What’s it like to ride an $11,000 mountain bike?!

    Every expensive part and exciting piece of new technology you could wish for is specced on the Specialized S-Works Stumpjumper T-Type. It’s a dream bike for many, but how much better is it than a regular MTB?

    In this video, I’ll show you the difference between an $11,000 bike and a carbon Cannondale that costs $5,500, a great-value $1,699 full-suspension Marin 29er and a bargain $650 Calibre hardtail.

    Which bike is your favourite? Let us know in the comments 👇

    #MBUKmagazine #MTB #mbuk #mountainbike #mbuktech

    Chapters:
    00:00 Intro
    00:34 Calibre Rake 27
    03:48 Marin Rift Zone 29 1
    07:05 Cannondale Habit LT1
    10:50 Specialized S-Works Stumpjumper T-Type
    14:26 Conclusion
    16:17 Outro

    His Own Bikepark! | A Lap With Olly Wilkins
    👉 https://youtu.be/Sz8n2cCUtPk

    This Disease Kills Bike Parks 🪦 Why Revs Closed
    👉 https://youtu.be/wSbDhq6NYIY

    The Kids SHRED | Dare Valley Bike Park Tour
    👉 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ulKq9rERtFM&t=66s

    E-MTB Vs. Motorbike | We Swap Bikes With @BillyBolt57 ​
    👉 https://youtu.be/o2yEd5fHHfE

    How To Start A Bike Company | Starling Cycles Factory Tour!
    👉 https://youtu.be/NFuTMolGzCE

    Listen to the BikeRadar Podcast
    → https://www.bikeradar.com/bikeradar-podcast/

    Follow BikeRadar on our social media channels:
    → https://instagram.com/bikeradar
    → https://facebook.com/bikeradar
    → https://twitter.com/bikeradar

    BikeRadar is supported by Mountain Biking UK and Cycling Plus Magazine –For more information and to subscribe please visit
    → https://bit.ly/3nMr3Rn

    For more content like this see our latest subscription offer –
    → https://www.cyclingplus.com/subscribe-today/
    → https://www.mbuk.com/subscribe-today/

    This is an $1,000 mountain bike every expensive part and exciting piece of new technology you could wish for is speced on this bike it’s a dream bike for many but how much better actually is it I’m going to show you the difference between this and a carbon fiber canondale which

    Cost $55,000 a great value $22,000 full suspension Marin 29er and a bargain $600 caliber hard Tail This looks awesome hydraulic disc brakes aluminium frame and a rock shock suspension Fork this is a lot of bike for your money it’s called the caliber rake 27 and it’s available for just $650 from go outdoor stores if you have a membership car which cost about $6 with

    No rear suspension a hard tail offers a lightweight and budget friendly option to those starting their journey into into the world of mountain biking the 100 Mil travel Rock shocks Judy suspension fork and Clark M2 hydraulic disc brakes with a large 180 mil rotor on the front should mean it handles and

    Stops well but the 27 1/2 in Wheels look really small compared to most modern mountain bikes which roll on 29in wheels and the tires look quite slick so I am nervous to tackle the gnarly downhill Terrain in a minute let’s see if my fears are Justified and find out what it’s like to

    Ride okay so heading up the climb on the caliber rake 27 as you’d expect from a hard tail it feels light lots of power being transmitted to the rear wheel from my feet no rear suspension moving around and sapping my energy but I can feel all of the bumps so it’s not

    The most comfortable but it is quite quick right hand turn here onto the flat part of the Fire Road change a few gears and we’re dropping into the Double Black Diamond cougar Trail here which is uh pretty fearsome on any bike so I’m nervous on this hard tail with the the slim tires

    And straight away there’s no rear suspension and they getting bucked all over the shop or some of these drop offs not being able to be as aggressive as I usually Would I tell you what this is flipping fun this is I’m really surprised just how spritely and entertaining and also confidence inspiring it is so thanks for the good geometry it feels really cool oh my gosh that definitely feels like a double black diamond Trail this was way more

    Fun than I thought it would be it’s got a nice Wide Bar on it the damping on the forks works really well which is amazing considering how cheap they are and it shows just how good a modern Fork is the tires were way grippier than not expected I looked at the the smooth

    Profile and I was like this is going to be gnarly but actually they hooked up pretty well well and the geometry of this Frame like with a reasonable reach quite a slack head angle it’s really confidence aspiring the brakes do everything you can want them to I mean

    The limitation is the tires the big front rotor seems good gives you a bit of Leverage yeah we water a machine this Marin Rift Zone One cost $1,699 which is over three times the the cost of the rake but for that you get more aggressive geometry a 130 mil full

    Suspension frame a larger 140 mil travel suspension fork and larger 29in Wheels all this will mean increased grip control and most importantly speed looks wise I love the paint job and the internal cable routing is super smart the one by drive train means that this bike has a single front chain ring

