Sending it on aluminum. Photo: Chris Gaeta
One of my riding buddies has been watching too many YouTube videos and has now taken a keen interest in visiting bike parks and even trying his hand at some enduro racing. That means he’s on the hunt for a downhill-friendly bike that’s tough, capable, and most of all, affordable. In cases like this, my first recommendation is always an aluminum enduro bike. I’ve been an aluminum aficionado for years. It’s cheaper than carbon, and you don't need to worry as much about beating it up. It weighs a bit more, but when your objective is sending it downhill as fast as possible, weight is an afterthought.
I think aluminum is the best frame material for anyone who wants to get into the gravity side of the sport without breaking the bank (or their bike!). Currently, aluminum enduro bikes at TPC are getting marked down as much as 45%. I’ve been helping my buddy shop around and found a few great deals. If you want to rip it on a big travel aluminum bike next season, be sure to check some of these out.
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2020 Commencal Meta AM 27.5 - Medium
Wheelsize: 27.5”
Travel: 170mm (f) / 160mm (r)
Price: $3,549.99 2,474.99
Of course, this list has to kick off with a Commencal. It’s one of the most dominant bike brands in gravity racing with multiple downhill and enduro wins and championships, and it’s one of the few brands around fully committed to aluminum manufacturing. All of its bikes are made of aluminum because it’s more sustainable and durable, and I think they make some of the best-looking alloy frames in the business. The Meta AM has a proven pedigree. It’s the bike that enduro legend Cecile Ravenel used to dominate the Enduro World Series, taking multiple consecutive world championships.
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2019 REEB Sqweeb V2 - Large
Wheelsize: 29”
Travel: 160mm (f) / 150mm (r)
Price: $3,999.99 3,519.99
I’m a big fan of the REEB Sqweeb and have actually owned two myself! REEB is a small builder in Lyons, Colorado (check out when we visited their shop) founded by the people behind the Oskar Blues Brewery (“REEB'' is beer spelled backward). The REEB bike builders are all absolute shredders, and they’ve designed the Sqweeb to help them dominate North American enduros and take on the most challenging downhill terrain Colorado has to offer. I can tell you from experience that the Sqweeb is fast, composed, and tough as heck. Best of all, it’s a small production, handbuilt, custom powder-coated bike that easily stands out in a sea of carbon.
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2021 Rocky Mountain Altitude Alloy - Medium
Wheelsize: 29”
Travel: 160mm
Price: $3,999.99 3,519.99
The carbon version of the Rocky Mountain Altitude is the reigning Enduro World Series champion and had been ridden by Canadian ripper, Jesse Melamed, to multiple EWS victories. The alloy version of the Altitude provides the same geometry, suspension, and performance as its carbon counterpart but at a much more affordable price. Rocky Mountain’s Ride-9 geometry adjusting technology provides a ton of geometry adjustment so tinkerers can dial in their Altitude to suit their riding style and terrain.
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2020 Pole Evolink 140 - K3
Wheelsize: 29”
Travel: 160mm (f) / 140mm (r)
Price: $3,799.99 3,419.99
The Finnish engineers at Pole are at the forefront of progressive mountain bike design. Pole has made big headlines with its CNC-machined Stamina, Voima, and Vikkelä models, but it cut its teeth with its original aluminum Evolink frames. It has all the Pole geometry hallmarks — a super-slack head angle, super-long reach, and super-steep seat angle — which provides the riding position and stability to attack the steepest and gnarliest terrain at warp speeds. If you ask me, the Evolink looks better than Pole’s wild CNC designs too, and it costs less to boot. If you want extra confidence to tackle the scariest features, this is the tool.
