Is The Enduro The Ultimate Quiver-Killer?

For years, the biking industry has been on the hunt for one bike that can do it all: A mountain bike that’s capable of shredding downhills, staying nimble in the air, handling technical sections, and climbing back up to the top without punishing our lungs. 

If you know anything about bikes, you’ll understand the inherent difficulty of such a task. How can a bike be cushy enough for fast downhill runs and stiff enough for efficient uphill pedaling? How could its geometry possibly be set up for cross country, downhill, and all-mountain in one? How could you get a full-suspension gnar chomper that weighed less than a downhill bike?

Enter the Enduro. 

Arising from the sport of enduro racing, which is a happy compromise between the adrenaline-soaked insanity of downhill racing and the Life-Is-Suffering zen of XC racing, the enduro bike can truly do it all with very few compromises. As in, take it to the park, and you’ll be able to get down just about any trail on the mountain. Take it to the XC trails, and you’ll be keeping up with all but the most hardcore riders.

To explain what sets this beast apart, we’ll make our case in three bikes:

Specialized Enduro Comp

The Enduro is the perfect example of how engineers being honest with themselves is the surest way to success. After taking their concepts to the trails for tireless testing, they arrived at a bike that incorporated a surprising amount of DH inspiration from the company’s Demo (which is a World Championship winner).

The Enduro Comp features 29ers, 170mm of RockShox suspension front and rear, and SRAM Code R brakes to stop you on a dime. Read that last sentence, and you might think we were discussing a downhill bike. But no, this thing was made for climbing as well. With an SRAM NX Eagle drivetrain and Butcher tires, as well as perfect rider stance for uphill efficiency, you’re a climbing beast.

Santa Cruz Nomad CC XX1 Coil Reserve

The Nomad CC XX1 is another example of an all-around renaissance bike. Built for precision and extreme agility, this 170mm-travel bike says goodbye to the days of sluggish downhill performance. Instead, you’ve got a completely fearless carbon CC frame, a lively Fox 36 Float factory fork, and a RockShox Reverb dropper post to handle every trail angle.

Climbing comes easily with a 12-speed SRAM X01 AXS electronic drivetrain. The stiffness of the Hydra hubs and Santa Cruz’s Reserve 30 Carbon Rims makes any trail bend to your will, regardless of whether you’re bombing over a rock garden or huffing it up-mountain in granny gear.

Juliana Maverick C S

Juliana’s Maverick C S is our third and final case study, and what a fascinating one it is. With unnerving confidence, the Juliana steps forward and presents us with 145-150mm of travel.

Not enough travel, you say? Hardly. The Maverick’s 29-inch wheels providing roll-over-anything confidence. A flip-chip lets you adjust the height of your bottom bracket and head tube angle, and the FOX 36 Float Performance fork couples with a RockShox Super Deluxe Select+ rear shock to gulp down whatever roots and rocks stand in your way. Get back to the top of the mountain with the ultra-smooth and efficient SRAM GX 12-speed drivetrain.

There’s no need to compromise. Pick out the enduro bike of your dreams at Mike’s Bikes.

About Mike’s Bikes: Mike’s Bikes is a growing family of local bike shops, all with a singular purpose - to get as many people on bikes as possible. We locally own and operate twelve wildly successful stores in Northern California. In addition to our brick-and-mortar shops, mikesbikes.com is one of the top online bicycle ret