is Cécile Ravanel on the Meta at 22, Tracy Moseley on the Remedy at 15. third place on the list goes to Richie Rude on the SB6C, Sam Hill on the Mega, Jerome Clementz on the Jekyll and ACC on the Mojo. All of them total six wins each.


photo
photo

When we did our winning Downhill bikes analysis you asked us to split the results between the Men and Women and when looking at Enduro bikes you can see a big difference in the lists. Whereas the Women's results are dominated by the Commencal Meta, Trek Remedy, and Ibis Mojo, we see a whole different list for the Men.

The Yeti SB6C tops out the Men's list with 10 wins, this is followed by a three-way tie for second place with the Nukeproof Mega, Cannondale Jekyll and Lapierre Spicy all sitting with six wins. Third place on the Men's list goes to the SB150 with five wins.


photo

Just like in a winning Downhill bike analysis we see the USA take the top spot with 62 Elite EWS wins and Andorra coming in second again at 22 wins. The third spot on the list goes to France as it edges out Germany with eight and seven wins respectively.


Race By Race Breakdown:

2013

Punta Ala Round 1
Fabien Barel - Canyon Spectral (Prototype)
Tracy Moseley - Trek Remedy
Val d’Allos Round 2
Nicolas Vouilloz - Lapierre Spicy (Prototype)
Tracy Moseley - Trek Remedy

Les Deux Alpes Round 3
Jerome Clementz - Cannondale Jekyll
Tracy Moseley - Trek Remedy
Winter Park Round 4
Jerome Clementz - Cannondale Jekyll
Tracy Moseley - Trek Remedy

Whistler Round 5
Jared Graves - Yeti SB66C
Anne-Caroline-Chausson - Ibis Mojo
Val d’Isere Round 6
Jerome Clementz - Cannondale Jekyll
Anne-Caroline-Chausson - Ibis Mojo

Finale Ligure Round 7
Jerome Clementz - Cannondale Jekyll
Tracy Moseley - Trek Remedy


2014

Nevados de Chillan Round 1
Jerome Clementz - Cannondale Jekyll
Anne-Caroline-Chausson - Ibis Mojo
Glentress Round 2
Nicolas Lau - Cube Stereo
Tracy Moseley - Trek Remedy

Valloire Round 3
Jared Graves - Yeti SB66
Tracy Moseley - Trek Remedy
La Thuille Round 4
Damien Oton - Devinci Spartan
Tracy Moseley - Trek Remedy

Winter Park Round 5
Jared Graves - Yeti SB6C (Prototype)
Anne-Caroline-Chausson - Ibis Mojo
Whistler Round 6
Jared Graves - Yeti SB6C (Prototype)
Cécile Ravanel - GT Force

Finale Ligure Round 7
Fabien Barel - Canyon Spectral
Anne-Caroline-Chausson - Ibis Mojo


2015

Rotorua Round 1
Jerome Clementz - Cannondale Jekyll
Anne-Caroline-Chausson - Ibis Mojo
Ireland Round 2
Greg Callaghan - Cube Stereo
Tracy Moseley - Trek Remedy

Glentress Round 3
Justin Leov - Trek Remedy
Tracy Moseley - Trek Remedy
Samoëns Round 4
Richie Rude - Yeti SB6C
Tracy Moseley - Trek Remedy

Whistler Round 5
Richie Rude - Yeti SB6C
Tracy Moseley - Trek Remedy
Ainsa Round 6
Richie Rude - Yeti SB6C
Tracy Moseley - Trek Remedy

Finale Ligure Round 7
Jared Graves - Yeti SB6C
Tracy Moseley - Trek Remedy


2016

Chile Round 1
Richie Rude - Yeti SB6C
Cécile Ravanel - Commencal Meta
Bariloche Round 2
Richie Rude - Yeti SB6C
Cécile Ravanel - Commencal Meta

Ireland Round 3
Greg Callaghan - Cube Stereo
Tracy Moseley - Trek Remedy
La Thuile Round 4
Richie Rude - Yeti SB6C
Cécile Ravanel - Commencal Meta

Aspen Round 5
Jared Graves - Specialized Stumpjumper
Cécile Ravanel - Commencal Meta
Whistler Round 6
Richie Rude - Yeti SB6C
Cécile Ravanel - Commencal Meta

Valberg Round 7
Sam Hill - Nukeproof Mega
Cécile Ravanel - Commencal Meta
Finale Ligure Round 8
Martin Maes - GT Sanction
Cécile Ravanel - Commencal Meta


2017

Rotorua Round 1
Wyn Masters - GT Sanction
Cécile Ravanel - Commencal Meta
Tasmania Round 2
Adrien Dailly - Lapierre Spicy
Isabeau Courdurier - Sunn Kern

Madeira Round 3
Greg Callaghan - Cube Stereo
Cécile Ravanel - Commencal Meta
Ireland Round 4
Adrien Dailly - Lapierre Spicy
Cécile Ravanel - Commencal Meta

Millau Round 5
Adrien Dailly - Lapierre Spicy
Cécile Ravanel - Commencal Meta
Aspen Round 6
Sam Hill - Nukeproof Mega
Cécile Ravanel - Commencal Meta

