Top 5 Bikes From MTB’s Most Controversial Category

Yeah having Merida and Giant's monstrocity's inside the list but missing Oiz and Spark - hahah ggood one :)

Bought my "Down Country" bike last month. They are very versatile bikes. I went for the Trek Top Fuel 9.8 AXS. 120 rear and 130 front. Perfect fit for rockier and steeper trails around Cape Town.

The Scott Spark with 130x120mm is missing 🥲😉

My outdated trail bike became hip and cool downcountry bike overnight.

I'd add the Blur TR and the Ripley v4 to this list and is my favorite style of MTB.

Love my Spur…and the more I ride my e-bike the more I love my Spur for some reason.

In my opinion, for a bike to be considered a "Downcountry" bike, it needs to come with 120mm XC fork and components/frames must be lightweight. The Specialized Epic 8 (not Evo), Pivot Mach 4SL, and Yeti Arc should have been on this list. Any bikes that come with a 130mm Trail fork should not be on this list. Put XC tires on a Downcountry bike and you should be able to take it to an XC or Marathon race. Even after 4 years, the Spur is still the best example of a Downcountry bike. However, the new Epic 8 is right up there also.

For me this kind of list/comparisons video from Bike Radar is more relevant than what most of GMBN's content has become.

Has somebody who’s been mountain biking for almost 2 decades and just now heard this phrase it sounds like a trail bike? Something that can basically do it all if it was even more beef up it would be closer to an Enduro. Definitely not a category to itself. Just another way to market the need for another bike

A “downcountry” bike with tall bars and a short stem can be a ton of tun of technical but slightly less high speed trails.

They totally missed Scott Spark. Interesting that they did. I wonder why.

running a 12kg (pedals and bottlecage included ) L size gen 1 Spur - i changed it to a full xt build (incl. 4 pots 8120s) and swapped the sid with a 130mm fox34 perf elite. it's really really great and just accelerates like no other bike i've been ringing

I have a 2023 Spur, that thing is a beast, I use it for my local flat trails up to bike parks around the country. 👍

I'm on a 2021 Trance 29er now, which I believe is 115mm rear and not adjustable, and 130mm front. Would it be worth going to the Spur or Epic EVO from that bike?

just enough suspension and burliness while still being lightweight and fast to pedal. it's the perfect non-bike park bike.

The Last Celos and Arc8 Evolve FS are even better examples of DH-inspired geo trickling down to XC-weight frames (<1.8kg). These short travel bikes have geo that fit the downcountry description, but have questionable XC pedigree: Transiition Spur, NS Synonym, Rocky Element, Trek Top Fuel, YT Izzo. These XC bikes might fit, if you fit on size XL: Intense Sniper, Spesh Epic Evo, BMC Fourstroke, Allied Cycleworks BC40, Canyon Lux, Pivot Mach 4, Fezzari Signal Peak, Giant Anthem, Banshee Phantom, Norco Revolver. Basically, wheelbase length is the single most important geo figure that makes XC bikes feel more DH-worthy. ~1230mm is where a lot of trail-friendly Enduro bikes sit.

To not have the Yeti SB120 on there is a crime.

But what about Orbea OIZ? why isn’t it on the list, it’s one of the best down-country bikes today!

Mondraker Podium SE for the win

Wow, he can read the specsheets.......