FINAL VERDICT
While there were times when all four bikes shared the same trails during testing and they all come under the ‘mountain bike’ heading, it would be pointless to compare machines like the Ritchey and Giant head to head. The test definitely showcased how much mountain biking has changed since the early days, but also how some things are still the same.
Mountain biking took off when builders like Tom Ritchey created properly light frames and fitted them with gears so they could climb well enough to take on races over passes as well as become practical everyday machines. That’s exactly the place the P-29er still occupies too, providing a sublimelysprung ride for skimming along moorland miles or snaking through singletrack with your seat up and your legs hammering at the pedals.
Yeti’s SB100 is a direct spiritual descendant of the BMX-influenced FRO, too. Both are/were heavier than contemporary frames, but with a ton of control and toughness in reserve, letting you blast through sections way faster than a short-travel bike has any right to. It’s just that there’s now one of the most sophisticated suspension systems in the world making that happen between the iconic ice-pick head badge and signature looped rear stays.
In contrast, the Giant Reign could hardly be more different from the rigid-framed Escaper our Kes started ‘proper’ mountain biking on. It’s definitely got residual DNA from Rob’s ATX full-suspension bike and all subsequent Giant DH bikes, though. With its impressively efficient pedalling, DH-derived handling, chain guide and high-grip tubeless tyres on wide rims, it’s a superb example of just how capable a modern enduro/all-mountain bike can be.
Specialized’s latest Stumpjumper is the best embodiment of the do-it-all mountain bike, though. Not only is carbon fibre used to create a very light yet stiff chassis, but they’ve also exploited its practical potential for internal storage in a unique way. We like the new, more aggressive shock tune, too. As well as being available with 650b or high-volume 29in tyres, it’s rare in being adaptable between noticeably different-feeling 120 and 150mm-travel formats on the same frame. There’s even an ‘Evo’ version for those who want properly crazy geometry rather than the conservative reach of the 140mm version.
It’s perhaps this need to cover as many bases as possible that tells us the most about mountain biking right now. Rather than spending the 30 years we’ve been testing for settling on a single ‘one bike fits all’ answer, demands from the industry and riders have led to more diverse designs, shapes, characters and even wheel formats than ever before. That doesn’t look like sorting itself out any time soon, either, so we’re looking forward to even more exciting, fun and flat-out fast bikes – however you categorise that – as we head into our 31st year of testing.