Mountain Gear

Smith's Session only has Koroyd in certain areas to help keep the cost of the helmet down.

Kask's Rex is a perennial favorite at VeloNews for its light weight and comfortable fit.

Leatt has its own answer to MIPS called 360° Technology used in the DBX 3.0 helmet.

Sweet doesn’t break the mold with the Bushwacker, but it has created a reliably attractive lid that’s stable on the head, well-vented, and super light.

Canyon relies on a proven Horst-link suspension design, consistently excellent SRAM components, and a light carbon frame to build an exceptional mountain bike.

If you’re after a high-end, durable, walkable shoe that’s comfortable out of the box, the X-Project Pros tick all the boxes.

The ability to transform this bike into just about anything you want it to be is a boon for the go-anywhere types.

The Highline is the best Crankbrothers dropper post yet. It affords the most ergonomic lever we've tried, but it has limited size options.

Santa Cruz’s venerable Tallboy 29er blends the best of enduro and cross-country traits into a playful MTB ride.

Pivot's Mach 429 Trail comes close to matching the gravity gracefulness of an enduro bike with the stellar climbing of an XC race bike.

Scott reinvents its Spark mountain bike line-up with three different options for XC riders, racers, and trail shredders who want fat tires.

If you liked the Poc Trabec, you'll love the Tectal. If the Trabec wasn't your jam, don't expect the Tectal to cure what ails you.

The post works well despite one major shortfall, although a simple tweak could make this a real game-changer.

Mavic's stylish enduro helmet is light and comfortable enough for your trail/xc shreds, but burly enough for fast, gnarly descents.

For all the tinkerers and micro-adjusters out there, Scott’s Contessa Genius 710 will keep you busy with myriad options for dialing in the ride.

Trek's carbon fiber Top Fuel ruled in mountain biking’s mid-naughties heyday, and now it’s back and better than ever.

The Genius Plus feels, well, plus-sized. This is terrific for bombing scree fields or shredding high-speed turns.

BH’s carbon-framed Lynx 4.8 blends aggressive geometry with a 120-millimeter-travel package.

The WFO-9 is Niner’s answer to big-hit, high-speed enduro riding and racing.

Good luck finding a bike that will cover more ground — on any surface — for your dollar than Ridley's X-Trail Alloy.

Transition's Scout is great for long days in a rough place like Fruita, Colorado or North Carolina's Pisgah, the Scout, and it's affordable.

What happens When you give a cross-country bike a dropper post and short stem? You get something like the Habit.

Pinarello’s rear suspension is the attention-grabber, but it’s not the entire plotline of the K8-S.

In today’s era of niche mountain bikes, the Furtado is a refreshing dose of versatility.

With a steep, 74-degree seat tube angle, the Habit has a more upright and forward riding position than what we’ve come to expect from trail bikes.

Santa Cruz's 5010 does almost everything right — Climbing, descending, chunder, buffed-out singletrack.

The SB4.5c comes closest to XC climbing combined with enduro descending than any trail bike we’ve tested in recent memory.

If uphill Strava KOMs are your thing, leave Kona's Process 134 at home. But if the downhills are your playground, hop on it.

Light and nimble, the Fate Carbon 29 is made for racing. Every piece of this hardtail was designed for efficiency and speed.

Shimano unveils a number of updates for its mountain bike parts — wider gear range options and a quick link to repair chains.

SRAM introduces an even less expensive 1x drivetrain option for mountain bikers, the NX group.

It took Speedplay a painfully long time to launch its new mountain bike pedal, the Syzr. Now we'll see if it's worth the wait.

Butter-smooth shifting is one of the highlights of Shimano's top-tier mountain bike drivetrain.

An evolution from the Jet line, Niner's RKT9 is a dedicated XC racer that balances quick steering and short travel suspension

Although the line between trail and enduro bikes is often blurred, Santa Cruz's updated rides provide two different experiences.

The 29er cousin to perhaps the best trail bike on the market, Yeti's new machine could be a do-it-all bike — if climbing isn't your focus.

A 40-tooth cog adds versatility to 1x10 systems without the need for a single-cog adapter or any derailleur and freehub upgrades.

With yet another wheel size to contend with, tech editor Dan Cavallari heads to Park City to see if 27.5+ is a fad or the real deal.

Women's MTBs will share the same platform as existing models, but with smaller frame and wheel sizes to accommodate shorter, lighter riders

Scott Bicycles wades into the tire size debate with a new line of 27.5-plus bikes to be introduced next year

A look inside the pits at one of the hardest mountain bike races on the East Coast and one mechanic who keeps everyone rolling

We've discovered one of our favorite new 29ers; the Speedfox is a supremely versatile, fast, and fun bike on even the roughest trails

Focus adds carbon to its enduro offering and focuses on gravity-fed thrills with the Sam

Heading up the mountain or down, the Spine is a light trail/aggressive XC machine made for a well-rounded ride and real fun on descents

With a slimmer fit and breathability courtesy of Gore's Windstopper fabric, the baggy shorts market has a versatile new player

Andreassen rides a custom-painted Specialized S-Works Epic World Cup with lots of unique details to recognize his world championship win

Trek Factory Racing spotted riding a yet-to-be-released 29er hardtail that employs the IsoSpeed decoupler system found on other Trek bikes

Nino Schurter's sleek, 27.5-wheeled race bike is equipped with tubular tires, a new DT Swiss fork, and more one-off parts

Walk around the headquarters of one of mountain biking's most storied and legendary companies, Colorado-based Yeti Cycles

Trek brings IsoSpeed technology found on Domane road bikes and Boone cyclocross bikes to hardtail mountain bikes

RockShox joins Trek, Fox in offering wider hub platforms it hopes will become industry standards to make bigger wheels stiffer

Full-suspension heavyweight brand launches its carbon fiber hardtail with two wheel options and updated geometry

New Niner bike employs an alloy rear triangle to cut costs, but performance remains the same as its full-carbon predecessor

The third coming of Ibis' Mojo HD is longer, lower, and slacker than ever

The Alpine XL is a walkable-yet-stiff trail shoe that offers excellent durability and foot protection, writes Caley Fretz

Logan VonBokel tests Ergon's versatile and comfortable all-mount grips and finds they are a nice break from the norm

The Acre Hauser pack is burly, stylish, functional, and very expensive

The price tag is jaw-dropping, but the RS-1's performance also impresses, despite wheel compatibility headaches

Conation Collective is producing its high-performance, Western-inspired mountain bike gear in Colorado

Bedazzled tire goop plugs big holes and lasts longer than established options

Logan VonBokel spent some time on Shimano’s mountain bike electronic groupset and says it’s worth the price

Supple, sticky, and stiff, Giro's new lace-up VR90 is one of the best mountain bike shoes on the planet

Yeti’s new ASR-c is an enduro-minded cross-country bike, a party mullet for your local trails

Giant goes long and low on its redesigned carbon fiber enduro rig

The Superfly 9.7’s biggest selling point is its frame, and though the parts are modest, it has potential

Shimano's top-tier mountain bike shoes are relatively light, supremely comfy, and quite expensive

The Taiwanese company wants a place at the high-end suspension table — and it may deserve it

Clement's meaty, 28mm tires tires won’t hold you back on dirt

Wider gear ranges, a single-ring option, and even lighter brakes highly new group from Japanese component maker

Check out new tech in Monterey, from Felt's new ’cross line to a custom crank for Rui Costa and three new hubs and wheelsets from Kappius

Diamondback re-ups its trail bikes with bigger wheels and more travel