The 2014 edition of the Specialized S-Works just arrived and we are floored once again. Last year, we tested the 2013.5 limited production bike and it opened our eyes into what a long travel 29er could do. We expected rut and rock eating abilities but what we didn't expect is how agile and fun it could be. The S-Works Enduro 29 had ample traction but it was also fun in the corners and fun in the air. This was achieved through a few things:
  • 13.1 inch bb height
  • 16.9 inch chainstay length
  • Excellent lateral stiffness
  • 67.5 degree head tube angle
  • Light and stiff carbon tubeless wheels
Video: Factory rider Curtis Keene riding the Enduro 29 in Whistler - Curtis Keene was a die hard 26er but he has been converted by the Enduro 29. This is his bike of choice for the Enduro World Series.



But if we had to get picky, the ultra-plush Cane Creek DB Air shock on our last test bike was too plush to climb with. There was no platform switch on this rear shock and the suspension design had no anti-bob characteristics. So climbing was capable but not quick. Also on big descents, the Fox Talas front fork on our test bike could not match up o the rear shock's small and big hit compliance. So the front and rear were not perfectly balanced. And finally, last year's bike at 29.14 lbs (without pedals) was light but not as light as claimed.

Well this new 2014 looks like it has all the answers. It is 27.33 lbs, has a climb switch on the Cane Creek DB Air rear shock. And it is now using the smoothest front fork available today, the Rockshox Pike with 160mm travel.



SWAT Extras

In addition to the changes above, this 2014 S-Works Enduro comes with some extras like a carbon bottle cage with side access and a multi-tool. The multi-tool is tucked away under the cage and is always with the bike and easy to access. There is also a chain tool stored under the stem cap. The 27.33 lb weight we stated includes all these SWAT (storage, water, air, tools) accessories.



Stay tuned as we put bike through its paces in the next two weeks. It's still a huge commitment at $9250 for the S-Works. But there's eight Enduro models available all the way down to $3300.

Video: Sam Benedict of Specialized talks about the highlights of the Enduro 29

Read on to the next page for our review of the 2013.5 model.

Review: 2013.5 Specialized S-Works Enduro 29er Tested



The Enduro 29er boldly goes where no 29er has gone before.

Specialized S-Works Enduro 29er Rear Side View

The Czar of FSR, Jason Chamberlain called and said I could have an Enduro 29er for a week. Here was a bike with 155mm of rear travel and 150mm of front travel. "Enduro 29er...not interested. Too much travel for a 29er. How can that be any good for my riding style and 5'8" stature?" I thought.

But given all the interest about this bike since the launch, I felt it was my duty to check it out and give it a fair shake. So I headed out there, talked to Jason for a bit and then went straight to Demo Forest in Santa Cruz. What ensued was a week of riding every day with a whole lot of hootin' and hollerin'. Human behavior is interesting as we seem to spend our time more efficiently the less time we have. After the first day of discovery, I felt compelled to ride this bike every single day, since I only had seven days to ride it.

Video: Our test rider Ron Aclan explores if a high travel 29er can be 'fun'. Fast forward to 2:30 of the video and ride along his Braille Trail, Santa Cruz, CA downhill run.

The Breakthrough

The Enduro 29 is the most exciting product to come around in the last year because it breaks the mold. People did not expect a 29er with 155mm of travel to be good, but this one definitely is. The chain stay is so short at 16.9 inches that one can say that this bike handles quicker then many 27.5 bikes and even 26er bikes. The stays are shorter than most bikes with shorter travel and it's even shorter than the Specialized Camber or Specialized Epic. In fact, the 16.9 stays are shorter than the stays of most 29er hardtails. The result is a bike that handles so quick and is so playful.

Continue reading for ride impressions, more information and full photo gallery.

