Enduro bikes and trail bikes both belong to the mountain bike category, but they are not exactly the same, and there are differences between these two types of bicycles. This time, using ICAN's mountain bike models as examples, let's explain the differences between Enduro bikes and Trail bikes. In the ICAN mountain bike product line, the P1 is a Trail bike and the P9 is an Enduro bike.

Comparison of Enduro Bikes and Trail Bikes in Mountain Biking

Those who are not familiar with mountain biking may be confused by the difference between trail bikes and enduro bikes. This is because both styles are very similar, so confusion is common. 

 Article Summary

• Mountain Bike Standards
• Enduro Bike vs. Trail Bike
• What are the differences in wheelbase between Enduro bikes and Trail bikes?
• Which should you choose: Enduro Bike or Trail Bike?

Mountain Bike Standards

Mountain biking has grown phenomenally in the last decade. Growth has brought many new standards and many new styles of riding. Some of these new styles already existed. It was not what professional riders needed, but it was precisely when bikes began to be designed around how people ride.

The growth has seen 26-inch wheels grow to 29-inch, then shrink to 27.5-inch, then become a combination of 27.5-inch and 29-inch, and then return to 29-inch. Mountain bikes are no longer rigid bikes like road bikes, but dream machines that make off-road riding fun.

  However, with all these changes, enduro bikes evolved from trail bikes.

Enduro Bike vs. Trail Bike

  For many, the definition of a trail bike is quite vague. A simple definition we like is that a trail bike is a more fun XC bike. It can climb, but it's a bike you want to flick down the trail. Similarly, an enduro bike is like a downhill bike that can be ridden uphill.

There are several differences to ride these types of mountain bikes this way. The first difference is the easiest to see, and for many, it is the most important difference between enduro bikes and trail bikes.

This is that the suspension systems are different.

Suspension Differences

Enduro bikes have more suspension travel than trail bikes. Enduro bikes typically have 140-180mm of travel. Trail bikes have up to 140mm of travel. The simple experience here is that with more travel, enduro bikes prefer to go downhill rather than being truly efficient climbing machines.

 Trail bikes are not about competition; they are for going out and enjoying local trails with friends. Generally, here you'll want a fun bike, not a race beast. You'll want a bike that can handle drops and is still a dream to climb.

 It's also worth noting that Enduro is now the name used for all-mountain. These terms are quite interchangeable. All-mountain bikes conjure up images of jumping off cliffs and descending steep slopes. The extra squish available on enduro bikes means you can do this even if you don't want to race.

Head Angle Differences

Geometry affects the difference between trail bikes and enduro bikes. One of the most important numbers is the head tube angle. The head tube angle is the angle of the head tube relative to the ground. 90° is a right angle, so it's very steep. As you go down from 90°, the head tube angle becomes slacker. The way to think about the head tube angle in relation to riding is that the steeper the angle, the better the bike climbs. The slacker the angle, the slower the steering and the longer the bike's wheelbase. These make your bike more stable and more fun when descending.

Now, looking back at suspension travel and including the fact that adding travel to the suspension also slackens the head angle, you can see that enduro bikes have a slacker head angle than trail bikes. A slacker angle moves the front wheel out. This is one reason why the wheelbase gets longer.

  However, a slacker angle makes mountain bikes harder to climb. This is one reason why trail bikes have steeper head tube angles.

Wheelbase Differences

We mentioned that enduro bikes have a longer wheelbase than trail bikes. One reason for this is the slack head tube angle. Next is the longer travel of the fork. The last way to create a longer wheelbase is to create a longer frame.

In the past, bikes achieved this by making the chainstays longer. Now, bike manufacturers tend to lengthen the top tube rather than the chainstays. The advantage here is that it makes the bike easier to swing by bringing the rear wheel closer to the seat tube, and it gives you more space to move your body when descending at high speeds.

Bottom Bracket Height Differences

Enduro bikes typically have a higher bottom bracket height than trail bikes. There's a simple reason for this. Longer travel suspension results in a higher bottom bracket height.

Your weight can change the bottom bracket height, as the tires sag when you sit on the bike. Tire sag can also be affected by the pressure in your tires. Suspension sag also affects this number.

Which should you choose: an Enduro Bike or a Trail Bike?

If you like to do big, aggressive things, you'll want an enduro bike. If you're going to ride with your buddies for skids in the woods, you'll probably want a trail bike. The good news is that there are two perfect options. 

ICAN P9 Enduro Bike 

The ICAN P9 is the perfect enduro bike to tame the gnarliest terrain. ICAN has become renowned in the road bike world for high-end carbon fiber frames at affordable prices for most of us. Fortunately, these qualities are found in the enduro-focused P9.

Constructed from Toray T700 and T800 carbon fiber, in the transfer stages, the P9 allows you to save energy when riding downhill stages. Especially with the 160mm RockShox Lyrik and 150mm of rear travel via the RockShox Super Deluxe RC3 helping you keep the rubber side down.

When flying downhill, the P9 comes with a 66° head tube angle. This is slack enough to ensure the bike loves to flow downhill, but not so slack that it makes uphill pedaling a complete chore. The slack head angle means the bike really works when you're going downhill at speed.

To maintain speed on round doglegs, the rear chainstay length is 452mm. This provides enough length to stabilize the bike when hitting big double jumps or redlining on downhills.

ICAN P1 Trail Bike

The ICAN P1, constructed from Toray T700 carbon fiber, combined with the 130mm RockShox Yari and 130mm RockShox Monarch, will make your local trails tremble with fear of the bike.

One of the best gems of both the P9 and P1 is that they come with carbon fiber wheels out of the box. Both bikes come with Toray T700 AM rims. These wheels will help you conquer slop, but they are also strong enough to handle the gnarliest downhill descents.

The P1 has a steeper head tube angle (68.5°) than the P9. The steeper head angle means you don't have to go downhill at rocket ship speeds for the P1 to be so much fun. It also helps keep you in an excellent position for climbing. You don't want to lift the front wheel and waste energy for skids or manuals downhill.

Summary

The P1 comes with shorter chainstays than the P9 (443mm). This allows you to manual the P1 at lower speeds. For more technical trails where you have to lift the front wheel over obstacles, you might prefer a shorter rear end. It makes Scandinavian-style flicks a piece of cake.

Now that you know the difference between enduro bikes and trail bikes, you can easily get the right bike for you. So, is it the P9 or the P1 for you?