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 121–140 of 907

Nukeproof Scout 290 Elite

The Nukeproof Scout started life as a burly, dirt jump/4-cross bike. But over the years the Scout has broadened its horizons, maturing into a capable trail bike, without ever losing…

£2,499.99
Score 9

Vitus E-Sommet VRX 2023

When we first tested the Shimano EP8 equipped Vitus E-Sommet VRX back in 2021, we were impressed by the build kit and competitive pricing. But the bike was harder to…

£5,499.99
Score 8

YT Decoy Core MX 4

Say hello to the 2023 YT Decoy Core 4 MK 1.35. Okay, so the MK1.35 tag isn’t part of its official title, we added that ourselves. But seeing as YT…

£6,899.00
Score 8

Canyon Neuron 6

The affordably-priced Canyon Neuron is a versatile, back-to-basics mountain bike, designed to be as adept as clocking up the miles as delivering the smiles on fun singletrack. So does it…

£2,249.00
Santa Cruz Tallboy X01 AXS RSV 2023

The Santa Cruz Tallboy is the short 120mm travel 29er but don’t let the travel numbers decieve you – this is a bike that’s designed to be aggressively fast, full-send…

£9,199.00
Score 9

Yeti SB120 T-Series T1 MY 23 mountain bike pack shot

The top-line Yeti SB120 T-Series T1 is now longer, slacker and has more travel – as the name suggests. And it’s comfortably one of the best down-country bikes on the…

£8,199.00
Score 9

Pivot Trail 429 Pro XT/XTR pack shot

Boasting low weight and impressive climbing efficiency, the Pivot Trail 429 Pro XT/XTR is a 110/130mm 29er built for trail riding. This is the top-spec model, which features Fox Live…

£8,200.00
Score 7

Santa Cruz 5010 C GX RSV MY23

The Santa Cruz 5010 has a reputation as the playful, capable bike in the stable that’s ready for fun times. Of course, it’s evolved over the years, and there are…

£8,899.00

Log onto Scott’s website, search for hardtails, and you’ll see the XC focused Scale dominates the options. With no long, low and slack hardcore hardtail in sight, it’s apparent that…

£1,399.00
Score 9

The Trek X-Caliber 8 is a sure-footed 29er hardtail mountain bike, with plenty of reliable elements that boost its score to impressive levels, but a few missteps that hold it…

£1,390.00
Score 8

Cube Reaction Pro

Cube has just two models in its Reaction HPA range of hardtails. The longer travel TM with a 130mm travel fork and this, the Pro, with a more XC-orientated 100mm…

£1,499.00
Score 7

Giant XTC

Few bikes impress us as much as the Giant XTC SLR 29 1 has. It’s one of the best hardtail mountain bikes out there when it comes to XC racing…

£1,599.00
Score 10

Merida One-Forty 10k

If first impressions are anything to go by, Merida’s latest logically-named One-Forty trail bike, looks like the kind of do-it-all rig you’d expect from a mainstream brand – with a…

£8,000.00