Submitted by
kazindeep
a Cross Country Rider
from Murrieta, CA USA
Date Reviewed: April 21, 2011
Strengths: climbs well, descends better, sucks up rocks, great handling because it's so stiff, feels stable when landing a jump, love the command post seat dropper, light for a 6 inch travel bike
Weaknesses: stock wheelset, but I changed that and put on stan's flow wheels with chris king hubs
Bottom Line:
If you can only have one bike this is a really good choice! Goes up pretty well and not many bike make coming down this fun. I don't race, but I ride everywhere and I have more fun on this bike than any of the others I have owned. I don't know whether it's me or the bike, but I progressed more in the year that I have had this bike (technically) than the previous 7 years combined.
Weaknesses: Problematic E150 fork (for some, I have had no issues), Juicy 7s are not the greatest initially. Eskar S-Works tires are not the best. No Full compression Lockout either in the front or rear.
Bottom Line:
The Bike performs what it is intended for. It climbs and descends great. The only thing I changed was get new M520 clipless pedals. The Rear suspension compression dial is a little flimsy. I swapped the rear S-Works tires to Eskar Armadillos and converted to Tubless with home brew sealant and rim tape.
Convert to Tubeless and swap out the rear tire to something that can take a beating. Adjust to higher BB and you will float over anything with decent bike control.
Favorite Trail: Chimney Rock, Round Valley, 6-Mile
Duration Product Used: 6 months
Price Paid:
$2800.00
Purchased At: Efinger Sporting Goo
Bike Setup: Stock with High BB and slacker head angle.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
DawgDude
a Cross Country Rider
from Seattle, WA
Date Reviewed: October 7, 2010
Strengths: The bike is very capable. Haven't had it to Whistler yet, but it handles just about any back country epic with ease due to: weight (27 lbs), travel (160mm), stiffness (it does not flex), component level (XT, SRAM X0), suspension (RP23BV & Future shock 160e), big brakes 208/185. The future shock and RP23BV seem to have very similar, balanced ramp up. Took 5 rides to get a base setup, I found it feels plush at 30% sag. Set the fork to short(which completely changes the dampening) and turn on the propedal, this thing climbs as well as a Ibis 140, maybe better out of the saddle. Handles high speed roots, rocks and drops up to 40" very well. The Control Post is worth every gram. The 22/36/bash with chain tensioner is perfect. Package seems designed to reduce workload up and down for long back countries. Perfect bike if you only get one to do it all.
Weaknesses: None really, the following is more constructive criticism. More stiction than a Fox RLC. Seems to go through travel quickly but doesn't bottom. Have your LBS do the top out adjustment! Low bottom bracket height. The saddle is light, but I bent it after 3 rides. A little concerned about the wheel set, but they are still true after 30 hours of torture (I weigh 200#). Really don't like the cable routing; internal would be a huge improvement. Probably not the best bike for more than single diamond DH. The Eskar tires are much better siped. This is my second RP23 and they both didn't hold pressure until broken in (about 15-20 rides).
Bottom Line:
Stiff, light, and great for black diamond DH & back country all mountain. Pedals extremely well for a 160. You still need skill, but this bike will take care of you and get you home from your technical 4+ hour ride. Bought it on sale instead of a Ibis HD and very happy.
Similar Products Used: Kona Dawg, Ibis 140, Giant Anthem
Bike Setup: Mallet pedals, lizard skin clamp ons, Sette Itallia saddle, otherwise stock. Run 25% sag for jumps 30-33% for back country
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
nealpederson
a Downhiller
from Los Alamos, NM, USA
Date Reviewed: March 2, 2010
Strengths: Amazing on the descent. Very light and efficient climber.
Weaknesses: Command Post is sometimes hard to get into the position you want (maybe it's still breaking in?). Eskar Control tires are light and fast rolling but sidewalls are too thin for really pegging it or jumping. I'll replace them with Nevagals when they wear out.
