Welcome to our second-ever Bike of the Year, which celebrates an incredible 12 months in mountain bike tech. Our finalists are drawn from a year of rigorous head-to-head bike tests. Only the winners of these group tests could make our final list — and, even then, just winning a test was no guarantee of making it to the final eight. The bikes here are the absolute cream of the crop.
From the finalists, we selected our overall winners: one hardtail, one full-sus. Performance, value, ease of set-up and price were all considerations, but fun and versatility also played a major part .
To read about why we chose the bikes we did, and how they’re changing for 2013, pick up the December issue of MBR, on sale 14 November. Save yourself a trip to the shops and subscribe by clicking here. And to check out our original reviews of the very best mountain bikes of 2012, just click on the pictures below.
The winners
MBR Hardtail Bike of the Year 2012: Scott Scale Comp
MBR Full-Suspension Bike of the Year: Specialized Stumpjumper FSR Comp Evo
The finalists
Charge Cooker Hi
Canyon Nerve AM 8.0X
Giant Trance X4
Norco Shinobi 1
Norco Sight 2
Specialized Camber Expert
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MBR August 2012 out now!
Full-sus contenders and disc brakes on test, plus your guide to taking on Helvellyn, and a free neoprene phone pouch
Free bike hooks with October’s issue of MBR!
Free bike hooks, hardtails on test and the psychology of fast riding — it’s in the shops now!
Tags: best mountain bikes, bike of the year, canyon, canyon nerve, charge, charge cooker hi, full sus, full-suspension, giant, Giant Trance X4, hardtail, mbr, mountain bike, norco, norco shinobi 1, norco sight 2, reviews, scott, scott scale comp, specialized, specialized camber comp, specialized stumpjumper fsr comp evo
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