Bikes

All the latest bikes comprehensively tested. If we don’t think a product is worthy of our hard-earned, we won’t tell you to part with yours for it. That’s the promise we make with our bike and equipment tests. For all our tests we guarantee that:

  • They’re conducted by some of the most experienced and knowledgeable riders in the business.
  • Ratings are awarded only after a thorough testing process on a variety of terrain.
  • Tests are independent, and in no way influenced by our advertisers.

In most cases, we fit control tyres, bars and stems to the test bikes to ensure a level playing field and to highlight differences in handling. Tyre pressures are equalised to keep grip levels identical. We also weigh and measure the bikes ourselves, because this data doesn’t always tally with the manufacturer’s official figures. The numbers you read in the tests are the actual angles and measurements.

Our ratings are awarded out of 10, with 10/10 being the top mark.

  • 1-4  Means something’s wrong. Possibly a design flaw or a major weakness.
  • 5-6  OK – one or two faults but has potential
  • 7  Worth considering
  • 8  Very good – for the money, we’d buy it
  • 9  Excellent – a slight mod or two and it might be perfect
  • 10  Simply the best!
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Showing reviews 201–220 of 868

Trek's Top Fuel 8 offers a high-octane ride

New Trek Top Fuel 8 is a short travel - 120mm travel front and rear - down-country trail bike with internal frame storage for both alloy and carbon models.

£3,750.00
Vitus Sommet CRX

There are three levels of Vitus Sommet 29 and all share the exact same frame with its carbon front end. Impressive, given that the entry-level CS retails for £2,399.99 with…

£2,899.99
Score 9

Privateer 161

If imitation really is the highest form of flattery, then the engineers at Raw must have blushed when they saw the Privateer 161, because when we first set eyes on…

£3,149.00
Score 8

Whyte E-180 RS V3

The Whyte E-180 RS V3 is self-shuttling gravity enduro machine with 170mm travel out back, paired with a 180mm fork and the Bosch system.

£7,250.00
Focus Thron 6.9

The Focus Thron 6.9 is an appealing all-rounder with alloy frame, 29in wheels and 130mm travel shared across three-bike range starting at £2,199.

£3,099.00
Scott Spark RC WC

Name an XC event, and chances are that the unstoppable force that is Nino Schurter has probably won it on a Scott Spark RC WC.

£7,299.00
Score 9

Santa Cruz Blur

No one can accuse Santa Cruz of jumping on the XC bandwagon; along with the V10, the original Santa Cruz Blur helped pioneer its VPP suspension.

£8,099.00
Score 8

YT Capra 29 Core

YT Capra 29 Core 4 is 165mm enduro bike with 170mm fork, slack geometry, and bottle-ready full carbon frame. And there's somewhere to stash a water bottle.

£5,849.69
Liv Embolden 1

Liv Embolden 1 is an entry-level full-sussser with 27.5in wheels and 120mm travel via a single-pivot linkage design with flex stays and 130mm RockShox fork.

£1,999.00
The Forbidden Druid is a 130mm travel high-pivot trail bike with an idler pulley

The Forbidden Druid XT gulps up big hits like a basking shark, but does this high-pivot rig satiate our hunger for singletrack smash-fests?

£5,999.00
Score 8

The Deviate Highlander 140 is a 140mm travel high-pivot idler bike

The Deviate Highlander 140 looks remarkably normal; from the non-driveside you'd be hard-pushed to tell it was such an unconventional design.

£3,099.00
Score 8

banshee titan

A 29er enduro/trail bike boasting 155mm travel, the Banshee Titan is one of several models in the Banshee range to use the latest KS2 suspension layout.

£2,099.00
liv intrigue x e

Liv, the women's division at Giant, offers a comprehensive range of women's bikes including three Liv Intrigue X E+ e-bikes, named simply the 1, 2 and 3.

£5,799.00
Score 10