Nine 140mm travel trail mountain bikes - Dirt

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Trail and Enduro Bikes

Nine 140mm travel trail mountain bikes

Trail bikes with bite

140mm trail mountain bikes is a tough bracket to characterise. On one hand you could say that these bikes are a bit too fragile for enduro duties but a bit too burly to be fun at trail centres or on back country romps. On the other hand you could say that’s complete nonsense.

For us, a 140mm ride is simply a trail bike with bite. We reckon you could race it at any enduro in the UK (in fact, most of the pros ride the Emereald Enduro round of the EWS on these bikes) and then pedal out forty miles the next day. These bikes have inherited the old ‘All-Mountain’ space. True quiver killers.

Here are ten options to mull over:

Orange Five

The Orange Five is one of the most popular bikes in the UK with very good reason. Incremental improvements have kept its classic feel while maintaining contemporary styles.

2017’s iteration brings a softer shape that’s more keen to be whipped into action. 300 grams have been surgically removed to create another amazing addition to this ten-year dynasty.

Intense Carbine

Intense has released a lot of new bikes in the past twelve months but the Carbine still remains, probably because it didn’t need changing at all. The bike made it into our 2015 100 and it still punches well above its weight.

We said: “the Intense is a truly great trail all-rounder with so much potential for enduro too. For 2015 the Intense Carbine has muscled up in the swingarm area yet maintained its lightweight with classy finish and great angles.”

YT Industries Jeffsy

After one of the most sumptuous advertising campaigns ever (how will they top it for their next bike?) YT had to back it up with an equally sumptuous bike. They did.

With a great shock tune, super light weight, great chassis balance, accurate steering, killer componentry, good frame detailing, nice range of sizing and specifications it’s very, very good indeed.  How good? Put it this way, when it comes to picking trail bike of the year we’ve got a real feeling this one could be the real McCoy.

Canyon Spectral

It’s a hugely popular bike. And with more than a dozen different specification offerings it’s not difficult to imagine why the Canyon Spectral is one desirable machine. No more so than the 29” wheel versions of the bike from Germany, a bike that we have tested various builds for many years now.

In some ways the Spectral is everything the Specialized Stumpjumper has come to be over many, many years but now the German brand offer arguably a little bit more for a little bit less on the pocket.

Cube Stereo 140

The Cube Stereo range encompasses a huge variety of bikes but the 140 offering is what we’re interested in here. Cube have a major following for offering great performing bikes at a sensible price. We believe in the Cube Stereo for UK trail riding as its mix of weight and simplicity are perfect.

Cannondale Trigger

Fancy something a bit different? The Cannondale Trigger could be for you. Lefty forks have been around for ages but that doesn’t stop the gawks every time you rock up on one. This bike is more than just a gimmick though.

It can be transformed into an 85mm greyhound at the flick of a switch, then put back into bulldog mode for the descent. The Lefty is optional, of course.

Radon Slide 140

We were very close to calling the Radon Slide 140’s big brother, the Swoop, top dog in enduro. The Slide could very well be the same for trail riding.

Much like the Swoop it’s simply a bike that gets the job done. Razz it around your local woods and the bulletproof spec will happily provide a huge smile per pound ratio.

Giant Trance

The Trance really benefits form all the R&D a huge company like Giant can provide. Aluxx SL aluminium, Maestro suspension, a Trunnion shock mount and Advanced Forged composite upper rocker all mean you share the tech of the Anthem and Glory bikes that are raced at the highest level.

Marin Mount Vision

Marin calls the Mount Vision a ‘shred sled’ and from the looks of it you can’t disagree. The brand’s premiere trail bike shares the shark fin top tube with it’s Attack Trail counterpart, let’s hope it offers the same awesome performance.

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