Whistler Round 7
Jesse Melamed - Rocky Mountain Altitude
Cécile Ravanel - Commencal Meta
Finale Ligure Round 8
Damien Oton - Devinci Spartan
Cécile Ravanel - Commencal Meta


2018

Chile Round 1
Sam Hill - Nukeproof Mega
Cécile Ravanel - Commencal Meta
Manizales Round 2
Sam Hill - Nukeproof Mega
Cécile Ravanel - Commencal Meta

Olargues Round 3
Adrien Dailly - Lapierre Spicy
Cécile Ravanel - Commencal Meta
Petzen-Jamnica Round 4
Sam Hill - Nukeproof Mega
Cécile Ravanel - Commencal Meta

La Thuile Round 5
Sam Hill - Nukeproof Mega
Cécile Ravanel - Commencal Meta
Whistler Round 6
Martin Maes - GT Force
Cécile Ravanel - Commencal Meta

Ainsa Round 7
Richie Rude - Yeti SB150
Cécile Ravanel - Commencal Meta
Finale Ligure Round 8
Richie Rude - Yeti SB150
Cécile Ravanel - Commencal Meta


2019

Rotorua Round 1
Keegan Wright - Devinci Troy
Isabeau Courdurier - Intense Tracer
Tasmania Round 2
Florian Nicolai - Canyon Strive
Isabeau Courdurier - Intense Tracer

Madeira Round 3
Martin Maes - GT Force
Isabeau Courdurier - Intense Tracer
Val di Fassa Round 4
Richie Rude - Yeti SB150
Isabeau Courdurier - Intense Carbine

Les Orres Round 5
Eddie Masters - Pivot Firebird
Isabeau Courdurier - Intense Carbine
Whistler Round 6
Richie Rude - Yeti SB150
Isabeau Courdurier - Intense Carbine

Northstar Round 7
Richie Rude - Yeti SB150
Isabeau Courdurier - Intense Carbine
Zermatt Round 8
Martin Maes - GT Force
Isabeau Courdurier - Intense Prototype


2020

Zermatt Round 1
Jesse Melamed - Rocky Mountain Altitude
Isabeau Courdurier - Lapierre Spicy
Pietra Ligure Round 2
Adrien Dailly - Lapierre Spicy
Melanie Pugin - BH Lynx

Finale Ligure Round 3
Jesse Melamed - Rocky Mountain Altitude
Morgane Charre - Pivot Firebird



Posted In:
Racing and Events Reviews and Tech Nerding Out


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184 Comments
  • 492 2
 Looks like it has more to do with the rider rather then the bike brand.
  • 196 2
 "The bikes that Cécile, Isabeau, Richie and Sam rode."
  • 14 8
 Yeti wins, at least graves took 3 wins with it
  • 37 0
 The omission of wins "per capita" either by rider or by the number of people running the bike is a bummer
  • 3 0
 Ding, ding, ding!
  • 130 1
 China/Taiwan - 112 wins
  • 5 0
 @NorCalNomad: I like how you're thinking. I wonder how SABRmetrics we could get with this ...

• Wins per dollar? But salaries aren't a linear scale.
• Number of results above the riders' EWS ranks?
• Change in slope of the EWS rank trajectory curve, normalized to the riders' ages, normalized to the depth of the field (ex. number of entrants, time spread between the central two standard deviations, etc.)? Complicated, but it could work.
  • 28 0
 @rtclark: I think mostly Taiwan, gonna start calling them Taiwin
  • 5 0
 Take out Cecile and Tracey and you got a different story , pretty equal !
  • 1 0
 @NorCalNomad: today agree.. without that this is useless..
  • 6 0
 @DizzyNinja: Taiwon...
  • 3 0
 yeah pretty half ass analysis. a simple way to do this would be at consider all finishes (maybe even per stage), assigning a score per race per bike, and sum everything up.
  • 7 9
 In some races the supplements the rides were taking may have made more difference than the bike.

www.vitalmtb.com/forums/The-Hub,2/EWS-Doping-Thread-Removal,10326?page=5
  • 4 0
 @NorCalNomad: It also doesn't control for how long the bike model was contending the EWS, include anything other than first place (I think there's a strong argument for not just making it a dichotomous win/no-win if you're trying to make a case for a good bike), among others. But also, it's a fun article on Pinkbike and not a serious piece of research?
  • 3 1
 The great thing about stats is you can massage them to meet your needs. Then someone points out the obvious. Haha. I bet most read the first part and went... it's the rider not the bike.
  • 3 1
 @R-M-R: neat ideas, and not all that difficult I don't think.

I think it would also be neat to toss these stats into a multi variate regression model as independent variables, and set time on any given race course as the dependant variable and see what sort of relationships/correlations can be found. It would also be neat to add some basic geometry and body type stats in there.
  • 3 1
 @privateer-wheels: I agree in principle, but the variables are so difficult to control. For example, several of the top riders have been on prototype Hutchinson and Michelin tires. Surely a great casing and compound would be worth a few seconds on a stage. Several riders have also been on custom dampers, frames with off-axis headsets, custom linkages, etc. Some riders perform better in specific conditions (loose vs. firm, flat vs. steep, warm vs. cold, short vs. long). Some riders are more familiar with the courses than others. Many riders have minor injuries that are surely costing them a few seconds. It would take an immense amount of data to normalize for so many variables.

