I am just going to say that these guys also have insane fitness to ride lighter lower travel suspension bikes on the enduro stages. So us mortals are most likely faster on a enduro than on stumpy evo just because the fatigue is lower on enduro. If you have the fitness go for the stumpy evo or stumpy 15 but i belive 90% of us would feel riding hard enduro more fun on the enduro
I had a 2016 stumpy (loved it) and now I have a 2020 Enduro (absolutely love it). I can definitely see how the stumpy can be faster on non-gnarly trails. For me I wanted a bike that could do it all. I can’t imagine taking the stumpy to a bike park, even though I’m sure it would do just fine with the type of stuff I’m hitting. The Enduro can be too much bike on flow/cross country trails, but it’s still such an awesome bike.
I've not ridden the 2016 stumpy, but I think the Stumpy Evo/Stumpy 15 are different machines and lean more towards the enduro category. However, Jared Graves also raced the Stumpy at the EWS in 2017, so Charlie is not the first one in the specialized pits to do so.
The problem with Specialized mtbs is Santa Cruz. They are equal in so many ways that the SC frames being slightly cheaper (CC vs S Works) and the free bearings for life vs £100 a year, that adds up to a big difference for someone who changes frame bearings 1-2 times a year. Also, buying a high end factory bike, Reserve rims are lifetime no questions asked on alloy and carbon rims and SC are so so good with warranty. I get rims in a day or so after a claim. Currently have a 2018 Enduro Ohlins coil with a reserve alloy on CH on the rear after trashing the Roval carbon with no warranty. I will probably move over to SC and ride a Hightower in the next few years, unless the enduro frame cracks and I get a warranty on it.
Also because an enduro is outdated nowadays. Not the geo in numbers itself but the overall feel and turning is far from the modern agility and balance of current enduro bikes
