www.specializedbikes.com
Price: $4,699
Weight: N/A
Components: SRAM X.0, Shimano and Magura Marta
Frame & Fork: Enduro FACT M9 carbon front triangle, Az1
construction, M5 rear triangle
and full cartridge bearing pivots. Specialized Future Shock E150 SL, dual crown with integrated stem
Geometry: 67°/71.9° (head/seat)
Sizes: S, M, L and XL (medium tested)
Comments: Back to the backcountry for Specialized’s Enduro SL line.

It was 1999, Y2K had the world gripped in fear, the human population surpassed six billion and Specialized entered into a new realm of mountain biking with the launch of the Enduro Pro. Mountain biking was heading into the backcountry, far from Y2K issues and the roadside trailheads accessed by billions, and into uncharted serenity. The original Enduro Pro was Specialized’s attempt at conquering these brave and burley new worlds. The Enduro (with its low-slung, V-shaped top tube; beefy frame; 4.6″ of Horst Link travel and unmistakable moto appeal) launched Specialized deep into the realm of “all-mountain.”

For some, the Enduro got caught up in the freeride big-hit stunt craze and was mutated into a rig more suited to a chairlift or SUV to get it to the sweet spots. But Specialized listens when we whine loud enough about our special needs, and the result, in this case, was the rebirth of the Enduro in all its “all-mountain” glory! Specialized has Slim-Fast’ed the Enduro Pro back down to a healthy 20-something poundage (27 lbs. for the S-Works Carbon) and completely redesigned the suspension system. Weight savings are found throughout the entire bike, including the wheels, tires, cranks, saddle and the FACT M9 front carbon triangle with M5 rear triangle. Full cartridge bearing pivots allow smooth articulation within its 150mm (6″) of travel, and Specialized’s proprietary AFR Shock and the E150 FutureShock provide incredible stiffness-to-weight ratio. Of course, the big story with the Enduro focuses on that new suspension, and the new Rocker design that is complements of suspension guru Mike McAndrews.

Up front, the dual triple-clamp design of the E150 looks heavy, but has been tweaked light by integrating the stem into the top crown and by integrating the fork chassis and 25mm thin-wall axle. (Stems are available in 60-, 75-, 90- and 105mm-length options upon purchase.) Another standout feature on the E150 is the gossamer in-line arch, which looks like it would shred the knobs off of any tire over 2.1, but minimizes flex with very little weight and can apparently take a 2.5 tire. The back end of the Enduro has also seen some major upgrades, thanks to McAndrews, but maintains the tried-and-true Horst link. The AFR Shock features L-Vas (Large Volume air spring) damping to handle small bumps, offer a consistent feel in the mid-stroke and to prevent bottoming out. It also has the proprietary Spike Valve (also found in the E150 up front), which prevents fork compression during slow-speed impacts, but maximizes travel during high-speed impacts (such as drops).

Specialized has also loaded the Enduro SL line with a ton of high-end components. The SL Carbon Pro features Magura Marta hydraulic disc brakes with a 203mm rotor up front and a 180 out back for some impressive stopping power, SRAM X.0 carbon/aluminum trigger nine-speed levers with long-cage p rear derailleur and a Shimano Deore XT top swing, dual-pull front derailleur (mounted directly to two bolt holes on the chainstay yolk rather than the standard seat tube mount), a Thomson 7000 series aluminum seatpost and Specialized BG Rival saddle, and a Shimano M-760 XT Hollowtech II two-piece crank/BB. Wheels are made up of DT Swiss XR 4.2D rims, a DT Swiss Custom SL rear hub and a Specialized Stout disc, sealed cartridge bearing, 25mm thru axle front, and

Specialized Resolution Pro 26×2.3″ 120TPI tires. See, the gossamer arch will take a 2.3!
I had the opportunity to test the Enduro SL in the mountainous terrain of Bavaria, Germany, where conditions were very similar to the backcountry I’ve experienced here in North America. The Enduro performed much better than expected, especially on the climbs – the back end did not feel at all sluggish and I did some long, steep climbs on this puppy. The descents were what you’d expect from a Specialized Enduro – wicked fast and fun.

The suspension performed extremely well, and while I heard of some issues with suspension noise, I experienced none on the test bike. The only issue I had with the E150 was on slow-speed hairpin corners, not something you come across a lot.

All in all, Specialized has created a do-it-all, all-day-long machine. Whether it needed a proprietary suspension system to do it is still up for debate, but the beauty of it is that you get one on any of the six Enduro SL models in the lineup. Prices range from mid-$2,000 for the aluminum models to high-end $7,000 for the S-Works SL Carbon. Lots of choices, lots of bike!