I'm an analytics guy, so I love the idea, I'm just not confident we could spot the signal (the superiority of a particular piece of equipment) amidst the noise.
  • 1 0
 @R-M-R: I think you would need to start simple. Basic rider stats (age/sex) and bike stats (wheels base and HTA), a time series variable and some weather variables, on a single track over time. Couple hundred race runs over 5-10 years. I bet you would see some relationships, even if weak. I don't think we're going to see models with R^2 of 90 something percent, but it would be a fun exercise. The data gathering would be painful though, as you mentioned. Lots of data that would need to be pulled from all over. Likely not a realistic task Razz

I am a data analytics guy as well, though I don't often admit to it.
  • 1 1
 @rtclark: Taiwan Number One
  • 1 0
 @privateer-wheels: analytics: 90% prepping your data & 10% complaining about having to prep data
  • 1 0
 @pmhobson: lol!
  • 2 0
 Welcome to slow news seasons, milk the existing data as long as site visitors aren't dead or numb.
  • 121 4
 Bikes don’t win races. People do
  • 204 2
 Technically, people without bikes don't win bike races.
  • 35 2
 @kcy4130: Technically, technically, bikes can't win races without people.
  • 12 0
 Bikes without people rarely do either
  • 6 0
 From Bristol zoo
  • 49 0
 Maybe pb can do a video test to see which bikes ghost ride fastest and farthest
  • 1 3
 @kcy4130: You don't say
  • 2 0
 @DizzyNinja: What about a foot race where they have to carry their bikes? I think that would really settle who the best team is.
  • 4 0
 PB needs to hire this crack team for test analysis /\
  • 2 0
 I blame video games
  • 3 0
 @kcy4130: If someone can than it will be Gwin
  • 2 0
 @kcy4130: the best kind of correct.
  • 5 0
 @ProperPushIrons: Bristol zoo to B&Q... Worst ews stage ever
  • 2 0
 “Toasters don’t toast toast. Toast toasts toast.”
  • 1 0
 @Plastercaster: lol
  • 1 1
 @cuban-b: No they toast bread
  • 1 0
 @Plastercaster: I seen it in a documentary on BBC2
  • 92 2
 Time to search the PB Buy/Sell for a mid 2010's Trek Remedy then dominate my local Enduro Race scene.
  • 3 0
 For most local/regional enduro races, an older Remedy could actually work pretty well with the right rider. Not saying for EWS level tracks.
  • 9 0
 Too bad you can't find Tracey Mosely strength, stamina and talent on classifieds.
  • 3 0
 I have a 2015 aluminum 29er remedy 8, nice bike. Mine has one of the worst fox forks ever though, the evolution 34. and the drcv rear shock needs a big spacer to have any decent ramp up.
Want to buy it? ????
oh and don't pedal while standing up. just don't lol
  • 1 0
 @Trudeez: I followed her for a lap in a XC race, she was flicking the bike through the single track effortlessly and destroyed everyone on the climbs
  • 55 1
 The fact that Cecile Ravanel had two perfect seasons (almost 3)... competing against Isabeau who then also had a perfect season... is absolutely nuts.
  • 22 0
 And Courdurier usually finished second to Ravanel's wins. If not for Ravanel, Courdurier would've dominated that era, including a perfect season in 2018. The real race was usually for third place. It's difficult to overstate the extent of Ravanel's dominance.
  • 4 8
flag jaycubzz (Mar 24, 2021 at 16:04) (Below Threshold)
 @R-M-R: Like anyone playing against Jordan, no chance until he retired (thrice).

Unless we're talking LeBron, he would have beat Jordan.
  • 2 0
 @jaycubzz: blasphemy!
  • 8 3
 Could also mean that the women's field wasn't as stacked and still isn't as stacked as the men's.

Not taking anything away from the hardworking female racers, simply observing their dominance reminds of other sports with uber successfull teams simply because the rest of the league is low budget /low talent / low performance. ????
  • 3 0
 2017-2018 seasons were done on Meta V4.2s......27.5 do win races.....and by a lot too....
  • 4 4
 why is it nuts? it just proves that the women's feild is nowhere near as competitive as the men's. This is almost always true in any athletic event. volleyball is an outlier I can think of off the top of my head, and that's largely due to it being invented for older people to play.

women do not have a smooth curve of athletic ability dispersed over the population. There tend to be a few very talented and athletically gifted women, then a bunch of women that are not. Wherein, men tend to have a more even distribution of athletic potential. what you get is 1-3 women dominating any given sport and then a whole slew of also rans that aren't competitive. go look at UCI DH times...you get the winner, then 2nd back 2-3 sec, then 3rd back 10 sec then it drops off a cliff. The Men's field? the top 20 are inside of 5 sec. lol
  • 6 2
 @conoat: Yeah, it couldn't possibly be that many women's sports are not financially supported like mens' sports are, women have less access to athletic opportunity at both the entry level and at the professional, and that cultural factors do not push or pull women into sports in the same numbers as men.

Plus, look at women's soccer, hockey, and basketball in the USA- a few athletes dominating a bunch of talentless wannabees.......

