2016 Buyer's Guide: The Best Trail Mountain Bikes

The Pivot Mach 429 is part of a growing club of 29er trail bikes that marry shorter travel and a shorter back end with a relatively slack front end (head angle of 67.5 degrees).  What results is a playful, efficient, and stable bike that you can flick through corners and bomb down confidently over all types of terrain. With 130mm of travel, the Fox 34 Factory fork offers buttery front suspension. We liked running the 116mm travel Fox Float DPS rear shock wide open all the time—it felt like we could enjoy traction everywhere without sacrificing power transfer.  The Mach 429 takes advantage of Boost 148 spacing for added stiffness, and the bike is 27.5-plus capable. Riders can choose from 1x or 2x builds and sizes from S through XL. There are two water bottle mounts on every frame—a detail we appreciate.  

Price: $6,700
Info: PivotCycles.com

Pivot Mach 429 Trail, $5399.00, $5,399 at Competitive Cyclist

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This bike from Denver-based boutique bike maker Alchemy Bicycle Co. screams badass from 10 miles away. The Arktos—Greek for bear—is the builder’s first foray into full suspension mountain bikes, and the company pulled no punches, calling in suspension expert Dave Earl (most recently known for developing Yeti Cycles’ Switch suspension) to build the Arktos’ dual linkage platform called Sine. As the name implies, its shock rate resembles a sine wave: regressive through the first part of travel to absorb small bumps and provide climbing traction; progressive in the middle to avoid wallowing on big hits or tearing through berms; and slightly regressive again in the last portion of the stroke.  With 150 mm of travel and 27.5-inch wheels, the Arktos is compatible with a 1x drivetrain and has internal routing for the brakes, shifter, and dropper post. The Arktos is available in sizes S through XL and with two-tone paint in 12 color options. 

Price: $3,800 frame with Fox Float X Fork
Info: AlchemyBicycles.com

Alchemy Arktos, $3750.00

If any bike is emblematic of the sport of mountain biking, it’s the Stumpjumper. Since it debuted in 1981, it is one of the few originals not only still alive and kicking but, as the 2016 FSR model demonstrates, still kicking ass. The 2016 Stumpy features all the bells and whistles (and then some) that modern mountain bikers have come to expect: 27.5-inch, 27.5-plus, and 29er wheel size options and shorter nimble chainstays (420mm for 27.5" and 437mm for 29", respectively) coupled with a now slacker (67 for 27.5"; 67.5 for 29", respectively), trail-shredding geometry and Specialized’s fully integrated SWAT technology that allows you to store all the maintenance tools you need. Specialized did away with the EVO distinction (which used to designate the most trail-capable models) and pretty much made them all EVO, trail-eating machines: 29er versions come with 140mm forks and 135mm of rear travel while 27.5-inch versions get 150mm of front and rear travel. All versions of the Stumpy also come with a Command dropper post. On the trail, the 29er we tested was pleasantly nimble for a big-wheeled bike and held its line faithfully over high-speed juddering terrain. In a word, the 2016 refreshed Stumpy is as it always was: big fun. It’s available in sizes S through XL.

Price: $5,900
Info: Specialized.com

RELATED: This Year’s Best New Mountain Bikes

Specialized Stumpjumper FSR Expert 29/650b, $5900.00

Sure you could shuttle with the Patrol, but the beauty of this category-straddling bike is that you don’t have to. The company set out to design a big riding bike that wasn’t so, well, big—one that would “climb like an e-bike and descend like a downhill bike.” The first thing it did was offer a premium carbon option along with its already tried-and-true aluminum Patrol for a whopping 1.3-pound reduction in weight without compromising strength. The Patrol Carbon also features Transition’s Giddy Up Link suspension with 155mm of travel controlled by a RockShox Monarch Plus RC3 rear shock and 160mm Fox Factory 36 Float RC2 front fork for its 27.5-inch wheels. In keeping with trail bike trends, the Patrol has a relatively long front end and short rear end married to a slack 65-degree head angle and relatively steep 75.4-degree seat angle, which allow you to motor up steep climbs and enjoy let-it-fly, wide-open, stand-up stability over rowdy terrain coming down the mountain at speed. 

