For What It’s Wirth: How We Choose Our Test Bikes

People often ask me what bike I would ride if I didn’t work for the magazine. The answer is pretty simple. I would buy a trailbike. It would probably have 5 or 6 inches of travel. I would pour every penny I could into buying that bike, knowing that I would keep it for many years. I would do my research, reading every review from every source to find out where my money would be best spent. I’d go into it knowing that not every review I read would apply to me, because there are plenty of great reviews on downhill sleds and cross-country rockets. I’d keep my riding style in mind, knowing I could only afford one bike.

I’d go with a brand-new bike, simply because I’ve been burned too many times buying used bikes. I’ve had a duct-taped box show up at my door, spewing sand from the ripped corners, with a bike inside that’s been so abused it looks like a pile of scrap metal.

The new trailbike I would buy instead would have a factory warranty and the support of the local bike shop I chose to buy it from.

Once I narrowed down my riding style, I’d take a serious look at the trails around where I live. I’d also ask what and where my friends were riding. I might even head to the local bike shop to ask what bikes they ride. I’d research every outlet to find all the information I could on every bike in that category, especially paying atten- tion to the newest models. Then, I would take a serious look at what I could afford. Realistically, it would be a pretty basic bike. It would have a basic drivetrain like

Shimano SLX or SRAM X1. It would have nice suspension, but it would be far from top-end. I would then ride it till the wheels fell off. I would maintain it meticulously to squeeze as many miles as possible out of every part. I’d relish the joy of upgrading when I wore parts out, or grudgingly take out my wallet to replace a part I broke in a crash. It wouldn’t be the fanciest bike on the trail, but it would be mine.

So, if that would be my bike of choice if I were spending my own hard-earned money, then why do we test so many ultra- high end bikes that are out of reach for most riders? It’s the fairest question I’ve ever been asked as an editor. I know that I would never spend $10,000 on a mountain bike, but only because I can’t afford it. I must say, if you can afford it, there’s no reason you shouldn’t indulge in a new “halo bike.” There’s no better feeling than hitting the trail on a brand-new bike that would feel right at home under a World Cup racer.

We don’t choose our test bikes based on what’s most fashionable or what’s flashiest or lightest. We choose our bikes carefully to help riders get out on the trail. There’s no doubt that people like expensive products, but that’s not why we ride the expensive bikes we do. Most of the happiest riders I know aren’t riding top-of-the-line gear. You can get 95 percent of the performance out of a bike that costs half as much as the high-end version. Most riders are on the equipment they can afford and riding it into the ground, just like I would do.

Having said this, I realize it puts me in an awkward position, since we test a lot of high-end bikes. Let me explain. Take, for example, the Trek Fuel and Cannondale Habit tested in this issue. If you add up the prices, you’d have enough to buy a brand- new Jeep Renegade. Or, you could buy 68,000 packs of Trident gum, 26 iPhone 6s, or an army full of Roomba vacuums to clean your house. You could also buy 113 bikes for people in need of transportation via the Wheels 4 Life fund—a group dedi- cated to helping those in need obtain bikes to improve their livelihood. But, here’s the reality of our situation: We test the bikes that are available, and manufacturers always debut their high-end models first. If you want to read about the new Trek Fuel or Cannondale Habit this month, or the Pivot Mach 429 Trail next month, you have to take the high-end one in our test. Sure, we could wait six months and test the one with SLX components, but do you want to wait that long to read about the latest bikes? Sure, we like being given the first bikes off the production line for testing, but it’s not the flash-bang component package we’re excited about. We’re excited about giving our loyal readers the opportunity to learn about the newest technology. We’re never going to abandon mid-level bike tests. In fact, if there are any product managers out there reading this, we would love to do another affordable bike shootout. For now, though, rest assured that we’re doing our due diligence on the newest models and biding our time until we can try out some of the versions of those bikes with prices that don’t approach the stratosphere.