The first stop of the 2016 Big Mountain Enduro returned to New Mexico for the first time since the 2013 series opener. The event was held in conjunction with the Outside Bikes and Brews festival in Santa Fe. Actual racing occurred 20 minutes outside Santa Fe at the Glorieta Camps. The race featured four stages in the rugged Sangre de Cristo Mountains that would see racers tackling over 7500 feet of climbing on the transitions. The transitions and timed stages together totaled just over 35 miles for an incredibly long and big day on the bike.
Reigning Enduro World Series champion Richie Rude of Yeti Cycles notched another impressive win, with Adam Craig (Giant) and Scott Countryman (FlagBikeRev/KonaBike/MRP) rounding out the podium. In the women's pro category Cooper Dendel (Honey Stinger/Bontrager) initially took victory by 0.75 seconds with a total time of 44.15.87. But later it declared that Marin rider Anne Galyean actually tied Dendel for first. Alexandra Pavon (Flag Bike Rev/Juliana) was third. (See full pro men's results here and full pro women's results here.)
Mtbr contributing photographer Eddie Clark got an up close look at the top bikes from the race, and one very interesting new helmet (see above).
Richie Rude opened up his winning account with his first BME victory of the season aboard his Yeti SB5.5c. (click to enlarge) Photo by Eddie Clark/www.eddieclarkmedia.com
Richie Rude's bike of choice for this long race was the Yeti SB5.5C (size large) with its 29-inch wheels that has 140mm of rear (Fox Float X) travel and 160mm of front (Fox 36) travel. For the most part, this bike is pretty much what you would get straight from the bike shop if you bought the top of the line build minus the ENVE wheels. A notable difference is the OneUp Components 32 tooth round chainring and chain guide that differs from a stock Shimano XTR setup (click to enlarge). Photo by Eddie Clark/www.eddieclarkmedia.com
The No. 1 plate goes to Richie Rude of Yeti Cycles, who also happens to be the fastest enduro racer in the world at the moment. Steering is handled with Renthal Fatbar Lite Carbon bars, Renthal Apex stem and Ergon GE1 grips. On top of it all sits a Garmin 510 for tracking his ride (click to enlarge). Photo by Eddie Clark/www.eddieclarkmedia.com
Braking is done with a combination of four piston Shimano Saint calipers that are actuated by Shimano XTR levers with 180mm Shimano IceTech rotors front and rear (click to enlarge). Photo by Eddie Clark/www.eddieclarkmedia.com
When you're the reigning EWS World Champion, you get a custom saddle. A Fox dropper post gets the saddle down and out of the way (click to enlarge). Photo by Eddie Clark/www.eddieclarkmedia.com
Both wheels spin on DT Swiss 350 hubs that are laced to 28 hole DT Swiss EX471 alloy rims, and are driven by a Shimano 1x11 XTR drivetrain (click to enlarge). Photo by Eddie Clark/www.eddieclarkmedia.com
Adam Craig getting rowdy aboard his Giant Trance just before the big drop at the finale to stage four where he would seal up second place overall (click to enlarge). Photo by Eddie Clark/www.eddieclarkmedia.com
Craig's Trance is running all SRAM XX1 1x11 drivetrain with a 34 tooth chainring. Chain retention is beefed up with an MRP chain guide (click to enlarge). Photo by Eddie Clark/www.eddieclarkmedia.com
For pedals, Craig relies on the new HT T1 clipless model that feature a smaller and lighter cage with two replaceable pins on the toe side of the spindle (click to enlarge). Photo by Eddie Clark/www.eddieclarkmedia.com
Continue to page 2 for more of the fastest bikes from Big Mountain Enduro No. 1 »
Cooper Dendel recently moved to Colorado with a cross country race background, and was a bit of a dark horse coming into this race as she hadn't competed in any notably large enduro races before. With her first place in a very competitive pro field, she will be one to watch at future races (click to enlarge). Photo by Eddie Clark/www.eddieclarkmedia.com
Cooper Dendel's 29'er Trek Remedy 9.8 is just her second enduro bike, and practically an entirely stock bike (click to enlarge). Photo by Eddie Clark/www.eddieclarkmedia.com
Dendel's drivetrain is all Shimano XT with a 36-26 double front chainring and XT trail pedals (click to enlarge). Photo by Eddie Clark/www.eddieclarkmedia.com
