What’s The BEST Trail Bike In 2024?

We have been testing the best trail mountain bikes to determine which should be crowned our 2024 Trail Bike of the Year.

The final choice came down to the Marin Rift Zone 29 XR, the Canyon Spectral CF7, and the Whyte T-160 RS but which came out on top?

Let us know what your choice would be in the comments!

#bikeoftheyear #trailbike #cycling

Chapters
00:00 Intro
00:30 The Bikes
01:26 Climbing Performance
03:17 Frame Details & Specs
04:19 Descending Performance
09:24 The Winner Is

Atherton AM.130 Review | 3D-Printed Trail Bike Wrecked & Rated
→ https://youtu.be/GPMZXMDU8Sw

Trail Bike Vs. Enduro Bike | Is More Suspension Travel Better?
→ https://youtu.be/PDCj6ockq3k

2024 Canyon Spectral CF Review: This Bike Steers Itself?
→ https://youtu.be/hWmOTMpoCq8

Top 5 Best-Value Trail Bikes 2024
→ https://youtu.be/ZFnM-NanthM

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/

after months of solid testing in a whole host of conditions in a minute I’m going to tell you my pick of the top three trail bikes in 2024 a long list of 20 current trail bikes was whittel down to eight which all got put through 3 months of solid testing this is selection all price from between £3,000 up to £4,200 a little broader than i’ hoped but only because two of the bikes dropped in price mid test so without further Ado here are the top three trail bikes in 2024 first up is the alloy Marine Rift Zone 29 XR or extra rad don’t let its 130 mil travel deceive you this is built for fun it’s Parts package including a Select Plus level lyric and Super Deluxe shock from Rock shocks hints at its aggressive nature next we have Canyon’s box fresh spectral CF7 it has an Innovative carbon frame and fox suspension as well as intube storage and their kiss system which pulls the bars back to Center more on that later 140 mil Outback is balanced with 150 mil travel at the front last but as you’ll find out definitely not least is the white t160 RS not only does it have modern geometry but it’s also decked out in some fancy kit including Ultimate level suspension from Rock shocks despite this it’s actually the cheapest bike in the test 150 mm of rear wheel travel is paired with 160 at the front let’s start with climbing with which is key on any trail bike and all three have a distinct feeling the Marin is the least py here when you stand up and pedal it sinks into its mid-stroke and moves around sapping your input however if you stay seated and spin the super stable suspension dolls out grip enabling the Maxis asy tires to dig in and Propel you up smooth and choppy drags alike it’s also super comfortable smoothing the edges of rocks and Roots the short chain stays give it a slightly less balanced feel than the other two here and with a bike sitting into its travel when set up with fun in mind the 77° seat angle can slacken leaving you feel like you sat a little bit over the back wheel on smoother drags I often reach for the shocks lockout lever which firms things nicely the spectral CF has seen the travel reduce on this generation to 140 mm at the back but this has been done with a drop in anti-squat figures too this gives it a similarly smooth ride over fists siiz Rocky climbs and helps the Maxis minion dhr2 do it job well however like the Marine it can feel a little less urgent when you’re cranking out the power with 7 mil longer chain stays though the spectral is well balanced and doesn’t seem to sink as deep on the steeper pitches given it the edge over the Marine neither can quite compete with the white t160 RS though it might have 10 mm More Travel than the spectral and 20 more than the Marine but the t160 has an archetypal trail bike perkiness when heading uphill the suspension remains stable under all all but the most ugly of pedling styles meaning I rarely reach for the shocks lockout switch the shape is nicely balanced with the longest chain STS here at 440 mm which helps maintain traction on technical climbs and helps you moderate the front end’s Direction control while keeping the rear wheel digging in let’s quickly look at the kit while the Shimano SX gears found on the spectral feel great when clean whenever a layer of grime is applied the Marin and white stram GX shines punchy light leave and Powerful I love the SLX brakes on the canyon the white Ram code RS feel good on this test bike though they can be a touching consistent in general I’m not a big fan of their db8 brakes found on the Marin but the addition of the fancy hs2 rotors makes the rift Zone stoer some of the best on test I’ve already mentioned the suspension on the white and on the Marine the spectral bounces on a rhythm 36 from Fox with a grip damper and a performance level Fox Flow X shock finishing hit across the board comes largely from their own branded stuff I love the broad flange on the White’s grips they really lock your hands in place while the Marin’s grips are super comfortable if a little vague canyons are a touch thin for my taste and clamp onto a moderately harsh cockpit all three have traveler just dropper posts despite having the lowest cost in the entire test the white wins hands down right this is what really matters how well do these bikes descend the Marine Shines on steep tracks the ASU front and rear might slip and slide over British mud but as soon as that clears there are class leading doit All aggro Tire even in the dual compound exoc case version found here the rift Zone 29 xr’s generous reach ensures that there’s plenty of bike in front of you and with ample spaces under the stem there’s room to run the bars High when you’re in the Steeps or slam them lower if you want to minimize under steer when you’re cruising the blues short chain stat help you haul the front wheel around when you’re slipping and sliding through routy twists and turns or lift the front when you want to pop them play even if all out highspeed stability might be improved with a little more rearward length the single pivot linkage actuated multirack suspension is smoother when rattling over Roots helping keep the rear wheel nicely planted though the rear end does stiffen a touch when you’re pulling on the brakes when it’s time to generate speed over lumps and bumps the support in the suspension