Sorry, I just can't get behind that theory. No doubt a few women are dominating DH and Enduro, but I really don't think that is because women are more generally (the top few excepted) less athletic. Look how far women's sports that gained wider support in the US have come in the last 20 years.
  • 3 0
 @dcaf: I agree. I don't think it has anything to do with innate ability. Men are encouraged to play sports and to be athletic at a young age. More and more, the same is true for women. But after years of lower pay for sports, less recognition, and less sponsorship, it's no wonder the field is smaller for women. I expect that to change in 5-10 years. It's kind of like people saying women aren't as good at math or science. It takes time for a historically marginalized group to gain traction, expertise, mentorship, and support.
  • 1 2
 @dcaf @margiebike you both are wholesale discounting genetic and innate desires in the genders. Obviously you don't and can't apply broad generalities to a single human, but you do apply them to an examination of macro trends. when you say "societal norms" you seem to be complete discounting that "society" is made up of everyone, hence the choices the genders make IS WHAT MAKES SOCIETAL TRENDS.

@dcaf women's sports are actually OVER funded as to their revenue. The reason no one wants to watch women's sports at the same rate that they watch men's, isn't some neanderthal desire to oppress women. It's because it is an inferior product to the corresponding men's product. See also: NBA/WNBA.
  • 34 0
 I didn't realize that Sam Hill "only" has 6 EWS wins (yes, I realize how weird that is to say like that).

I mean, that is impressive in and of itself. But I'm pointing that out, because I'm now realizing how amazingly consistent he must be to come out on top of the whole season three times in a row, while not winning "that often" (compared to a few others). And that consistency is what is even more impressive to me. He's simply always in the running.
  • 1 3
 He didn't win any taxes last time he won the overall I don't think. Same with Matt Walker in the DH world cup. Consistency pays... but it would be nice to have wins.
  • 16 0
 @jaame: I think Sam rides @ 95%, he's smart and plays the long game....consistency is due in part to riding well within his pay grade, I'd bet he could win much more often if he hung it out....but may risk a mistake or a crash. That's my take based on some of his comments and how's he's been able to really step up when needed, very few crashes and very few mechanicals.....
  • 20 0
 @RadBartTaylor:

Yeah, I seem to remember a comment from a recap video of the last EWS race of 2019 (Zermatt IIRC), where Sam reportedly asked his mechanic/friend/someone "should I give it the berries", as the title was coming down to the last stage.

And he did. And he won.

Must be amazing to have that much "in the tank" when needed.
  • 1 0
 @ocnlogan: yup - that was the one!
  • 17 1
 These riders are so ridiculously talented with enough team support they could win on shopping carts.

Test to find fastest enduro bike: enduro-mtb.com/en/enduro-race-bike-mtb-review
  • 1 1
 Still leaves a ton of variables; team support, suspension sponsor support, tire sponsor, calibre of athlete, athlete health timing...endless
  • 8 0
 @yannickbisson: Yeah but that was a sick test. Don't let "perfection" be the enemy of "better". Hell they got those guys' ACTUAL race bikes in some cases...on an EWS course with legit time tracking equipment. Most importantly they call-out why some/most of the trendy marketed "ultra-long" bike geo is BS if you want a fun & fast bike (tho I'm sure its nice if you want something that goes down steep/straight trails with a lot of stability).
  • 1 0
 @rtclark: thats super interesting and shows that bikes are clearly becoming too long and slack
  • 1 0
 @Fullsend2-13: Graves has put up a tonne of instagram posts about his position on modern geometry and perhaps it's not the be all end all. Although the guy grew up racing BMX so that may be a factor, either way at least this article shares a similar theme..
  • 19 3
 So it turns out that naming a bike after the discipline does not help that much.
  • 11 1
 The bike is older than the race format. So it seems more like naming the discipline after the bike doesn’t mean that much...
  • 15 0
 I believe the first Specialized Enduro was available in 1999. Yeah, there was fledgling European enduro racing back then, but still years before the race format became mainstream. If you were riding in North America back then, you probably heard of the bike first, before race format. I suspect bike name evolved as a nod to enduro moto riding. Not a reference to the mtb race format. Could be wrong though.
  • 1 0
 perhaps but my stumpjumper has never failed to jump over stumps so idk...
  • 14 1
 I think this just proves that people are not driven by race results, Specialized, Ibis, Santa Cruz, YT and many others don't even feature in this list and yet more than likely outsell every brand on this list.
  • 3 0
 I think most people stick with what they’ve known or what they see their fellow riders ride. Or at least what their lbs carries. At least that’s how I chose my bikes when I was first starting out.
  • 1 0
 See downhill article for marketing effectiveness specifically relating to your point. EWS doesn't have the clout
  • 15 1
 That's gotta hurt over at Specialized
  • 1 0
 They can blame Commencal Hi-Lo freewheel hubs for that...
  • 2 0
 Meanwhile at Specialized
  • 1 0
 As the owner of an Enduro I am glad that it wasn't named the "Enduro Winner".
  • 2 0
 I’m sure it hurts all the way to the bank... the Specialized Enduro and Stumpjumper might not top the list of wins, but they probably sell what — 3, 5, 10 times the bikes as Commencal?
  • 13 0
 Friendly correction, my win with Specialized in 2016 was on the stumpy, not the Enduro
  • 1 0
 Thanks! We have updated the article now.
  • 13 0
 I swear Commencal wins everything these days. Can't they share the love?
  • 6 0
 They are rather affordable
  • 10 0
 They sponsor a lot of people.
  • 4 0
 They’re also a great enduro bike
  • 2 0
 Metal bikes for the Medals!
  • 2 1
 @NorCalNomad: and yet all those wins are just from sponsoring one person.