Steering is handled with a Bontrager carbon bar and Bontrager stem combination (click to enlarge). Photo by Eddie Clark/www.eddieclarkmedia.com
Front suspension is taken care of with a Fox 36. The front tire is a Bontrager SE5 2.3" (click to enlarge). Photo by Eddie Clark/www.eddieclarkmedia.com
Anne Galyean of Marin Bikes missed out on the top step by one hundredth of a second which she attributed to a crash on stage 4. (She was later moved up to a tie for first.) Her Marin Attack Trail Pro 27.5-inch wheeled bike with 160mm of rear travel worked without fault throughout the long day. As an asthmatic downhiller, Anne relies on extra gears and runs a Shimano 2x11 drivetrain with a 36-26 front chain ring combo (click to enlarge). Photo by Eddie Clark/www.eddieclarkmedia.com
Galyean runs a Deity bar and stem cockpit with a full Shimano XT brake and drivetrain build (click to enlarge). Photo by Eddie Clark/www.eddieclarkmedia.com
New for this year is the SR Suntour Durolox set at 170mm (it can be dialed from 160-180mm travel) with 36mm stanchions, and it has an RTC2 cartridge that has high and low speed compression as well as high and low speed rebound adjustments. It also features a removable and fully integrated mud guard, and a 20mm thru-axle. Also notable is the 203mm rotor up front (click to enlarge). Photo by Eddie Clark/www.eddieclarkmedia.com
Anne got a custom color coordinated saddle from WTB for this season (click to enlarge). Photo by Eddie Clark/www.eddieclarkmedia.com
Seat dropper duties are handled by a KS Lev dropper post. Like many racers, Anne carried an extra bottle in addition to her Shimano hydration pack for the long day (click to enlarge). Photo by Eddie Clark/www.eddieclarkmedia.com
Continue to page 3 for more of the fastest bikes from Big Mountain Enduro No. 1 »
The Sqweeb was raced to first place in the Vet 30+ Expert class by Oskar Blues Brewery Marketing Director Chad Melis. It was literally a trial by fire for this bike as it was the first time the bike had been ridden hard in the terrain that it was built for, and it passed the test with flying colors (click to enlarge). Photo by Eddie Clark/www.eddieclarkmedia.com
Perhaps one of the most unique bikes at the race was the one-off prototype REEB Cycles Sqweeb 29'er. Known for their all American sourced and handmade steel 29'er hard tale frames, the Sqweeb is their first ever full suspension mountain bike (click to enlarge). Photo by Eddie Clark/www.eddieclarkmedia.com
Each REEB frame gets a custom head badge, and alloy SMAC bars (click to enlarge). Photo by Eddie Clark/www.eddieclarkmedia.com
Suspension is handled with an MRP Raze 2CR coil-over rear shock for 135mm of travel for the party in the back, and a 140mm MRP Stage fork handles the business up front. The head tube angle is 67 degrees, and the seat tube angle is 75 degrees (click to enlarge). Photo by Eddie Clark/www.eddieclarkmedia.com
The rear suspension is a Horst-Link design, and the chainstay length is the same as their signature 29'er hard-tale at 434mm for agile handling and minimal chain growth. Other notable specs include newer Boost dimensions for the rear dropouts, and a Syntace rear dropout/derailleur hanger. The frame was built with 6061 aluminum to be a burly frame for testing, but production tubing will most likely be lighter 7000 series aluminum. All of the design work and linkage machining was done in-house at the REEB production facility in Longmont, CO, and production models will also have a different tube set in the rear after further testing a design refinement are complete. Photo by Eddie Clark/www.eddieclarkmedia.com
REEB is beer spelled backwards, which is fitting considering Oskar Blues Brewery is the parent company (click to enlarge). Photo by Eddie Clark/www.eddieclarkmedia.com
Reigning Enduro World Series champion Richie Rude of Yeti Cycles notched another impressive win, with Adam Craig (Giant) and Scott Countryman (FlagBikeRev/KonaBike/MRP) rounding out the podium. In the women's pro category Cooper Dendel (Honey Stinger/Bontrager) initially took victory by 0.75 seconds with a total time of 44.15.87. But later it declared that Marin rider Anne Galyean actually tied Dendel for first. Alexandra Pavon (Flag Bike Rev/Juliana) was third. (See full pro men's results here and full pro women's results here.)
