2018 Mountain Bike Editors’ Choice Winners
Devinci Spartan GX Eagle
Notes from testers read like a highlight reel: “Maybe the best 27.5 enduro bike I’ve ridden” and “Price, parts, handling - this bike has it all. There’s nothing I’d want to change.” Accurate observations considering that, for $4,000, you get RockShox suspension (front and rear), a SRAM GX Eagle drivetrain with a Race Face crank, and Maxxis Minion tires (which happen to be one of our favorites). Add a Rockshox Reverb dropper, and the alloy-frame Spartan is the whole package. On the trail, it’s balanced and nimble, performs well enough on climbs (admittedly not its specialty), and has the chops to see you through your chosen line. - Mike Yozell
$3,999; 32.7 lb. (M)
Giant Anthem 29 1
We were happy to see the return of Giant’s 29-inch XC platform. With a longer cockpit and slacker angles than past models, the mid-priced, alloy-frame Anthem 29 1 delivers on and off the racecourse and has handling and trail manners that are decidedly new school. One tester appreciated the bike’s “great value for what you get: SRAM GX Eagle drivetrain, Fox suspension, Giant-branded carbon wheels, and an overall excellent frame design. The Anthem 29 1 sits square in the middle of what’s being sold as an XC bike these days. It rallies on the downhills and climbs like a house on fire.” - M.Y.
$3,825; 24.8 lb. (M)
Jamis Komodo 27.5+ Expert
Punching way above its weight, the Komodo 27.5+ Expert has everything we expect from a modern trail bike. A 1x drivetrain with an 11-42t cassette provides wide gearing, Vittoria 27.5x3-inch tires provide plenty of traction, and the excellent KS ETEN dropper uses a proper trigger, something neglected on a lot of bikes in this price range. The Komodo exhibited a go-anywhere attitude and poppy, precise handling. Thankfully, Shimano brakes with 180mm rotors have the oomph to let you scrub speed and change directions or bring it to a halt. - M.Y.
$1,799; 30.3 lb. (17 in.)
Kona Process 153 CR 27.5
This enduro rocket has all the details you want with a price tag that won’t break the bank. The new-for-2018 carbon frame with alloy stays proved to be durable no matter how hard we cased the landing of a jump or bit it and hit the deck. The 150/160mm combination of travel is enough to see you through any trail. SRAM GX Eagle components and a stiff, DH-ready SRAM Descendant crank provide all the gearing you need at both ends of the spectrum. But it’s the ride that grabbed us. Said one tester: “The bike begs you to loft jumps and toss it through rock gardens. - M.Y.
$4,799; 30.7 lb. (M)
Pivot Mach 5.5 Carbon Race XT 1X
If you had to pick one bike for a daylong trail ride with Descents Of Unknown Technicality, you’d be well-served on the Mach 5.5. Pivot’s DW-Link suspension offers 140mm of rear travel that’s perfect for gobbling up drops and slams, but still climbs well. You can run up to a 27.5x2.6-inch tire in the Boost rear triangle. The XT 1x parts kit offers the perfect nexus of performance and value. And we love Pivot’s legendary commitment to durability with aspects like carbon armor and stacked pivot bearings, which makes the 5.5 a bike that will last. - Joe Lindsey
$4,999
Liv Pique Advanced 0
While the 2017 Liv Pique models skewed closer to pure XC rides, the 2018 versions are more do-it-all trail bikes. The Pique Advanced 0 is equipped to take on burly trails and enduro racing yet still able to carry a rider to an XC podium. Highlights include a heavy-duty, 130mm-travel RockShox Pike RCT 3 Solo Air fork and Super Deluxe RCT trunnion-mounted shock that, said testers, is easy to set up and adjust and has a no-fade feel on fast, technical descents. Giant-branded, carbon hoops keep things light on climbs, and a Giant Contact S Switch-R Trail dropper gets your saddle out of the way on downhills. And in today’s world of long-low-slack geometry, the Liv’s excellent fit and short reach did not go unnoticed, with one tester remarking: “I didn’t feel like the front end was in another time zone.” - M.Y.
$8,160; 25.1 lb. (S)
Marin Hawk Hill 2
Last year, we loved the Hawk Hill: an affordable, full-suspension bike that was just plain fun to ride. Now, Marin made the Hawk Hill a complete line. For just under $2k, you get a supercapable 120mm of RockShox suspension, a hard-working SRAM NX 1x11 drivetrain, meaty, grippy 2.35-inch tires, and even a dropper post (which solves our sole gripe about the Hawk Hill). With all this, the Hawk Hill 2 can hold its own against bikes far above its price. - J.L.
$1,950; 31 lb. (M)
Rocky Mountain Instinct Carbon 70
Want a bike that you can race XC on Saturday and take to the lift-served park on Sunday? The Instinct not only accepts 27.5+ and 29-inch wheels, but its RIDE-9 adjustment system gives a rider nine geometry and suspension configurations with which to dial in preference. How it works: Through two concentric chips in the rocker arm, a rider can independently dial in seat and head angles and raise or lower bottom bracket height. Fox components, including a 34 Performance Elite 140mm fork, Float DPS EVOL Performance Elite shock, and Transfer dropper, round out this mid-priced build. - M.Y.
