KJP1230

@KolaPanda: Get outta here with that sensible approach to deferring one’s instinct to generate an uninformed opinion! Seriously though, I cannot figure out the rage. As someone who went straight from 26” bikes to 29” wheels for my enduro/park bike (and never looked back), I don’t get the rage. For some people, and some uses, different wheel sizes are a meaningful tool. If I were to ride a 32” wheel on a DH bike and it made me faster, I’d ride it. Meanwhile, I doubt the MX and 27.5” setup options are going away.

I largely agree, but the other measurement we've dialed in is stack height as well. For a lot of us, it turns out that higher stack and ultimate grip height creates a much better descending stance. Less mandatory hip hinge when you can afford to more evenly weight the wheels, and more ability to exert force into the front wheel on command.

And here I am just hoping that there was going to be any glimmer of speculation about a new Specialized Enduro. I love how this one used to be a regular feature in the yearly prediction roundups. It feels like even the editors have given up.

I go the other way with this. When you look at the efficiency loss vs. bike travel topic, tire compound and tread and rim weight spec make up the majority of the efficiency difference. If your terrain and riding style suits fairly aggressive tires, you may as well go for a bit of extra travel in my view. Bikes tend also to become more "alive" and feel more agile if you are comfortable carrying more speed as well. Is 170mm overkill for regular blue trails? Kinda. But it does allow me to essentially smash through rocky sections, and I don't seem to have any trouble jibbing/jumping (I take this bike to local dirt jumps occasionally now). But that same bike also performs admirably on blacks and bike park days, and I can be confident it will hold up to any abuse I can throw at it.

A bike to take all the "sting" out of easier trails.

I have had the pleasure of owning a total of 7 full suspension bikes in the all-mountain/enduro bikes over my mountain bike career, and I have also ridden a handful of other designs at bike parks and industry events. The current gen Specialized Enduro is simply exceptional. Still modern geo? Check (yes, it could use a degree of STA and +20mm stack). Long-ish chainstays with somewhat rearward axle path? Check. Phenomenal kinematics, including a terrific leverage rate curve, stable anti-rise, and very sporty anti-squat? Check. That bike is somehow still in the prime of its career and fully modern, and also belongs in the bike-design Hall of Fame. I struggle to think of another bike that is so capable from trail to full-on DH. Sure, it's not perfect at either end of that spectrum, but it performs really admirably throughout.

So you spend more money and the vast majority of the weight savings comes from a less expensive dropper post, less capable tires, and a smaller battery. Brilliant. I can only imagine that the Product Managers are paid a performance incentive both on the relative cost savings AND the margin of these bikes being sold. But hey, people will buy it because they've indexed onto build weight and "ooooo, it's shiny!" I suspect the people buying this bike also need not worry about the smaller battery anyway.

I am sure there are other great pedals, but I will never know because I don't plan to ever leave T-Macs. I am on a current set for 6 full seasons on a bike that does both trail and bike park days. The T-Macs still spin about as well as they did on day one, and despite having longer crank arms (175) and bashing them recklessly, all the pins are still intact. When a product works that well, there's simply no reason for me to look elsewhere. No notes, no improvements desired.

So many words, and yet no information on: Pedal Dimensions Number of Pins Concavity Amazing. Literally the only attributes of a pedal that matter (aside, maybe, from price) and its just a bunch of marketing lingo with no specs. All this from a high end company that appeals to fairly serious riders.

Overall, I find that somewhat higher bar/stack heigh actually allows me to get weight on the front wheel more easily. I feel as if a smaller absolute weight shift from center-of-mass actually pushes more force into the front wheel. What I think is happening is that I am a.) more confident in the more centered/upright position, and b.) I am more able to selectively change relative mass-bearing load split between my legs vs. my arms with a higher overall body position. Now the caveat is that this is probably a benefit for riders who are generally more muscular. But this ability to transfer the load split between arms/legs makes me feel like I can actively apply more force into the bars dynamically, without actually shifting my center-of-mass as much. Overall, I like it and I haven't found the limit just yet.