OUT NOW! ENDURO Issue #052: Reality Check

Most of us will know this feeling: you’re out shredding your favourite trails with your homies when all of a sudden a powerful cocktail of adrenaline and endorphins shoots through your veins, unlocking the ultimate flow level and making even the nastiest trail sections look easy. In these moments you feel confident enough to take on Superbruni himself! Fast forward to your next bike park or trail session in unknown territory and life will kick you right back into your place!

Quite evidently, there are still people who ride faster than you! And while this might suck at first, it’s very important to get a little reality check from time to time, because what happens in our head doesn’t always happen in real life.

In our latest issue, we’re analyzing some old realities and also creating some new ones for ourselves. For example, we delve deeper into “localism”, an attitude of hostility towards strangers who want to enjoy our local spots – a widespread phenomenon among surfers that is becoming reality in mountain biking. Needless to say, we’ve worked hard on yet another group test, in which we put 14 of the hottest trail bikes of the year through the wringer to find out what the current trail bike market looks like.

Just because reality can make us feel uncomfortable sometimes, it doesn’t mean that we’re not allowed to dream. Because today’s day dreaming could be tomorrow’s real life. However, dreams don’t come true overnight and involve plenty of hard work and a brutal amount of passion – but the feeling of reward is truly awesome! In this issue we had a chat with RAAW Mountainbikes founder Ruben Torenbeek and found out what pushed him to turn his dream into reality and run his own bike brand. While we were at it, we resuscitated our own dreams too! Since 2022 marks ENDURO’s 10th anniversary and we started out as a downhill racing team, we decided to jump back between the tapes and take part in a few DH races – we can’t wait!

On that note, we’ll quote Steven Tyler and tell you: Dream until your dreams come true and enjoy this issue! Dig through our digital pages, check out the entire issue and tell us what you think about it! We look forward to your feedback!

The highlights of this issue

• 41 Racing Revival – All the gear, and no idea!
• The best trail bike of 2022 – Shifting paradigms: 14 of the most exciting bikes of the season in our big 2022 trail bike group test
• My trail is your trail? – Hospitality vs localism amongst mountain bikers
• Stop! For the love of mountain biking – How to get the most out of your hydraulic disc brakes
• The Crossworx DASH290 2022 – An exotic enduro made in Germany
• RAAW Mountain Bikes – What’s behind the small company from Bavaria?

You can download the new issue in our magazine app now – free of charge as always! If you don’t yet have the app, you can find it in the App Store (iPhone/iPad) or in the Play Store (Android smartphones & tablets) or on Amazon (Kindle). The free, digital magazine is at the heart of what we do and undoubtedly the best way to experience our content. It comes with lots of interactive features, high-resolution images and videos and a unique design. We’re confident that if you like our website, you’ll love the app. By the way, you can also access all previous issues of ENDURO in the app – reading material for days!

All the bikes in this issue

Atherton AM.150 | Bold Linkin 135 Ultimate | Canyon Spectral 125 CF9 | Canyon Spectral CFR | Crossworx DASH290 | FOCUS JAM 8.9 | Mondraker Raze RR SL | Propain Hugene | Rocky Mountain Instinct C70 | RAAW DH Prototype | ROSE Bonero 3 | Santa Cruz Bronson CC X01 AXS | SCOR 4060 ST GX | Specialized Demo | Specialized Stumpjumper EVO S-Works | Specialized Stumpjumper EVO Alloy | Trek Session | UNNO Burn Race | YT JEFFSY UNCAGED 6

Below, we’ve put together a small selection of articles that you’ll find in the current issue.

41 Racing Revival

Why dream it when you can live it? ENDURO magazine – or rather 41 Publishing – has its roots in downhill racing and after 10 years, it’s high time to return to them for one season – with less skills and no fitness, though with the best bikes and lots of beer! Beep, beep, beeeeeeep!

The best trail bike of 2022

Trail bikes are changing. They’re getting faster and becoming increasingly more capable and versatile, covering a huge range of applications without compromising on climbing performance. In our big 2022 trail bike group test not only did we have a blast riding 14 of the most exciting bikes of the year but also gained some exciting new insights.

My trail is your trail?

In the MTB scene, we help each other. Tools, tips, cold drinks at the campsite – with pleasure! But when it comes to sharing your home trails, that hospitality often comes to an abrupt end. Often, your local spots are a strictly guarded secret. But is there any benefit to localism? And could it even be detrimental?

Stop! For the love of mountain biking

Good brakes make you faster! This may sound a little counterintuitive, but it’s true! Brakes are complex systems and will only improve the riding experience and enhance your sense of security when perfectly tuned to your needs and requirements. No matter what you run, this guide will help you improve the performance of your hydraulic stoppers and understand the complex technology that lies behind them – and perhaps make you a little bit faster too!

The Crossworx DASH290 2022

The 2022 Crossworx DASH290 is a downhill-oriented bike featuring an exotic single-pivot rear linkage with the shock positioned low in the frame. Best of all, the bike is hand-made in Germany, only leaving the custom forge to get painted… Unless you choose the raw aluminium look to show off the bike’s engineering art.

RAAW Mountain Bikes

No frills. Pure function. One way of describing an MTB from RAAW is that it does exactly what it says on the tin. But it shouldn’t come as any surprise that this German brand based in Kempten have a whole lot more going on. We linked with founder Ruben Torenbeek to talk the past, present and future of RAAW, while getting the lowdown on his new life in the MTB mecca of Squamish.

Excited? These (and many more) stories are just a few clicks away. If you’ve already installed our free app, simply open it and download the latest issue right now. If not, first download the free app from the App Store (iPhone / iPad) or the Play Store (Android smartphones & tablets) and then download the latest issue in the app. All you’ve got to do then is sit back and enjoy (ideally with a cold beer or a delicious cup of coffee)! #qualitytime