Price: $7,599
Info: TransitionBikes.com 

Transition Patrol Carbon 1, $7599.00

When the Process series rolled out in 2013, Kona proved itself to be a pioneer in the realm of shorter travel, long and low trail bikes. And the bike didn’t mess around. The Process 111 DL may have just 111mm of rear wheel travel courtesy of a RockShox Monarch RCT3 shock and a modest 120mm of travel in the front via the RockShox Pike RCT3 fork, but its ginormous amount of crotch clearance and aggressive low and slack geometry make it a descent-blasting machine. The Process 111 DL is competently outfitted with a SRAM X01 drivetrain, Shimano XT disc brakes (180mm front and 160mm rear), and KS Lev Integra dropper post. The bike accelerates as well as you’d expect on the uphills and delivers admirable traction over techy terrain. But it really pushes the boundaries of what a short travel bikes can do on the downhills—which in this case is damn near anything—and lets you have a whole lot of fun doing it.

Price: $5,200
Info: KonaWorld.com

Kona Process 111 DL, $5200.00

The Trek Fuel EX29 is a perennial favorite around the Bicycling offices. In fact, we named it to our 2015 Mountain Bike Editors' Choice list. This year it’s back, and we believe it’s even better for having Boost 148/110 spacing, which allowed Trek to shorten the chainstays from 452 to 437mm, the same length and the Fuel EX 27.5’s stays (yay—power transfer!), while providing clearance for a big fat, terrain-torching 2.4-inch tire (yay—traction!). The new Fuel EX29’s head angle is relaxed slightly from the old EX29, which was 69.4 degrees with a 120mm fork, and Trek added the Mino Link to make the bike’s geometry adjustable.  It gets a new head angle of 69 or 68.8 degrees with a 120mm fork, and it’s outfitted in the rear with a 120mm Fox Performance Float EVOL RE:aktiv three-position damper shock and comes trail-ready with a KS eThirty Integra dropper post. Our testers loved the svelte frame and super efficient suspension system because they could race up climbs with the cross country crowd yet feel fully comfortable on long, fast, alpine descents. All in all, it’s a racy bike that knows how to have a good time on the trail, and it’s available in sizes 15.5, 17.5, 18.5, 19.5, 21.5, and 23.

Price: $2,899
Info: TrekBikes.com

Trek Fuel EX 8 29, $2899.00

The original Ripley was conceived as a 120mm cross country bike, but like so many bikes in this category, the latest incarnation of this model has gotten longer (reach and wheelbase), lower (bottom bracket), and slacker (head angle of 67.5 vs. 69.2 degrees). The new geometry optimize its descending chops, while maintaining its climbing prowess. Ibis has dressed the Ripley with a slew of smart upgrades as well, including a lower seat mast that accommodates more dropper posts, improved tire clearance, better pivot internals, chain-slap protectors, a threaded instead of press-fit BB design, and a Boost 148 option for even more stiffness and stability on the trail. As one tester put it: If the Ripley were a dog, it'd be a black lab—fun-spirited, reliable, nimble, well rounded, and easy to love. And now it’s even better. It’s available in sizes M through XL in two colors: Tang or Black.

Price: $8,630
Info: IbisCycles.com

Ibis Ripley 29er LS, $5899.00, $4,000 at Competitive Cyclist

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At first glance, it’d be easy to assume the Trailcrew was just a smaller-hooped BMC Speedfox 29er. But it’s never wise to assume, especially when tossing a leg over the 27.5 Trailcrew 02, which is really the 29er’s trail-crushing bad-boy alter ego. The Trailcrew is slacker (head angle is 66.5 degrees) and delivers 150mm of travel through a beefed-up fork and shock. Its 428mm chainstays deliver impressive power transfer and a nice whip through turns, while the longer front center gives the Trailcrew a relatively long wheelbase that is confident and stable while blasting over the most gnarly, aggressive terrain. We appreciated how the Cane Creek DBAir Inline shock allowed for high- and low-speed compression and damping to be adjusted independently and how the bike floated off drops and landed with a supple, bottomless feel. The Trailcrew is outfitted with Shimano XT hydraulic disc brakes, a RockShox Reverb seatpost, and SRAM X01 1x11 drivetrain. It’s available in sizes XS through XL. 

