LESS IS MORE? DOWNSIZED TRAIL BIKES
Mountain Bike Rider|July 2022
Big travel and a burly frame may flatter your ego but downsizing on travel can reconnect you with the trails and supersize your thrills
Alan Muldoon
LESS IS MORE? DOWNSIZED TRAIL BIKES

As with so many things in life, the pendulum always swings back to the centre. Trail bikes are no different. And with the A line between trail and enduro becoming increasingly blurred, it makes sense that there's an emerging category of shortertravel 29ers. Not quite light enough to be called down-country, but capable 130mm-travel trail bikes with a keen eye on weight and speed.

Probably the easiest way to define this category is to look at what they are NOT designed for: basically steep ups and downs. The focus here is what lies in between. Literally, the middle ground. And if we're being perfectly honest, that's the type of riding most of us are doing, most of the time. We've always said that you should get the bike that fits 90% of the riding you do, not the 10% you aspire to, and the bikes in this test capture the essence of the statement perfectly.

So, if you're a trail rider at your very core, we have four bikes that should be on your radar. The Bold Linkin 135 is a unique design, where the shock and linkage are concealed inside the frame. In keeping with the ultra-clean look, the Bold also has integrated storage in the down tube. Canyon's new Spectral 125 looks very similar to the 150mm Spectral, but it's very much a standalone design, built for the hard-charging rider that wants less travel and more interaction with the terrain. Mondraker's new Raze comes with built-in suspension telemetry to maximize the performance of this short-travel shredder, while Specialized's Stumpjumper Expert strips the platform back to its bare bones, even eliminating the signature Horst-link suspension, in pursuit of reduced weight.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة July 2022 من Mountain Bike Rider.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة July 2022 من Mountain Bike Rider.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

المزيد من القصص من MOUNTAIN BIKE RIDER مشاهدة الكل
Best places to ride with your kids
Mountain Bike Rider

Best places to ride with your kids

Five top venues to keep the nippers entertained this summer

time-read
3 mins  |
August 2023
CANNONDALE MOTERRA NEO CARBON 2
Mountain Bike Rider

CANNONDALE MOTERRA NEO CARBON 2

It’s got more suspension tunes than a Hitchcock movie, but will this Moterra thrill us or chill us?

time-read
5 mins  |
September 2023
100% GLENDALE GLASSES
Mountain Bike Rider

100% GLENDALE GLASSES

When it comes to eyewear, having a large lens not only offers a lot more protection from trail splatter, it puts the frames further out from your field of view, allowing you to focus on the terrain in front of you. The Glendale is absolutely vast, and actually has a lens size akin to a full downhill goggle, so you literally can’t see the top or sides of the frame.

time-read
1 min  |
September 2023
DMR STAGE 2 MTB RAIL SADDLE
Mountain Bike Rider

DMR STAGE 2 MTB RAIL SADDLE

DMR's new Stage 2 MTB Rail is one of those new/old products. The shape and construction are identical to the existing Oi Oi saddle, but the company has wrapped it in a new skin and added some harder-wearing reinforcement to the edges. It's also toned down the lairy graphics; this saddle only comes in plain black.

time-read
1 min  |
September 2023
STRAIGHT TORQUING - GUY KESTEVEN
Mountain Bike Rider

STRAIGHT TORQUING - GUY KESTEVEN

Has tech taken the hard work and fun out of mountain biking, or should we embrace evolution and roll with it?

time-read
3 mins  |
September 2023
STORM FORCE
Mountain Bike Rider

STORM FORCE

Manon Carpenter may have retired from downhill competition, but her new role as a trail advocate is achieving results far beyond the race track

time-read
8 mins  |
September 2023
SWEAT AND SLATE
Mountain Bike Rider

SWEAT AND SLATE

We ride 140 miles through Snowdonia on Cycling UK's newest and gnarliest long-distance trail

time-read
9 mins  |
September 2023
HEAD SPACE
Mountain Bike Rider

HEAD SPACE

New guidance reveals how to spot concussion, and how best to treat it

time-read
4 mins  |
September 2023
LATE SUMMER LOVIN'
Mountain Bike Rider

LATE SUMMER LOVIN'

Classic UK holiday hotspots that really shine when the crowds have gone

time-read
2 mins  |
September 2023
HOT STUFF
Mountain Bike Rider

HOT STUFF

WHAT WE'RE EXCITED ABOUT THIS MONTH

time-read
3 mins  |
September 2023