For me the Scalpel SE is a winner. Picked one up second hand because I wanted to race again. I‘m still surprised how versatile and capable it is and how good the suspension works. That virtual Horst-Link is genius.
Honestly the Arc8 Evolve FS and HT are quite interesting. I am still deciding on the paintjob but I will build an Evolve DC HT with an DVO Sapphire up front and a PiRope Wheelset.
I made this same statement in a reply to someone else. So XC races went to wider tires and more suspension because the courses changed.. So now you are supposed to go get a downcountry bike. And it might make sense if you were under biked before. But if your everyday ride hasn't changed (I assume no one magically made your ride harder) have you considered that the trad. 100 mm and 2.25 may be better for you before you run out and get a new trend bike. I'm not saying it can't be better/faster but if your ride hasn't changed like the pro courses what the pros are riding shouldn't directly affect your choice.
Commencal is two years late. In 2020 i was desparately looking for a aluminium XC bike. Nowhere to be found. (the Banshee was the closest) In the end, the Mondraker Podium it was. But if the price is right, i will take a look at the Commencal.
My favourite? Well, the one I bought LOL ! 2022 Specialized Epic Evo with some hand-picked components after the fact (Fox 34 factory SC, Fox Float Factory DPS, GX AXS and 4-pot brakes)
I like the latest Lapierre Prorace CF its nice and clean looking. I seem to remember drooling over a chocolate coloured one on a website a few months ago. In terms of full sus thought the Orbea and BMC are the best I've seen all year.
For me the Marin Team Marin HT as the price is reasonable while still being modern geo for XC bike. The other would be Pipedeam Srirus S5 at 120mm of travel and fun 65* hta.
Good show with some desirable bikes. However, I'm going down a different perhaps less commercial route; by having a 'Down Country' style130mm travel bike hand made as a 'one off' in Reynolds steel by a local bike builder/engineer. Will be decked out with quality components, such as Fox 34 forks and a Cane Creek Kitsuma air coil, Frame size will be tailored to my measurements. Know doubt it will be ha bit heavier being steel framed but should be fun to ride on the trails and just that bit different!
Curious about your linkage design and how you’re going to get good progression using a coil shock, especially for a downcountry build. Sounds like a super cool build! Would love to see pics when it’s done.
I love my Kona Hei Hei CR. But after seeing how fragile lightweight carbon xc frames can be and paying a hefty price for a new rear triangle this year I would definitely consider going back to aluminium if Commencal release a nice build.
@@scotty3981 yeah rides great. But those rear triangles seem a bit week. Ive spoke to a few other owners who have had to replace there rear triangles on the hei hei.
It's interesting that I didn't mention the Scott Spark with a hidden damper at all. Even though it is completely new and is ridden by the best XC cyclist
As a commencal bike owner I thought commencal not making XC bikes made total sense, since their primary focus in the market isn't in XC anyway, a little weight penalty with alloy frame doesn't hurt that much. So this commencal XC bike is sort of interesting and confusing at the same time to me. Has alloy evolved so much that it can trade blows with carbon? I don't think so (my size M meta TR isn't light by any measure) Someone please enlighten me
How about the KTM scarp?bI’ve found they pedal so well plus the frame is the same for the 100mm XC and the 120mm MT version. Just different fork and shock stroke length.
Sounds like an Orbea commercial. Orbea provides bikes to gmbn which unfortunately leads to bias. Not saying it’s a bad bike but it’s clearly biased coverage. Disappointing.
That BMC is Truly Sexy. OMG!😮I want the Dark purple that fades to black or the Blue and black. I want them both. Changed my perspective on Down country bikes.
120mm travel, and 2,4 tires is the fastest way on the XC course, that’s what the pros are using, after hours of testing…. And yet I still see people complaining about the weight and using puni 2,25 tires with 35 psi, that’s soooo old school 👴🏻
Tale as old as day. I remember when 2.25" first became popular, the 2.1" width crowd were whining. As xc becomes more hardcore, which is it, more traction is needed even at the weight and rolling resistance cost.
Yes they have made the courses more tech so for the xc racers the new 120 mm bikes with 2.4 tires are faster. But how much of the new courses and what the riders are subsequently using are to drive bike sales? Those complaining about weight and using the 2.25 are probably riding where they always have. Their everyday ride hasn't all of a sudden gotten more tech so they are better off not going up in suspension and tire size unless their rides dictate it.