Price: $5,899 
Info: BMC-Switzerland.com

     RELATED: Reviewed: The BMC Speedfox Trailcrew 02 

BMC Speedfox Trailcrew 02, $5899.00, $5,499 at R&A Cycles

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The SB5C was a hands-down winner of a 2015 Bicycling Mountain Bike Editor’s Choice award last year. As one very seasoned tester put it, “I'm going to say it's the best mountain bike I've ever ridden. It combines uphill and downhill ability in a way I've never experienced. Its downhill talents surprise me most: I can just keep pushing it further, and it just keeps taking it. The 127mm of rear travel seems like a fib—its ride is way beyond that.” That perfect-in-every-situation sensation is due to a marriage of finely tuned suspension with perfect slacked-out geometry (the head tube angle is 66.8 degrees; the seat tube angle ranges from 72.5 to 72.7 degrees, depending on size). Yeti employs its Switch Infinity suspension, which uses a patented translating pivot that switches directions as the bike moves through its travel. The result is pure pedaling efficiency and suspension that works flawlessly throughout every stage of its suspension travel. It’s available in sizes XS through XL and in colors back, turquoise, and lime.

Price: $8,999
Info: YetiCycles.com

Yeti SB5C X01, $8999.00

Versatility is key for modern trail bikes. With that in mind, Orbea stepped up and scored big with its newly revised Occam TR, which boasts more travel, more modern geometry, and a lighter, stiffer, longer-travel frame than its previous incarnations. The Fox Factory suspension offers 120mm of travel and the head and seat tube angles come in at 68 and 74.5 degrees, respectively. The Occam TR features Boost hub spacing with a 110mm front and 148mm rear-hub-axle width for increased wheel stiffness. The resulting ride quality is stiff and aggressive. Our testers found that it shot up climbs like a cross country racer and got rowdy on the way down, yet with a planted, predictable feel. This model is dressed in full Shimano XTR and comes outfitted with a RockShox Reverb 31.6 x 385mm Stealth dropper post and DT Swiss carbon wheels. It’s available in M through XL with 29er wheels and S through L in 27.5-inch wheels. Choose from orange or green.

Price: $7,999
Info: Orbea.com

Orbea Occam TR M-LTD, $7999.00

Longtime sponsor of Hans “No Way” Rey, GT has been in the game for 30 years and counting. You don’t enjoy that kind of longevity without providing great bikes that are fun to ride that don't cost a small fortune. The Sensor fits that ideal perfectly. You get a lightweight Force Optimized Carbon frame with 130mm of rear travel, a Fox Performance Factory 34 FLOAT 27.5 fork with 140 mm of travel, Shimano Deore XT drivetrain, and a reliable trail companion that tears and rips as hard as you want it to. For 2016, the Sensor gets even better. Previously, the Sensor shared a rear end with the burlier Force enduro bike; for 2016, GT swaps it with that lighter Helion cross-country bike. That backend switch dropped 180 grams from the Sensor frame and added the LOCKR system, an expanding pivot axle that reduces weight by 10 percent and boosts stiffness by six percent according to the company. It’s available in sizes S through XL. 

Price: $4,340
Info: GTbicycles.com

GT Sensor Carbon Expert, $4340.00

The Thunderbolt hails from British Columbia, a land where dizzying descents and four-foot drops are on a typical XC rider’s breakfast menu. So it’s not surprising that Rocky Mountain's zippy trail machines like the Thunderbolt are remarkably capable. The 27.5-wheeled Thunderbolt MSL boasts relatively short 422mm chainstays, a low 696mm standover height and relatively slack head tube angles (67.2 to 68.4 degrees) married to relatively steep seat tube angles (73.7 to 75.3 degrees) all with 120mm suspension front and rear—a combination that makes for an ideal trail bike that is at home expertly picking its way up rooty, rocky climbs, powering through rock gardens and popping off trail features with joyful abandon. We particularly like the Thunderbolt’s Ride-9 adjustment system, which features two interlocking chip inserts at the shock mount so that you can choose from one of nine positions to adjust geometry and suspension configurations to match your riding style, preference, terrain, and weight. It’s available in XS through XL sizes.

Price: $5,500
Info: bikes.com

Rocky Mountain Thunderbolt 770 MSL, $5500.00