Welcome to the Awesome MTB XC bike buyers guide! Over the last month we have been testing 7 of the best XC bikes on the market, trying to figure out who each bike is for! We have learned so much and are excited to share what we think of each one of these bike and who the winner is! You can find all of these bikes at the partner shop to this buyers guide Pro Bike Supply here: https://www.probikesupply.com/collections/downcountry-shootout
Introducing the Bikes:
Pivot Mach 4 SL: You know we love Pivot's and are excited to include their XC race bike! The Mach 4 SL has 115mm of rear travel that can be adjusted to 105mm via 2 position shock bolt option. This bike is their Team XTR race build with a their classic as well as personal favorite DW-Link suspension design and an awesome mint color way!
Yeti ASR: One of the lightest bikes in the test, the 115mm Yeti ASR is a single pivot flex stay design bike from Yeti Cycles who is jumping back into the XC game! With size proportional chain stays and a very comfortable carbon layup ride quality, this was a strong contender for ultimate XC bike!
Transition Spur: The peoples favorite bike, the Spur is Transition bikes shortest travel offering. With 120mm of travel front and rear and their classic Giddy Up suspension design, this bike packs a powerful punch in a short travel chassis!
Cannondale Scalpel: Is their anything more iconic than the Cannondale Scalpel? They sent over their Scalpel 2, which is a $6500 120mm XC race bike with a single pivot flex stay suspension design! However unlike the Yeti and the Specialized, the flex stay is located on the chainstay close to the rear axle, making things very interesting!
Mondraker F-Podium: New to the US but not new to making great mountain bikes, the Mondraker F-Podium is a 120/110mm XC race bike utilizing their Zero suspension design. This might also be one of the best looking frames we have seen yet!
Specialized S-Works Epic 8: The XC test would not be complete without the brand new Specialized Epic 8, which might just be one of the slackest XC bikes on the market currently! With 120mm of travel, 2 position geo settings, internal frame storage, and lots of other tech features, this is going to be a high bar to beat!
Evil Following w/ Flight Attendant: Yes you read that right, Evil is in the XC buyers guide with their 120mm Evil Following. Turns out SRAM XX SL and Rock Shox Flight Attendant is just what the XC doctor ordered for a bike that has set the standards in terms of how capable 120mm XC bikes can be!
Over the next week we have so much content coming out from this buyers guide so stay tuned to figure out what the best bike was and who each bike is for!
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