It went together easily in less than an hour. ruclips.net/user/postUgkxHL1v1R3NE5x4KiYfyt8dnQmyNYz7qi5L Make sure the front fork is forward or the pedals will hit the front tire. Tires are both a little soft so it needs air before I ride it. The rear wheel didn't come with a clamp regular bolts hold it on. The front had the clamp. No scratches out of box. Rims are a little off with a slight wobble. They could have spent more time with the spoke tool fixing the run out. So far out of the box I'm happy with it. I did replace the pedals with a nice aftermarket set. After riding it a bit my A$$ is a bit sore so I ordered another seat. Overall I'm nearly 60 and didn't ride a bike in 30 years. I like my new 29" Schwinn. It will be used for casual rides with my friend.
I remember when 120mm travel was considered a trail bike.. down country seems like a bit of a faff. Now all the xc bikes are trail bikes woth 120 front and rear, where are the short travel xc bikes? :/
Short-travel (80 to 100 mm) XC MTB are more on the sub-budget, below entry-level category. We have lots of them here at my end. Mostly unknown brands. Lots'a love, cheers, & Mabuhay, from tropical Philippines! #RideOn #KeepBiking
So if you have cross country and down country all you need is "Up Country"- an E-MTB.... (or a pair of Brasher boots for all you hill walking real bikers lol)
This categorisation suxx. 125 mm rear travel enduro bike from Canyon, 120 mm xc bikes. Gravel bikes with/ without suspension. Rigid hardtails. Downcountry, trail, all mountain, enduro, downhill, freeride...It is a big mess. Meanwhile a hardtail frame costs about 2000 Eur, and 5000 Eur for a fully. Great.
I’ve won elite level Mtn bike races. My VO2 is pretty high and I went down country. Santa Cruz Blur TR. clearly you haven’t ridden them. Maybe your trails are flat or you’re a downhill guy.
@@cvdavis that's cool. Maybe some day I will. Until then I am fine riding xc bikes and making jokes about down country bikes and their riders. If I ever actually find a reason to buy one, maybe I will. Or maybe I won't. Who knows.....
@GMBN Tech.... With the exception of the Cannondale hard tail, these 120 mm travel bicycles are "Racing Trail Bikes" and should be in catagory all by themselves. They are not bikes a marathon cyclist or a true cross country rider cyclist are going to want to ride on a cross country ride on because they are too heavy and over suspended for that intended purpose. As race courses have gotten more technical the bikes have gotten longer travel to match as the bicycle manufacter have lost sight of the intended user and purchaser of cross country bikes because they have become to "race focused." Most cross country cyclists do not actually race their bicycle.
The 120mm SID fork on my SC Blur TR weighs the same as the 100mm Fox 32SC on my hardtail. I just saw a Spesh Epic Evo that weighed under 22lbs (sub-10kg). I don’t think that weight of a 120/120 down country bike is as different from a 100/100 race bike as you let on.
There are a lot of manufacturers, not just mainstream ones, and people can choose what parts to use. It's not like people don't have a choice. I have a rigid mtb, i could have put whatever suspension fork on it but i chose rigid because that's what i want and the choice was actually available. People who want a "non-race" bike could simply get/build one, might even be cheaper because they won't be buying race-specific components.
Not to say you're wrong, but Nino Schurter races on a 120mm Scott Spark, Is he not a real XC racer? Someone probably ought to tell him if he isn't, might be wasting his time doing all this winning
Nothing that hasn't already been said however the fact that most people don't race makes the slightly longer travel (and versatility) and slacker angles even more relevant.
@@cupucup96 Sure... I found that a 29r took more energy to accelerate with and maintain an average cadence and it also seemed unwieldy changing direction quickly in comparison to a 26r
FINALLY SOME XC CONTENT!
We love XC bikes! 😍
Yes yes! Please more XC Tech and race content! 🤘🏻
Suprised we didnt see the Scott Spark
Or the Rocky Mountain Element
You beat me to it... I'm just as surprised as well.
More Pay=More Play
I dont think Scott sponsors the channel
Maybe because the 2022 spark was actually released in 2021
For me the Scalpel SE is a winner. Picked one up second hand because I wanted to race again. I‘m still surprised how versatile and capable it is and how good the suspension works. That virtual Horst-Link is genius.
Scott Spark RC just simply the best/perfect XC bike in the world!
Honestly the Arc8 Evolve FS and HT are quite interesting. I am still deciding on the paintjob but I will build an Evolve DC HT with an DVO Sapphire up front and a PiRope Wheelset.