    And the mech has a one-way clutch which should mean that the chain won’t fall off and the Boost wheels and oversized crank axle should translate into stiffness it seems like a big step up from the caliber hard tail but there’s only one way to find out let’s ride It but there’s loads of grip from the full suspension and uh the bigger wheels are making it feel really calm on this part of the climb it’s carrying a little bit more weight than the caliber it’s got a big cassette on the back so that’s giving me a really nice wide spread of

    Gears so I can pick a nice easy gear for the climb now this bike doesn’t have lock on grips which is a little bit worrying in the wet weather and that’s something that you’ll want to upgrade fairly sharpish once you get on it the rear suspension gives loads of traction

    On the climb so the back end doesn’t skip about like it can do on a hard tail so that extra travel translates into traction on these steep parts of the climb it is a bit heavier than the hard tail and you can tell that as you’re climbing

    Up the hill okay onto the flat now I just got the one set of Gears to worry about under my right hand unlike the double chain rings of the caliber now this bike doesn’t have a dropper post so I’m not going to stop and put the seat down I’m going to go

    Straight in cougar extreme black okay off the drop straight away the rear suspension it’s giving me loads of traction but I didn’t have before the tires fil really great I love full Suspensions not going off there on this bike that was class so ride Impressions um it definitely feels a bit more stable than the hard tail there’s a bit more weight behind it there’s more suspension travel front and rear wider tires and bigger wheels so it feels really confidence

    Inspiring on The Descent uh gives you a bit more traction than the hard tail and just barreling into stuff not really caring what’s underneath you is way easier on this the hard tail you got to have a bit of finesse about you um I think it’s time for an upgrade though

    Let’s find something with a dropper post and a bit more Speck this is the canondale Habit LT1 and it looks gorgeous but what are you actually getting for that $5,500 price tag well under that paint job is a carbon fiber frame meaning less weight and more stiffness super trick bigger disc rotors and four pot Fran brakes mean that stopping shouldn’t be a

    Problem either another thing that you get on this bike is a dropper post with just a press of a lever it puts your seat out the way for The Descent and I think that’s going to be a big bonus the Maxis 3C tires on this bike are triple

    Compound that means they use three types of rubber combined hard underneath the center knobs for support medium Compound on the top of the center knobs and soft rubber on the sides all of this tech means that the tires cost $106 each so expect maximum action the suspension is also really trick with a

    Burly Fork piggyback shock and adjustable damping front and rear there’s even a lockout lever on the rear shock so you can save energy on the climbs let’s go and find out how this bike Rides okay so here we are on the canondale Habit LT the LT stands for long travel so this bike is definitely a aggressive and Burly and ready for The Descent now I got the lockout on the rear Shar closed so I got some super efficient peddling uphill I got the

    Dropper post up so this bike has a dropper post which is a bit of an upgrade from a static post because just like an office chair you can choose if you want it up for the climbs as it is now or down for The Descent and out of

    The way of your backside and this bike has Progressive geometry so the seat tubes nice and steep so my way weight is far forward on the bike which really helps with climbing especially when they’re going get steep like now High Cadence not putting in too much energy

    I’ve reached the top of the climb now I’m on the flat Fire Road and this is where all that technology really pays off because I just pop The Dropper post unlock the shock and immediately I’m in descent mode Let’s see what she’s like on Cougar okay so the quality of the

    Suspension is just incredible I can feel I’ve got so much traction and it’s so confidence inspiring compared to bikes with cheaper forks and shocks I can move the bike around is ever so controlled I’m noticeably quicker coming into these breaking areas and it just feels like the tires are hooking up

    Amazingly and am I going to hit the drop on the big bike of course I am that was sick like it costs more money but this is a proper machine for hitting gnarly tracks like that the quality of the suspension travel is incredible the way the damping works and how

    Progressive the suspension is just means that it feels bottomless you can really Barrel into stuff you know you’ve got traction you know that once you get on the brakes you’ll slow down those four piston brakes are incredible you just brush the levers instead of having to pull them towards you the geometry is

    Aggressive it’s got more travel wow I hit that last step down at the end just like super confident just dropped in put in a quick pedal pulled for it and at no point did I go oh you know what’s it going to be like on the landing super confidence inspiring but

    What if I told you that the next bike cost as much as two of These is this the ultimate trail bike this is the S workk stump jumper T type from specialized and it costs $111,000 but for that you get literally everything you could ever ask for from a mountain bike most parts are made from carbon fiber like the frame Wheels handlebars and clanks which all combine

    To mean that the bike has a weight of just over 27.8 lb add to this the $600 cassette with massive 52 to Cog and you can climb up just about anything the Fox suspension components on this bike are even coated in super slippery gold kushima so the suspension is as smooth

    As it gets but that’s not even the coolest part of this bike what if I told you that the gears and dropper post are activated by electronics and totally wirelessly that’s right no effort and no wires an electric motor does the work instead of your fingers so no more

    Sticky gear cables I’m looking forward to riding this one let’s go Welcome to the S Works stump jumper tea type at $11,000 it’s a good chunk of a house deposit but what’s it like to ride well as you might expect very smooth very quiet very light very intuitive yes there’s a lot of superlatives for this bike it is quite simply awesome so the

