After having worked in a bike shop with over 700 bikes and being able to ride literally anything from a $600 Rockhopper to a $13,000 S-works Levo, all I can say as to which bike is "the best"......IT DOESN'T MATTER. In the end, the only important thing is that you get out and ride YOUR bike......whatever that may be. Bikes are made to be ridden.
It does MATTER. I’ve ridden bikes for decades. None of my bikes have cost more than $800. Today I went on my first downhill with friends in Alaska at a ski area. I was leant a trek bike waaay out of my price range. All I can say is There is no way I could have ridden those trail’s with my bike. Just no way. That bike handled amazing compared with my current bike.
Having spent $10,000 on a bike build in the late 90’s, I can say that there’s a lot of truth to what you’re saying. At a certain level of quality it doesn’t get much better. It might get lighter, but function may drop as you go up in spending. I ride trail bikes and my sweet spot for quality level and price point is right around $6000-$6500. I prefer alloy frames because I don’t want to second guess if my frame has any structural, unseen, damage after a serious crash(it happens)! Having said that, a person could spend considerable less than my price point and get something that performs just as well
What fork do you have got in your Marin bike? last month I have also got 2023Marin riftzone 1 29 in size s, but got issue with the Xfusion fork which is 120mm travel and very hard to compress?
All great choices. I just purchased a Canyon Spectral 125 CF7 on sale for a great price. Canyon offer's a lot of bike for the money. I was looking at Marin's, but they were sold out. Same with YT Izzo. Passed on the Santa Cruz because of the nx component's. Very happy with the Canyon.
I don't understand why people think the Trek Fuel EX doesn't look good. I really like the look, think some get used to a certain design and it sticks with them.
Still love my old Trek EX , great bikes , on this list I think the Canyon would be the one for me, if I was to change rides, for quality, value and reliability Canyon can't be beaten.
Got myself Spectral 125. Got myself second set of lightweight wheels with light Victoria Mezcal/Barzo tyres. After few changes, my Spectral 125 weights under 13kg its definitely capable of some XC or Marathon.
Been going through that horrendously stressful stage of trying to decide what bike to get. Think I'm about to pull trigger on spectral 125 al 5. First time brand new bike buy and first full sus!
Not sure which bike I want. Looking at the Spectral 125 AL6 or the Spectral 27.5 CF 7. Was looking for a playful bike and wanted 27s, but the normal spectral looks like to much travel. The normal spectral is alot lighter, and I like the colorway. Which would you recommend, im 14 and looking for a new bike and want something 3-3.5k since im paying for it. Im on the east coast and like jumping and hitting long trail rides with lots of climbing and descending. Currently on a trek marlin 6, and its nowhere near enough for me.
why is it people think aluminium or carbon is a budget choice? it has nothing to do with budget. i wouldnt be seen dead on a carbon bike, or a 29er which is too big and cant get it over fences and stiles, and please internal cable routing must go! bloody awful, i had that on my Proflex 955 back in the 1990s and it was a nightmare!. 26 or 650b aluminium is the best setup for extreme riding all the way. for cutting weight I go for titanium bolts, aluminium nipple on wheels, titanium axles/bb etc etc. nobody seems to do that anymore, they ride carbon bikes with heavy components for some weird reason. best bike I ever had a go of was a Banshee Spitfire. It just had an absolutely perfect fast feel to it, excellent bike with fantastic geometry. and the frame could be adapted for 27.5 or 26 wheels. bonus.
@@grmajina the Jeffsey didn't descend as well as the Spectral and didn't climb as well either on steep inclines. This despite it being their top of the line model with flight attendant vs the Canyon which was less than half it's price.
The Jeffsey is pretty average, but the Izzo is a really awesome bike. Its way snappier on the trails than a longer trail bike and it feels just as capable as its longer travel brother. The quality of the frames is really good and ive heard no complaints about them really. Im surprised you had a rough time with the Jeffsey though, I really liked it! I found it was better than a stump jumper and the fuel ex. Havent ridden Canyon because ive seen and heard horror stories of their cheap frames early on but now Ive heard theyve switched manufacturers to a more reputable one.
@@MTB_CRZY two weeks prior to the Jeffsey ride, I rode YT's ebike (can't remember the name). Not impressed with the mfg of that bike either. Especially compared to my buddy's Transition ebike. Of course, that could've been a one off, but it didn't inspire me, that's for sure.
The video talks about the YT Izzo (not the Jeffsy, not the Decoy). The Izzo is a classic “jack of all trades and master of none”. Riders who expect true trail/enduro performance will be disappointed. Riders who expect XC race level performance will be disappointed. David is absolutely right, this bike is amazing for a wide range of riding styles and terrain, without significant compromises in pedalling efficiency or suspension performance.
You can certainly use the likes of the Yeti and Tallboy for XC, maybe not racing but certainly casual XC riding which is what I do most of the time. Gotta earn the descents right
Remember marketing pitch ! Santa Cruz is stupid bikes. They are for people who can't do drops and jumps. They are for people to buy buy ride on the road hahahahah
After having worked in a bike shop with over 700 bikes and being able to ride literally anything from a $600 Rockhopper to a $13,000 S-works Levo, all I can say as to which bike is "the best"......IT DOESN'T MATTER. In the end, the only important thing is that you get out and ride YOUR bike......whatever that may be. Bikes are made to be ridden.
It does MATTER. I’ve ridden bikes for decades. None of my bikes have cost more than $800. Today I went on my first downhill with friends in Alaska at a ski area. I was leant a trek bike waaay out of my price range. All I can say is There is no way I could have ridden those trail’s with my bike. Just no way. That bike handled amazing compared with my current bike.
