We discuss the industry-wide trends deciding the form of our bikes <\/p>
Our annual MTB Headliners bike test features the rigs at the cutting edge of technology and rider needs, but the bikes are also chosen to represent the direction the industry as a whole is taking.<\/p>\n
The differences between trail-focused lightweight electric mountain bikes<\/a> and hardcore full-power enduro models beg the question: do electric bike motor<\/a> output and battery capacity truly matter?<\/p>\n Well, the Vitus E-Mythique LT<\/a> and Scott Lumen in this year\u2019s test are perfect examples of the surprisingly divergent power-assisted category, each with its own take on performance. To boot, the Vitus\u2019 asking price raises questions around the value for money of other brands\u2019 offerings.<\/p>\n Elsewhere, has the quest for longer, slacker and lower geometry<\/a> simmered down in the trail bikes<\/a> category?<\/p>\n Goldilocks figures are emergent on an ever-increasing number of bikes; reaches have stabilised, bottom brackets stopped dropping to give pedal-friendly characteristics, while seat tube angles aren\u2019t getting steeper yet.<\/p>\n Are more mellow figures just a calm before the next geometry storm, or do bikes fit us perfectly now? The Norco Fluid seems to provide some answers to that question.<\/p>\n Some of the most fun and broadest-performing bikes of late have rather diminutive suspension travel<\/a> figures. Downcountry<\/a>\u2019s increasing popularity is also spurring on the resurgence of cross-country<\/a>, with each discipline benefitting the other.<\/p>\n Two of our test bikes, the razor-sharp XC-focused Cervelo ZFS-5<\/a> and downcountry-cum-trail Merida One-Twenty<\/a>, are out there to prove short-trail bikes are the rider\u2019s choice. But is that really the case?<\/p>\n