FINAL VERDICT

This test threw up questions about what a mid-travel trail bike should ride like and how you should buy one, and even after weeks of testing, our team couldn’t decide on a definitive winner, with each of the top three being somebody’s favourite.

The Radon Slide wasn’t on that list for anyone though. Yes, it’s a bargain price for GX Eagle, a Pike fork and decent wheels and tyres, but the geometry and rear suspension are optimised for German-style off-road ‘touring’, not tearing the trail a new one.

Its shorter-than-claimed rear travel and tall/short geometry should put the YT Jeffsy off the pace too. But the quality of the suspension you do get, plus the sorted fork and grippy tyres on quality wheels, mean it’s still an impressively accurate and engaging pinner. The closest fight was between the Canyon and Whyte though, with the Spectral clearly winning when it comes to fancy design detail, spec and weight.

While it’s easier to chuck around and chase up hills on, its suspension needs tweaking and its more conservative geometry and slight frame flex mean it can’t stick control quite as well at the ragged edge. In contrast, the T-130 SR is heavy for a mid-travel bike but its sorted suspension lets you carry speed more easily and its handling is a gift when it comes to going properly gonzo. Add the rock-solid frame, practical UK detailing, lifetime bearing warranty and the fact you can wheel it out of a shop, and Whyte’s brave decision to go head to head with the direct sellers in this test has been carried off by a bike that’s just as ballsy.