HEAD OVER HEELS
TRAVIS ENGEL
f I were allowed to keep just one bike from this year’s , free of charge, my choice would be the Specialized Enduro. That is the simple criteria we use to pick our favorites, after all. We don’t pick a best-of in each category or build a dream quiver. And we don’t fret over price points. If we were to consider the real-world compromise it’d take to one of these bikes on a print journalist’s or freelancer’s salary, it wouldn’t exactly be a ‘favorite’ by our definition. But when I rode the (page 64), that word ‘compromise’ never came to mind. The least expensive bike in this year’s bunch, the Ripmo AF is arguably the most versatile. Its linkage is so dialed that the relatively weighty build never bothered me on the climbs. And its geometry and suspension components do enough heavy lifting, anyone could ride anywhere. Because of how broadly this bike will spread the shred, it is by far my favorite.
