nmanyways,XCracingisthe
foundation upon which our
sport has been built. Yes, new
styles and disciplines come and
go,ormorphinthewaythat
160mm-travel all-mountain bikes
transformedintoendurorigs.
Cross-country racing, however,
has weathered the storms of
fashion and remains ingrained in
UK riding culture to this day.
Likeallsurvivors,XCracinghas
prosperedbyevolving.Longgone
arethethree-hourmud-festson
non-challenging terrain. Courses are
now shorter and more demanding,
challenging riders and equipment,
whilepushingthevisualaspectto
make it more appealing for spectators.
AtypicalXCraceloopnowfeatures
punchyclimbs,descentsworthyof
anyEWSstageplusmorepurpose-
builtfeatures for the TV cameras. XC
isexcitingandnolongerpurelyatest
ofrawfitness;it’saboutpushingskill
levelsandbikehandlingasmuchas
your heart rate.
AsXCcourseshaveevolved,so
toohavethebikes.Assuch,2018will
probablyseeveryfewraceswonona
hardtail, with lightweight full-suspension
bikes proving to be the most efficient
overthemajorityofracecourses.Even
atthehighestlevelofWorldCupracing,
theproshaverealisedthateffective
suspension and confidence-inspiring
geometry can bring bigger gains than
just weight saving and efficiency alone.
To reflect these changes, we’ve
assembled five of the latest entry-level
XC race bikes for this month's test.
Allcomefromthenewbreedofrace
bikes based around carbon fames with
90-100mmtravel.Mostenjoyaplethora
of carbon components, as well as on-
the-fly suspension adjustments to make
them every bit as efficient as a hardtail
when the terrain demands it.
Allthistop-notchkitdoesmeanthat
yourtypicalentry-levelXCbiketendsto
cost more than the equivalent enduro
ortrailbuild.So,ifonthesurfaceour
£3.5k bikes look relatively expensive,
most actually represent the entry point
torace-winningperformancefromeach
of the respective brands.
Andwhileallfivebikesbring
distinctively different approaches to
whatmakesanXCracewinner,thereisa
thread that ties them all together: all are
rollingon29inwheels.Timetodonthe
Lycra and remove our helmet peaks to
find out which one really is the fastest.Tale of the test
Testing cross-country race bikes is a little bit of a
departure formbr, but before you dismiss them as
niche machines, short-travel full-suspension bikes can
also make perfect all-day riding partners, as they are far
morecapableonnormaltrailsthanyoumightexpect.
It’salso pretty hard to test several bikes properly
whileactuallyracing.Youtendtobeconcentratingon
notbeingsick,ratherthanthefineraspectsofabike
build. So with that in mind we set out to test the bikes
inaslightlylesspainfulway,ontheusualfeatures
youwouldfindatanaverageracecourse.Sothat
meant plenty of fast singletrack, both technical and
fire-road climbs plus the expected technical and
demanding descents.WHERE AND HOWA typical XC race
now features
punchy climbs and
descents worthy
of any EWS stage
XC race bikes make
quick work of the trailsBIKE TEST
92 mbrMARCH 2018