Top 5 | 2023 Mountain Bikes

[@bikeradar]

What should have been on our list and which mountain bike are you looking forward to?

[@ThunderStruckMTB]

Norco Fluid FS A1

[@sambolo]

Pole Vikkelä

[@humanresources3545]

Polygon Collosus N9

[@3Bmtb]

Category TR/AM/EN: New Merida One Fourty / One Sixty and Ghost Riot Carbon line-up and the Commencal T.E.M.P.O. ❓

[@mellissanash7517]

Reeb SST

[@aminostruth3494]

Still riding my rigid Cube carbon XC 29er in my local neck of the woods (South UK) and can honestly say, I don't miss the sus forks or crave an upgrade. It's essentially a burly gravel bike so flies on tarmac and eats up most of the rough stuff without having to slow down too much. It's also bloody light and nimble and easy to maintain. There is much to be said for the purity of simplicity and enjoyment of just riding rather than worrying about FOMO from the MTB catwalk every year!

[@mattving61]

Glad to see Marin in there!!!

[@Ry_Rides]

My issue with the Scott isn’t the shock, it’s the headset routing.

[@MoonMage67]

so the new XC bikes are basically 4 year old trail bikes?

[@Mockle07]

But a lot lighter…

[@slimjim4ever]

@@Mockle07 not really… bikes have gotten a lot heavier recently. Just look at top spec Scott Scale. It weighs 23lbs as opposed to 20-21lbs from previous generation. I personally like the simplicity of older bikes.

[@Mockle07]

@@slimjim4ever lol Current XC bikes are still a lot lighter than the average trail bike from 4 years ago, which was the point being made.

[@slimjim4ever]

@@Mockle07 most yes but some no. They’ve gotten more efficient but a lot of previous model XC bikes were simpler and lighter yet more sketchy. For example 2016 Trek Top Fuel 9.9 would weigh 22lbs stock & wasn’t too difficult to be built low 20s (built one myself) but now the current Top Fuel 9.9 weighs way over 24lbs. It’ll cost arms and legs and skill of Dangerholm to bring that beast down to 20s. Components have gotten heavier but modern bike sure feels much safer and faster

[@Mockle07]

@@slimjim4ever Mate, you’re overthinking it. Yes you CAN make mods to lighten your 4 year old trail bike but that’s not really the point. Yes you’ll be able to find a few XC bikes that are heavier than the odd trail bike but by and large, XC bikes are very obviously still lighter on average than a 4 year old trail bike. Fully agree that more modern bikes are WAY safer and more capable though.

[@myrants5836]

The only one on this list that would interest me is the Marin. A great bombproof bike at a fantastic price. The rest are ridiculously priced. I cannot believe the cost of mountain bikes these days. Top specs or not they are just not worth 10k plus of anyone's money.

[@cf9590]

I'm a big fan of marin bikes!! Def more agreeable on my wallet the other brands

[@marklouieadame]

Agree with you thats why you will never see these bikes on races against a lower tier price range it will kill the marketing hype

[@TitaniumFPV]

I was looking at a rift zone 2 for the price it’s a great bit of kit but after seeing quite a few posts about the frame cracking at the seat post on the alloy frame only a few months old I was put off in the end. Went for a nukeproof mega 290 in the end.

[@J_Schmo]

My first bike was a Marin bobcat trail 4 hardtail. Entry level components, still shredding that thing to this day. Those bikes are made to last. Cant go wrong with Marin.

[@olik136]

same here- I especially hate that you always have to take the most expensive option for any given bike just to get the good brakes- so you have to pay 2000€ more to get a 200€ brake upgrade...

[@hunterdean11]

My list would look like a Santa Cruz catalog

[@nelsonchavez6387]

Sta cruz is may g o a t ❤

[@benjy288]

The yeti sb120 basically has the same geo and travel as my 2019 norco fluid fs1, just a boat load more expensive.

[@christiandruan]

That’s the Yeti specialty, the price🤣

[@DougieFresh13]

Say that to my Infiniity link

[@kentgrander9137]

I love my Fezzari Wire Peak!

[@deividas_kimontas]

I love what Vitus are doing! 🔥🤘

[@roxstarrestorationllc6438]

Thoughts on the Salsa Horsethief SLX

[@noah3191]

Karbon bikes is the best I just bought one a couple months ago it basically can go over anything

[@stephenhossack4390]

What about the Hope HB916

[@freddie1576]

I would say first would be custom orbea Ockham

[@nicksknives7777]

Pivot shadowcat would be my pick.