Mtbr contributing photographer Eddie Clark got an up close look at the top bikes from the race, and one very interesting new helmet (see above).
Richie Rude opened up his winning account with his first BME victory of the season aboard his Yeti SB5.5c. (click to enlarge) Photo by Eddie Clark/www.eddieclarkmedia.com
Richie Rude's bike of choice for this long race was the Yeti SB5.5C (size large) with its 29-inch wheels that has 140mm of rear (Fox Float X) travel and 160mm of front (Fox 36) travel. For the most part, this bike is pretty much what you would get straight from the bike shop if you bought the top of the line build minus the ENVE wheels. A notable difference is the OneUp Components 32 tooth round chainring and chain guide that differs from a stock Shimano XTR setup (click to enlarge). Photo by Eddie Clark/www.eddieclarkmedia.com
The No. 1 plate goes to Richie Rude of Yeti Cycles, who also happens to be the fastest enduro racer in the world at the moment. Steering is handled with Renthal Fatbar Lite Carbon bars, Renthal Apex stem and Ergon GE1 grips. On top of it all sits a Garmin 510 for tracking his ride (click to enlarge). Photo by Eddie Clark/www.eddieclarkmedia.com
Braking is done with a combination of four piston Shimano Saint calipers that are actuated by Shimano XTR levers with 180mm Shimano IceTech rotors front and rear (click to enlarge). Photo by Eddie Clark/www.eddieclarkmedia.com
[IMG alt="New for 2016 is the Maxxis Aggressor 2.35" enduro specific rear tire that features the new Double Down sidewall technology. Essentially, Double Down is a downhill-light sidewall built specifically for the rigors of enduro racing. It has two 120 TPI casing layers reinforced with a butyl insert. The tread itself is a bit faster rolling than say a Minion DHR2, but still has meaty corner knobs. Up front, Richie is running a classic but proven 2.5" Maxxis Minion DHF. Photo by Eddie Clark/www.eddieclarkmedia.com"]https://reviews.mtbr.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/EClark_160522_5738.jpg[/IMG]
New for 2016 is the Maxxis Aggressor 2.30" enduro specific rear tire that features the new Double Down sidewall technology. Essentially, Double Down is a downhill-light sidewall built specifically for the rigors of enduro racing. It has two 120 TPI casing layers reinforced with a butyl insert. The tread itself is a bit faster rolling than say a Minion DHR II, but still has meaty corner knobs. Up front, Richie is running a classic but proven 2.5" Maxxis Minion DHF (click to enlarge). Photo by Eddie Clark/www.eddieclarkmedia.com
New for 2016 is the Maxxis Aggressor 2.30" enduro specific rear tire that features the new Double Down sidewall technology. Essentially, Double Down is a downhill-light sidewall built specifically for the rigors of enduro racing. It has two 120 TPI casing layers reinforced with a butyl insert. The tread itself is a bit faster rolling than say a Minion DHR II, but still has meaty corner knobs. Up front, Richie is running a classic but proven 2.5" Maxxis Minion DHF (click to enlarge). Photo by Eddie Clark/www.eddieclarkmedia.com
When you're the reigning EWS World Champion, you get a custom saddle. A Fox dropper post gets the saddle down and out of the way (click to enlarge). Photo by Eddie Clark/www.eddieclarkmedia.com
Both wheels spin on DT Swiss 350 hubs that are laced to 28 hole DT Swiss EX471 alloy rims, and are driven by a Shimano 1x11 XTR drivetrain (click to enlarge). Photo by Eddie Clark/www.eddieclarkmedia.com
Adam Craig getting rowdy aboard his Giant Trance just before the big drop at the finale to stage four where he would seal up second place overall (click to enlarge). Photo by Eddie Clark/www.eddieclarkmedia.com
