Are trail bikes the SUVs of the bike world? These versatile all-rounders can climb and descend with aplomb, serving a huge range of riders.
For 2023, we’ve picked our Top 5 Trail Bikes that cover a range of suspension designs, amounts of travel and most importantly, budget.
Yes, for once we haven’t just focused on five-figure super bikes that only dentists can afford!
Which bike in our Top 5 would you pick? Have we missed any big hitters out? Let us know in the comments.
#MTB #2023Bikes #BikeRadar
Chapters
00:00 Intro
00:31 Transition Smuggler
02:13 Trek Fuel Ex
04:43 Santa Cruz Hightower
06:30 Whyte T140
07:59 Specialized Stumpjumper EVO
Want more Top 5 videos? Start here 👇
→
Trek Fuel EX First Look & Ride
→
Specialized Stumpjumper EVO Elite Alloy Review
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What’s The BEST Trail Mountain Bike In 2022? | Trek, Canyon & Nukeproof Reviewed!
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2022 Specialized Stumpjumper Comp REVIEW | Fun ✅ Fast ✅ Not perfect ❌
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Specialized Stumpjumper Vs. Focus Thron | Which Is The Better Alloy Trail Bike?
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7 Mountain Bikes Setting The Trends For 2023 & Beyond
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Foreign [Music] Mountain bike to rule them all then a Trail bike can be the perfect choice These versatile machines can climb Descend and Traverse a huge range of Trails where the latest machines go in Some way to help a new field neither Under nor over biked and with that Here's our top five trail bikes for 2023 We'd love to know what you think of our Picks so hit us up in the comments Section don't forget to give this video A like subscribe to the channel and Click the Bell icon so you never miss a Video [Music] First up on our list is a very new bike In fact at the time recording it hasn't Even been released yet it's the all-new Transition Smuggler The Smuggler has Been missing from transitions range for A few years now but it's back with a Bang for 2023 designed to sit between The hugely popular spur and the barlier Sentinel transitions say The Smuggler is The reliable tool you grab for every job It sits squarely between both bikes in Terms of travel geometry and capability Arguably making it the most versatile Bike the transition produces The Smuggler features 130 millimeters of Rear travel with a piggyback shock on All models combined with a 140
Millimeter Fork if 130 millimeters isn't Quite enough we like the idea of Transition solution simply remove a Travel spacer from the rear shock and You gain yourself 10 millimeters of Additional travel with 29 inch wheels Front and back The Smuggler promises to Be a true weapon on winding single track Meandering climbs and Technical descents But this being a modern trail bike the Suspension's progressive leverage ratio Should help when you find yourself on More technical Trails testing the bike's Capabilities the geometry matches the Suspension's progressive nature with a 65 degree head angle relatively Long Reach of 485 millimeters for the size Large and size specific seat angles and Chain stays like the rest of transitions Bikes The Smuggler features neat looking Internal cable routing comprehensive Frame protection and a Handy Storage Mount under the top tube available in Aluminum or carbon framed models the new Smuggler is one bike we cannot wait to Swing a leg over in 2023 [Music] Tracks fuel ex has been around for Nearly two decades and in that time it Has forged its name as one of the great Quintessential trail bikes you'll be Hard-pressed to find someone who hasn't Owned one or know someone who has like Many of its contemporaries the fuel ex
Has booked up over the years starting With 100 millimeters of travel way back In 2005. the latest iterations have 140 Millimeters of travel out back teamed With a 150 millimeter Fork this brings Us neatly to the juicy details on the Latest fuel ex redesigned from the Ground up for 2023 it's the most capable Fuel ex ever and is buy up to date next Up the fuel EX packs 10 millimeters More Travel front and rear than the previous Version it's also now coil shock Compatible thanks to a flip chip in the Lower shock mount to alter the Progression curve of the suspension as Well as the Boost in travel Trek of Overhauled the geometry and added even More adjustability so you could Customize your riding experience to go With the existing minolink adjustments That can raise or lower the bottom Bracket by 10 millimeters and fine tune The head angle by half a degree the new Fury X can also be fitted with angle Adjust headset cups this means your Humble trail bike can have a head angle As slack as 63.5 degrees a whopping two And a half degrees slacker than the old Bike but if you like the handling of the Old bike then fear not you can steepen The fuel ex to a 66 degree head angle The fuel ex doesn't sacrifice climbing Performance though with a steep seat Angle that ranges from 78.8 to 75.2