comes a little later in its stroke so there’s a bit more effort required than the perkiest of bikes however when gravity takes hold the rift Zone XR is flat out fast the piggybacked Super Deluxe chot gave me little to complain about while the Select Plus version of the lyric with its charger 3 damper is a highs spec product that complement the Marin’s ride quality as well the spectral is a seriously Smooth Operator at the front though relatively basic the 36 rhythm is wonderfully comfortable easing it its travel ensuring that it’s no White Knuckle ride this allows the minion dhr2 to concentrate on generating grip while giving plenty of confidence to drive the bike forward while the dhr2 is a rear tire it works well on the front with a less vague transition to its shoulder thread than the dhf ideal as you initiate a turn the more paddle-like Central Treads of the dhr2 also work well up front when you’re squeezing on the brakes boosting braking the fork can come a little unstuck when you’re going full gas as a mid-stroke support from the more basic internals aren’t quite as solid as you’d find on the price of your forks however Canyon has stuck two volume spaces in the airspring to help it ramp up later on so it’s rare that you’re really banging off its bump stops Canyon’s triple phase suspension rule Supreme with a wonderfully compliant ride that CS at small medium and large hits alike on trail Center cruises its lower anti-squat figures steal a little Zeal when you’re pumping rollers but the tires don’t drag heavily there’s still enough pop in the rear suspension to ensure the spectral is a ton of fun when there’s a rout to pop off or a burm to rail and when the going gets steep the slack front end Long Reach and smooth transition to the fork and shocks deeper reaches gives the utmost Inc composure Canyon’s kiss system splits opinion it aims to pull the bars back straight with a view to increasing calmness when you’re battering through rocks and routs as well as helping pull the rear wheel round in Corners it’s effective you can feel the bars fidgeting less through Rock gings for example and get a corner good and it really feels like it’s on Rails but it can feel odd when you’re initiate a turn and I found on slippery off camber sections it didn’t help with tracking this is largely in its strongest setting reduce it to minimum and the overall impact is negligible it’s worth experimenting with as we know some people love it and if you really don’t like it you can remove it from the bike what are your opinions on kiss let me know in the comments overall top marks have to go to White the super deluxes piggyback adds oil volume boosting consistency on Long desense further forward the 160 mil lyric is Sublime it features the excellent charger 3 damper seen in the Select Plus Fork but adds Trail bu killing rubber bumper buttercups and extra bushing overlap to ensure super smooth performance when Under Pressure the shock is the only one in the test with a lows speeed compression adjustment dial I rode it fully open in order to keep the rear end Supple I wonder if lighter Riders might find the shock marginally overdamped the difference between the Select Plus and the ultimate dampers might seem small but these features have an effect ensuring that both ends of the t160 RS are as good as it gets the alloy frame is solid and as we’d expect from White comes with almost Flawless geometry though it is noteworthy that it only comes in medium large and extra large the reach is long and is complemented with a sub 65° head angle ensuring that the triple compound Maxis asagai front tire is well in front of the cockpit and the chain stays balance it well the bottom bracket isn’t as low as some but with 150 mil travel on top it keeps pedal strikes to a minimum and the bike has more travel to drop into anyway the t160 doesn’t sit too low on the trail and the shock filters out smaller midsize hits with ease even when the rear brake is dragging the supportive suspension translates to easy speed on rolling Trails generating speed better than the canyon or Marine hit something bigger and the extra travel at both ends comes into play Given that extra margin for error the EXO plus case rear tire adds puncture protection while powerful brakes add to your control I’d happily keep any of these three bikes in my garage but if I had to pick one it would be the white the Marine Rift Zone 29 XR is a short travel Burly Ripper of a bike that thrives on steep rough and rugged terrain they’ve put together an enticing package with some smart spec choices demonstrated perfectly by the upgraded SRAM hs2 rotors if you want a non-nonsense bike for rallying around the woods look no further Canyon almost always put out class leading bikes and the latest spectral even with 140 rather than 150 mil travel is no exception the German brand has constructed a beautiful chaty onto which some really great performing parts are bolted their attention to detail in the framing design is excellent with great in tube storage and that kiss system which might split opinions but it does work and if you don’t like it you can just turn it off anyway if you want a carbon fiber trail bike with some Innovative features take a look at the spectral however the title this year quickly went wh’s way I requested the bike before a recent price drop and even before I realized it was stunning value it was rising to the top White’s approach to geometry and suspension setup is almost perfect blending the performance befitting 150 160 mil travel with the requirements of the modern Trail and all Mountain Rider it crushes technical descents shreds bike parks and gives buckets of confidence when you’re hauling through the woods at warp speed and when you need to get back to the top of the hill it does so with an attitude of a bike with a chunk less travel too simply put if you’re looking for a mid-price true Do-it all bike the t160 RS is the best trail bike on the market this year so that is my trail bike of the year which one from my short list would you have picked thanks for watching don’t forget to like this video And subscribe so you don’t miss any more bike of the Year content and if you want more trail bikes then check out this video