This article originally appeared on Bikemag.com and was republished with permission.
I know, I know. A Specialized Dream Build two years in a row? It makes me look like a Specialized fanboy. Truth is, I’m not. I’m actually kind of pissed at myself for last year’s Stumpy, and kind of pissed at Specialized for making that bass boat purple color that I just had to have. And bummed they made every size like 30 millimeters too short. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a sweet bike, for a midget.
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If I wasn’t such an idiot and had ordered an XL like I should have, perhaps I wouldn’t still regret my choice to forgo the bike I really fell in love with last summer, the Ibis Ripmo. Again, don’t get me wrong, the Stumpy is a very good bike, a solid update from the previous version, probably the best Stumpy they’ve made to date, and the build did come out looking insanely good. Out of all the builds I’ve done, last year’s definitely received the most peering eyes. It came out far better looking than the Ripmo ever could have with the two unfortunate colors Ibis offered it in.
What I really should have done, was had a Ripmo custom painted bass boat purple. My vanity and love for the EXT Storia shock (which wouldn’t have jibed perfectly with the Ripmo’s kinematics), got me whipped into a frenzy and I chose a bike that I did like, but didn’t absolutely love. Sometimes I wish I could be more like our gear editor Travis Engel who doesn’t care one iota about aesthetics. Travis wears a helmet with the visor pulled off because he thinks visors are impractical and takes his baggy shorts off on long climbs because climbing in just liner shorts is cooler. Temperature cooler, not cooler cooler.
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At least I got a SWAT box with the Stumpy. I hate seeing stuff strapped to frames, so I must love the SWAT box, right? I must love the disgusting mold factory inside my downtube that I could put anything in as long as I take it all back out after each ride to wring it out and let dry, just to forget to put back in before the next ride, right? Nope. It’s often wet where I live. Until it’s watertight, I’m not a hundred percent into it.
So what the hell? Why another Specialized?
I wasn’t going to do it. The pressure from my coworkers not to do two Specialized Dream Builds in a row was heavy and I knew the internet trolls would come blast me for it, but I wasn’t going to make the same mistake I did last time. I wasn’t going to choose a bike I didn’t absolutely love.
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When I rode the Enduro for the first time at Crankworx Whistler, I knew it was going to be my next dream build. And when I rode it again at our Bible of Bike Tests in Park City, it was cemented. I got to check out a lot of great bikes in 2019, but the Enduro was by far my favorite. It’s like riding with a security blanket. It’s like cheating. When I get going fast on this bike, it just makes me giggle. How could I not choose it?
Specialized nailed the geometry, killed it on kinematics and slayed the colorways. Both S-Works frame-only color options are superb, and then, each spec level has two colors, one with a highly visible logo, and one with subdued lettering. I love the grey and copper combo on the Enduro Expert, the off-white and green Enduro Elite and of course the stealth black Enduro Comp, but the wrinkled black and grey colorway I decided on is off-the-charts.
I chose the Enduro because it climbs, it pops and it mobs. It’s a massive bike with 29-inch wheels and 170 millimeters of front and rear travel, but it’s easy to ride. It’s not a light bike, but it feels lively and light underfoot. It’s more travel than I typically go with, but it rarely feels like overkill. That’s why I chose the Enduro. I do not think I’ll be regretting it anytime soon.
Photo: Courtesy of Ryan Palmer/BIKE Magazine
The Fox 36 Grip2 is forkin’ amazing. And check out those swapped-out decals to match the bike.
Photo: Courtesy of Ryan Palmer/BIKE Magazine
Photo: Courtesy of Ryan Palmer/BIKE Magazine
Chris King DropSet2 in Matte Burbon and Enve M7 50mm stem with 35mm clamp.
Photo: Courtesy of Ryan Palmer/BIKE Magazine
One Up carbon bar, 35mm rise. Now that’s a tidy cockpit.
Photo: Courtesy of Ryan Palmer/BIKE Magazine
Nice to see XTR back in the mix again. Such a beautiful crank.
Photo: Courtesy of Ryan Palmer/BIKE Magazine
Photo: Courtesy of Ryan Palmer/BIKE Magazine
XTR brakes calipers still rattle, but the power, consistency, and maintenance-free reliability makes them dream-worthy.
Photo: Courtesy of Ryan Palmer/BIKE Magazine
Titanium rotor bolts add a touch of bling to the rest of the bling.
Photo: Courtesy of Ryan Palmer/BIKE Magazine
A winning combo.
Photo: Courtesy of Ryan Palmer/BIKE Magazine
The Meaty Paws did require some trimming to clear the SRAM AXS shifter.
Photo: Courtesy of Ryan Palmer/BIKE Magazine
So did the Wolf Tooth ShiftMount.
Photo: Courtesy of Ryan Palmer/BIKE Magazine
I’m usually not a fan of the “trail” style shimano pedals, but I thought I’d try the new XTR trail pedals since the platform actually has significantly more contact surface. I’m not totally sold yet. They’re harder to get into and out of than the cageless ones, even with my Shimano shoes. But they definitely do provide more stability when clipped in.
Photo: Courtesy of Ryan Palmer/BIKE Magazine
I was temped to get matching Matte Burbon Chris King Hubs, but thankfully didn’t even have to consider getting the obnoxiously loud hubs because King doesn’t have Shimano Micro Spline yet. Instead, I went for the beautiful White Industries XMR+ hubs. Too bad the cassette covers the drool-worthy titanuim MicroSpline freehub.
Photo: Courtesy of Ryan Palmer/BIKE Magazine
For the rest of the wheel build, I went with DT Aerolite front and Arolite Comp rear spokes with 15mm Prolock, Pro Head nipples, laced to the remarkably comfortable, yet stable Crankbrothers Synthesis E front and rear specific hoops, and Maxxis Minion DHF Maxx Gripp compound tires with DH casing.
Photo: Courtesy of Ryan Palmer/BIKE Magazine
The RockShox AXS dropper is so insanely awesome—the future is here.
Photo: Courtesy of Ryan Palmer/BIKE Magazine
Wolf Tooth unfortunately doesn’t make a shiftmount for the left side, though it definitely should since there are plenty of SRAM matchmaker-style dropper levers out there.
Photo: Courtesy of Ryan Palmer/BIKE Magazine
Photo: Courtesy of Ryan Palmer/BIKE Magazine
Finally, the world’s best bottle cage. The Enduro frame came with a Specialized Z cage, but I’m just not a fan of the look of most plastic or carbon bottle cages out there. I love the clean lines of a classic bottle cage, and nothing is as sweet as a King Cage.
Photo: Courtesy of Ryan Palmer/BIKE Magazine
The post Dream Builds: Ryan Palmer’s Custom Specialized Enduro appeared first on Men's Journal.
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