The Ride

With its short stays and very low bb height, the bike frame is really quite compact. Unlike the Tallboy LTc, this medium bike actually fit my 5'8" stature really well. So I started rolling it and riding it with little drama. It initially felt like the Specialized Camber I've been riding for a year except the travel felt bottomless. The rear of this bike felt stiffer as well. The massively supported short stays had no discernable lateral play at all.

This bike can rail and corner! That is probably the greatest revelation of this bike as cornering on any surface was such a delight. Smooth corners, rough ones, flat, off camber were all tackled with poise and confidence. Initially, we would run wide on a few fast, tight corners, but we learned to adjust and muscle this bike through the turn. Then, a magical thing happened as the rear of the bike started to drift wide and helped the bike turn in. It wasn't a braking skid, but rather a cornering drift that was actually easy to control. Once we got the hang of it, it was rally time!



Enduro Jump

Then we started hitting rougher and rougher terrain. This bike just laughed at all the rough stuff that the Santa Cruz trails could offer. Clearly this bike was meant for bigger challenges. This bike was actually difficult to unsettle, as it just ate up terrain. We started jumping the bike, overshooting landings and jumping to flat. Everything was a bit easier on this bike compared to most. The only thing that could unsettle it though was hitting the pedals on rocks or roots, as the bike sank deep into its travel.

A bonus is that this bike had a Talas 120/150mm up front. So on the super twisty singletrack, we put it in 120mm mode and were rewarded with a bike that handled all the tight terrain with ease.

It would be interesting to put a 160mm travel fork on this bike as those become available. That would unleash the true descending potential of this steed.

Trickle Down Design?

One of the things I asked the Specialized engineers is if this design and short stays will carry over to their other 29ers. They said 'probably yes' for the Stumpjumper and Camber, but maybe not the 100mm Epic. Though the benefits for the Camber and Stumpjumper are there for handling and quickness, they said for the Specialized Epic stability for cross-country racing is a concern and the owners love the current geometry.

The Bad

Perhaps the only downside of the Enduro 29er aside from its current low availability, is that the bottom bracket is really low at 13.1 inches. With 155mm (6.1 inches) of travel, the pedals will almost hit the ground when the travel is fully compressed. Sean Estes from Specialized makes a good point by saying, you're never going to bottom out this travel on this kind of bike. But then we believe that the bike really has to handle getting full travel safely. In the Santa Cruz mountains of the Bay Area, the low 13.1 inch bottom bracket is perfect so we have no issue with it. But in other parts of the country where it's more rocky and a lot more rugged, this could be a real issue, so keep that in mind.



Shocks Bottomed out

The other downside is that this bike is hardly available in 2013. Even though announced in the Spring of 2013, the quantities produced are ridiculously low compared to demand. Sources tell me that only 12 S-Works bikes were made available in the US. There were more of the Comps and the Experts but they were all sold out by week one. So for all practical purposes, the entire inventory was gobbled up by pre-orders and industry insiders.

This strategy clearly does not make sense to us. If the bike is good, make a ton of them, back up the money truck and reap the rewards. Make the forecast, take the risk and don't turn away customers until next year or to other brands or wheel sizes. In the week that we had this bike, we counted close to ten folks that said they've been trying to purchase this bike, but simply cannot find it.

The Cane Creek Rear Shock

The S-Works model comes with the Cane Creek DB Air. The word that comes to mind when describing this shock is 'gnarly'. It is daunting to set up, but its performance is just incredible. With only seven days to ride this bike, we had to refer to our Brian Mullin's in depth Review of the DB Air.



Cane Creek DB Air Rear Shock

Here is an excerpt from Brian Mullin as he summarized the DB Air:

Let's get to the point, I liked this rear shock a lot, as it has many great attributes and characteristics, including a massive amount of tuning capabilities, superb small to medium bump compliance, and excellent composure and plushness. This baby likes to slice, and dice down the gnarliest trails you can toss it at, yet it's still happy to motor around on milder terrain.

