FINAL VERDICT

ooking at the specs and geometry of these bikes before we tested them, we were sure it was going to be hard to pick a winner, with each bringing its own features to the table and none having any obvious drawbacks.

The Sonder Evol offers the best value for money, with the most high-performing parts for the price. Its descending-focused geometry is good, too. But on the trails, the rear suspension’s lack of mid-stroke support left us feeling underwhelmed, especially where we’d usually pop and jump around between lines. Adjusting the shock to compensate helped, but fixing the problem completely might require a redesign.

Despite the Focus THRON’s price increasing by £200 while we were testing and exceeding our original £3k budget, it still represents fair value for money. And it’s great to ride on flatter, slower trails. Unfortunately, the steeper-than-average head angle means it turns into a bit of a handful when things get gnarlier. It’s a

Lgood-looking bike, though, and its suspension offers plenty of support while remaining supple. Not only is the Vitus Escarpe fitted with topperforming parts from Shimano, RockShox and DT Swiss, but its carbon fibre chassis – the only one here – has the geometry and suspension to match, making it a pleasure to ride. The futureproofed frame also has potential for parts upgrades down the line, to unlock even more performance.

We were surprised when we started to think of the Specialized Stumpjumper as the test winner, given its fairly basic spec. But the comfort and composure of the frame combined with the supple yet progressive suspension won us over. Not only was the Stumpy a total hoot to ride on pretty much anything we could point it up or down, but it also felt incredibly refined. When it boiled down to the Vitus and Spesh, the Stumpy trumped the Escarpe with its lower purchase price and high-quality feel.