Curtis “The American Dream” Keene is one of America’s big hopes for taking home some Enduro World Series glory. He repaid his fans at round six of the EWS last year at Crankworx in Whistler when he sped into third place in front of an expectant North American crowd.

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Keene rides for Specialized and his team manager, Paddy Behan, talks us through his custom S-Works Stumpjumper FSR 650b race machine, one of the very first off the production line.

Behan tells us why Curtis prefers the 650b wheel size, how he sets up his RockShox Pike fork and why the front derailleur must die on all bikes.

SWAT system

You also get to see some cool new features of the 2016 Specialized Stumpjumpers, which is aiming to “eliminate the backpack” from enduro. Specialized has fitted storage spaces in the headtube and under a trapdoor in the frame, so Keene can carry all he needs for a day’s racing without a cumbersome rucksack.

Curtis unfortunately ended up 68th in the Tweedlove round after struggling with unfamiliar British conditions. He currently sits 57th in the overall rankings, so here’s hoping he can pick it up at Samoens in France for round four on July 18/19.

If you like this Curtis Keene bike check, let us know in the comments whose bike you’d like to see next.