By Matthew George

Oof, what a question. In fact, it’s one of the most common questions we see in mountain bike social media, it’s the topic (in one form or another) of the vast majority of mountain bike magazine articles and the reason that reviews are click candy. It’s also wildly subjective, much scrutinized, regionally variable and changes with technological upgrades and personal preferences. Those precursors accepted and noted, let’s dive in. As a person who has been a mountain biker since 1996 or so, run large and active mountain bike groups for more than eight years and owned many bikes, let’s look at it from a 36,000 foot view. I’m no expert, nor a pro rider and those credits wouldn’t matter in this context anyway so, let’s slice and dice our way to something helpful, if not an answer.

Perception Deception

The type of riders likely to provide input, be it on a forum, group or comment section, tend to be people who have owned multiple bikes and feel that they have some version of expertise. This is fine, but I’d advise caution when navigating the maze of internet opinions. Bias, perception, and the subjective nature of our world is quite a force. Look to those commentators who acknowledge those forces, those who seem to understand that preconceived notions exist, that there are horses for courses and admit their own bias. Lean on those in your peripheral, people that ride the terrain you do and those that you actually ride with, while being acutely aware of personal bias and subjectivity.

Try to keep in mind that even the most objective reviewer can’t entirely erase past experiences. They may have found a VPP bike to be consistently prone to hanging up on climbs with ledgy rocks or a Horst Link bike to wallow under pedal power, but that may have been in 2013 before significant kinematic updates on the bikes they rode. That’s not to say that many bikes and suspension types don’t have inherent traits, they do. It’s notable though that things change and you’ll want to keep that in mind.

Horses for Courses

Have I said the word “subjective” enough? Well, it’s important, but not entirely un-explainable. Take a moment for self reflection. Are you a rider who has three hearts, rides at a cross country race pace, but is a bit nervous on technical descents? Maybe you should be looking towards a bike like an Enduro 29, Evil Wreckoning, Guerrilla Gravity Smash, or other DELTA or Horst Link type bikes. While these bikes are certainly not going to fit into your comfort zone, they may just expand it. Confident on the the rough stuff and lose elevation at a blistering pace, but struggle on the climbs? If you can afford / have storage for two bikes, you may try a short travel 29 like a Norco Optic, SB100 or Santa Cruz Tallboy. Do you have the same situation, but need a “quiver killer”; go Yeti SB130 Lunch Ride, Alchemy Arktos, Santa Cruz Hightower LT or Specialized Stumpjumper. Which of these is the best option for you is where subjectivity lives, you’ll need to make up your own mind and try as many as possible. You’ll need to factor your terrain, a rider pinning the loamy, tight trails and jumps of Bellingham Washington will likely prefer an entirely different bike over someone facing the steep climbs and dry, janky rock descents on Colorado’s Front Range. Your location, size, build, and needs will play a huge factor in a good decision.

Demo Dilemma

“You need to ride them all”. Good advice, for a perfect world. I’m willing to bet that most of us don’t live in that world though. You should definitely ride as many bikes as possible, hijack your friends bikes, travel to one of the great mountain bike festivals like Vail Outlier, Fruita Fat Tire Festival or local events like the Alafia Fat Tire Festival in Tampa Bay. There should be some great chances, even at local shop demo days.

There’s only so much demo opportunity though, especially for those with limited time. So, you’ll likely be scouring the reviews and tepidly walking the minefields of internet opinion (present writer included).

So which one?

Part of the joy and pain of mountain biking is obsessing over this eternal question. Nervous scouring, digging vastly deeper than needed and even dealing with buyers remorse are part of the journey we assign the blanket term, mountain biking. Do your research, build consensus via the internet and your close riding group and search for level headed, bias accepted expertise. I’d suggest the Bible of Bike Tests by Bike Magazine as their multi-rider format accounts for subjectivity while providing an expert voice. Look to your local rider groups on social media and if they’re unhelpful look to the larger groups in mountain bike heavy areas, like our own Front Range Mountain Biking group on Facebook. Search enough reviews to find the good and the bad, two of my favorite current rides (Alchemy Arktos 29 and Yeti SB130) have had some negative reviews (though mostly positive) that seem to degrade the things I like the most about the bikes, like stack height and regressive / progressive / regressive suspension design. Subjectivity is a cruel mistress.

Most importantly, I believe, is to take comfort in the fact that if you purchase a high quality, name brand mountain bike, you’re unlikely to be wasting your money. If a Guerrilla Gravity Smash ends up not being your cup of tea after you’ve purchased it, adjust yourself a bit to take advantage of it’s many positives and allow it to expand your riding abilities. Does that Yeti or Spot feel too racey? Don’t jump to hate your decision, embrace the “hover bike” nature and learn to appreciate its flighty but trustworthy nature at high speed. The point is that all bikes have personality, positives and negatives and they all retain the ability to improve your riding. Be bold, buy a bike that has unfamiliar traits, a bike that plays to your weaknesses not strengths, maybe even a challenging bike. Go with gusto and sleep well knowing that very, very few name brand, high end bikes are a bad choice. Meanwhile, I’ll be over here mulling which Yeti or Alchemy to buy, while lusting over my shoulder for that new Enduro 29, an Evil Offering, or maybe a Hightower. I wonder if I could build a 28lb Guerilla Gravity Smash, maybe an Enduro. What about that new Optic? Ugh……

Want see what I think of some of the bikes listed in the article? Continue below.

While your obsessing over options, be sure to join your local riders advocacy group like COMBA or for a broader, rider community support organization, donate right here to the Front Range Mountain Biking Foundation.

MINI REVIEWS

Below you’ll find my opinions on some of the bikes listed in the article. For reference, I’m 5’8” on a good day with a 32” inseam, 192lbs and lean towards techy black diamond trails on the Colorado Front Range and Western Slope.

Evil Following MB - Very playful, a bit heavy for it’s travel range, plush and efficient suspension with a plow / couch like feel. Would I buy one? Yes, if I also owned a longer travel bike. FYI: It’s no racebike, though you’ll have a hard time finding fault with this bike if you’re looking for a fun bike that punches above it’s travel class. This was the most playful bike I rode at the Fruita Fat Tire Festival.
Yeti SB130 - A brawler in a suit. This bike rips, possibly my favorite at the Vail Outlier festival. Pins it downhill and seems far more capable than its category suggests, while climbing with that typical Yeti “cheater bike” urgency. Would I buy one? Definitely, it’s certainly on my short list. FYI: This thing is no couch, it definitely has a racey, hover bike feel that can be disconcerting for those used to planted feeling bikes.
Alchemy Arktos 29 / ST 29 - I’ve ridden both of these bikes and though I’d own the longer travel version, the ST was the only reason that I can’t call the Yeti SB130 my favorite ride at the Vail Outlier. Would I buy one? Definitely, It’s on my short list next to the SB130. FYI: This bike has a Dave Earl suspension like the SB130 and is no couch, you’ll sacrifice some small bump compliance for the ultimate in mid travel support and unbelievable climbing chops while downhilling above it’s pay grade, a trade I’m willing to make.
Guerrilla Gravity Smash - I’ve only ridden this bike on trail briefly, but I can tell you that this bike descends like the best Horst links out there and is made by hand in Colorado by some of the best guys in the business. Would I buy one? Maybe. I tend to enjoy a regressive / progressive / regressive suspension design, hence the Yeti and Alchemy short list. FYI: This bike is a shredder, not a racer. It may feel a little less rushed on the climbs than others on this list, though it’s certainly no pig. This bike and it’s proprietary construction are looking to be pretty bomb proof to boot!