No allied bc40 ?
I made this same statement in a reply to someone else. So XC races went to wider tires and more suspension because the courses changed.. So now you are supposed to go get a downcountry bike. And it might make sense if you were under biked before. But if your everyday ride hasn't changed (I assume no one magically made your ride harder) have you considered that the trad. 100 mm and 2.25 may be better for you before you run out and get a new trend bike. I'm not saying it can't be better/faster but if your ride hasn't changed like the pro courses what the pros are riding shouldn't directly affect your choice.
That Commencal looks great! Yep, they're alu-only, but they can build a great rig for every day trail riding with a reasonable price! Wish them luck!
if I had too much money I would have the Trek Supercaliber. I'd never ride it, but I'd set it where I could look at it.
They ride sooooo fast though
@@macroglossumstellatarum3068 you pedal and I'll take a lift to the top of the hill and fall down in a somewhat controlled manner🤣
Commencal is two years late. In 2020 i was desparately looking for a aluminium XC bike. Nowhere to be found. (the Banshee was the closest) In the end, the Mondraker Podium it was. But if the price is right, i will take a look at the Commencal.
why not chisel?
Hy Doddy and Ana. loving the show. scott spark, Nino's lethal weapon was unforgivenly forgoted. I'm Corratec's fan. wanted to see then on the show.
Didn't come out this year, but Kona Hei Hei is my favourite
Was waiting a long time for this one
Wow, you two didn't interrupt each other throughout the video! Thanks for that. I'd offer the Santa Cruz Blur for your consideration.
Bmc fourstroke for me is a winner ;)
Confused as to why you wouldn’t cover the specialized epic evo. You guys often avoid spec I don’t get it.
Spec probably doesn’t feel the need to buy ad space 😉
Yeah spec are too much competition for canyon their main sponsor
Can’t wait to take delivery of my new Scalpel Hi-mod 1 next week, getting back into mtb riding after 20 years, this is going to be great !!!🎉
Surprised no SC Blur or Scott Spark!
My favourite? Well, the one I bought LOL ! 2022 Specialized Epic Evo with some hand-picked components after the fact (Fox 34 factory SC, Fox Float Factory DPS, GX AXS and 4-pot brakes)
Anna has a nice 2by setup
What you think of Polygon xc bikes sincline
I gotta say I love the bmc, commencal, and the niner. But I do love Merida of course HEHEHE
Merida and Cannondale
I like the latest Lapierre Prorace CF its nice and clean looking. I seem to remember drooling over a chocolate coloured one on a website a few months ago. In terms of full sus thought the Orbea and BMC are the best I've seen all year.
@GMBNTech Just a short question am I the first person to write/notice that the Chapter Title says MBC Fourstroke instead of BMC Fourstroke?... ;-)
For me the Marin Team Marin HT as the price is reasonable while still being modern geo for XC bike. The other would be Pipedeam Srirus S5 at 120mm of travel and fun 65* hta.
I like the look of that OIZ!
Vitus Rapide / NS Synonym / Fm936 = Best downcountry bike imo
Good show with some desirable bikes. However, I'm going down a different perhaps less commercial route; by having a 'Down Country' style130mm travel bike hand made as a 'one off' in Reynolds steel by a local bike builder/engineer.
Will be decked out with quality components, such as Fox 34 forks and a Cane Creek Kitsuma air coil, Frame size will be tailored to my measurements.
Know doubt it will be ha bit heavier being steel framed but should be fun to ride on the trails and just that bit different!
Curious about your linkage design and how you’re going to get good progression using a coil shock, especially for a downcountry build. Sounds like a super cool build! Would love to see pics when it’s done.
orbea for me, but i didn't catch the pricing,
Canyon Lux
Mine gt sensor absolute machines
Canyon Lux World Cup CFR all the way
Brilliant bike! 👍
@@gmbntech yea I´m very happy with this bike :) It is super fast.
Allied BC40 beats them all for me
Why are the bikes growing? Or did riders grow? My S sized hardtail from 2017 has 395 reach. Should I be on an XXS frame now?!
We want more xc content!
no scott sparky no party
That Niner is Beeaauutiful! Sorry we didn’t see the Spark though
Scott spark? Very hot With Shock in the frame.
Agreed! 😍
Scott Spark
I love my Kona Hei Hei CR. But after seeing how fragile lightweight carbon xc frames can be and paying a hefty price for a new rear triangle this year I would definitely consider going back to aluminium if Commencal release a nice build.