$5,299; 26.8 lb. (M)
Santa Cruz Nomad and Juliana Strega CC X01
It would be hard to nominate the men’s Nomad and women’s Strega separately (the biggest difference between the two is shock tune). Both models share the same frame and DNA and are available in multiple build options. Santa Cruz dropped the shock as low in the frame as possible to keep weight centered, with enough room left for a water bottle. The bike has a decidedly DH-lite demeanor, but is happiest blasting straightaways and still nimble enough (especially at speed) to carve around berms. Launching jumps and drops on this bike is daydream stoking - it has great pop, and the supportive suspension provides a reliable, forgiving landing. - M.Y.
$8,300; 29.3 lb. (M)
Specialized Chisel Expert
When we were looking around at lower-cost bikes for testing, this one didn’t so much jump out at us as smack us right in the gob. At $1,850, the Chisel Expert has all the features we’d expect in a bike more than twice its price: wide gears, a racy alloy frame with sharp handling, and running stock (suspension and wheels) light and tough enough to handle anything a beginner rider can toss at it. But it’s not just great for that beginner. Testers noted the remarkable handling-–skewing to the slacker side of traditional XC-sharp–and excellent value. Parents of NICA (National Interscholastic Cycling Association) racers we spoke with raved about the toughness of the Chisel and being able to afford a bike of this pedigree, knowing full well the abuse it will get subjected to under a high school racer. - J.L.
$1,850; 23.9 lb. (XS)
Marin Wolf Ridge Pro
The eye-catching Wolf Ridge defies easy categorization. With 160mm of rear-wheel travel and a beefy Fox 36 fork, is it an enduro-style 29er? Or, with its lively handling, efficient climbing, and playful pop, is it a do-it-all trail bike? It’s both. And count us pleasantly surprised that it’s Marin - known mostly as a value brand - that produced this captivating ride. It’s not cheap, but the ride and parts spec are top-notch, and we love that the company boldly took a chance on something different and made a special machine. - J.L.
$8,600; 30.4 lb. (M)
Spot Mayhem 29 5-Star
The secret to the Mayhem’s success is in its simplicity. Where most mountain bikes use a typical pivot and rocker assembly, the Mayhem replaces one set of pivots (something that can wear out over time) with a super-durable, carbon leaf spring called Living Link. The link pairs with the shock to add liveliness and a bit of extra boost to the traction, and also stiffens up the connection between frame halves for a ride that’s tight and controlled. XC-oriented testers with a gravity jones loved the 5-star build’s (the 6-Star build is shown) climbing efficiency and the springy suspension that made the bike stick to loose ground. On descents, the Mayhem rode bigger than its 130mm of travel would suggest. - M.Y.
$5,299 lb. (M, as tested with 5-Star build kit)
Yeti SB100 Beti and SB100
You might not out-shred the endurbros on the SB100, but you’ll be tempted to try. Yeti’s newest - and shortest-travel - bike is perfect for the rider who wants to get rowdy on downhills but still prizes light weight and climbing chops. Built on Yeti’s acclaimed Switch Infinity suspension, the SB100 provides 100mm of stunningly good rear suspension and the confident long-low-slack geometry that Yeti helped pioneer. It may be short travel, but it ain’t no one-note XC race bike. It’s a Yeti. - J.L.
$3,400 (frame and shock), $5,999–$8,999 (complete); 25.7 lb. (M)
Specialized S-Works Epic XX1 Eagle
This multitime Editors’ Choice award winner just keeps getting better. Redesigned from the ground up, the latest model drops significant weight and improves handling over the previous generation. The bike’s angles come in line with the trend toward longer and slacker, giving the ride a much more trail feel while still retaining the pinpoint accuracy the model is known for. Testers praised the redesigned Brain suspension in the rear as quicker reacting than the old model and still every bit as efficient, a characteristic paramount in importance on a race bike. SWAT on-bike storage and room for two water bottles complete the deal. - M.Y.
$10,000; 22.3 lb. (M)
Trek Fuel EX 7 29
Trek’s do-it-all line of Fuel EX models has been a favorite of ours for a number of seasons. The EX 7’s alloy frame keeps price in check and exhibits the same nimble trail manners and crisp pedaling as its more expensive stable mates. Trek didn’t skimp on details either. The EX 7 comes with tubeless-compatible Bontrager Line Comp 30 wheels and XR4 tires (a staff favorite for their grippy hold on terrain ranging from slick roots to slickrock). The SRAM NX 11-speed drivetrain components may not have the soar of 12-speed Eagle, but the 10-42t cassette is more than enough to get you up any hill. Shifting is durable and precise, and the bike takes both 27.5+ and 29-inch wheels. - M.Y.
$2,500
Yeti SB5 LR
Ever wonder how the guys who make your bikes set up their own? The SB5 LR is basically the “house spec” version that Yeti’s staff uses on their regular lunch ride (that’s where the LR comes from in the name, btw) around Golden, Colorado: a Fox 36 fork with 10 more millimeters of travel, a Float DPX2 shock for super tunability and smooth descending, meaty Maxxis 2.5- and 2.3-inch front and rear tires, and oversize 180mm rotors to keep things locked down when you get a little slideways. If you want a Yeti like the Yeti guys (and girls!) ride, this is it. - J.L.
$7,199; 27.9 lb. (M)
These 16 mountain bikes are the best of the best