[@REB4444]

The Yeti is basically saying, "Me too!", and catching up to what Pivot, Ibis, Santa Cruz, etc. have been doing for years now in the short-travel space. It still falls short because they didn't make it lighter, nor did they make it climb as well the Ripley, Trail 429, Spur in terms of speed nor as efficient as the Tallboy neither. They also didn't make it as capable downhill as the Trail 429, the Tallboy, or the Spur. So why would you buy it? The quality? Santa Cruz and Pivot quality & finish is second to none, so Yeti can't claim the best quality.

[@itr0863]

Fax

[@DirtyWabbit]

My sb120 climbs like a goat. Plus I love the design.

[@tabby4kyeet589]

Santa Cruz just throws a mullet on there bike and calls it a new bike and Ibis just throws on some new linkage and calls it a bike and transition is actually kinda cool so nothing negative to say abt them. I don’t ride transition bikes so yea but still the sb120 is still better than the Santa Cruz

[@Wesley_ProgamerTG]

I wonder why the Apollo slant isn't mentioned it's a wonderful bike.

[@grrainboy63]

I’ve read from more than a few sources that the bike industry has been scaling back on production and employees. Given that, wouldn’t it make more sense to scale back the price as well? Nice bikes, but these bikes are way out of my price range.

[@christiandruan]

I just built up a custom bike and was able to get almost all parts on sale. The industry is definitely overstocked and their are deals to be had!

[@wesleyoke8448]

REVEL. That it all

[@Mo.Jo.MTB_101]

I am wondering if Specialized will release a new Demo in 2023... And I do have a question about the Orbea Oiz, with the new Oiz do you have to route the cables through the headset or would it be possible to have a more conventional (meaning a good and serviceable ;-) ) cable routing? I love that bike but this new cables in the headset is a dealbreaker for me... Ps.: I did write to Orbea about this but didn't get an answer...

[@TomMarvin1]

Unless you zip-tied the cables externally, I'm afraid not - there are no traditional entry holes near the headtube. You could go for one of the SRAM AXS builds, then it's just the rear brake that needs thinking of. I'm of a similar attitude to routing hoses and cables through the headset, but I recently changed the brakes on my BikeRadar longterm bike, which has this feature, and thanks to decent internal cable routing, it was a lot less painful than I thought it would be!

[@felixfam0481]

Nothing zip ties can't fix 😂 otherwise its probably a guaranteed no

[@matthewfrasca5248]

NEW ( spokeless rims and fat tires )

[@bubblebobblekd]

Will we get aero mtb bikes?

[@bikeradar]

In the office we were discussing if mtb riders should think about aerodynamics as much as roadies 🧐

[@mikoyle]

I wouldn’t buy the Scott simply because I wouldn’t want people to mistake it as an e bike on the trails. How embarrassing.

[@tabby4kyeet589]

What’s wrong with e-bikes?

[@zoojne]

(popcorn emoji)

[@CourtyardPigeon]

Wait it out because prices are going to go down big time

[@MyGame-vf8qf]

Which cycle price

[@ChipGeek0]

Any love for the We Are One 2023 170mm Arrival?

[@benjy288]

Lets face it, xc race bikes like the orbea are basically a lightweight short travel trail bike just reclassified as a xc race bike.

[@tabby4kyeet589]

A lot lighter and a lot more of a race feel but yea

[@ЯрославКошелев-ы6х]

Love the bike design kzbin.infoUgkxHL1v1R3NE5x4KiYfyt8dnQmyNYz7qi5L and functionality. It is hard to align the front tired to center the disk brakes. The brake wheel touches the stationery side of the brake caliper and pad. I aired the tire up to 40 psi as the markings say 40-60psi. Left the house for a few hours and came back to an exploded innertube.All in all it seems to be a good bike. Have not ridden it yet though so that's the max of my knowledge. Update, put a new innertube made sure the tire was set properly and it did the same thing in under 20 minutes as second pic shows.

[@stateofdecay2210]

so which one is lighter I just don't wanna buy a heavy bicycle

[@TheTonester2312]

How about, Specialized? Any opinions?

[@MarioV73]

Not sure what Scott and Yeti are thinking with their new complicated suspension systems. Who wants to maintain those, and who wants to spend extra $$$ at the local bike shop for such exotic maintenance? I can't believe I'm about to write this, but Marin never looked so appealing before, thanks to some brands desperately trying to expand their market share. Too bad their new designs will have the opposite effect, make buyers looks elsewhere.

