BORN IN THE USA

AMERICAN TRAIL BIKES TESTED–DO YOU GET BANG FOR YOUR BUCK?

US-designed ‘boutique’ bikes always seem to deliver extra drool factor. Whether it’s the rich histories of some of the brands, the fact that mountain biking originated over there, or simply their great looks and design, American bikes have always managed to get British blood pumping. The four sweet-looking, high-end, carbon fibre bikes here are just the kind of machines we’re talking about. They’re all pitched as rapid 29ers for everyday riding, and all rock 120mm of rear travel, but each has its own distinctive attitude and its own ideas about short-travel trail riding.

For Evil and Transition, 120mm brings tons of DH shred factor, wrapped in a tighter, poppier package. Both brands’ offerings sit closer to enduro than XC, with Transition’s super-slack and long Smuggler targeting downhill ability even more than Evil’s Following MB. Putting fun first could result in pure efficiency taking a back seat though, so we wanted to know if these play rigs can still make hard pedalling efforts count.

Ibis and Pivot’s short-travel bikes add XC-style pace and attitude to the equation, with ruthless pedalling efficiency and climbing speed, as well as a tighter suspension feel than the Evil and Transition. The Ripley LS and Trail 429 differ greatly from each other in terms of geometry though – the more traditional and compact Ibis prioritises precision and sharpness over high-speed stability, whereas the lengthy Pivot’s urgency stems more from its suspension feel, pedalling action and chassis stiffness.

Whether a rapid mile-muncher or a short-travel play bike is better comes down to personal preference, so we’ll look at each approach, while monitoring how these US bikes handle typical UK conditions.