I’ve always rode Konas and loved them. I agree on being fragile, I cracked my hei hei frame as well.
@@scotty3981 yeah rides great. But those rear triangles seem a bit week. Ive spoke to a few other owners who have had to replace there rear triangles on the hei hei.
PFP won the euro on a two stroke. If it's good enough for her it's good enough me ;)
WHAT?!! no Kona Heihei cr(dl)??
It's interesting that I didn't mention the Scott Spark with a hidden damper at all. Even though it is completely new and is ridden by the best XC cyclist
yeti sb120 should be on this list...
As a commencal bike owner I thought commencal not making XC bikes made total sense, since their primary focus in the market isn't in XC anyway, a little weight penalty with alloy frame doesn't hurt that much. So this commencal XC bike is sort of interesting and confusing at the same time to me. Has alloy evolved so much that it can trade blows with carbon? I don't think so (my size M meta TR isn't light by any measure) Someone please enlighten me
Check their website, details released today. It's a shorter travel trail bike, not XC
@@grahamcoote1439 🙌
I like the orbea
I have an intense sniper T elite that is pretty bad ass. 120ml
Surprised there weren’t any Ti frames present?? Check out Moots Mountaineer. Talk about dream machine…
No coils on XC DC?? Make a nice commute in Alu.
when do you going to acknowledge the brand Berria, just like the Orbea from Spain. very nice XC bikes.
You really need to test ride a Yeti A.R.C hardtail with Fox 34SC forks (120mm) if you want a strong, rapid and compliant XC/Down country hardtail.
Agreed.
Wow very nice merida.. hope can give review..
How about the KTM scarp?bI’ve found they pedal so well plus the frame is the same for the 100mm XC and the 120mm MT version. Just different fork and shock stroke length.
I agree, KTM scarp great bike, both version xc and MT.
Scarp exonic is a beast !
No XC guy but that COMMENCAL got me, cheers
The Hottest Cross Country & Down Country Bikes Of 2022 (from the sponsors)
Scott spark??!
BMC Twostroke hard tails are equally good as their full sus
So is Orbea just selling down-country/trail full sus as new xc-bike?
HER SMILE, HAHA :D
Specialized ?
All I saw were her eyes and smile.
Spec Epic Evo!
To much full suspension mtb´s for my taste i prefur xc hardtail so the Scalpel HT is the best for me.
Sounds like an Orbea commercial. Orbea provides bikes to gmbn which unfortunately leads to bias. Not saying it’s a bad bike but it’s clearly biased coverage. Disappointing.
That BMC is Truly Sexy. OMG!😮I want the Dark purple that fades to black or the Blue and black. I want them both. Changed my perspective on Down country bikes.
When did BMC change their name?
120mm travel, and 2,4 tires is the fastest way on the XC course, that’s what the pros are using, after hours of testing…. And yet I still see people complaining about the weight and using puni 2,25 tires with 35 psi, that’s soooo old school 👴🏻
Tale as old as day. I remember when 2.25" first became popular, the 2.1" width crowd were whining.
As xc becomes more hardcore, which is it, more traction is needed even at the weight and rolling resistance cost.
Yes they have made the courses more tech so for the xc racers the new 120 mm bikes with 2.4 tires are faster. But how much of the new courses and what the riders are subsequently using are to drive bike sales? Those complaining about weight and using the 2.25 are probably riding where they always have. Their everyday ride hasn't all of a sudden gotten more tech so they are better off not going up in suspension and tire size unless their rides dictate it.
10:30 what's that headset top cap then?.. some new fangled design from Niner?.. sure I recognise that from somewhere?..hmmm.
It went together easily in less than an hour. ruclips.net/user/postUgkxHL1v1R3NE5x4KiYfyt8dnQmyNYz7qi5L Make sure the front fork is forward or the pedals will hit the front tire. Tires are both a little soft so it needs air before I ride it. The rear wheel didn't come with a clamp regular bolts hold it on. The front had the clamp. No scratches out of box. Rims are a little off with a slight wobble. They could have spent more time with the spoke tool fixing the run out. So far out of the box I'm happy with it. I did replace the pedals with a nice aftermarket set. After riding it a bit my A$$ is a bit sore so I ordered another seat. Overall I'm nearly 60 and didn't ride a bike in 30 years. I like my new 29" Schwinn. It will be used for casual rides with my friend.
