We’ve got a van full of the hottest 29er enduro bikes, and are going to put them all against the stopwatch to find out which is fastest.

>>> Best enduro mountain bikes in 2019

First up, let’s take a quick look at the bikes we’re going to be riding, and what a line-up we have.

There’s the brand new Santa Cruz Megatower: Full carbon frame, 160mm travel front and rear, adjustable geometry, carbon wheels and a price tag of well over seven grand.

Yeti SB150: Full carbon frame, 170mm travel fork and 150mm out back. One of the most inspiring bikes we’ve ridden in years. Just over seven grand.

Canyon Strive: Adjustable travel and geometry with the Shapeshifter system. Full carbon frame with 170mm up front and 150mm at the back. This model costs five grand.

Specialized Stumpjumper Evo Carbon 29: Carbon frame, carbon wheels, coil shock, radical geometry but only 150mm travel up front and 140mm at the back.

Calibre Sentry: Amazing value for money at two grand. Alloy frame, 160mm travel front, 150mm rear, almost identical geometry and sizing to the Yeti.

Geometron G1: Radical sizing, alloy frame, coil shock, fully adjustable geometry. Five grand as you see it here.

That’s the line-up and the track we’re going to be timing them on is 1.3km in length and drops 130m. It starts off with a series of flat turns that require quick direction changes and the ability to carry momentum. Then it dives into a couple of fast bomb holes and across a hideous spider’s web of roots. Dropping onto the middle fireroad, there’s a 100m to compose ourselves before plunging into a series of deep, rocky bomb holes. Then there’s a tricky high-speed off camber and a couple of hairpin turns before the last few jumps into the finish. It’s a track we know really well, so we’re going to try and be as consistent with our line choices and effort as possible.

They’re all bikes we’ve ridden before, with the exception of the Geometron, but we genuinely have no idea which bike will be fastest. Place your bets!

Split times

1. Yeti – 0.33.32 / 0.07.14 / 0.14.62 / 0.30.28 / 0.20.60 – 1.45.96
2. Geometron – 0.33.74 / 0.07.36 / 0.14.50 / 0.30.76 / 0.20.56 – 1.46.92
3. Canyon – 0.34.14 / 0.07.41 / 0.14.64 / 0.30.26 / 0.20.63 – 1.47.08
4. Specialized – 0.33.59 / 0.07.54 / 0.14.47 / 0.31.30 / 0.21.27 – 1.48.17
5. Santa Cruz – 0.33.41 / 0.07.39 / 0.15.80 / 0.30.86 / 0.21.25 – 1.48.69
6. Calibre – 0.34.50 / 0.07.59 / 0.15.02 / 0.31.62 / 0.21.52 – 1.50.25

We timed the bikes in the following order

1. Santa Cruz
2. Yeti
3. Specialized
4. Canyon
5. Calibre
6. Geometron