Having spent $10,000 on a bike build in the late 90’s, I can say that there’s a lot of truth to what you’re saying. At a certain level of quality it doesn’t get much better. It might get lighter, but function may drop as you go up in spending. I ride trail bikes and my sweet spot for quality level and price point is right around $6000-$6500. I prefer alloy frames because I don’t want to second guess if my frame has any structural, unseen, damage after a serious crash(it happens)! Having said that, a person could spend considerable less than my price point and get something that performs just as well
Love this 🤘
Exactly. 🤘
I've got my new Marin Rift Zone 2023 27.5, size S, last week and it's really fun. Can't imagine a bike more fun than this.
What fork do you have got in your Marin bike? last month I have also got 2023Marin riftzone 1 29 in size s, but got issue with the Xfusion fork which is 120mm travel and very hard to compress?
All great choices. I just purchased a Canyon Spectral 125 CF7 on sale for a great price. Canyon offer's a lot of bike for the money. I was looking at Marin's, but they were sold out. Same with YT Izzo. Passed on the Santa Cruz because of the nx component's. Very happy with the Canyon.
I don't understand why people think the Trek Fuel EX doesn't look good. I really like the look, think some get used to a certain design and it sticks with them.
Still love my old Trek EX , great bikes , on this list I think the Canyon would be the one for me, if I was to change rides, for quality, value and reliability Canyon can't be beaten.
Got myself Spectral 125. Got myself second set of lightweight wheels with light Victoria Mezcal/Barzo tyres. After few changes, my Spectral 125 weights under 13kg its definitely capable of some XC or Marathon.
Happy to see David talking about MTB. Hope to see more.
I’m not picky. Anyone of these bikes would work for me. Great video.
Been going through that horrendously stressful stage of trying to decide what bike to get. Think I'm about to pull trigger on spectral 125 al 5. First time brand new bike buy and first full sus!
Me too, I went with Marin Rift Zone 27.5 3.
2022 are on sale for $1999.
Great selection!!! Knowledge at it´s best!
Cool. Nice to see the Canyon on this list. I've got the Spectral 29 AL6 and it's a fantastic all rounder!
Not sure which bike I want. Looking at the Spectral 125 AL6 or the Spectral 27.5 CF 7. Was looking for a playful bike and wanted 27s, but the normal spectral looks like to much travel. The normal spectral is alot lighter, and I like the colorway. Which would you recommend, im 14 and looking for a new bike and want something 3-3.5k since im paying for it. Im on the east coast and like jumping and hitting long trail rides with lots of climbing and descending. Currently on a trek marlin 6, and its nowhere near enough for me.
Very good review plus appreciate providing the prices
why is it people think aluminium or carbon is a budget choice? it has nothing to do with budget. i wouldnt be seen dead on a carbon bike, or a 29er which is too big and cant get it over fences and stiles, and please internal cable routing must go! bloody awful, i had that on my Proflex 955 back in the 1990s and it was a nightmare!. 26 or 650b aluminium is the best setup for extreme riding all the way. for cutting weight I go for titanium bolts, aluminium nipple on wheels, titanium axles/bb etc etc. nobody seems to do that anymore, they ride carbon bikes with heavy components for some weird reason. best bike I ever had a go of was a Banshee Spitfire. It just had an absolutely perfect fast feel to it, excellent bike with fantastic geometry. and the frame could be adapted for 27.5 or 26 wheels. bonus.
I love my canyon spectral AL 6
have a canyon spectral 5 from 2021 thing rides super nice been a great bike so far
Polygon T7 ❤
Trek not sexy? Lol its the sexiest bike brand by far. Their slash and fuel bikes are candies
Waiting for my new fuel ex 9.8xt, crazy bike now with slacked head angle
Gen 6 version would be insane.
I would remove YT from this list. When I rode them back to back with other brands, they were noticeably inferior. The Canyon, however, is a winner.
Why's that?
@@grmajina the Jeffsey didn't descend as well as the Spectral and didn't climb as well either on steep inclines. This despite it being their top of the line model with flight attendant vs the Canyon which was less than half it's price.
The Jeffsey is pretty average, but the Izzo is a really awesome bike. Its way snappier on the trails than a longer trail bike and it feels just as capable as its longer travel brother. The quality of the frames is really good and ive heard no complaints about them really. Im surprised you had a rough time with the Jeffsey though, I really liked it! I found it was better than a stump jumper and the fuel ex. Havent ridden Canyon because ive seen and heard horror stories of their cheap frames early on but now Ive heard theyve switched manufacturers to a more reputable one.
@@MTB_CRZY two weeks prior to the Jeffsey ride, I rode YT's ebike (can't remember the name). Not impressed with the mfg of that bike either. Especially compared to my buddy's Transition ebike. Of course, that could've been a one off, but it didn't inspire me, that's for sure.
The video talks about the YT Izzo (not the Jeffsy, not the Decoy). The Izzo is a classic “jack of all trades and master of none”. Riders who expect true trail/enduro performance will be disappointed. Riders who expect XC race level performance will be disappointed. David is absolutely right, this bike is amazing for a wide range of riding styles and terrain, without significant compromises in pedalling efficiency or suspension performance.
Apart from the Marin,Which has crap compenents, all the bikes here are thousands of pounds THOUSANDS!!! Ill still with my Ragley BluePig thanks
Unfortunately I am more interested in the Cross Country full bikes 😂
You can certainly use the likes of the Yeti and Tallboy for XC, maybe not racing but certainly casual XC riding which is what I do most of the time. Gotta earn the descents right
Why😂?
Lols calling something Fruity in the US is quite the insult hahaha 🤣.
sad truth
Remember marketing pitch ! Santa Cruz is stupid bikes. They are for people who can't do drops and jumps. They are for people to buy buy ride on the road hahahahah
sorry but i cant believe anything if Yeti is on your list.. they are garbage