BIKETEST USA TRAIL BIKES

We test three stunning-looking rides from the birthplace of MTB to see if American bikes are still up there with the best

MEET THE TESTER

MICK KIRKMAN

TESTER & PHOTOGRAPHER

With a background in BMX, 4X, dual slalom and DH racing, as well as bike development, Mick's ridden and documented mountain biking for 20 years and is one of only a few bike testers worldwide to have hundreds of reviews in print.

As the birthplace of mountain biking itself and some of the most legendary heritage brands, America is huge in the story of our sport. Manufacturers such as Intense, Pivot and Yeti are some of the most iconic around, with long histories, famous bikes and multiple racing and industry awards. But, with these brands focusing on the top end of the market and transatlantic shipping pushing prices up, you pay a premium for a US-designed bike. We wanted to find out if it's still worth it.

Not only did Americans create some of the first fat-tyred bikes and take the sport global, but they also invented some classic suspension designs, which brought the control and capability that defines how most people experience mountain biking today. After all that intense innovation, US brands eased off slightly towards the end of the 2000s, and other places took up the slack. Asian factories pushed carbon fibre, while European manufacturers experimented with new geometry, fuelled by a passion for enduro, which would prove every bit as revolutionary as adding suspension was.

Things come full circle, though, and the US trio here all have carbon frames and stretched-out, more stable frame shapes. The question is, how do they fit into a marketplace that's also been transformed by another European phenomenon - the emergence of online-only 'direct-sales' brands?