Insane.
  • 1 4
 @NorCalNomad: they also sponsor top women where wins are easier
  • 12 0
 "hey everyone look at me!"- Rocky Mountain advert banner
  • 10 1
 This may be more about sponsorship budgets and frequency/presence of bikes at races. It is not at all indicative of which bike is "best" for enduro racing.
  • 6 2
 Where does it say anything about the best bike? It's just statistics as far as I can tell...
  • 1 1
 @kanasasa: yes of course, and nobody will think a meta is a beast looking at the statistics because it's just statistics. Nobody.
  • 7 0
 Would be interesting to see the podium breakdown, not just wins. How many podiums per bike and how many podiums per ride and which bikes they were most successful on.
  • 3 0
 Sunn would rocket up in the ratings
  • 3 0
 @DirkMcClerkin: for sure! Rocky mountain and nukeproof too
  • 5 0
 As long as we're nerding out on stats, 2020 was the first season where there was greater variety in the women's field (3 races - 3 different winners) than the men's field (2 different winners)
  • 7 0
 I see a Giant hole in these numbers!
  • 6 0
 Wow the head angle in that remedy.
  • 6 0
 Maybe the head-tube angle was XC steep, but at least the fork was flexy! Wait ... lol

29ers got off to an awkward start, with head-tube angles averaging 1° - 2° steeper than the already not-very-slack 26ers of the time, seat-tube angles slacker than the already not-very-steep 26ers, short front-centres and long rear-centres, and XC race widths of the rims, tires, and fork stanchions to keep the weight on par with 26ers.

2017 was the first year that 29er and 650b geometry converged, which is one way we could define the start of the modern 29er era.
  • 4 0
 @R-M-R: Slash will be your new god.
  • 4 2
 @R-M-R: specialized enduro would like a word with you lol
  • 1 0
 @makripper: I would also like to have a word with whomever thought it was acceptable to have a 67.5° head-tube angle and 1184 mm wheelbase (Large) on an enduro bike until 2017!

It's no wonder some members of the EWS team were using the Stumpjumper Evo, with its lower and slacker geometry, or modifying the 29er Enduro with different shock yokes.
  • 1 0
 @R-M-R: which was decent for the time. Alot has happened since then. My 2019 is 65.5 in slack.
  • 1 0
 @makripper: It was decent when it debuted in 2012, but it was a dinosaur by 2017. The next update was conservative: for example, the 450 mm reach on a Large introduced in 2017 was closer to the industry average for a Medium at that time, the chainstays were short, the pedaling anti-squat was low, and the motion ratio curve was almost flat.

The 2019 update was a major change and a break from traditional Specialized numbers. Suddenly, the reach became longer than average, the seat-tube lengths were short, the chainstays were long, the anti-squat was high, and the motion ratio curve was more progressive than average.

There's a lot more than head-tube angle - more than I've discussed here - and the Enduro was conservative on almost all parameters until the latest revision. The 2017 - 2019 changes by Santa Cruz and Specialized represent some of the most dramatic modernizations in the past two decades.
  • 1 0
 @R-M-R: yeah specialized updated in 2018 and then in 2019 yet again. Even longer and slacker. I think it was a fork rake issue for most. Specialized did try push it but there is a fine line for an actual enduro race bike as far as head angle and maneuverability goes.
  • 2 0
 Not to take away from anything but I believe in 2016 Martin Maes won on a GT Sanction in Finale Ligure Round 8 and Wyn won 2017 Rotorua Round 1 on the GT Sanction as well.

Sources:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2LvORleDTM

www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQ0xU_8L-Ao
  • 4 0
 The only thing I really took away from this article is that Cécile Ravanel is the most dominant athlete that the sport of enduro has every seen.
  • 5 0
 Cecile over here kicking some major ass good lord!
  • 5 0
 Looks like I have no chances on my YT
  • 5 0
 All I'm hearing is that Cecil Ravanel is amazing.
  • 3 0
 Ferrari won a lot of F1 races.......once.

These stats are meaningless in terms of determining what brand(s) make the best enduro bikes.
  • 2 0
 Isabeau rode the Carbine as well in the 2019 season. There's a Pinkbike bike check at EWS Whistler with it.

www.pinkbike.com/news/video-isabeau-courdurier-bike-check.html
  • 1 0
 What would really help is to put a Privateer on 5-6 of the top bikes and ride 3-4 different sections, both up and down.

It's OK saying "this bike won 22 races..." but with only 1 rider getting all 22 wins, that just tells us that rider is brilliant.

