Top 5 Enduro Bikes of 2024
What is enduro racing?
Enduro offers technical racing for mountain bikers, and is one of the most popular forms of mountain biking. Originating in Europe, the racing style draws influence from car rally racing and motorbike enduro racing. It’s a simple concept: participants make their way to the top of the mountain and then do a timed race to the bottom.
The modern enduro race usually consists of between 3-6 timed stages. The stages are usually downhill, but each varies in steepness, length and difficulty depending on the mountain. There are untimed transfer stages between each timed stage, which are usually uphill sections.
The North Shore mountains in Vancouver are hot spots for enduro style riding. These legendary mountains are a Meca for mountain bikers. Made up of three main riding zones, Mount Seymour, Mount Fromme, and Cypress Mountain. Few places on earth have had as much impact on the mountain biking world as Vancouvers North Shore mountains. There’s a huge community built around enduro on the North Shore, and Comor Sports is just one of many hubs. We supply a wide array of Mountain Bikes & Electric Mountain Bikes to help out mountain bikers at any stage of this pursuit.
Our Top 5 Enduro Bikes
Mountain biking is experiencing massive growth, driven by the sheer number of enthusiasts propelling the sport forward. Bike technology continues to become more refined, and the introduction of electric mountain bikes has completely changed the game. Because of this, enduro racing has become increasingly challenging and competitive, prompting bike brands to continuously innovate. This results in even better bikes, and because of this we decided to list our top 5 bikes available for sale at Comor Sports.
The Rocky Mountain Altitude bike range is built specifically for Enduro racing, with improvements to the model being made year on year. Whether you're hitting the race circuit or enjoying a casual Sunday shred, this bike has you covered and this year, the all-new design makes the Altitude faster than ever.
The 2024 Altitude features Rocky’s own LC2R™ suspension system, the ‘Low Centre Counter Rotating’ system is a virtual pivot suspension design. This delivers increased stiffness and a more predictable ride, especially on challenging terrain. Because of the LC2R™ suspension, the Altitude has better small bump control and low pedal kickback to ensure chain tension doesn’t interfere with travel in the rear triangle. The rear Suspension on this bike gives you predictable travel, a lower center of gravity and better bottom-out resistance.
With interchangeable wheel size options, adjustable headset positions and additional geometry settings, you can set up the bike to suit your exact enduro needs. The carbon frame provides stiffness-to-weight, ride quality, and durability. They’ve also added a down tube storage system to hold your water bottle and stash your tools. Made for steep, challenging trails, these upgrades to the all new Altitude will help you to demolish your descents.
Yeti’s SB160 embraces a race-bred ethos that believes nothing should hold a rider back from the sheer joy of untethered speed. The SB160 is built off one of the most successful race platforms in enduro history, made for more, this bike can help you go at the fastest speed possible.
The SB160 has a refined main frame silhouette, more than just aesthetics, the engineering approach optimizes the placement of Switch Infinity and shock linkage. Introducing a tighter and more efficient frame design adds extra impact clearance in front of the bottom bracket, along with increased overall chassis stiffness, the engineers of this bike had a holistic approach to frame design and it shows.
Cable management is intuitive and hassle-free, internally routed cable tubes with secure closures at entry and exit points ensure a quiet ride by eliminating rattles and cable rub. In the event of a hanger-bending crash, the new Yeti models utilize the Universal Derailleur Hanger (UDH) interface which makes replacing your hanger simple, hassle free, and the best part is they are available for purchase at Comor Sports. The kinematics of the SB160 have been refined to accommodate the added travel, providing more progressive travel and less bottom-out. This bike is remarkably balanced, optimized by frame size, the SB160 ensures athletes of all sizes and styles are in a position that prioritizes speed and efficiency.
The reimagined Enduro does exactly what it says on the tin, made for quick climbs and the gnarliest descents. The Enduro gives you complete calm at terrifying speeds. When traversing hillsides or riding along mellower, lower-grade trails, the Enduro maintains its lively and comfortable ride. An all-rounder, this bike definitely prefers speed, but isn’t cumbersome when climbing or riding flatter trails.
