Can an enduro bike be competitive in a DH race?

Bikes, and in particular full-suspension bikes, have come a long way over the years. While a dedicated downhill bike of old might have had 6” (~150 mm) of travel, modern enduro bikes such as the ONE-SIXTY now surpass this by having at least 170 mm of suspension, all while being more robust, reliable and easy to pedal over a day of riding.

However, while a modern enduro bike might have the suspension travel of a DH bike of old, they are still two very different things.

While there is no dedicated DH bike in our line-up, MERIDA athlete Toni Ferreiro, who normally focuses on enduro and e-enduro events, decided to get between the tapes at the recent Spanish Downhill Championships (7-8th of March) to revisit the sport that led him to enduro and e-enduro racing. His weapon of choice; his trusted ONE-SIXTY.

The venue was San Andreu de la Barca, one of the most iconic race locations in the national calendar and a venue for the championships over 30 times. The roughly 2-minute course was riddled with technical difficulties, and the challenging weather conditions made it even more difficult. Even the smallest mistake could have a detrimental impact on the position. It sounds like the perfect place for Toni to take his enduro bike for a spin.

But combining Toni’s skills and super-smooth riding style, with the test and award-winning capabilities of the ONE-SIXTY allowed him to ride into the top ten, finishing the Elite category in an impressive eighth position and placing 11th overall out of the rather large field of over 300 riders.

His finishing time was just 1.9 seconds behind fourth place and six seconds off the winning time, rather impressive if you ask us!

Well done, Toni!

So, if you are looking for an enduro bike that can also mix it up at the occasional DH race, check out our current ONE-SIXTY range here.