LITTLE FISH, BIG POND
It’s official, your humble enduro bike is good enough to hack it on the World Cup downhill scene
Enduro bikes are amazing machines. Like pocket-sized downhill bikes, the best are capable of handling the roughest of downhill tracks while still letting you climb 2,000m in a single day. That’s been the gist of the marketing spiel anyway, even though few have been brave enough to actually race one at a downhill event.
Now though, two brands have put that boast to the test at the opening round of the downhill World Cup in Lourdes, one of the roughest tracks on the circuit. Forbidden and Orbea let loose their enduro bikes, dressed up to the nines with bigger forks, gnarlier tyres and in some cases, extra travel. Do enduro bikes really cut it on DH races, or are those brands just doing it for the quirky publicity? And should we all be bolting on Fox 40s and heading to Fort William? Probably not, but it’s a trend worth investigating.