I have been using the Double Barrel Air or DBair for quite a long time on my Ibis Mojo HD, and it is one of the best rear shocks I have used, especially in regard to All Trail and All Mountain riding. It has a vast range of tuning settings, with separate adjustments for air, low and high speed compression, and low and high speed rebound. The DBair is an air sprung rear shock, with four-way independent adjustability, an auto-adjust negative air spring, tunable air volume, and Twin Tube damping technology. It comes in eight different lengths and strokes from 190 x 50mm (7.5" x 2.0") to 267 x 90mm (10.5" x 3.5") and three XV (extra volume) sizes, and weighs in at 530 grams, and retails for $650.

Conclusion

My 12-year old son Miguel (who is very curious about biking at the moment) asked, "What's the best new mountain bike this year?" Well, I thought long and hard about it, as I have difficulty with the 'best' questions. I thought of the Norco Sight 27.5 and Trek Remedy 29, and then finally I said, "You know, it's got to be the S-Works Enduro 29er" since it is such a fun bike and an amazing achievement.

We can't wait until we see this bike widely available and we see these design innovations in more Specialized 29ers.

What happened after my seven days with the Enduro 29er expired? I asked for an extension of course!


Discussion on the Comp 29er in Specialized Forum
https://forums.mtbr.com/specialized/2014-enduro-29-comp-se-841039.html

Although we played with the S-Works model, we understand that most will not be able to afford the top-end models. Specialized is offering the Expert model for $6600 and the Comp model for $3500. Below are the specs.

Enduro Expert Carbon 29 SE - $6600

FRAME
FACT IS-X 11m carbon front triangle, M5 rear triangle, 29" geometry, tapered HT, PF30 BB, ISCG 05 mounts, 142+ dropouts, full cartridge bearing pivots, replaceable derailleur hanger, 155mm travel
REAR SHOCK
Custom FOX Float CTD Performance with AUTOSAG, Climb, Trail, Descend settings w/ Trail and rebound adj., 216x64mm
FORK
FOX TALAS CTD Performance 29, air spring, tapered steerer, Climb, Trail, Descend settings and reb adj., 15mm thru-axle, 150/120mm
HEADSET
1-1/8 and 1-1/2" threadless, Campy style upper with 1-1/2" lower, cartridge bearings
STEM
Specialized XC Trail, 6061 alloy, 4-bolt, 6-degree rise, 31.8mm
HANDLEBARS
Specialized XC Mini-Riser, 7050 butted alloy, 720mm wide, 10mm rise, 10-degree backsweep, 6-degree upsweep, 31.8mm
GRIPS
Specialized Sip Grip, half-waffle aramid-infused, M: Regular, Others: XL thickness
FRONT BRAKE
Custom Avid Elixir 7 SL, alloy-backed semi-metallic pads, HS-1 rotor, 200mm
REAR BRAKE
Custom Avid Elixir 7 SL, alloy-backed semi-metallic pads, HS-1 rotor, 180mm
BRAKE LEVERS
Custom Avid Elixir 7 SL, hydraulic disc, tool-less reach adj.
FRONT DERAILLEUR
SRAM, 10-speed, mid direct mount for Taco Blade, bottom pull
REAR DERAILLEUR
SRAM X0 Type 2, 10-speed, mid cage
SHIFT LEVERS
SRAM X9, 10-speed, trigger, w/MatchMaker clamp
CASSETTE
SRAM PG-1050, 10-speed, 11-36
CHAIN
KMC X10, nickel plate, reusable Missing Link
CRANKSET
Custom SRAM carbon S-2200, 10-speed AM double, PF30 spindle, removable spider, Gamut bash guard, S: 170mm, Others: 175mm
CHAINRINGS
33/22
BOTTOM BRACKET
SRAM PF30, OS press-in bearing, sealed cartridge
RIMS
Roval Traverse 29, alloy disc, 28mm wide, 32h
FRONT HUB
Roval Traverse 29, 15mm thru-axle end caps, DT Swiss Star Ratchet, 32h
REAR HUB
Roval Traverse 29 142+, 12mm thru-axle, 32h
SPOKES
DT Swiss Super Comp, 2.0/1.65/1.8 stainless
FRONT TIRE
Specialized Butcher Control, 2Bliss Ready, 60 TPI, aramid bead, 29x2.3"
REAR TIRE
Specialized Purgatory Control, 2Bliss Ready, 60 TPI, aramid bead, dual-compound, 29x2.3"
SADDLE
Body Geometry Henge Comp, hollow Cr-Mo rails, 143mm
SEATPOST
Specialized Command Post IR, 3 position, internally routed adjustable height w/air spring, remote operated, single bolt head 30.9mm, 125mm travel