So lets see the top 5 bikes on this list, all tested back to back by a decent rider and thrown down some trails.
  • 1 0
 I fully agree with the other comments that ‘bikes don’t win races, people do’. However, if you are going to present data, wouldn’t it be a lot more accurate if you took into consideration the wins by representation in the field (i.e., devalue a bike’s win if it has multiple entries). I’m hoping smarter people than me who are good with numbers understand what I’m trying to explain. (Lol).
  • 1 0
 It makes me laugh when i see sb bragging about their new bike on fb knowing he cant ride for shit. Bike unless it has really messed up geo is just a tool and onky riders skill limits it. Look at Remy and what he did on stereo 170, who pinkbike community and experts think is rubbish bike. But if we took bike ouy of equasion, pinkbike and others would be left with no sponsors and content to post. Bike and equipement is important but it will not nake u a better rider in most cases.
  • 2 0
 I am proud to be on a Meta. Rode a Stumpjumper for a year and the Commencal excels at both ascension and descending. (They are a bit heavy tho)
  • 2 0
 me too...love my Meta 3
  • 3 0
 Can it really be counted as the same bike if it's been massively redesigned? See lapierre spicy for example
  • 2 0
 Yea the spicy since 2019 is pretty awesome and way better than previous frames
  • 3 0
 Correction to the 2016 Aspen results. Jared Graves was on a Stumpjumper, not an enduro.
  • 2 0
 this!!!
  • 1 1
 Is it really clever to count women victoires? I mean, each year there is like no match, we all know Lapierre will get almost all wins next year, as much as we knew it with Tracey or Cecile... Men competition is more incertain and you have riders able to win on almost every bike
  • 3 0
 Loved my SB6. such a good looking bike
  • 1 0
 And here I'm planning to get that 7k cad meta am 29 with kash goldilocks. When commencalcanada see's this they will bump the price again to 7500.
  • 2 0
 Next thing to nerd out on: How many of these wins increased bike sales for each brand?
  • 2 0
 It’s not the bike, it’s the rider.

The data clearly supports this fact.
  • 1 0
 Ha ha!!! Thank you Cécile Ravanel mostly. The bike is good, OK, but the pilot is..... extreeeemely good. I miss you Cécile Wink
  • 3 0
 I call BS. I have a Yeti and still haven't won an Enduro.
  • 4 0
 Well I have an Enduro and still haven’t won a Yeti so.....
  • 1 0
 @Ed Spratt There is a mistake at the rider and bike combo, it says RR won six times while the chart shows 7 as it's also noticed upper in the article
  • 2 0
 Most bike brands: You need a light carbon frame for moar speed

Commencal: hold my beer
  • 1 0
 Hmm, i always thought it boiled down to who was the least hungover (best mental/physical state) vs who was the drunkest (fearless) on raceday that determined the winner.
  • 1 0
 Would absolutely LOVE to see a swap and ride where riders just trade bikes of similar geo numbers and just have an exhibition race...
  • 1 0
 No Giant on any of the charts? Wow! Maybe downhill? Weird, largest bike manufacturer in the world... Why aren’t they winning more races?
  • 1 0
 I'm pretty sure I could put Ritchie Rude on my original early 90s Trek 930 and he would beat me by 20 minutes if I was on a 2021 decked out race whip.
  • 1 0
 @edspratt - Do you have the raw data for this? It would be cool to try and see if the performance of the rider and bike can be separated to any degree
  • 1 0
 Awesome, love these. If you guys are interested in help with interactive dashboards for this stuff hit me up. Need some portfolio projects, so happy to volunteer the time.
  • 1 0
 Proof that sometimes data is simply just that. Nascar wins are currently dominated by Ford, Chevrolet, and Toyota. Also, only Ford, Chevrolet, and Toyota race in nascar ????
  • 1 0
 Now if I could just get my hands on an enduro bike before I graduate high school
  • 3 1
 Glad Specialized won that one race so they can claim name.
  • 2 0
 It's the rider not the bike d'oh
  • 3 3
 So the bikes with the most wins are metal. Commercial who refuse to make the bikes out of plasticy carbon. So carbon isn't stronger, faster, lighter, better then????
  • 4 1
 If you want to win an article like this, you have to sign the dominant woman of that era.
  • 2 2
 @jaame: Don't need too
  • 3 0
 @jaame: this article shows whos better at signing the best athletes Smile
  • 4 0
 @p1nkbike: Maybe that's the real story here: How is Commencal so good at spotting enduro and DH talent and / or how do they so effectively allocate marketing funds to maximize return on investment?

Their formula for the bikes is pretty simple:

• Aluminum construction allows faster iteration to improve the product, especially on the DH bike
• Add enough material to ensure things don't break, with little regard for weight
• Geometry is slightly slacker than average
• Kinematic properties are safe, average values across the board
- Bold choice for a high pivot on the DH bike, but really, the bigger surprise is that more companies aren't doing this on bikes where weight and drivetrain efficiency are secondary
  • 2 0
 @R-M-R: carbon bikes companies generally test their design on aluminum frames before they eventually end up with carbon. I think commencal makes good bikes and has been lucky with their sponsorship. They made bet on lesser known athletes and it paid off.
  • 2 0
 @p1nkbike: Yes, I'm well aware of the design, development and manufacturing process. Wink