[IMG alt="Adam Craig chose to race his 27.5" wheeled Giant Trance with 140mm of rear travel and 150mm of front travel for its spirited snappy performance. While his RockShox Monarch Plus RC3 rear shock sports a sticker with his name on it, the shock itself is stock as is the RockShox Pike fork. Photo by Eddie Clark/www.eddieclarkmedia.com"]https://reviews.mtbr.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/EClark_160521_4482.jpg[/IMG]
Adam Craig chose to race his 27.5" wheeled Giant Trance with 140mm of rear travel and 150mm of front travel for its spirited snappy performance. While his RockShox Monarch Plus RC3 rear shock sports a sticker with his name on it, the shock itself is stock as is the RockShox Pike fork (click to enlarge). Photo by Eddie Clark/www.eddieclarkmedia.com
Adam Craig chose to race his 27.5" wheeled Giant Trance with 140mm of rear travel and 150mm of front travel for its spirited snappy performance. While his RockShox Monarch Plus RC3 rear shock sports a sticker with his name on it, the shock itself is stock as is the RockShox Pike fork (click to enlarge). Photo by Eddie Clark/www.eddieclarkmedia.com
Craig's Trance is running all SRAM XX1 1x11 drivetrain with a 34 tooth chainring. Chain retention is beefed up with an MRP chain guide (click to enlarge). Photo by Eddie Clark/www.eddieclarkmedia.com
[IMG alt="For tires, Craig ran a Schwalbe 2.35" Nobby Nic in the rear, and a 2.35" Magic Mary up front. Both tires have the lighter weight Snakeskin Trail sidewalls, and are mounted on SRAM Roam 50 wheels. Braking is handled with SRAM Guide brakes and 180mm rotors for front and rear. Photo by Eddie Clark/www.eddieclarkmedia.com"]https://reviews.mtbr.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/EClark_160521_4489.jpg[/IMG]
For tires, Craig ran a Schwalbe 2.35" Nobby Nic in the rear, and a 2.35" Magic Mary up front. Both tires have the lighter weight Snakeskin Trail sidewalls, and are mounted on SRAM Roam 50 wheels. Braking is handled with SRAM Guide brakes and 180mm rotors for front and rear (click to enlarge). Photo by Eddie Clark/www.eddieclarkmedia.com
For tires, Craig ran a Schwalbe 2.35" Nobby Nic in the rear, and a 2.35" Magic Mary up front. Both tires have the lighter weight Snakeskin Trail sidewalls, and are mounted on SRAM Roam 50 wheels. Braking is handled with SRAM Guide brakes and 180mm rotors for front and rear (click to enlarge). Photo by Eddie Clark/www.eddieclarkmedia.com
For pedals, Craig relies on the new HT T1 clipless model that feature a smaller and lighter cage with two replaceable pins on the toe side of the spindle (click to enlarge). Photo by Eddie Clark/www.eddieclarkmedia.com
Continue to page 2 for more of the fastest bikes from Big Mountain Enduro No. 1 »
Cooper Dendel recently moved to Colorado with a cross country race background, and was a bit of a dark horse coming into this race as she hadn't competed in any notably large enduro races before. With her first place in a very competitive pro field, she will be one to watch at future races (click to enlarge). Photo by Eddie Clark/www.eddieclarkmedia.com
Cooper Dendel's 29'er Trek Remedy 9.8 is just her second enduro bike, and practically an entirely stock bike (click to enlarge). Photo by Eddie Clark/www.eddieclarkmedia.com
Dendel's drivetrain is all Shimano XT with a 36-26 double front chainring and XT trail pedals (click to enlarge). Photo by Eddie Clark/www.eddieclarkmedia.com
Steering is handled with a Bontrager carbon bar and Bontrager stem combination (click to enlarge). Photo by Eddie Clark/www.eddieclarkmedia.com
Front suspension is taken care of with a Fox 36. The front tire is a Bontrager SE5 2.3" (click to enlarge). Photo by Eddie Clark/www.eddieclarkmedia.com
[IMG alt="This bike isn't just a race bike, it's a daily driver, and the well worn Bontrager SE3 2.3" rear tire is proof you don't have to be a fully sponsored pro to get onto the pro podium. Photo by Eddie Clark/www.eddieclarkmedia.com"]https://reviews.mtbr.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/EClark_160522_5760.jpg[/IMG]
