For a while 160mm was deemed to be ideal for enduro, however times are changing and a new breed of 180mm superenduro mountain bikes are emerging. These bikes are built for hard charging on the gnarliest enduro stages – it’s no surprise when some EWS rounds look like World Cup tracks!

Modern suspension technology makes these bikes as capable pedalling up the trails as pinning down them. We reckon you could use them on everything from a cross country ride to a downhill race!

Here are five 180mm enduro/superenduro mountain bikes on offer for 2017:

Propain Spindrift

It may look like the Rage downhill bike, but the Spindrift has a comfortably steep seat angle to help with pedalling efficiency. To see what this bike is capable of, look no further than Phil Atwill’s video aboard one in Morzine. It’s a corker.

Cube Fritzz 180

Proving that 180mm travel bikes don’t have to be hefty beasts is the Cube Fritzz. This can be built up for around 30 lbs – that’s a lot of bike per pound. Everyone in our office that has ridden this bike absolutely loves it. Job done.

Liteville 601

The Liteville 601 is one bonkers bike. It’s a 180/190mm enduro race bike with adjustable geometry and different sized wheels front and rear. In fact, Liteville’s philosophy is that wheel size is tied to frame size, so you can go from a 26 inch front and rear on a small up to 27.5” rear and 29” front for XXL. Here’s a bike that can’t help but grab your curiosity.

Intense Uzzi

The Intense Uzzi is another 180/190mm bike, but this time it’s aimed more at the all-mountain crowd. It’s the only bike here that comes with a coil shock and that alone should give you an indication of its purpose. Don’t be put off by this, many top EWS racers run coils and still manage to pedal thousands of feet of vertical each weekend.

Rose Soul Fire

Is it an enduro bike? Well Rose calls it a freeride bike that can pedal, and that’s close enough right? We’d recommend fitting a dropper if you seriously want to take it racing though!