Sport And Biking Talk: Top bikes of Philly Bike Expo: Portus Enduro Bike

Friday, March 31, 2017

Top bikes of Philly Bike Expo: Portus Enduro Bike

German frame builder Alex Clauss was proud to display one of the only full-suspension enduro bikes at the Philly Expo.

Editor’s note: This post was written by Paul Skilbeck and Alan Davis. Photos are courtesy Brad Quartuccio/Philly Bike Expo.

Here is the second of five best bike selections for singletrack from the Philly Bike Expo, the Portus Enduro Bike. German frame builder Alex Clauss has made a lot of friends between his two American exhibits to date, first at NAHBS in February 2016 and now at the Philly Bike Expo. And now he is even introducing his German friends to the U.S. market.

Notable are several components from the German company Tune, which Clauss describes as Germany’s equivalent of Paul Components in the U.S.

“They have been on the market now for 27 years, and I even worked for Tune for three years as a product designer,” he said. In fact Clauss helped design the crank that is fitted to this Portus enduro bike.

Clauss helped design the German-made Tune cranks fitted to the Portus bike.

The bike also features Tune stem, bars and headset, which features an external cup and is fitted with zero stack.

Brakes are the outstanding Direttissima by German company Trickstuff, where his friend Cornelius Kapfinger works. This brake is said by enduro-mtb.com to have such massive stopping power, it is best in the hands of the more skilled rider. Provided you’re OK with the price tag of around $ 400 an end, you’re good to go… or stop as the case may be.

Gears are a pre-production model from Box Components.

Portus Enduro Bike chain ties it all together.

Not everything on this bike is top-dollar componentry. The SR Suntour Auron fork is regarded as a middle-pack model. Clauss reckons it’s OK if you’re just out to have fun, but hard-core riders might want something a little up-market. We enjoyed the custom paint, though.

Rear suspension is a different story. Clauss mounted the RockShox Super Deluxe unit for top-drawer back end performance. This unit was pre-tuned for the bike after Clauss provided the leverage specs. Travel is 160mm front and rear.

Portus Enduro Bike suspension bits are low to the ground.

For frame tubes, Clauss selected Columbus Zona for the downtube and Reynolds 631 for the top. The seat tube is straight gauge and the stays are Dedacciai. A virtual pivot rear suspension system is built inside what looks like a scaffold, which Clauss refers to as The Tower.

A close up look at the crackle paint details.

The bike is intended for enduro racing. “It is a great enduro bike and will be good for serious racing,” says Clauss. It is still in the prototype phase, but with custom options the frame is expected to sell for around $ 3500.

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