Enduro Comp 29 Se - $3500
FRAME
M5 aluminum, 29" geometry, fully manipulated frame w/ ORE TT/ DT, tapered HT, PF30 BB, ISCG 05 mount, 142+ dropouts, sealed cartridge bearing pivots, replaceable derailleur hanger, removable Taco Blade, 155mm travel
REAR SHOCK
Custom FOX Float CTD Evolution with AUTOSAG, Climb, Trail, Descend settings and rebound adj., 216x64mm
FORK
FOX 34 Float CTD Evolution 29, air spring, tapered alloy steerer, Climb, Trail, Descend settings reb adj., 15mm thru-axle, 150mm
HEADSET
1-1/8 and 1-1/2" threadless, Campy style upper with 1-1/2" lower, cartridge bearings
STEM
Specialized XC Trail, 6061 alloy, 4-bolt, 6-degree rise, 31.8mm
HANDLEBARS
Specialized XC Mini-Riser, 7050 butted alloy, 720mm wide, 10mm rise, 10-degree backsweep, 6-degree upsweep, 31.8mm
GRIPS
Specialized Sip Grip, half-waffle aramid-infused, M: Regular, Others: XL thickness
FRONT BRAKE
Custom Avid Elixir 5 SL, hydraulic disc, alloy backed organic pads, HS-1 rotor, 200mm
REAR BRAKE
Custom Avid Elixir 5 SL, hydraulic disc, alloy backed organic pads, HS-1 rotor, 180mm
BRAKE LEVERS
Custom Avid Elixir 5 R SL, tool-less reach adj.
FRONT DERAILLEUR
SRAM, 10-speed, mid direct mount for Taco Blade, bottom pull
REAR DERAILLEUR
SRAM X9 Type 2, 10-speed, mid cage
SHIFT LEVERS
SRAM X7, 10-speed, trigger, w/MatchMaker clamp
CASSETTE
SRAM PG-1030, 10-speed, 11-36
CHAIN
KMC X10, nickel plate, reusable Missing Link
CRANKSET
Custom SRAM S-1250, 10-speed AM double, PF30 spindle w/ shift guard, 175mm
CHAINRINGS
33/22
BOTTOM BRACKET
SRAM PF30, OS press-in bearing, sealed cartridge
RIMS
Roval 29, alloy disc, 28mm wide, 32h
FRONT HUB
Specialized Hi Lo disc, laser-etched logo, sealed cartridge bearing, 15mm thru-axle, 32h
REAR HUB
Specialized Hi Lo disc, 4x-sealed cartridge bearing, 12mm thru-axle, 32h
SPOKES
DT Industry, stainless, 14g
FRONT TIRE
Specialized Butcher Control, 2Bliss Ready, 60 TPI, aramid bead, 29x2.3"
REAR TIRE
Specialized Purgatory Control, 2Bliss Ready, 60 TPI, aramid bead, dual-compound, 29x2.3"
SADDLE
Body Geometry Henge Comp, hollow Cr-Mo rails, 143mm
SEATPOST
Specialized 2014 butted alloy, single bolt setback, 30.9mm, 400mm