No Scott Spark? Seriously...
BMC
I want a new XC race bike. I guess I should stay away from 100mm??
Last xc race I was at half the people were riding hardtails and there were zero drops or jumps so really depends what you're gonna be doing with it.
I remember when 120mm travel was considered a trail bike.. down country seems like a bit of a faff. Now all the xc bikes are trail bikes woth 120 front and rear, where are the short travel xc bikes? :/
Short-travel (80 to 100 mm) XC MTB are more on the sub-budget, below entry-level category. We have lots of them here at my end. Mostly unknown brands.
Lots'a love, cheers, & Mabuhay, from tropical Philippines! #RideOn #KeepBiking
So if you have cross country and down country all you need is "Up Country"- an E-MTB.... (or a pair of Brasher boots for all you hill walking real bikers lol)
What about Yeti Arc? Its totally down country bike…
The whole category of bikes XC, down country, all mountain etc all started when XC started to get full suspension.
This categorisation suxx. 125 mm rear travel enduro bike from Canyon, 120 mm xc bikes. Gravel bikes with/ without suspension. Rigid hardtails. Downcountry, trail, all mountain, enduro, downhill, freeride...It is a big mess. Meanwhile a hardtail frame costs about 2000 Eur, and 5000 Eur for a fully. Great.
i had to stop watching when she started saying "Hach T"...
Hey-ch
cross-country / down-country - pah - episdoe skip - give us proper mountain biking ! we want enduro and downhill please !
canny please everyone all the time I guess !
always makes me laugh when i hear people talking about trail and xc - lets face it they're both the same.
All made in Taiwan ........lol buy the same company's
Do you mean by the same companies?
so sloppy
The cannondale hardtail made me realize that I hate the way English people say "H."
'down country' is how you try and sell an XC bike to someone with a VO2max below 52.
I’ve won elite level Mtn bike races. My VO2 is pretty high and I went down country. Santa Cruz Blur TR. clearly you haven’t ridden them. Maybe your trails are flat or you’re a downhill guy.
@@cvdavis I ride xc bikes.
@@scriptosaurusrex That's cool. You should actually try some 'downcountry' bikes before you talk about them as if you know.
@@cvdavis that's cool. Maybe some day I will. Until then I am fine riding xc bikes and making jokes about down country bikes and their riders. If I ever actually find a reason to buy one, maybe I will. Or maybe I won't. Who knows.....
@GMBN Tech.... With the exception of the Cannondale hard tail, these 120 mm travel bicycles are "Racing Trail Bikes" and should be in catagory all by themselves. They are not bikes a marathon cyclist or a true cross country rider cyclist are going to want to ride on a cross country ride on because they are too heavy and over suspended for that intended purpose. As race courses have gotten more technical the bikes have gotten longer travel to match as the bicycle manufacter have lost sight of the intended user and purchaser of cross country bikes because they have become to "race focused." Most cross country cyclists do not actually race their bicycle.
That’s why they have started calling them down country.
The 120mm SID fork on my SC Blur TR weighs the same as the 100mm Fox 32SC on my hardtail. I just saw a Spesh Epic Evo that weighed under 22lbs (sub-10kg). I don’t think that weight of a 120/120 down country bike is as different from a 100/100 race bike as you let on.
There are a lot of manufacturers, not just mainstream ones, and people can choose what parts to use. It's not like people don't have a choice. I have a rigid mtb, i could have put whatever suspension fork on it but i chose rigid because that's what i want and the choice was actually available. People who want a "non-race" bike could simply get/build one, might even be cheaper because they won't be buying race-specific components.
Not to say you're wrong, but Nino Schurter races on a 120mm Scott Spark, Is he not a real XC racer?
Someone probably ought to tell him if he isn't, might be wasting his time doing all this winning
Nothing that hasn't already been said however the fact that most people don't race makes the slightly longer travel (and versatility) and slacker angles even more relevant.
Hot XC bike, what an oxymoron.
sorry, to me a xc bike will always be a 26r 2x9 80mm 70/71 deg hardtail
Did u ever try 29er? If you did, tell me your opinion about 29er?
@@cupucup96 Sure...
I found that a 29r took more energy to accelerate with and maintain an average cadence and it also seemed unwieldy changing direction quickly in comparison to a 26r
@@blairrighton6270 ohh i see... i feel it too... when i ride 29er for the first time in 2012...
Arrrrgh ...Its "aitch tee" not "haitch tee"