One niggle: we experienced some lifting while climbing technical trails. With a slack 66-degree head-tube angle, wide 780-millimeter bars, and 150 millimeters of travel up front, this bike took on some of the rowdiest trails, and we felt laugh-out-loud stable even on big drops and in ugly scree fields. This mid-travel carbon 27.5er has all the most important trimmings, including a SRAM XO1 Eagle 12-speed drivetrain and top-shelf Fox Float DPX2 piggyback shock and 36 Factory fork, but it saves on cost with Race Face Aeffect alloy bars and Arc 30 alloy wheels.
Thanks to the Release, you no longer have to drain your retirement fund to get a great all-mountain bike. But the confident handling and aggressive stance won them over.īuy Now (Courtesy Diamondback) Diamondback Release 5C Carbon ($4,800) A few testers were ambivalent about the integrated carbon bar and stem, because of fit limitations, as well as the remote lockout on the bars, which could be confused with the dropper-post control. The big hoops combined with 150 millimeters of travel, courtesy of a Kashima-coated Fox Nude Evol shock and 36 Float Factory fork, made for a machine with zero limitations on the steeps and rocks around Tucson, Arizona. This version is a complete overhaul, with the single-pivot design giving way to a four-bar linkage for a much more pliable, forgiving feel.
Fuji bikes 2018 plus#
With 2.6-inch tires, the Genius 900 bridges the gap between standard and plus size, providing the stability and trail-taming traction of oversize rubber in a shockingly light, 26.9-pound all-mountain package. A few women said the Strega was a little sluggish on climbs, but point it downhill and guys and gals alike were panting to keep pace.īuy Now (Courtesy Scott) Scott Genius 900 Tuned ($7,500) The model we tried included Santa Cruz’s Reserve carbon wheels, which shrugged off nasty rock hits but delivered a soft ride. More important, the Strega’s shocks are tuned specifically for female riders, which isn’t just empty marketing-the male testers who rode the bike definitely felt like they wanted more travel in the suspension. It’s the cousin of sibling company Santa Cruz’s Nomad, though Juliana substituted narrower bars and a wider saddle. This carbon 27.5er is a slack (65 degrees), burly (28.5 pounds) enduro ride built to subdue sketchy, high-speed descents and monster drops. In a market flooded with specialization, the Following MB does it all.īuy Now (Courtesy Juliana) Juliana Strega ($8,400)Įvery woman who tried it raved about the Strega, with 170 millimeters of travel front and rear. There’s a gorgeous sculpted chain guide, so the 1×12 XO1 Eagle drivetrain never fails, and integrated rubber on the down tube and chainstays protect the carbon build over nasty terrain. (It comes in at just 29 pounds.) Part of the trick is in the awesome eThirteen wheels-the wide carbon rims spread chunky, soft rubber for plenty of grip. The shortish-travel rear end and 130-millimeter Pike fork suggest a middle-of-the-road trail machine, but the bike shreds like a baby downhiller, minus the weight. Instead, Evil added boost spacing and room for a piggyback shock-the RockShox Super Deluxe RCT DebonAir-while trimming carbon from the rear triangle, changes that allow the proprietary suspension to deliver an open, supported feel in a lighter, stiffer bike. That’s certainly the case with Evil’s The Following MB, though this 120-millimeter 29er managed to get “more betterer” (in the company’s parlance) without increasing travel. The plus-size craze spurred many of these improvements, but performance has improved without weight gain for a ride that’s more versatile and forgiving than ever.
Pretty much every mountain bike we tested this year was tight and close to the ground for better descending, had wide bars and a short stem for improved handling, and came with big, tough rubber for added traction. (Courtesy Evil) Evil The Following MB ($6,900 as tested) Trail steeds get lighter but punch above their weight.