The final countdown
All 10 long-travel bikes on test are top performers, but which is our ‘enduro’ bike of the year?
whittling our shortlist of ‘enduro’ bikes down to just three was a monumental task, involving lap after lap on the trails and some agonisingly sleepless nights. Things felt more closely matched this year, with a marked jump in performance across the board. It seems brands are pushing their budgets as far as they dare to snare the very best components they can, in order to deliver bikes that can handle everything you throw at them from day one, without needing changes before their tyres even hit the trail.
Then there’s the constant evolution in geometry and suspension to throw into the equation, with every advancement potentially dishing out more traction and stability without dulling the fun these bikes can deliver.
We can confidently say you’ll be pleased with any of the 10 bikes here, as they’re all good at what they do. Of course, none of them can excel in every single area, so they’re all compromised in one way or another. It’s how that compromise is managed that makes the truly outstanding bikes rise above the rest.
We’d put in enough saddle time on each of the bikes in the UK to confidently choose our top three, so our time in San Remo simply helped to validate our findings. The final running order did take a little head-scratching, though, along with a few runs on some brutal Ligurian rock.
ONLINE AND ON POINT
There’s no hiding the fact that our top three bikes are all ‘direct-sale’ models that are available online instead of in shops. While you’d expect them to have the edge when it comes to value, it was the performance and feel of these bikes on the trail that helped separate them from the rest. Buying direct normally means you can’t go and sit on the bike before you purchase it, unless you can get along to a demo day, so it does have its downsides. That said, Bird, the makers of one of our final three, have permanent demo fleets at three UK locations and you can call in and visit them at their HQs too.
Not that we’ve overlooked bikes that can be bought from your local bike shop, though. The Mondraker Dune and Nukeproof Mega Pro 275 – both of which you can walk in and buy, there and then – were right in the mix for the final battle. In fact it was a really close call with the Mega, which comes ready to race and very nearly made it onto our podium. It’s just that the three bikes that made it through are so damned good, that they pushed it back into fourth spot.
While each and every one of our top three bikes shines brighter in certain areas, they all deliver something seriously special on the trail. Yes, if we’re being picky, none of these bikes is totally perfect, but they’re all pretty damn close.
radon swoop 170 9.0 Its dialled geometry and sorted suspension make it a seriously capable machine, no matter what the trail throws at you
FORM AND FUNCTION
Last year’s winner, the Radon Swoop 170, continues to impress, though it feels like the competition have really stepped things up for 2018. Its geometry remains superb. The 18in frame has a 460mm reach, which feels roomy yet manoeuvrable when out of the saddle and gives a confident feel at speed. The super-slack 64.4-degree head angle (in the lowest setting) only enhances this feeling further. If that sounds a little too extreme, the Swoop has three geometry settings to choose from, thanks to the triangular chips on the lower shock mount. While we felt more than at home in the lowest setting, not everyone will sync well with the 332mm BB height, even if it does make the Radon a complete demon through the turns. It still climbs with plenty of spring in its step, thanks to its steep seat tube angle – 75 degrees in the slackest setting – and the lockout lever on the rear shock.
Of the three bikes here, the Bird Aeris AM9 is the most extreme in terms of numbers. That’s partly because Bird didn’t have a medium frame (their smallest, with a reach of 452mm) available to test. At 5ft 8in, our main tester, Rob, was a little concerned by the 475mm reach of the medium/long bike, but within metres of hitting the dirt, those worries were put to rest by the Aeris’s playful nature.
Weight distribution between the wheels feels incredibly well-balanced too, thanks in part to the 440mm
chainstays. The steep 76-degree seat tube angle means that, even though it’s the heaviest of the three, the Aeris is the most easygoing on the climbs. Its slack 65-degree head angle ensures that, just like the Radon and the Canyon Torque CF, the Bird feels confident in the steep stuff or when trucking along at speed. While its BB is a fair bit higher, at 345mm, it still feels totally at home carving corners, thanks to its stretched-out 1,240mm wheelbase.
The Canyon does feel that bit more surefooted through particularly troublesome turns, though. That’s partly thanks to its low 335mm BB. Other numbers for the only carbon bike in the whole test are more conservative. While the 64.9-degree head angle is really slack, the 440mm reach on our medium test bike is by no means crazy. It does create a very natural and easy-to-adapt-to position on the bike, though. With a 1,200mm wheelbase and that slack head angle, the Torque still feels reassuringly composed as the pace picks up. Its 74-degree seat angle isn’t the steepest but, if you flick the compression lever on the shock to ‘pedal’ mode, it isn’t afraid of winching back to the top of the hill, especially considering how much travel it has. That said, it doesn’t feel quite as easygoing on the climbs as the Swoop or AM9.
KEEPING IT COMPOSED
While both the Bird and Canyon come equipped with a RockShox fork and shock, the Radon uses a Fox damper at each end. The 36 is a truly capable fork but, up against the Lyriks on the other bikes, the ‘Performance Elite’ model on the Swoop didn’t quite feel as smooth on the really chattery stuff or over bigger repetitive hits. There’s still plenty of support and it’s easy to tune, but the RockShox forks felt easier on the hands on longer, roughed-up descents.