    Electronic gears are super quiet and super smooth those Motors just swap the cogs really quickly and intuitively the lockout is really smooth to turn and you’re not wasting any energy Everything feels light and responsive and expensive did I mention this expensive oh yeah there’s even nice little multi-tool in here what a cool

    Touch that is okay right here we are at the top time to put the shock from climb into open mode hit the droper post button another electronic Gadget and we’re ready to turn into the Double Black Diamond Trail on an 11,000 mountain bike I think the brakes are really good

    They’re a bit loud cuz I got them wet W this is amazing wow oh my gosh it’s fast it’s so light and responsive oh the tires are super grippy wo it’s really really light to pick up over stuff the quality of the vention is Fantastic wow oh got mud in my eye I wish you get mud guards for 11 Grand I didn’t expect to say this but it feels like an expensive bike yeah the suspension is super grippy it’s putting all the energy into the ground and going forwards it’s great under breaking these brakes are super

    Powerful the the lack of cables the sound deadening on the frame it’s super quiet super light it flatters you as well it flatters your Fitness cool bike what did we learn then well there are some great value mountain bikes out there whatever your budget and all the bikes here today delivered on their

    Price point excellently to offer an exceptional riding experience the caliber is basic as you might expect for just $650 but it’s well speced and offers properly sorted geometry it’s a cost effective entry into the world of mountain biking and all the fun it has to offer the $1,700 the Marin Rift Zone

    One steps things up with bigger wheels and a higher spec fork and rear suspension all things which help you ride faster and Tackle challenging terrain with ease for $5,500 The canondale Habit LT1 offers every feature you could realistically need for hardcore mountain biking with Burly components high quality suspension

    Grippy tires a dropper post and a light overall weight it is the complete package for the serious mountain biker and of course if you want the best of the best the creme creme then the specialized s workk stump jumper is the bike for you sure it’s $1,000 but it offers every single Gadget

    You could hope for in a lightweight and impeccably Performing package this bike should be on your wish list if you love carbon fiber over the- toop attention to detail and future Tech does a carbon frame and electronic gears actually make you a better Rider well of course not

    They’re great to fiddle with for the ultimate setup and they do make bikes like that a pleasure to ride but you can’t beat skills and no bike is going to make you a better Rider so whatever your budget get to know whichever bike it is you’ve decided to spend your

    Hard-earned cash on and don’t forget to enjoy the riding after all that’s why we ride mountain bikes in the first place if you enjoyed this video please do drop us a like and make sure to subscribe to the channel and let us know which of these bikes is your favorite by leaving

    A comment below and if you want to keep feasting your eyes on awesome bikes then why don’t you check out this video next right let’s go home hang on a minute I feel like we’ve forgotten something just trying to get my stretches in

    28 Comments

    1. There is a point of diminishing returns when it comes to the bike price spectrum. It is probably around ~$3500 US full retail at a bike shop.. Most of us would do fine with an aluminum full-sus, Deore 1×12 drivetrain, and Marzocchi fork. That would be my bare minimum. To me that's where you get diminishing returns. Spending more doesn't provide much improvement on performance. If a beginner asked me what should I buy, that's what I would recommend.

    2. Give me the budget hardtail all day every day! Budget bikes benefit from all the research into frame geometry and overall advancements while not having to pay for that research and development. I can also chain it up for 5 min while I get snacks at the store and not worry about someone with a grinder stealing it.

    3. Where I live in Toronto you can't own a nice bike, criminals will track you and do a home invasion right into your bedroom, hold you at knife/gun point and take your bike 🙁

    4. Idk what's up but this vid is crap wrong price points didn't even drop the saddle to compare the bikes, and continues with this bs.
      "The full suspenion climbs better than the hardtail because its rear end can move around" – the very next bike – "This bike can lock out its rear suspension to climb better"

      So which one is it? Is it better or is it worse? Or are you reading an ad script that wasnt proof read lol

    5. I really enjoyed the video and is content. And it was great to see all the bikes going down the same trail to have a good comparison.
      The only criticism I have is why is it in American dollars, not British pounds?

    6. Great video!
      I'd go for the cheapest one. There's a certain charm about it and also makes you work a tad harder, which isn't a bad thing in my book.

    7. I'm worried that carbon fiber mountain bike frames tend to break in an b accident, where aluminum bends. That would be one hell of a depressing day.

    8. I used to have a fleet of high-end bikes, but after 40 years of riding, I refuse to spend more than $2000 on any bike and have never had more fun on road, gravel, and Mt. Bike companies are the biggest fraud in the universe. And guess who exists to serve as their slaves?

    9. I just bought a Kona Process 134 for $1999 plus tax (cdn). It has Shimano Deore parts, Rockshox Recon up front and a Rockshox Deluxe in back and a dropper post. I can't wait to ride it. I'm still keeping my hardtail.

    10. I think I would spend just slighty more to get the Riftzone 2, with a dropper, and better spec all around. It will still cost less than half the price of the Habit, and the frame geo and kinematics are very good on that bike.

    Leave A Reply