MBUK Bike of the Year 2019

Bike of the Year 2019 – the 20 models ridden & reviewed

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Ed Thomsett

Published: March 22, 2019 at 2:00 pm

After splitting our 2018 Bike of the Year test into two categories defined by suspension travel, we're keeping things simple this year, with just one class and one overall winner. Because trail riding is the most all-encompassing discipline and trail bikes are the most versatile all-rounders, these are what we've tested.

In this instance, we've defined a trail bike as having between 120 and 150mm of travel, but within that there's still big variation, with some models being light, snappy mile-munchers and others blurring the line between a trail bike and a bigger, burlier enduro rig.

In the interests of affordability and comparability, we specified that the bikes had to cost between £2,800 and £3,600. This is £200 higher than last year, but that's simply because bike prices have increased. It should be noted that many of the models tested also come in more budget-conscious builds.

Full reviews of all the bikes and the story of how we tested them can be found in the 36-page Bike of the Year supplement included with the April issue of the mag – on sale now in all good outlets! Read on to see the 20 bikes that we've reviewed and rated...

Our Bike of the Year supplement comes free with April's mag

Bergamont Contrail 9 £2,900

Bergamont Contrail 9 — Bergamont Contrail 9 £2,900

Cannondale Habit Carbon 3 £3,299.99

Cannondale Habit Carbon 3 — Cannondale Habit Carbon 3 £3,299.99

Canyon Spectral CF 8.0 £3,246.98 (shipped)

Canyon Spectral CF 8.0 — Canyon Spectral CF 8.0 £3,246.98 (shipped)

Cotic FlareMAX Silver £3,449 (inc. upgrades)

Cotic FlareMAX Silver — Cotic FlareMAX Silver £3,449 (inc. upgrades)

Commencal Meta Trail 29 British Edition £3,487.24 (shipped)

Commencal Meta Trail 29 Brit Edition — Commencal Meta Trail 29 Brit Edition £3,487.24 (shipped)

Cube Stereo 140 HPC TM £3,500

Cube Stereo 140 HPC TM — Cube Stereo 140 HPC TM £3,500

Giant Trance 1 £3,199

Giant Trance 1 — Giant Trance 1 £3,199

Ghost SL AMR 6.7 £2,800

Ghost SL AMR 6.7 — Ghost SL AMR 6.7 £2,800

Lapierre Zesty AM 5.0 Ultimate £3,199

Lapierre Zesty AM 5.0 Ult’ — Lapierre Zesty AM 5.0 Ult’ £3,199

LAST Glen Trail €3,899 shipped (approx £3,360)

LAST Glen Trail — LAST Glen Trail €3,899 shipped (approx £3,360)

Merida One-Twenty 6000 £3,300

Merida One-Twenty 6000 — Merida One-Twenty 6000 £3,300

Norco Sight A1 29 £2,800

Norco Sight A1 29 — Norco Sight A1 29 £2,800

Rose Pikes Peak 3 AM £3,232.08 (inc. upgrades and shipping)

Rose Pikes Peak 3 AM — Rose Pikes Peak 3 AM £3,232.08 (inc. upgrades and shipping)

Santa Cruz 5010 R Aluminium £3,499

Santa Cruz 5010 R Aluminium — Santa Cruz 5010 R Aluminium £3,499

Scott Genius 940 £3,299

Scott Genius 940 — Scott Genius 940 £3,299

Specialized Stumpjumper EVO Comp Alloy 29 £3,400

Specialized Stumpjumper EVO Comp Alloy 29 — Specialized Stumpjumper EVO Comp Alloy 29 £3,400

Trek Remedy 9.7 £3,200

Trek Remedy 9.7 — Trek Remedy 9.7 £3,200

Vitus Escarpe 29 VRX £2,999.99

Vitus Escarpe 29 VRX — Vitus Escarpe 29 VRX £2,999.99

Whyte T-130C RS £3,499

Whyte T-130C RS — Whyte T-130C RS £3,499

YT Jeffsy CF 29 Pro £3,566.80 (shipped)

YT Jeffsy CF 29 Pro — YT Jeffsy CF 29 Pro £3,566.80 (shipped)

Thanks to the following for facilitating this year's Bike of the Year test:

Effetto Mariposa

Finale Outdoor Resort

Brittany Ferries

All photos by Dan Milner

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Contributor

Former Mountain Biking UK features editor Ed Thomsett is a downhiller at heart but has been riding bikes of all types since a young age. He's raced both nationally and internationally in downhill and enduro, and has spent several summers living in the Alps and Canada, riding, roadtripping and living the dirtbag lifestyle. Now Ed calls upon his years of experience riding bikes to the limit as a writer and reviewer for MBUK and BikeRadar. He's also an avid trail builder and has scraped out numerous steep and technical lines in the woodlands of his native North Yorkshire. These days Ed will happily turn his hand to any discipline and believes the sign of a good week is when every bike in his shed ends up muddy by the end of it.