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2019 Whyte S-150 S - Small
Wheelsize: 29”
Travel: 150mm
Price: $2,499.99 2,089.99
My neighbor Shawn rides a 2018 Whyte S-150, and WOW he shreds the crap out of that thing (hi, Shawn!). He’s 200+ pounds and I’ve personally witnessed the horrifying abuse he’s put his S-150 through and I’m amazed that it’s still going strong. As a British brand, Whyte definitely designs its bikes to handle the tough and muddy conditions found on the British Isles and that toughness has carried all the way across the Atlantic to the dry and rocky trails in Colorado. The geo and travel are designed to offer the right balance between stability and agility so it’s an enduro bike that can help you go fast anywhere in the world.
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2016 Canfield Balance - Large
Wheelsize: 27.5”
Travel: 160mm (f) / 165mm (r)
Price: $2,999.99 2,429.99
Like with the REEB, I picked the Canfield Balance because I actually owned one! It was my enduro race bike way back in 2016. I’m a huge Canfield fan because they’re based in nearby Fruita, CO, one of the best riding destinations in Colorado (and the world) and they build aluminum bikes that rip it on downhill trails but are still super competent climbers. That’s all thanks to Canfield’s patented CBF suspension system, which decouples suspension and braking force to provide smooth, active suspension travel but also a firm, efficient pedaling platform. The Balance is the bike that I used to hone most of my enduro skills, and it’s still got the suspension and geometry to hang with modern race bikes.
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2017 Knolly Delirium - Small
Wheelsize: 27.5”
Travel: 180mm (f) / 170mm (r)
Price: $3,199.99 2,709.99
Knolly, a small Canadian brand, found its own patented way of maximizing traction while maintaining pedaling efficiency and controlling shock progression with its Fourby4 suspension system. This unique set of linkages is designed to maximize available traction in every situation, by reducing brake “squat” so the wheel maintains contact with the ground, even on the steepest trails. All that traction maximizes your speed through challenging terrain, and with a massive amount of suspension travel (it has a 180mm fork!), the Delirium can absorb some seriously big hits. Huck it off the biggest drops you can find. The Delirium will soak it up and keep going.
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2022 Orbea Occam LT - Large
Wheelsize: 29”
Travel: 150mm
Price: $5,599.99 5,039.99
The Occam LT (“LT” stands for “long travel”) has its travel increased to 150mm front and rear, definitely putting it into enduro bike territory. Since there’s no aluminum version of the bigger-travel Rallon, this is the answer if you want an aluminum Orbea to take on rough downhill trails. And it has a dang good-looking frame too. Even seeing it in person, I almost didn’t believe this thing was aluminum. The junctions and welds are so seamless that it looks like a much more expensive carbon frame. The Occam is also Orbea’s most versatile do-it-all bike, with well-balanced suspension and geometry. The LT version will easily speed down everything from cross-country flow lines to legit enduro race tracks.
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2020 Banshee Prime V3 - Medium
Wheelsize: 29”
Travel: 160mm (f) / 135mm (r)
Price: $5,199.99 3,599.99
I consider Banshee to be one of the most underrated brands in mountain biking. They’re built by a super small team in British Columbia, and they’re designed to survive the burly trails found on Vancouver’s North Shore and Whistler Bike Park. Banshee offers two hard hitting 29er models, and the Prime is the shorter travel of the two. 135mm in the rear might not seem like much, but it’s all about how it’s used. The KS2 suspension system provides amazing chassis stiffness and traction. With a coil shock and a 160mm fork, this thing can definitely rip it at an Enduro World Series race, but it won’t feel like a handful on your everyday trails at home.
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2022 Rocky Mountain Altitude Alloy 70 Coil - Small
Wheelsize: 29”
Travel: 170mm (f) / 160mm (r)
Price: $5,474.99 4,929.99
Yup, I’m featuring another Rocky Mountain Altitude, but this one is a bit different from the first. It’s the coil-shocked version, and if your main focus is all-out downhill performance, then a coil shock is probably something worth considering. Not only that, but the coil model is also outfitted with a slightly bigger 170mm fork. When downhill traction and big-hit capability matter more than weight, this is the set-up you need to maximize performance.
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