[@TheDoctor46vr]

I wanna see what Vitus do with the Escarpe

[@davidj.schroit9743]

I would put my 24 pound cannondale Rize carbon 26” wheels and 130mm travel front and back with xtr gruppo against all these

[@teehotice5097]

No issues with assembly for me kzbin.infoUgkxHL1v1R3NE5x4KiYfyt8dnQmyNYz7qi5L but I could see where some might benefit from using an experienced bike assembler/mechanic. I'm an older rider starting back after a 10 year break. This bike exceeds my capabilities and has been easy to get comfortable riding. I'm mostly on easy trails with almost no street riding and have not been disappointed with the performance of the bike. My fitness level is far below what I previously rode with and because of that the mileage is going on the bike slowly. While I'm losing weight slowly, the bike seems to tolerate my 220 pounds just fine. The bike has been used by several family members ranging from 5'5" - 5'9".

[@vanbarrettdesign]

None of these bikes are very attractive. And none of these bikes are truly cross country. Most of your testing shots looks like they are ramming on the big hit down hill trails. Not all of us live in Big Sur. Some of us go long over bumpy rolling steep hills.

[@TomMarvin1]

The Oiz is a real XC race bike - I tested it on fairly rugged terrain, but with plenty of rolling mellow singletrack too - we rode over 100k in 2 days on really mixed terrain. It can handle rough tracks (as it would have to, given the likes of Noveo Mesto), but is also fast on smoother terrain too.

[@aamgdp]

Yeti has got to be one of the most overrated brands out there

[@tabby4kyeet589]

I would heavily disagree I have ridden a good amount of yetis and all of them feel really good. The suspension kinematics feel great. And it’s like no other bike. But they are way expensive. also I am not biased because I don’t own a yeti rn I ride a knolly

[@MTBr-of-SoCal]

@@tabby4kyeet589 Well see, that's cuz you're coming from a Knolly! JK, JK lol. But I too have ridden and tried out a Yeti and I personally think it felt like nothing different. I rode one around for a few weeks in various trails. Again, nothing special. They're nice looking bikes for sure but I agree with @aamgdp, I feel it's overrated.

[@tomdudley6867]

My Fezzari Delano is a sick bike

[@joelballard4955]

I love all these bikes. Especially the Scott. But good luck finding a good Scott dealer. And now that I have a EMTB. I will never ride my Amish bikes again. They are all for sale.

[@dannydirt5D]

Well, I can honestly say, hand on heart, I'll never own 1 of these bikes 🤣🤣🤣 10k for a bike these days is a joke

[@86309]

Pole Vikkela- Cmon guys, get off the mainstream minor upgrade blah blah blah...How about a 190/190 CNC work of art and engineering proven in the toughest EWS?????

[@crixxbrain6372]

Yeah, agree with that. Waiting for mine to arrive and can‘t wait to see how it rides!

[@86309]

@@crixxbrain6372 sweet, you in the States?

[@crixxbrain6372]

Good ol‘ Europe… I‘ll think of a way to share first ride impressions.

[@jonnysnakes5417]

No dh bikes

[@tabby4kyeet589]

Fr they need to add some

[@Eric.V.]

Wow, 2 out of the 5 bikes now have integrated headset cabling 🤦🏼‍♂️👎

[@Stockfish1511]

scott genius looks like shit. I rather change it from list for Trek Slash

[@robertobravi5426]

The Scott Genius is so a bad looking bike and also the design is very stupid

[@DarrenSmith-x6h]

How about stop explaining what a mullet is and what it does ,geez

[@joshjenner1]

Same old boring year of very very over priced bikes on there way soon people, so be ready to have your pants pulled down if your wanting to buy 👍 honestly how anyone buys a new bike is beyond me, your just being ripped off 🤷‍♂️

[@darkness789]

The Scott is trash. Something no person would ever want to work on

[@juanhidalgo7043]

I strongly disagree with Scott and from my engineering perspective it makes no sense wht Scott claims. My advise is to pass this bike and loo somewhere else.

[@ArcticTechnology]

specialized s works enduro best

[@stuartmclaren7285]

If it’s not broke don’t fix it so why make the nomad a mullet keep it 27.5

[@tabby4kyeet589]

I dislike that they changed it