PULSE-POUNDING XC BIKES

We pit four carbon ibre cross-country hardtails against each other to see which comes out a potential podium-topper

Cross-country (XC) is one of the most brutal disciplines in mountain biking, requiring razor-sharp skills to navigate a skinny-tyred, upright-feeling bike across increasingly technical terrain, and an absolute willingness to find yourself physically exhausted in a pool of sweat two hours later.

Much like their riders, XC bikes have to be light and skinny to get up hills quickly, able to transfer power to the rear wheel fast and have enough left in the tank to handle tracks strewn with rocks, roots and drops.

The world of XC racing is changing. While the climbs never get easier, courses are getting increasingly technical to test the mettle of racers and their machines. As such, just being lightweight isn’t good enough anymore. These days, a winning bike shouldn’t hold you back when the course climbs the contours, yet when things get gnarly, its frame shape and the components bolted to it should be able to stand up to the challenge. We picked four XC bikes, all keenly priced, but with carbon frames that you’d expect to see at much higher price points. Our testing was designed to show their relative merits, but also to find where their weaknesses lie. Each bike got pushed hard round long XC test loops to make sure they lasted the distance, but also swapped between testers for short head-to-head sprints to get down to the gritty details of what did and didn’t work when every ounce of energy we had was getting thrust through the cranks.

From fast, smooth, rollercoaster tracks to rock gardens and roots, as well as long fireroad drags and short, sharp sprints, we put each bike through its paces so you’ll know what to expect should you want to put both bike and body against the clock and your competitors, or just ride your local trails hard and fast.