Bottom Line:
I got this because I was able to get a good deal through my downhill sponsorship and my old XC bike (07 Enduro Expert) was getting a lot of miles on it. I thought my 07 Enduro was a great bike but I was blown away with how well this bike handled. These all mountain bikes keep getting bigger and heavier so I thought it would be worth going carbon to save some weight and it made a huge difference on the climbs. What really surprised me was how well this thing descends! It felt as good as my Demo 8 downhill rig only a lot more nimble due to the lighter weight. The suspension is really dialed and feels better than coil to me. If it wasn't made of carbon I'd even consider racing it downhill on pedally courses.
I'd recommend this bike to anyone who appreciates the bigger travel on today’s all mountain bikes and has terrain to take advantage of it. I wouldn't recommend it for just lift served or shuttle riding because you don't need to spend so much for the lower weight.
I'd recomend this bike to anyone who appreciates the bigger travel on all mountain bikes and has terrain to take advantage of it. I wouldn't recomend it for just lift served or shuttle riding because you don't need to spend so much for the lower weight.
I also test rode the non-carbon Enduro SL. It felt great too but was noticeably heavier.
Strengths: Looks, carbon fiber, weight, suspension(when working properly), and its ability to both climb and descend like a beast.
Weaknesses: Suspension(when not working properly) and the Specialized Resolution tires. They are REALLY bad.
Bottom Line:
This bike is incredible. first off, it looks great. then, the frame is made of carbon fiber. I can actually feel the difference between the carbon frame and the aluminum one. the carbon frame dampens vibrations much better. It also happens to look way better, too. The suspension is the whole reason someone should buy this bike. Specialized designed the frame, fork and shock as one whole part. They call it "TSI(Total Suspension Integration)." This "TSI" actually happens to work beautifully, when the fork is not in the repair shop. My fork broke, like many others out there but, mine broke twice. First, the air valve exploded while I was in the shop. When it came back TWO WEEKS later, the travel adjust function didn't work, and at the "normal" setting, it would top out. I had to send it back for another TWO WEEKS. Many months later, have had no problems with either the fork or shock. In those months, I have been enjoying this bike immensly. This bike has made me a buch better downhiller, and I get better with every ride(mind you, my other bike is a Stumpjumper hard-tail, but I knew how to get that bike downhill at respectable speeds). On most trails, the six inches of FSR suspension feels bottomless. I believe the fork and shock perform at their best at high speeds when the trail points down. It is really stable going off jumps, and I have found that I spend more and more time in the air. Overall, the bike rips, especially going downhill. The component spec is top notch. I don't think it is worth spending thousands more on the S-WORKS version that weighs a pound less. The Magura Marta brakes are excellent, and the SRAM X0/Shimano XT drivetrain works beatifully. The DT Swiss XR 4.2d rims are quite strong; especially strong because they are laced to DT Swiss SuperComp triple butted spokes. Recently, a stick got in the rear wheel and got wedged in the frame. It nearly threw me over the bars. The only damage was a loose spoke. Kudos to DT Swiss. In conclusion, I think that the person who should buy this bike should be a XC rider looking to expand their DH abilities. Thats what happened to me. When I started out, I had no skills. Fortunately, the High School team that I joined consitsts entirely of dirt jumpers and downhillers on XC bikes, so my technical abilities got way better way faster. I am glad that I got this bike, and aside from suspension difficulties and crappy specialized tires, this bike is freakin' awesome.
Bike Setup: '07 stock except Oury lock-on grips. Kenda Nevegal 26"/2.35 front and Kenda Telonix 26"/4.0 rear. Kenda tires are super good.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Alan
a Weekend Warrior
from Tallahassee, Fl, USA
Date Reviewed: February 29, 2008
Strengths: Climbs very well for having 6" of travel. Component set was top notch. Pedals great. Very comfortable ride. Everything worked flawlessly. Good longer travel XC bike.
Weaknesses: PRICE! Odd suspension feel.
