Trail Vs Cross Country | Battle Of The Mountain Bike

what you're supposed to do is buy a trail bike and turn into an Enduro bike and then you have to buy a hardtail and turn it into a trail bike and then you buy a gravel bike and you put a suspension Fork on it and turn it into a cross-country bike and then you stare at your credit card statement and cry

I think it depends what sort of riding people are realistically doing and what each person enjoys. I like the versatility of a trail bike but being honest with myself, I'm now north of 40 with responsibilities, limited skills and little time or desire to practice often. Too much gnarr or speed on the downhill terrifies me a bit so I'd probably prefer a good climb instead followed by some steady swoopy smooth-ish downhills with no surprise features. The kid in me wants to buy an Enduro bike and enter red bull rampage or something insane but the adult in me is definitely XC. Trail bike is a good compromise.

I find myself riding my 100mm XC Race Bike almost all the time instead of riding my 140/160mm Trail Bike. Riding the XC for me is much more fun and if you can handle a Bike properly you can easily ride some laps in Bikeparks, look at those XC Pros, the tracks they ride are almost Enduro Trails…

I remember when Nino Schurter did the same demo, running a Scott Genius on a XCO race course, albeit with skinny race tyres. He said it was fun, even a little slower for racing due to the weight but said for most recreational riders - it would actually be better in some ways, and more forgiving

You should also test entry-level hardtail mountain bikes like Trek Roscoe and Marlin.

Excited to see these Bentonville videos coming out! Was an excellent time meeting you Rich and everyone else from the team!

How about a xc / trail bike comparison that doesn't hugely favour the trail bike? Like for instance a 45km loop with 1500m climbing, then tell us which one is more fun...

Great comparison video Rick. You really pushed these two bikes to their limits to show their pros and cons and reflect their ability to perform in extreme situations. I love my xc bikes. I have a hardtail and a fs. Both Devinci xc. I ride both depending on the trail conditions. Hardtail for a fast training and fs for a more technical trail. In the end I think it comes down to personal preference but in my opinion a xc bike is more versatile and will perform better in most of the situations unless the goal is extreme situations but them again...there are other categories that will always be able to do more extreme. The best bike is always the one you ride. Cheers from Canada.

Just took my brand new Orbea XC MTB out for it's first ride and loved it. XC is the way I ride these days. Retired an old Giant hardtail to the turbo and the Orbea is a dream to ride. Love the comparison Rich. Great video as always.

I think a slightly shorter travel trail bike is the best of both worlds. One thing to keep in mind if you can only have one bike is that it's easier to learn new skills on a bike with less travel. To take full advantage of a long travel bike requires a lot of experience. For most of us, it would just cover up our riding flaws, and possibly slow our progression.

I love your comparison Rich. Fantastic riding, those trails looked so cool.

Thanks for hosting the group right in Bentonville, it was awesome to see the GMBN crew ripping some of my favorite hometown trials!

Great video Rich. For me if I had to choose one bike, it would be the trail bike. I’d run two wheelsets, a XC “focus” with lighter rims & fast rolling tyres for days out exploring & riding longer distances. I’d have a trail “focus” with robust rims & more aggressive tyres. For days when I’m hitting rock gardens & chunkier terrain.

Thanks for this comparison. I struggled over this choice as N+1 needed to = 2 for me with a road bike in the stable already. So, i picked a trail bike (HT though) for the reasons u mentioned. Loving it so far on easy trails and my local pump track as i dip my toe into mtb waters. Thx again for the video. Keep em coming.

It was helpful to see how these actually ride, after watching a few videos about the theory of how XC and trail differ. Thanks!

I have a Epic Evo, a so called "downcountry" bike but more on the XC side of things and love it. Fast on the uphill but more capable than your traditional XC bike. On my local trails and most of the trails I prefer, actually, that's my bike. If you only want/can have just one, of course.

I ride a ‘downcountry’ bike with less rear travel than your XC bike. Coming from a full-suspension from the 90s, it felt like an utter monster bike. On my home trails with less descending and less tech, it’s a missile. But riding more places with tougher trails, I’m thinking of getting a trail bike as well.

Rich, great video! I'm hoping my 2021 Scot Spark 960 is a good mix of both... it is supposed to be 'trail' but has 130mm front and 120mm rear. It is, apparently, entry level but with Magic Mary front and Hans Dampf trail tyre rear it's pretty capable. I suppose it's what you feel comfortable on.

Down country for me, because my local trails are relatively flat. I rode my pivot trail 429 v2 on most of the Bentonville trails (happened to be there when you guys were) and there really weren’t many trails where I was wishing for me travel. With that being said if I lived somewhere like North Carolina or the PNW with real mountains I’d want something more trail bike style with additional travel, probably something at least 130mm or longer rear travel. Most people are over-biked that I see. Lugging around extra suspension that they really don’t need or use.

Super fun seeing y'all in the NWA backyard 😉 Come back often!