This was a huge year for us with Awesome MTB. When we started our MTB media company we weren’t sure how many bikes we would get a chance to test in year one. Turns out that was the least of our worries and figuring out how to store all of them while living in a van full time was the bigger one! We have something really fun planned for 2025 to help with that, but for now here are the Awesome MTB Awards for Best Bikes of 2024!
Mo’s Favorite Trail Bike:
Pivot Switchblade
This bike won me over as soon as I first unboxed it with it’s crazy Talon color way. The Switchblade sums up my style of riding perfectly and allows me to smash my brains out uphill while riding all the technical downhills my heart desires! On my second time with the Switchblade, that love only got stronger even without the awesome Talon paint job!
Hannah’s Favorite Trail Bike:
ARI Delano Peak:
The Delano Peak climbs really well and is very capable across a wide variety of terrain downhill which is perfect for me! We travel a lot and I don't like to switch my bike set ups too much after I get comfortable on one. That means I need a bike that is capable of shredding the National trail in Phoenix and one that can tackle all the tech in British Columbia. The Delano does just that and I also love that I can whip it around! It’s such a fun, do everything trail bike! -Hannah Awesome
Best XC Bike:
Cannondale Scalpel 2
For both of us, this has to be the Cannondale Scalpel! This bike was one of the first bikes that we both felt was exactly what we wanted. It’s super stable, with a long reach and size proportional chainstays, and also is a blast uphill! Cannondale crushed it with this bike and we think so many riders really are going to love it! The Scalpel 2 is also such an amazing value for your money, carbon wheels and a solid XC racing build all for $6500!
Dream XC Bike:
Yeti ASR T5 Ult XX SL Transmission
There are a few bikes we would be too scared to even ask to test out, and the Yeti ASR T5 Ult XX SL build is definitely one of them! Coming in at $13,900 this dream XC race bike is the bike we drool over. The ASR was such a fun XC bike and we have so many endurance rides we can think of that would be awesome on the ASR platform. This dream build is exactly how we would build it if the Awesome MTB budget was a little bigger! The good news? It is currently sold out in XL so I guess I can use that as an excuse for now!
Best Enduro Bike:
Transition Sentinel
The Transition Sentinel made it into our trail bike buyers guide, but the more I ride it, the more I am so sure this bike could be whatever you want it to be! The amount of confidence the Sentinel gives you is unreal, but it still inspires you to get out of the saddle and put the power down! I love how versatile the geometry feels like as well, a true ride everywhere bike that inspires a ton of confidence!
Best Long Travel Bike:
Rocky Mountain Slayer
The Rocky Mountain Slayer made me realize that at a certain amount of travel, maybe skills aren’t as important anymore! Every ride on the Slayer I felt this weird, most likely delusional, sense of confidence telling me that maybe I could take on some lines at Rampage. Obviously that probably would not end well for me, but it was very eye opening being on a bike whose potential was so much higher than my level of riding and not feeling overwhelmed! The Rocky Mountain Slayer is such an awesome bike that inspires you to test out that rowdy line you have been looking at, because when things go wrong, it probably will save you!
Best E-Bike:
Ari Nebo Peak SL
Surprisingly, I did test out a fair number of e-bikes this year and have plans to test out even more next. However, the bike that stood out to me was the Ari Nebo Peak SL. It was one of my first experiences on a current lightweight e-bike and I think if there was a category on the electric side that I would find myself in, it is probably here. I really liked how playful it felt and how I still had a lot of control of the bike, especially as someone who doesn't spend much personal time on e-bikes. I'm sure I will get to try many more lightweight e-bikes in 2025, but the Nebo peak started the journey for me!