Carbon tooling costs a fortune and usually inhibits the ability to iterate. It's not a good look for a company to be selling a top-dollar carbon frame, while the racers are on aluminum prototypes! If the flagship products are aluminum, it's easy to make small changes without damaging the marketing of the consumer products - often without consumers even knowing. Carbon does allow inconspicuous changes to the lay-up and sometimes also to linkages or head-tube angles, but there's still pressure to delay model revision cycles to amortize the capital costs over a longer period.
  • 2 0
 @R-M-R: one could argue that they sponsor so many riders/teams that it's almost impossible for them to not get a result at some point. Cecile was well established as the second/third best in the world behind Tracy and ACC and she was on GT at the time. Imo the Cecile sponsorship was not lightning in a bottle, they knew exactly what they were getting. More of getting the right rider and being lucky with timing. In a way you are right though in that they do seem to find the right rider at the right time more often than others (seems like specialized, trek and GT give away the right rider at the right time more often then not). And yes, they're currently freaking loaded on talent in the DH world.
  • 2 0
 @Trudeez: Exactly. Sometimes they find emerging talent and sometimes they catch good riders who are about to become great ... or maybe it really is the bike!
  • 2 0
 @R-M-R: lol I know you’re smarter than that! Imagine if she’d stayed put at GT and then we would all be here talking about how incredible the Sanction and Force are and that Martin, Wyn, and Cecile have dominated on it. And, that commencal make decent, affordable bikes but that they sure could use that big SIGNATURE win under their belt to confirm them as a builder. It’s fun to think in *what ifs* sometimes.
  • 2 0
 @Trudeez: Of course I don't really think the bikes have elevated these amazing riders, though I do think the bikes are above-average. There are always a few bikes that are clearly not ideal, resulting in off-axis headsets, custom links, up-sized frames with too-short droppers, floating brakes, improvised mullet wheels, etc.; Commencal does not appear to suffer from this, so the bikes are at least not a hindrance.

I think the DH frame suffered a few "teething pains" when the high-pivot design launched - specifically, flex in the rear triangle and an overly flat motion ratio curve. Commencal was, as usual, quick to iterate, with a new swingarm or two (was there also a stiffened front triangle?), several rocker links, and air shocks available to the teams. With those issues presumably sorted, the Supreme is likely one of the fastest bikes out there. Again, no bike could account for the dominance of Pierron and Ravanel, or the overall strength of the team, but we can be pretty sure the bikes weren't holding anyone back.

So, we're left to explain the majority of Commencal's success via random chance, scouting skill, an exceptionally high budget, and / or a constructive team environment.
  • 1 1
 That fact is all.... The metal bike wins. And that's is dandy in the face of the carbon onslaught
  • 2 0
 @MattP76: Is it really a "carbon onslaught"? Aluminum bikes have always been available and we've never been obligated to buy carbon. If we don't like the price of carbon, don't buy it. The presence of carbon hasn't driven up the price of aluminum - if anything, it's driven aluminum frame prices down, as they're no longer the top-tier offerings. The existence of a higher-priced option doesn't change the properties of the more affordable option, it only annoys those who have a "gotta have the best" mentality when "the best" becomes less affordable.

There are some disappointing examples from companies with both a carbon and aluminum option of the same bike, in which the aluminum option is extremely heavy. This could be due to:

• Branding efforts to make the aluminum model look the same as the carbon, which may not suit aluminum manufacturing
• A need to make the aluminum option significantly cheaper, resulting in crude materials and manufacturing
• A need to create a significant performance difference between the premium and basic tier offerings, resulting in the aluminum frame being a lot heavier than it could've been for a small increase in cost

Solution: Don't buy those disappointing examples! There are plenty of aluminum frames at reasonable (for the bike industry) prices with performance that partially overlaps the carbon end of the spectrum. Get yourself a direct-to-consumer aluminum frame, spec it with RockShox Select+ suspension and Deore components, and you'll have a bike that's close to carbon superbike performance (albeit a few pounds heavier) at less than half the price.
  • 1 1
 @R-M-R:

You have raised some very good points and you have stated lots of reasons that justify my hatred for carbon.

Firstly, we are being ripped off for the stuff. It's around 70 years old yet we still get fed the bullsh*t line "it's labour intensive you know" it's utter bollox. I rode a carbon super bike on a demo day which was well over double the price of my high spec, strong, durable, dependable aluminum bike. It rode 5% better at the most!!!! It was a little bit stiffer!! If it's double the price I expect it to ride twice as good but it just doesn't its a rip off.

Also, this absolute total utter lie that carbon is stronger. In the REAL world with REAL riding it isn't and NEVER has been. In fact it is actually weaker. I have seen, witnessed and experienced this on many occasions in my 30 years of riding. What is worst there are always god knows how many excuses as to why it fails. "It was a pre production model", "The layer up was done incorrectly, it won't happen again", "It was the wrong type of riding ". The worst is....." "You over tightened the bolts!!" if carbon is stronger it should not make the blindest bit of difference if you over tighten the bolts. I've been doing that for 30 years on metal components and never had a failure as a result. The fact is it is never the fault of the carbon as the industry would have to admit it has told lies for years and years.

It's getting a real shame that metal bikes are becoming less and less nowadays and I applaud people like Commencal, Cotic, Banshee etc who refuse to use the bloody stuff.

