Best Mountain Bikes 2019

What’s New in Mountain Bike Design
With the widespread adoption of dropper posts, better suspension, and geometry that favors longer front ends and tighter rear ends, it’s now possible to shred pretty hard on bikes with less travel. Bikes like the Kona Process, Evil Offering, and more recently, Giant Trance have less than 120mm of travel but the slack angles (and stability) of enduro bikes. And bikes like the Pivot Firebird give you DH travel with sharper handling, to create one of the most versatile bikes we’ve tried. As you’re looking for your next ride, pay as much attention to geometry as you do travel and wheel size.

Key Geometry Considerations
If you’ve been following the trends in mountain bikes, no doubt you’ve noticed that “longer” is the most popular word going. Reaches are getting longer, which—along with increasingly slack head tube angles—also lengthens the bike’s front center and wheelbase. This additional length centers the rider between the wheels more, and makes bikes feel more stable, more secure in steep terrain, and smoother overall. Longer isn’t always better, though, and can make a bike feel less stable at slower speeds and harder to maneuver in tight terrain. Seat tubes are also much steeper than they’ve been—as steep as 76 degrees or more. This puts riders in a more favorable climbing position. But steeper seat angles also allow frame engineers to move the seat tube out of the way as they try to increase travel, decrease chainstay length, and fit bigger wheels and tires into their frames.

Types of Mountain Bikes

1-Cross-Country

These are short-travel bikes made for racing on XC and marathon courses where you need sharp handling and efficient suspension. Many have head-tube angles near 70 degrees, 29-inch wheels and, if they have rear suspension, 90 to 120mm of travel.

2-Trail

This is the most popular category of bikes for good reason—these are designed to handle almost everything from casual XC trail rides to rowdy downhills. Expect to see head angles between 65 and 68 degrees, slightly longer wheel bases, and travel between 120 and 150mm.

3-Enduro

These are mini-downhill models that are good at climbing. They excel on steep descents, bike parks, and anytime you’re going fast. Head angles range between 64 and 66 degrees and reaches are longer to keep your weight farther behind the front wheel.

4-Downhill

Made for downhill races and bike parks, these have ultra-long wheel bases, lots of travel (usually 200mm or more), and dual-crown forks that slow handling but help the bike rip downhill in a straight line and hit massive jumps better than anything else out there.

How We Tested
Every bike on this list has been thoroughly ridden and evaluated by our team of test editors. We research the market, survey user reviews, speak with product managers and engineers, and use our own experience riding these bikes to determine the best options. Our team of experienced testers spent many hours and miles using these bikes for their intended purpose. We raced them, rode them on our local trails, and hit the bike park. Often we swapped tires and other components to get a better understanding of each bike. After a lot of sweaty, dirty miles, we evaluated them on performance, price, comfort, handling, value, reliability, fun, and yes, e-factor (for anyone looking to add a little pedal assist to their ride).
The new Juliana Joplin CC got an additional 10mm of travel and an updated geometry from its predecessor, taking it from an XC-racing style bike to more of a traditional trail bike. Our tester exuberantly stated it’s the most fun she’s had on a bike in a while, and if she could ride only one bike for the rest of her life, it would be this one. The top-of-the-line SRAM X01 Eagle 1×12 drivetrain and carbon 29-inch wheels are so freaking fast. It’s light, stiff, agile, and incredibly well-balanced, enabling you to ride it over obstacles and sections that previously you may have considered above your skill level. It likes to sail both up and down chunky trails with an ease that will make you a better rider.