At the rear, the Torque boasts the most travel, with 175mm, while the Swoop sports just 5mm less. The Aeris is the only big-wheeler in this trio and provides 150mm out back, though, thanks to the well-measured delivery of that travel, it’s no less forgiving or capable when things start getting out of hand. We did find that on both the Canyon and the Bird – which use the same RockShox Super Deluxe shock – our 68kg main tester had to run very little low-speed rebound damping to get the best performance (though he does run his suspension quite fast). He ended up leaving the Bird’s adjuster fully open and only adding a couple of clicks on the Canyon – something worth noting if you don’t weigh much.
The Swoop’s suspension takes more time to set up properly than that of the almost set-and-forget Aeris and Torque. Thankfully, the Fox DPX2 shock can be fiddled with sufficiently to get it feeling really good, although on backto-back runs with the other two, the Radon doesn’t feel quite as supportive or progressive. It’s still incredibly composed, though, and comfy too, but it’s the way the Canyon patters through the hits in total control that continued to impress us, run after run after run.
Bird AM9 GX Speed comes easily to this big-wheeler. while it feels stable at speed, its lively nature keeps things playful and fun
DEVIL IN THE DETAIL
Buying direct means you don’t get the support and advice of your local bike shop, but it does allow brands to offer that bit better value for money, which is why the bikes you see here are all seriously drool-worthy.
The Aeris is a tricky bike to rate, in terms of value, because you can customise almost every element of the build. We specced ours to fall just within the upper end of our strict budget but it still came with gems like SRAM’s potent Guide RE brakes and a choice of Maxxis tyres with triple-compound ‘3C’ rubber. The DT Swiss wheels are great, though you need to keep an eye on spoke tension, as our rear wheel needed to be tightened a couple of times during testing. We prefer the RockShox Reverb and Fox Transfer dropper posts found on the Torque and Swoop, respectively, to the Race Face number fitted to the Aeris, but if you’ve got the cash, you can change this.
Both Radon and Canyon are a little more prescriptive in terms of spec, but there’s nothing much we’d want to change on either bike. Not everyone will be sold on the spongy yet frighteningly powerful Magura brakes on the Swoop. It takes time to adapt to their punchiness and not all our testers liked the feel at the lever. And the Schwalbe Hans Dampf rear tyre is of the ‘Addix SpeedGrip’ variety, which is no bad thing on faster, drier trails, but can feel a touch dicey when compared to the softer Magic Mary that sits up front. The Torque’s Maxxis Minion DHR II 3C tyres
are some of our favourites, though, even if they do feel a little draggy on long flat sections of trail.
The eagle-eyed will spot that the Canyon is the only bike here with 11 rather than 12-speed gearing. While you might miss SRAM Eagle’s massive 50t sprocket on really big days in the saddle, the 32t chainring up front and 10-42t cassette at the rear suited us just fine. Canyon’s new G5 bar and stem offer a nice shape too, but feel pretty stiff.
Frame details are, of course, important too. While the Radon uses a mix of external and internal cable routing, Bird have gone down the mechanic-friendly route of keeping everything outside the frame. The Canyon trumps the pair with its easy-to-access ‘Cable Channel’ shroud on the underside of the down tube. This carries the cables from the head tube to the BB, keeping the frame’s lines beautifully clean, helping to protect the belly of the bike and stopping cable rattle for a seriously silent ride. The Torque’s rear axle is neat too, featuring a hinged lever that pulls out and can be used to tighten or loosen the axle.
While looks aren’t everything, the Canyon draws a lot of stares, even if it won’t hold a water bottle. The Radon looks a little more ‘regular’, in terms of layout, while the Bird’s big welds and somewhat more industrial lines may not win everyone over.
SCORES ON THE DOORS
All three of these bikes will have you grinning from ear to ear, no matter where you ride or how fast you’re willing to risk going. The Radon is the lightest and feels sharp and responsive when snaking through tight turns and picking your way through nadgery tech sections. It’s comfortable and composed too, and feels accurate and precise when you most need it to. The Bird’s ability to sustain pace is incredible, though. Speed comes easy to the big-wheeler and, even though it’s that bit longer than its counterparts here, it’s playful and reactive when you do want to throw it around, loft the front wheel skyward or launch it sideways off a jump. The balance on offer and the well-measured travel delivery means it’s incredibly confident at speed too.
After a serious pasting here in the UK and out in Italy, the Aeris has developed a creak in the BB area that needs tending to. It isn’t the only bike to have suffered at our hands, though. The Torque’s upper shock bolt has come loose twice and there was a creak emanating from the lower shock mount, though a quick strip and clean fixed this. Canyon say these issues were down to the fact that many parts of our test bike were pre-production.
That aside, there’s little to pick fault with on the Torque. The grip, balance, support and progression are delivered in precise measures. That, and the confident riding the geometry encourages, means you can attack from the get-go. While it isn’t the fastest uphill, it’s by no means bad when you consider the travel on tap. Get it pointed down and you’re in for a treat. The well-damped frame feels solid without being overly harsh and, coupled with the seriously sorted suspension, helps to create an almost effortless flow over the ugliest terrain.
All the bikes here are guaranteed to show you a good time, but ultimately we have to pick a winner, and there was one that we wanted to reach for every time we hit the trails. Find out which it is over the page…
canyon torque CF 8.0 oozing control and carrying out its duties with stealth-like precision, we want to ride it over and over again