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Downhill Bikes

Seven direct sale downhill mountain bikes

Seven bikes that come direct from the brand to your door

There’s no denying that the direct sales model has shaken up the bike market like nothing else. By cutting out the middle man, bike companies can offer amazingly specced bikes for a fraction of the cost of before.

Sure it’s not a perfect way to sell a bike but they certainly offer a tempting proposition, especially for those who are a bit cash strapped. Here are your options when it comes to the world of gravity racing.

YT Tues

YT has long been the king of the direct sales model with their highly acclaimed Capra and Tues bikes sweeping up awards from around the world (including some from us).

The Tues now has Rampage and World Cup overall victories to its name making it a versatile and desirable machine. Available in carbon or aluminium, there’s now a Tues to suit every budget. Read our full review here.

Canyon Sender

Debuted last year, the Canyon Sender is one of the most high-tech direct sales bikes on the market. Its suspension takes huge inspiration from the world of motocross to create a three-stage stroke. We absolutely love it and really hope we get to see it take on the World Cups at some point.

It’s priced to collide head on with the YT Tues and we can’t wait to see them battle it out over the next few years.

Radon Swoop 200

The Radon Swoop 200 takes everything we loved about the Superenduro 170 and turns it up to 11. Starting at €2,000 (£1,737) the Swoop presents a great alternative to the big two.

This year, 1cm was taken off the travel and the frame was hoisted on to 27.5 inch wheels to create a racier machine. These are modifications that are being proven at the highest level with Johannes Fischbach currently leading the City Downhill World Tour.

Vitus Dominer

Coming straight through Chain Reaction Cycles, the Vitus Dominer is the downhill steed of the young Northern Irish Brand. We’ve loved spending time about the Escarpe and as the same design principles went into this bike so we’re sure it’ll have a sorted ride.

There’s only one model available that comes with full RockShox and Shimano Zee to keep the price down.

Commencal Supreme V4

Commencal were the first big bike brand to go from the shop floor to direct sales and they are reaping the benefits to this day. Their premier offering is the Supreme V4 but they also have a backlog of V3s and even a 26 inch model available if you fancy.

George Brannigan, Remi Thirion and Myriam Nicole are taking the Andorran brand to new heights on the World Cup circuit.

Solid Strike World Cup

The Solid Strike was one of the first 27.5” downhill bikes we ever rode and it holds up today as one of the best. Solid are true aluminium zealots but despite this, the bikes still come in at an impressively light 37 lbs.

Sure, Solid may not be the biggest name around, but if you want a robust-specced bike with spot on numbers and a great ride then this could be your full-metal jackpot.

Rose the Unchained

Keeping it real on smaller wheels, Rose’s the Unchained is yet another direct sales rig direct from Germany. It’s the only 26 inch bike here and it’s been steered to World Cup podiums in the capable hands of Katy Curd.

There are two builds available but Rose’s a la carte style service allows you to pick and mix your build to suit your needs.

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