This climbing to descend design approach has fine-tuned the geometry, the fit has been improved with tireless rider input and recommendations. The slacker head angle, steeper seat tube and longer reach make this bike a rocket ship. The front to rear balanced in chassis stiffness helps the front-end steer accurately and keeps the rear-end on track even through the most difficult terrain. The new Enduro features a highly functional suspension, making for a smooth ride, whether its small impacts or big drops. A progressive leverage curve delivers seemless control no matter what the trail throws at you.
This bike is known for its big wheels, with 29-inch wheels front and back, the bike maintains momentum over technical terrain. Combining 170cm of travel with 29er wheels, results in one super-fast package. Additionally, the Enduro has style-specific sizing, so you can adjust the bike to your riding style. Seat tubes and stack heights don’t change massively between sizes, so there’s lots of clearance on several frame sizes. Choose your frame size based not only on your height but also on your style. Size up for high-speed stability and size down for a more nimble and responsive feel. This bike provides plenty of fun on the neighborhood trails or speeding down your favourite North Shore descents.
- Yeti SB165
Another mention for Yeti, the SB165 is a proven favourite time and time again. Upgraded to be your go to enduro bike, you’ll never have to wonder if Yeti’s SB165 can handle the terrain. Whether you're hitting park laps, embarking on character-building epics, or pushing it up steep, spooky trails, the SB165 is the solution.
The bike’s progressive suspension kinematics, tuned specifically for a coil shock, provide incredible small bump sensitivity and pretty well guarantees bottoming out is a thing of the past. The all-new Switch Infinity exceeds expectations of delivering both sensitivity and strength. The refined silhouette of the main frame and swingarm places this Switch Infinity perfectly. Creating a tighter, more efficient linkage. This design increases impact and ground clearance while also enhancing overall chassis stiffness making it easier than ever to control. Additionally, the bike features the same cable management system as the SB160.
To ensure consistent stiffness across all sizes of the SB165, each frame is built with its own tailored carbon layup. As it’s designed for aggressive enduro racing, the bike doesn’t compromise on stiffness to ensure that suspension components don’t see premature wear. Yeti strives to give every rider the same feel no matter the size of the frame. The SB165 delivers pedalability without compromising speed. Shorter chainstays shift the weight bias slightly toward the rear wheel, allowing for better balance and optimal performance, exploiting to the fullest the benefits of mixed wheels. Yeti 165 is ready for whatever you throw at it, whenever that may be.
The Norco Sight is your classic everyday hero, an all-rounder. This bike is light, maneuverable and inspires you even during the hardest rides. Although this is arguably the little brother (or cousin) of the other bikes we’ve mentioned, it punches well above its weight class. With the new high-pivot design, this bike is the progression of a proven performer. The Norco Sight is our choice for an everyday mountain bike that can take the heat of an enduro when the time calls.
The brand new 2024 Sight has been built with proprietary high-pivot suspension technology (Virtual Pivot Suspension / High Pivot) to improve ride quality and an enhanced setup guide (Ride Aligned*) to allow you maximum versatility when making adjustments. Tested with an optimized idler position, this high-pivot design offers balanced traction and efficiency on technical climbs and descents making it the perfect companion for rough terrain. The Sight’s increased rearward axle path allows the rear wheel to travel over obstacles without getting hung up, improving control and allowing for faster descent. Each Sight is equipped with 4-piston hydraulic disc brakes and 200/180mm rotors, providing the stopping power you need to hit the perfect line on every ride and bring you back under control when things get a little wild.
The durable frame design of the Sight, along with carefully selected hardware and components, ensures that the bike stays on the trail while other bikes sit in the shop. The new 2024 Sight is a maneuverable bike that remains steady on heavy hits and can go from full 29er to a mixed wheels configuration with the use of Norco’s “Missing Link Kit”.
No matter your skill level or riding style, there's a perfect enduro bike waiting for you at Comor Sports. Speak to a member of staff today, or test ride one of our favourite bikes. Shop mountain bikes in-store and online today in Vancouver and Whistler.