FIRST LOOK: Sunn Kern EN29 Finest

You might have spied the Sunn Kern EN29 Finest on the internet or even up close, as Sunn riders like Theo Galy or Kevin Miquel have raced them to great success. Kevin Miquel is currently 3rd on the Enduro World Series (EWS) global ranking, and he's made some very Euro little video edits with other sponsors as well.

We tested the previous Sunn Kern LT and it was a sweet bike – but at the time we had already spotted the prototype of the new, 29" edition we have on test now. We waited, asked the questions on when it might be available, and took guesses at what the geometry might be.

Now, thanks to Ride Sports in Queensland, the new Sunn Kern EN29 Finest is here and available direct to consumer. That means you buy direct, and it also means you get a very good value bike. The Sunn Kern EN29 Finest we have on test must be one of the best value Enduro rigs around at $6299 with SRAM Code RSC brakes and Mavic wheels making it pretty bling. Pick your size via the geometry chart, add it to your cart, pay your money – and you will have a hard charging enduro bike arrive pretty soon afterwards.

The Sunn Kern EN29 Finest has 155mm of travel out the back and 160mm of suspension travel up front thanks to some of RockShox best bits. The build is ready to charge big mountains or ideally have a number on the bars for your next Enduro race. Make no mistake, this bike has been bred for the EWS and racing is at its heart.

The frame is full carbon, and has really angular with lines a lot like the Sunn Shamann we tested last year. It does have a long seat tube (485mm on our large) and only a 125mm dropper, this is highly annoying and likely required to make the design work. For my seat height a 150mm dropper post would fit fine and I'd put one in if this was my bike.

The frame has a 65.5 degree head angle across all three sizes (small, medium and large), accompanied by a 77 effective degree seat angle. With a 630mm top tube this gives a 484mm reach on the large test bike. These are exactly the kind of numbers you would expect on a bike bred on the Enduro global scene.

The rear tyre clearance is a little tight as shown in the photo. We had a day of rain here in Canberra which means the trails at Mt Stromlo grip like velcro, but you can also end up carrying a bit of mud on the sidewalls. When pushing really hard, I was able to make the tyre rub in almost any corner with the stock 2.4" Hutchinson tyre. It's also not uncommon with wider bag tyres in wet conditions and when using alloy rimmed wheels. Have you looked inside your swing arm recently – chances are you have some good scuffs.

Thanks to the length of the Sunn Kern EN29 Finest, the bike is great at speed. It is long and stable and with a steep seat tube angle it climbs very well and its also equipped with SRAM's twist lock rear shock lock out – super handy when you need to give it some beans on a pinch climb or flat section.

The rear shock is hidden from view, but also well out of harms way! The only downside is it's a bit harder to check sag. But after your initial setup it means you have a shock getting nailed by way less trail debris and grime.

The frame is meaty, and with the shock sitting low and centred the bike's centre of gravity is kept nice and low. It's also really stiff through the bottom bracket.

 The Sunn Kern uses internal routing right from the head tube. 

Full specs for the Sunn Kern EN29 Finest 

Frame: Monocoque HM Carbon, BB92, tapered head tube, rear 148 × 12
Fork: RockShox Lyrik RC2 Charger 160mm 15x110mm BOOST
Shock: RockShox SuperDeluxe RTR – 155mm travel
Wheels: 29'' Mavic Deemax Elite Enduro 
Tyres: Hutchinson Griffus 2.5 and 2.4"
Drivetrain: SRAM Eagle GX/XO1 12-speed
Brakes: SRAM Code RSC 200/180mm
Crank set: SRAM GX EAGLE DUB DM 32t
Handlebar: RaceFace SixC carbon 785mm 
Stem: SUNN CNC 45 mm 
Seat post: SDG TELLIS 125mm drop 
Saddle: WTB High Tail Pro rails cromo

From: Ride Sports