This bike isn't just a race bike, it's a daily driver, and the well worn Bontrager SE3 2.3" rear tire is proof you don't have to be a fully sponsored pro to get onto the pro podium (click to enlarge). Photo by Eddie Clark/www.eddieclarkmedia.com
This bike isn't just a race bike, it's a daily driver, and the well worn Bontrager SE3 2.3" rear tire is proof you don't have to be a fully sponsored pro to get onto the pro podium (click to enlarge). Photo by Eddie Clark/www.eddieclarkmedia.com
Anne Galyean of Marin Bikes missed out on the top step by one hundredth of a second which she attributed to a crash on stage 4. (She was later moved up to a tie for first.) Her Marin Attack Trail Pro 27.5-inch wheeled bike with 160mm of rear travel worked without fault throughout the long day. As an asthmatic downhiller, Anne relies on extra gears and runs a Shimano 2x11 drivetrain with a 36-26 front chain ring combo (click to enlarge). Photo by Eddie Clark/www.eddieclarkmedia.com
Galyean runs a Deity bar and stem cockpit with a full Shimano XT brake and drivetrain build (click to enlarge). Photo by Eddie Clark/www.eddieclarkmedia.com
New for this year is the SR Suntour Durolox set at 170mm (it can be dialed from 160-180mm travel) with 36mm stanchions, and it has an RTC2 cartridge that has high and low speed compression as well as high and low speed rebound adjustments. It also features a removable and fully integrated mud guard, and a 20mm thru-axle. Also notable is the 203mm rotor up front (click to enlarge). Photo by Eddie Clark/www.eddieclarkmedia.com
Anne got a custom color coordinated saddle from WTB for this season (click to enlarge). Photo by Eddie Clark/www.eddieclarkmedia.com
Seat dropper duties are handled by a KS Lev dropper post. Like many racers, Anne carried an extra bottle in addition to her Shimano hydration pack for the long day (click to enlarge). Photo by Eddie Clark/www.eddieclarkmedia.com
Continue to page 3 for more of the fastest bikes from Big Mountain Enduro No. 1 »
The Sqweeb was raced to first place in the Vet 30+ Expert class by Oskar Blues Brewery Marketing Director Chad Melis. It was literally a trial by fire for this bike as it was the first time the bike had been ridden hard in the terrain that it was built for, and it passed the test with flying colors (click to enlarge). Photo by Eddie Clark/www.eddieclarkmedia.com
Perhaps one of the most unique bikes at the race was the one-off prototype REEB Cycles Sqweeb 29'er. Known for their all American sourced and handmade steel 29'er hard tale frames, the Sqweeb is their first ever full suspension mountain bike (click to enlarge). Photo by Eddie Clark/www.eddieclarkmedia.com
Each REEB frame gets a custom head badge, and alloy SMAC bars (click to enlarge). Photo by Eddie Clark/www.eddieclarkmedia.com
Suspension is handled with an MRP Raze 2CR coil-over rear shock for 135mm of travel for the party in the back, and a 140mm MRP Stage fork handles the business up front. The head tube angle is 67 degrees, and the seat tube angle is 75 degrees (click to enlarge). Photo by Eddie Clark/www.eddieclarkmedia.com
The rear suspension is a Horst-Link design, and the chainstay length is the same as their signature 29'er hard-tale at 434mm for agile handling and minimal chain growth. Other notable specs include newer Boost dimensions for the rear dropouts, and a Syntace rear dropout/derailleur hanger. The frame was built with 6061 aluminum to be a burly frame for testing, but production tubing will most likely be lighter 7000 series aluminum. All of the design work and linkage machining was done in-house at the REEB production facility in Longmont, CO, and production models will also have a different tube set in the rear after further testing a design refinement are complete. Photo by Eddie Clark/www.eddieclarkmedia.com
REEB is beer spelled backwards, which is fitting considering Oskar Blues Brewery is the parent company (click to enlarge). Photo by Eddie Clark/www.eddieclarkmedia.com