FINAL VERDICT

If there’s one thing that this test has really driven home, it’s that you can’t judge a bike by its components. The Canyon Neuron offers an unbelievable spec for the money. So much so, we thought it was a shoo-in to win. But its old-school handling let it down badly. The ride was nervous and edgy, and we simply enjoyed riding it far less than the others. And that’s before you take into account the potential pitfalls of buying direct.

Thanks to a retro 90mm stem, the Specialized Camber was no better to ride to begin with. That monster tiller made it handle pretty badly, but the long reach allowed us to downsize that key component without compromising the fit, resulting in a really agile and snappy, if slightly twitchy, ride. The Norco was a surprising bike too. Despite having just 110mm of rear travel, it felt the smoothest over rough terrain, with a well-damped and forgiving ride. It’s not the best on the climbs though, and the price hike will put it out of reach of some.

Overall, it was the Trek Fuel EX that got us fired up. With a noticeably slacker head angle and longer front end than anything else here, it felt far happier tackling gnarly terrain at speed. In fact, its more modern handling package left all the others feeling a little outdated in one way or another. With relatively tall gearing as stock and a slightly weighty build, it’s a bit harder work when climbing than the Canyon or Specialized, but it’s rapid elsewhere and we think its fun, confident handling more than makes up for it.