A big thank you to our community for the continued support. This one was a special opportunity and episode and we couldn't do it without you. If you enjoy what we do and want to keep us caffeinated while we edit, you're welcome to buy us a coffee here: https://buymeacoffee.com/worldhardenduro

We had the opportunity to visit Stark HQ on our way to Romaniacs this year and sat down with Eddie Karlsson and Seb Tortelli to talk about Stark in Hard Enduro. From Eddie winning the Silver class at Romaniacs to Seb taking the top spot at the Erzberg Rocket Ride and of course Stark crossing the Erzberg finish line in a world first… Stark has slowly but surely been inserting itself in the world of hard enduro and we’re stoked!

Stark is essentially a tech company that sells bikes… and what the team has created is an ever evolving bike. They paved the foundations from the beginning with their forward thinking manufacturing which now allows for constant tech updates that put the standard year on year model changes to shame. Instead of buying the latest release, customers are getting a new bike with an update. Who would have thought?

We chat to Eddie about his experience moving to the Stark, transitioning from trials which is a clutch intensive sport to a bike with just a front and back brake. We also touch on what it’s like to have Toby part of the team and how they have very different preferences when it comes to bike setup.

While Stark won't be racing the remainder of the HEWC season, this year is clearly just the beginning. The momentum is building and we have a feeling this is a team that's going to be very hard to ignore in the years to come.

We hope you enjoy this episode!

Chapters:

00:00 Intro

01:20 Inside Stark Future HQ with Eddie Karlsson & Seb Tortelli

02:15 How rider feedback shapes the bike

03:22 Racing bike vs consumer bike

05:25 Enduro vs MX bike

06:25 Riding without a clutch

09:17 Super Enduro

09:50 Romaniacs silver class

14:08 Erzberg debrief

16:11 First electric bike to finish Erzberg

16:30 Seb Tortelli at Erzberg

18:27 Competing electric manufacturers

21:07 Traction control in hard enduro

25:01 Electric bikes in racing regulations

27:37 Hard enduro championship goals

34:09 The electric bike online debate

35:36 Eddie VS Toby

37:10 Seb's take on hard enduro

38:42 How the HEWC format helps electric

Are you a fan of electric in hard enduro? Or do you think the 2T and 4T still have too much of an edge? Also, have you ever ridden a Stark? Let us know in the comments, we'd love to hear what you thought of it ↓↓↓

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