Play Time
Check out our video of us pushing these bikes to their limits
THE TESTERS
Our annual ‘trendsetters’ test is both a great excuse to sling a leg over some of the new bikes we’re most excited to ride and a chance to delve deeper into the minds of the product managers and engineers who have their fingers on the pulse of where the industry is going. This year, we’ve picked out six new bikes for 2024 that represent the current cutting edge of mountain biking, in all of its forms.
Although we seem to say it every year, cross-country (XC) riding really is having a resurgence. Such growth is attracting racers from the drop-bar world onto the dirt, as well as previously roadie-focused bike companies that are keen to make their mark. Among those brands are Cervélo, with the unashamedly race-focused ZSF-5, a bike bred for fast-paced action between the race tape At the opposite end of the scale is the Trek Slash. While high-pivot bikes have been popular in downhill racing (DH) for a few years now, in the enduro sphere it’s largely been boutique brands that have hiked up their frame’s main pivot and slung on an idler pulley, leading some to believe that these bikes were never going to go mainstream. With one of the big-three bike manufacturers now launching a high-pivot enduro machine, maybe it’s time to reconsider?
Electric mountain bikes are in high demand these days, and, as with all types of MTB, there’s a divergence in approaches. Scott have taken the sleek lines afforded by their internal-shock architecture and paired it with a lightweight motor and slimline battery to make the Lumen as low-profile as they come.
At the other end of the e-MTB spectrum, in more ways than one, is Vitus’s E-Mythique LT. This is a more traditional-looking, long-travel e-bike with a full-power motor. So, why’s it here? It’s as pocket-friendly as a fully-capable e-MTB gets, plus it uses a motor from Bafang – a brand known for e-bike kits, not purpose-built e-MTBs.
WE’VE PICKED OUT SIX NEW BIKES THAT REPRESENT THE CUTTING-EDGE OF MOUNTAIN BIKING, IN ALL OF ITS FORMS
Rounding out our list are two trail bikes – the bread and butter of mountain biking, if you like. After three years with no UK distributor, Norco are back with a bang. Their Fluid FS is fairly short on travel, but has a spec that wouldn’t look out of place on an enduro rig, and we’d expect any bike conceived in the mountains of Canada to be capable of tackling seriously techy trails.
Our final contender is Merida’s One-Twenty. We were wowed by the Taiwanese brand’s One-Forty and One-Sixty, which were joint winners of our Bike of the Year test, in the trail and enduro categories, respectively. Their latest endeavour is even more reasonably-priced, but is it as good as its bigger brothers?
With such a broad range of bikes, designed for different types of riding, there’d be no point in testing them against each other. However, we have made sure to rally them back-to-back with their closest rivals, to ensure our reviews are as thorough as you’d expect.
MERIDA ONE-TWENTY 700
£3,100
Sporting 130mm of travel at each end (no, not a typo), the new One-Twenty features the same flexstay suspension system and short seat tube-based geometry as the longer-travel One-Forty and One-Sixty, repackaged in a more value-orientated, alloy-only form. If Merida’s other bikes are anything to go by, this one should be a corker.
VITUS E-MYTHIQUE LT 297 VRX
£4,399.99
While the price is surprisingly low for a full-suspension e-MTB from a well-known brand, the E-Mythique doesn’t appear to lack punch. Bafang’s motor delivers an incredible 95Nm of torque, there’s ample travel to soak up the bumps (170mm front, 160mm rear) and the component spec looks good value for money, too.
NORCO FLUID FS C2
£4,999
of rear-wheel travel may not scream ‘burly’,