Bottom Line:
I would consider this bike more of a long travel XC bike than an all mountain ride. This bike would be great for people who ride all day epics; as the bike is a very good climber, pedals extremely efficiently, and screams on fast, twisty downhill. With all that said, I was a lil disappointed with the suspension, I couldn't quite figure it out. It seemed to kind of have an on/off feel to it. Some bumps the suspension would swallow up, others not so much. One thing that really stuck out to me was, I hit this relatively small drop (3 1/2') into a fairly steep transition, and the suspension completely bottomed out! What?!? That shouldn't happen on a 6" "All mountain bike". This is a drop that commonly run on 4" hardtail. So like I said if you are looking for an extended travel XC bike, look no further. Looking for an all mountain bike, look elsewhere.
Similar Products Used: Cannondale Prophet, Specializeds S Works Pro.
Bike Setup: Swapped the rotors for a pair of 10 dollar Alligators, they are lighter and solved my noise problem completely.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Keith Bell
a Weekend Warrior
from Cheshire , UK
Date Reviewed: September 18, 2007
Strengths: It does it all. It has given me an extra 15 - 20 % on my all round riding. It will make you want to get out and ride more. No more front end popping on those steep uphills. Had cable rub on the bottom bracket, but got a new frame, no questions asked. Support from Specialized Concept Store was first class. It has made me do things I didn't think I could do!
Weaknesses: Breaks a bit iffy at first, frame rub by bottom bracket.
Bottom Line:
Took a bit of a gamble not being able to ride a demo on a bike at this cost, but boy was it worth it, and worth the wait! If you can beg or borrow the money, or put it on your credit card,, do it, it WILL be worth it. You will never stop smiling whilst you are out riding it! Looks damn sexy, too. It certainly gets lots of comments at my local.
Submitted by
Eric Jackson
a Weekend Warrior
from Idaho Falls ID
Date Reviewed: August 27, 2007
Strengths: This bike is incredible. It climbs better than expected. The rear end travel and function seems to hook up better than other full suspension bikes I've ridden. The weight is another great advantage on the assents. Down hill, the bike is a dream. The faster the better. It has enabled me to attempt much larger obstacles, (rock, roots, and step offs) than I would have ever tried on a cross country full suspension. The carbon frame is stiff and dampens the extremely rough terrain I often ride.
Weaknesses: Cables under bottom braket need to be sucked closer to frame. I had a major wreck after a tree root got caught ripping the bike out from under me at about 15 miles an hour. It shredded parts of the cables. Rider be aware if in sticks and roots. No injury to me or the bike. I'm wondering about the minimum clearance between the fork brace and the tire. No hang-ups yet. Everything else is working perfectly. Brakes are very abrupt.
Bottom Line:
I'm very pleased with this bike. The investment was well worth it and I can't wait to see what else it can do. It has already made me a better rider after the first 20 mile ride in the mountains. The trail we took the bike on has 14 miles of extremely rough, loose, rocky, downhill, losing about 3700 feet. Much of the trail is horse trail (some of you know what I mean). The Enduro actually allows you to take the unimproved trail at speed. I was able to climb sections that surprised me. Pre-loading the suspension for higher bunny hops works very well with this set up. I love this bike. I believe anyone with medium to advanced skills, with mild to expert trails will have fun with this thing. Excellent bike for Moab. I've seen a pro down-hiller clean the lower section of Porky Pine Rim in Moab on an Enduro Sl, obviously a capable rider, but he loves the bike too. And that's what convinced me....
Similar Products Used: Santa Cruize Blur SL, Ellsworth (I rented this all mountain with 6 inches of travel, sorry, don't know model) Stumpjumper Pro Carbon.
Bike Setup: Stock except Kenda 2.1s which are not wide enough for loose rocky ground IMO.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Adam S
a Weekend Warrior
from Whistler, BC, Canada
Date Reviewed: June 4, 2007
Strengths: Ultra light & stiff carbon frame, slightly longer wheelbase than competition, great parts spec, climbs like an animal, decends like a bolt of lightning, and looks sexy as hell!!
