Bikes of the Enduro World Series at Finale Ligure
We take a peek at the hardy steeds being trialled at the final round of the EWS
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With practice cancelled last Friday because of poor weather, BikeRadar caught up with the few brave souls facing the rain in the paddock, looking for the inside track on their weapons of choice for this prestigious race: the final round of 2015’s Enduro World Series.
Arbr Saker
This radical beast is the Saker, a brand-new bike from a small UK firm called Arbr. The carbon machine uses an idler to eliminate pedal-kickback and chain tug. Combined with the hugely rearward axle path, this is claimed to provide a radically supple suspension action, according to Arbr’s MD Robert Barr.
The Arbr Saker: never heard of it? Well its radical design looks promising to us
Barr wasn’t here to compete in the EWS, but rather to put the bike through its paces on the savage terrain in the area. We took it for a quick spin around the square, and were surprised to find a fairly efficient pedalling bike, without the wallowy pedal-bob we expected for a machine claiming little to no chain-tug – which normally is used to counteract pedal-bob.
With a 465mm reach figure (for the large frame) and a 65-degree head angle, the geometry is right up to date too. The claimed weight is 29lbs for this well-chosen build you see here, and it should be available to buy in early 2016. We can’t wait to swing a leg over one!
Meggie Bichard’s Ibis Mojo HD3
Privateer EWS racer Meggie Bichard’s weapon of choice for most of this Enduro season has been her large Ibis Mojo HD3. Her super-wide Ibis 741 carbon wheels have suffered through this abuse (which included a Megavalanche qualifier run with a burped tyre) bearing nothing more than a few scars to prove it.
The bike’s Cane Creek DB inline shock, however, suffered the same fate as several of our test samples, leaking oil out of the damper. A Fox Float X2 takes its place, and Meggie is more than happy with the performance gains it offers.