So despite that will go against everyone who are fans of the black plasticy stuff I don't care. I will never buy anything carbon on a Mountain Bike (maybe a bottle holder) and Mountain Bikes should be made of metal as far as I am concerned.
  • 2 0
 @MattP76: I disagree with many of your points, but I may agree with your underlying sentiment.

The big picture is that every top-of-the-line product is deep into the territory of diminishing returns. A multi-million-dollar "hypercar" isn't several times better than a half-million-dollar "supercar". The former surely has a load of cutting-edge technology, but in terms of the actual experience of ownership, it's likely at $50,000 Caterham Super 7 is more enjoyable. There are many motivations, though. Some people are satisfied with what the product does in realistic situations; these people would be happy with a good, modestly-priced option. Some people appreciate technology for its own sake. Others are insecure they may be missing out if they don't have "the best". These latter groups are less concerned about the same metrics for return on investment that you may value.

As you discovered in your test ride on a superbike, there's a lot more to a bike than what it's made from. The right geometry and the right suspension properties are paramount, and there are component upgrades with higher return on investment than frame material. Carbon frames do have the potential to offer higher performance, but only once some other items have been addressed.

Failure rates for carbon and aluminum frames are in the same ballpark. Neither is impervious to damage, and neither is failing at an alarming rate. Some specific bikes have high failure rates, but that's due to the design or the manufacturing, not the material.

I'm not sure I agree that metal bikes are becoming scarce. Most companies that offer carbon frames also offer aluminum frames. For every carbon-only frame, there's usually an aluminum frame available from a different brand with similar fit and kinematics.

I think we'll see a lot more carbon when additive manufacturing matures. It will eventually reach a point where the equipment and software will become affordable for "garage builders" or even home hobbyists, leading to profound changes in the industry.
  • 2 0
 @R-M-R: For the first time ever on here I have a someone who I can reason with and appreciate the feedback and debate. You raised very good points. Thank you.
  • 2 0
 @MattP76: Salute
  • 1 0
 I would prefer to buy alloy because carbon isn't worth the extra in terms of performance. I really want a Specialized Enduro but they don't come in metal, and aren't likely to by the sound of it.
  • 2 0
 It’s not the bikes winning races, but who’s on them.
  • 1 0
 Cécile Ravanel is the most successful enduro bike. Doesn't matter what rider the bike rides!
  • 2 0
 Just ordered a Meta. You should see me on the EWS podium next season.
  • 1 0
 "the most successful company at signing best athletes"

answer: commencal Smile
  • 1 0
 Santa Cruz didn't make the list. Wins definitely do not coincide with popularity of the bikes.
  • 2 1
 People are winning races on aluminum bikes but the industry is telling us carbon is faster. Hmmmmm....
  • 1 0
 @edspratt the first bar graph doesn't match the article... at least the yeti portion.
  • 2 1
 There was that one time Graves and Rude failed a drug test. Masking agents yo. Poopoopeepoop, ya f'd up.
  • 2 0
 Aluminum bikes do win races......
  • 1 0
 There is a mistake on the winner, it's not a COMMENCAL META, it's a RAVANEL META !
  • 1 0
 This is a good advertisement for Commencal! I'm 6'2" but Im going to order a medium meta so I can be as fast as Cecile
  • 1 0
 So great to look through various years of bikes, see the stats. Please do this for XCO!
  • 1 0
 So Yeti is really the only winning brand that wasn't completely tied to one rider's results?
  • 1 0
 i expected more from the nukeproof and pivot teams
  • 1 0
 A lot to do with sports marketing budgets. Wink
  • 1 0
 Santa Cruz not won anything, surprising ,do they not have a team ?
  • 3 0
 They have a team, just not one that is winning EWS races.

www.santacruzbicycles.com/en-US/santa-cruz-enduro
  • 3 0
 They haven't really had a top tier EWS rider since Cederic and Jamie - and even then both of them were getting toward the end of their racing days. Both guys were plenty competetive on SC bikes 6-8 years ago but then they were also a few years older than the top of the field. Now they have Iago and Mark and neither of them are that close to the top (I think Mark has a few top 10s), so they wouldn't be winning on another brand anyway. And then you have the one-offs where Loosedawg, Sambo or formerly Ratboy will enter an enduro and get 70th place. But none of those riders are real enduro racers anyway, they just ride and have fun. I'd be willing to bet that if you stuck a top rider on their bikes they would prove plenty fast. I definitely feel like the funnel the massive majority of their resources to WCDH though vs EWS.
  • 1 0
 @Trudeez: seems mad, half the bikes i see out and about are nomads or megas
  • 1 0
 Annnnnnnd bookmarking for next seasons PB race trivia.
  • 1 0
 Graves won Aspen on a stumpy FYI
  • 1 2
 How is this the first time I've ever heard of the bike brand Lapierre? Well aware of all the other top performers. Anyone else share this sentiment?
  • 1 0
 This calms down my "new bike need" while looking at my good old SB6C
  • 1 0
 Andorra is the real power in producing fast bikes.
  • 1 0
 Can racing start now, please!
  • 1 0
 Since we're "nerding out", it's Ibis Mojo HD, not Mojo.
  • 1 0
 Commercial rock simples
  • 1 2
 Must be a light news day







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