Vital MTB recently took six bike testers into the mountains of San Luis Obispo, California to test a whopping 19 new trail, all-mountain, and enduro bikes. The reviews will start dropping on Wednesday, January 7th.
Knowing that the super fancy $10,000 bikes are out of reach for most, we chose to focus on the most promising bikes offered at a more attainable price point in the $5,000-$6,000 range. At the far ends of the price spectrum were a value-conscious $3,095 build and one at $10,199, giving us a little taste of what each end had to offer. Keep in mind that this is not a shootout, and bikes were ridden and reviewed individually with their relative merits in mind. We had 11 carbon and 8 aluminum bikes, with weights ranging from 25 to 32.9-pounds. Travel ranged from 130-165mm for men's bikes and 120-140mm for women.
Each year we see a few shifts in the industry. What was apparent this year was a clear focus on finer details. Almost every company already has a bike in this category with all the hottest components thanks to the beloved trickle down effect, so now it's time to try and stand out. Needless to say, some brands are doing a great job and others are kind of faking it - much like the difference between those "designer" handbags you can pick up on the street and the real deal. Out Test Sessions reviews will dive deep into the details of each.
Ready to see what's in store? Click next, hit your right arrow key, or swipe right for a quick preview of the bikes. Commence drooling in 3, 2, 1...
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