The best trail bike of 2025 isn’t necessarily the lightest, the one with the trickiest drivetrain, or even the fastest. Instead it’s the machine that best balances all those elements and more: quite simply, it’s the bike that proves the most fun to ride.

I’ve split the mbr Best Trail Bike of 2025 test in half to figure this out, with direct sales and shop bought bikes in separate categories. That’s because direct sales bikes are usually cheaper, while shop bought bikes traditionally deliver better customer support.

The Trail Bike of the Year 2025 direct sales category features YT, Canyon, Propain and Privateer

First up then it’s the turn of the direct sales brands, which are impossible to beat in terms of sheer bang for buck and deliver the best value bikes straight to your door in a box. On test then are the three key bike brands from Germany, and one from the UK, and together they represent some of the best full suspension mountain bikes available.

The YT Jeffsy has been one of the best trail bikes of the past five years, the new alloy frame doesn’t disappoint

The bikes on test

I tested the most significant internet brand bikes going then, the Propain Hugene 2 CF 29 and Canyon Spectral CF 9 with carbon frames. And the Privateer 141 and YT Jeffsy Core 3 AL using alloy.

The bikes on review are almost completely stock, with one important exception – the contact points. I fitted the same WTB tyres, grips and saddles to all four bikes, which makes testing the bikes much less of a guessing game. Tyres play such an important role on a bike – the only contact with the ground – so to properly test the bikes they needed to be neutralised.

A big thanks to WTB for coming on board as a sponsor for the 2025 Trail Bike of the Year test then. Abus helmets also sponsored the review, and we used the Cliffhanger Mips and Moventor 2.0 for the duration of the test.

The Canyon Spectral CF 9 is a consumate pedaller, but feels fast on the descents too

Wheel size, suspension travel and pricing

All four direct trail bikes had to be full 29ers to make it into our test, and all had to boast 140 to 150mm suspension travel. This is the sweet spot for bikes like this, with enough squish to handle 90% of UK trails, but without losing the tighter feel that makes climbing fun too.

All the bikes cost around £4k at retail price too. Not budget bikes then, but the goal was to review the best riding bikes rather than the best value, and superior performance doesn’t come cheap.

No mountain biker can be unaware that bike prices shift around quicker than a Moto GP rider, so to level the playing field and avoid being drawn into a pricing test we based our final ratings on the original prices, not the discounted ones. If you see the winning bike at a killer price then, treat that as a bonus.

It’s hard to beat the Lyrik Ultimate right now

The three German bikes in this test all came with RockShox Lyrik Ultimate forks and Super Deluxe shocks. And with the WTB control components fitted, we could really isolate the underlying performance of each bike. Only Privateer broke the mould with a Performance Elite level Fox 36 fork and Float X shock.

Which bike wins the test (spoiler alert)?

Mountain bikes are increasingly similar in terms of geometry and suspension design, and this test brings them even closer because we’ve selected the same travel and wheel size. It’s pretty amazing then that all four test rigs displayed such differences in handling and ride performance.

The Propain Hugene is the lightest bike on test and actually feels closer to a down country bike when you’re riding it too. Meanwhile, the burly Privateer 141 blurs the line between trail and enduro.

That leaves Canyon and YT, which are focused on the middle ground, and win the test because that makes them better do-it-all trail bikes. And afterall, that’s what’s important here, a bike that can provide the best thrills whether you’re climbing or descending.

Even so, the two winners didn’t go about it in quite the same way. The Canyon is fast, efficient and direct, even if a little unforgiving at times. In contrast, the YT is more laid back, not as stiff and way more playful and fun, even if it’s not as good value as the Canyon. Well, at least at the original retail price.

Yup, that means neither bike is perfect, but for different reasons… and both are really very good indeed. And here at mbr there can only ever be one winner, we never sit on the fence, which is why the YT Jeffsy Core 3 AL is my Best Trail Bikes of 2025 thanks to its brilliant ride quality.

Canyon Spectral CF 9 £4,649

• Full carbon frame, sizes XS-XL
• Downtube storage, KIS damper
• RockShox Lyrik fork and Super Deluxe shock

Canyon is still one of the most innovative brands in mountain biking, and it really shows in the tech-packed Spectral CF 9. The full-carbon frame features internal downtube storage, external tool storage, KIS steering control, and adjustable geometry. It even has flip chips in the chainstay pivots, so you can run the Spectral as a full 29er or MX/mullet with a 27.5in rear wheel for a more party vibe. Shh, don’t tell Specialized.

The spec is outrageous too, an ultimate level RockShox Lyrik fork and Super Deluxe shock offer amazing control on the trail, where external damping adjustments really allow you to fine tune the ride. You even get the latest SRAM wireless AXS transmission that offers improved gear shifting under load.

Privateer 141 £3,949

• Alloy frame, sizes P1-P4
• External cable routing, oversized pivots and rocker link
• Fox Performance Elite suspension
• On sale now at £2,549!

The Privateer 141 has a claimed 141mm of rear wheel travel, but it weighs 17kg, or about the same as most modern enduro bikes. Yikes! Thankfully, the 141 isn’t just heavy, it’s also really solid. Just look at those oversized pivots and that beefy rocker link on this full aluminium frame. The geometry on Privateer 141 is also on point too, the steep seat tube angle puts you in a great position for climbing, and providing you sit down and keep the mechanical SRAM Eagle drivetrain spinning, the 141 can easily hang with lighter bikes on any ascent.

Point it downhill however and the solid feeling frame, fluid Fox Performance Elite suspension, stock Maxxis tyres and powerful Hayes Dominion 4-piston brakes, really make the 141 feel more like a short travel enduro bike rather than a heavy trail bike.

Propain Hugene 2 £3,399

• Full carbon frame, weights 14kg
• RockShox Lyrik Ultimate fork and Deluxe shock
• New version out now with corrected geometry

This might sound crazy, but I see the Propain Hugene more as a downcountry bike. The carbon fibre frame helps it deliver as the lightest bike in the direct sales category of our 2025 Trail Bike of the Year test. It’s not just the frame with its carbon upper suspension link that will have the weight-conscious interested, Propain’s entire twin-link suspension design is on the svelte side too.

This bike pedals really well too, it is stable when you’re hammering along and that seems to suit its more conservative geometry. The flip side is there’s not much small bump sensitivity and ultimately traction to be had, and the back end doesn’t match up well with the plush 150mm RockShox Lyrik Ultimate fork.

YT Jeffsy Core 3 AL

The Jeffsy does everything well, but that doesn’t mean it’s a sort of average all rounder. Far from it, the frame sizing, proportions and geometry of the new aluminium frame are all first rate, and combined with perfectly tuned RockShox Ultimate level suspension components, the Jeffsy feels like an extension of your body, rather than a separate entity.

This bike is slanted towards downhill more than climbing, which is probably the right way to go for most riders. It still pedals well, especially over choppy terrain, but as mid-weight trail bikes go, the YT Jeffsy Core 3 AL punches really hard but it’s still light and agile so getting creative on the trail is fun and easy.

YT’s Jeffsy is our winner in 2025 thanks to its do it all attitude