Degrees depending on the chosen frame Size Speaking of sizes Trek offers the latest Fuel ex and a massive eight different Sizes with the extra small size running 27.5 inch wheels an option of 27.5 or 29 Inch wheels on the size small and 29 Inch wheels on sizes medium and upwards Don't worry you can run your fuel ex as A mullet bike if you want to as well Just swap out the minnow lick into the High position throw in a 160 millimeter Fork and 27.5 back wheel and you're Ready to party this makes mbuk presenter Will very happy what makes it less happy Is the 11 800 pound price tag of the Range topping model For more details on the new fuel ex Along with much cheaper options check Out the link in the description below [Music] Another classic given a recent makeover The Santa Cruz High Tower sits in a Sweet Spot within their range with 150 Millimeters of travel up front Complemented by 145 millimeters in the Rear Santa Cruz claim the Hightower is Their greatest hit of engineering Combining big wheels and medium travel While being short on fuss sharing a Similar frame silhouette to its Stablemates the Hightower features Santa Cruz's VPP suspension design that has Been a signature of the range for over
20 years the latest VPP bikes are very Different for the originals though with A lower link driven shock design Inspired by the successful V10 downhill Bike the layout on the latest Hightower Has been tuned to be more Progressive to Better deal with bigger hits while also Having 40 less anti-squat early in the Stroke this should help keep the Suspension Supple going up or down and Generate monstrous amounts of groundhog Interaction while losing none of that Pop and Agility Santa Cruz bikes are Known for the high tower retains the High low geometry adjustment but any Other changes compared to the old bikes Geometry are rather subtle the head Angle sits at 64.5 or 64.8 degrees while The seat angle is nice and steep at 77 Or 76.6 degrees to put you in an Efficient climbing position the bottom Bracket height changes from 342 Millimeters to 338 millimeters when Changing between the two settings as With their other bikes the high tower Gets their glove box internal frame Storage and Santa Cruz offers the high Tower in their high-end Cc or cheaper C Carbon frames it's a good job there are Cheaper versions of the high tower as The top spec version costs an eye Watering 9299 pounds Whites have been at the Forefront of
29-inch wheel mountain bike designed Longer than most the legendary t129 won Our trail bike of the year way back in 2013 and while they had a brief foreign Back into the Limelight we've been Waiting for the t129 spiritual successor Ever since enter the all-new white t140 Not to be confused with the old 27.5 Inch wheel t140 the 2023 version packs a Whole new aluminum frame and 29 inch Wheels with a 140 millimeter Fork Matched to 135 millimeters at the rear White's now signature scr suspension was One of the first one by specific designs Around and thanks to White's typical Attention to detail features incredibly Durable bearings that will take some Serious abuse White were also one of the first Brands To really kick off the longer lower and Slacker Trend and the t-140 is no Exception it features a slack 65.3 Degree head angle that can be slackened Even further with the switchable shape It link this breaks it out to 64.7 Degrees and lowers the bottom bracket by Eight millimeters to a ground Threateningly low 330 millimeters Cornering fun for days Ahoy white have Always been known for offering Exceptional value for money and with the New t-140 starting at just 3299 pounds this is one value-packed Trail bike to watch out for
Foreign [Music] In the comments the storm jumper Evo has Been around for a few years now while That may be the case the latest Evo Still stands out today thanks to its Radical geometry and huge range of Adjustment the head angle and bottom Bracket height can be independently Adjusted tailoring the geometry just how You like it the head angle can go from a Crazily slack 63 degrees to a far more Conservative 65.5 degrees and the bottom Bracket can be as low as 331 millimeters Or as high as 342 millimeters the Evo Uses specialized s sizing geometry so You can pick your size based on the Frame reach you feel most comfortable With and still fit a long dropper post Sounds like a win to us geometry isn't The only trick in the stump jumper Evo's Arsenal it's a practical bike too even The alloy version gets their swap down Tube storage system available with Either a carbon or aluminum frame the Stumpjumper Evo can be aspended as 10 000 pounds for the range stopping s Works model down to 3 900 pounds for the Entry-level Evo comp alloy but if you Want to know more check out our review Of the alloy stump jumper Evo in the Link in the description So what do you think of our top five Trail bikes for 2023 did we miss
Anything out and what bikes are you Looking forward to seeing this year let Us know in the comments below if this Wasn't enough trail bikes for you then Why not check out this video but first Give us a thumbs up and subscribe to the Channel so you don't miss any future Uploads see you in the next one Foreign [Music]
