There’s growing interest in the discipline of Enduro, particularly in Gauteng. Confident riders of all ages, looking for a fresh challenge, are giving it a go; while young XCO racers that are skilled but not the strongest climbers, are finding great enjoyment in Enduro. It may sound intimidating, but it’s really not.
An Enduro event sees you cover around 20-30km in a 3–5-hour period. You only have to ride fast on the 5 or 6 marked stages, which are mostly descending. You tag in at the top and tag out at the bottom of each stage, with your stage times accumulating for your overall result. Do you need a special bike or gear? Not really, certainly not in Gauteng. Here’s what you need.
BIKE
From a bike perspective you can do some Enduro events on a hardtail, but a full-suspension bike is best as there are usually rocky sections, jumps, roll-downs and drop-offs that are better handled on a full-suspension bike. Note that there is always a B Line around the tricky features like these. Usually a bit longer, but always safer.
Because Gauteng lacks long, steep gradients, the Gauteng Enduro events are held at venues that most competent mountain bikers can manage without fear. Most committed Enduro racers travel to other parts of the country to race, so choose bikes in the mid-travel segment, such as the Stumpjumper 15 https://www.lynnwoodcyclery.co.za/products/stumpjumper-15-expert .
However, many Enduro racers in Gauteng manage just fine on a short-travel bike with 120-130mm suspension fork travel and around 100-120mm of travel at the rear. The Specialized Epic EVO is fits perfectly here. A very important component, however, is a dropper seatpost. You need to be able to maneuver around and over your bike a lot during an Enduro stage and a dropper seatpost makes this possible.
TYRES
A key change you can make to your bike for Enduro competition is tyres. Generally, you need a wider tyre that grips well on corners, especially on the front. This tyre also needs good sidewall strength to reduce the risk of sidewall cuts.
CLOTHING
Most Enduro racers wear baggy clothing. Well, baggy shorts over a pair of comfortable bib-shorts and a trail-style jersey. You can race in tight Lycra clothing, but the general style of Enduro is more relaxed fit clothing.
PROTECTIVE GEAR
You don’t really need anything more than a helmet, eyewear and gloves, but most Enduro racers include knee pads. Some Enduro racers, especially the faster Elite and Junior racers, will wear a full-face helmet and maybe a back protector pad, but this isn’t the norm for most, especially at Gauteng Enduro events where steepness isn’t a common feature.
Lynnwood Cyclery sells a range of loose-fit trail clothing, protective gear and tyres should you be keen to give Enduro a bash.
Here’s the list of Gauteng Enduro Series events for 2025:
- Round 1: Sunday 9 March – B’Sorah
- Round 2: Sunday 23 March – Grootfontein
- Gauteng Champs: Monday 28 April – Thaba Trails
- Round 3: Thursday 1 May – Summerplace Game Reserve (Inter-provincial)
- Round 4: Sunday 14 September – TBA
To compete at Enduro events, you need to be licensed with Cycling South Africa. All Gauteng Enduro events can be entered via the Cycling South Africa website event entry portal here https://www.cyclingsa-events.co.za/app_v2/
Author, Lynnwood Cyclery