Weaknesses: Large gap in sizing between Large (19") and XL (22") I am 6'4" and a 20.5" would have been perfect! And stock rear hub is sub-par (especialy considering the front hub is made by Hadley!
Bottom Line:
I was a little sceptical about getting a carbon "all mountain" bike but after just the firast ride, I was a believer!!! This is definatelly the most incredible bike I have ever ridden. It makes me feel like a pro XC climber and downhill racer at the same time.
About the only thing that this bike can't do is epic freeride, but everything else it does just as good, if not better than specific bikes in those catagories. I would absolutley recomend for anyone looking into a new bike to try and take the Carbon Pro Model for a spin. Its essentially the same as the S-Works model but with slightly less high-end parts spec, and it costs 2 grand less!!
Yes it is an expensive bike, but after riding both the carbon and aluminum pro models, its worth the extra couple hundred dollars to splurge and go carbon!!
Will update after riding more in the bike park and on some North Shore trails...
Similar Products Used: Santa Cruz Nomad, Ellsworth Truth, Ellsworth Rogue, Kona CoilAir, Yetti ASX, Rocky Mountain Slayer. All Demo'd except for the Rocky (previous bike)
Bike Setup: Stock except for Chris King ISO rear hub, Magura Venti Rotors, Sram 990 Casette and WTB Pure V Saddle
Strengths: Everything. Really. As everyone has said about all models of this bike, it does it all. Beautiful on the descents, hits, etc. and its climbing ability is incredible.
Weaknesses: I really can't stand the brakes. Putting mineral oil brakes on a free ride bike doesn't make much sense. They pump up really quickly on a normal descent and howl during slow stops. Magura is a bit behind the curve when it comes to modern mtb disc brake amenities such as the ability to swap back and forth between moto, etc. After riding various versions of the Avid Juicy line, these don't measure up in any way.
Bottom Line:
This is the bike I've always been looking for. Brakes aside, it truly does everything I can ask of it. The fork is very much more supple with less lateral flex than the Fox 36Talas RC2 I ran on my '06 S-Works Enduro. It slices through the turns and the double crown/extended stanchions don't get in the way at all on tight switchbacks. It flat sucks the hits up.
The rear is probably 5% less supple in the descents than the current generation of non-SL Enduros, probably due to the new linkage, but it's so minimal that it doesn't really affect anything, especially with the front end being so much more effective and stable.
It's crazy light and definitely climbs as advertised. Strangely enough, you really have to work to get the bike to wheelie. It's not hard to get the front end up for obstacles, but you really have to crank on it to get the front end up.
I would recommend this bike to anyone. The only exception would be if you're looking for an XC race bike or a dedicated down-hiller. There's very few areas this bike doesn't exceed all expections.
Similar Products Used: 2005 Jamis Dakar 2.0 2006 S-Works Enduro
Bike Setup: Stock with full XTR drive-train and shifters, S-Works carbon bars, Oury lock on grips. Brakes will soon be replaced with Formula Oro Puro's.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Steve
a Weekend Warrior
from South Downs, UK
Date Reviewed: May 6, 2007
Strengths: Bike just comes alive when you hit the trails, the quicker you ride, the better it responds. The steering is direct and responsive. The suspension (front and rear) is just superb, super plush and perfectly matched (as you'd expect). The forks are very stiff and this helps with keeping you on the line as you finesse the bike around beneath you. Specialized customer service is also absolutely brilliant, I had problems with the catridges in the forks and they were fixed without question, this even included a home visit from Specialized..all other companies pay attention...
Weaknesses: Hardwork on the ride to the trails, Stem is too short on the small bike. Dubious mud clearing capabilities, SRAM and Magura kit. Specialized saddle..why can't they make one that doesn't hurt?
Bottom Line:
This bike is expensive but is well worth the money. The 150mm of travel front and rear works well without you ever really feeling that you've got too much. Climbs and descends like a dream. Not only are the bikes excellent, but the customer service from Specialized is second to none.
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