MTB Category Comparison

Before buying a new mountain bike and diving into the model decision, the most important question is actually: Which mountain bike category do I really need? Enduro, All Mountain, or perhaps a Trail Bike? We have compared the three most important mountain bike categories so you can get an idea of which type of mountain bike suits you.

Modern mountain bikes have become extremely advanced. Progress has significantly reduced the risk of ending up with a real “lemon” in recent years. On the flip side, however, the risk of simply choosing the wrong bike has increased considerably. This is because the product lines of manufacturers are teeming with variety. So, alongside the statement “Mountain bikes have become good,” there’s another truth: buying mountain bikes has become complex.

Mountain bike categories are more defined than ever. If the fork travel increases by just 10 mm, it’s suddenly considered an Enduro rather than an All Mountain. Often cryptic labels like “Downcountry” or overused terms like “Trail bike” make navigating the jungle of variety even harder.

So you don’t end up regretting your purchase by choosing the wrong category, we tested and compared three bikes from different categories but from the same manufacturer and with comparable specs.

We conducted this comparison with the Orbea Occam SL (140 mm travel), Orbea Occam LT (160 mm travel), and Orbea Oiz (120 mm travel). All three bikes are full-suspension models. Each features a high-end carbon frame priced around €4,000. Moreover, all are equipped with a comparable Shimano XT 1×12 drivetrain, ensuring comparability. We’ve linked individual tests for each bike.

We acknowledge that some bikes such as hardtails, more affordable options, or hardcore 100mm race-focused full-suspension models are absent. We’ve covered these aspects in other articles on our website, which is why we don’t want to dilute this article. Here, we are targeting a sporty audience who are considering purchasing a relatively expensive mountain bike and love trails.

If you find this topic interesting but are not satisfied with the selection of bikes, make sure to check out the additional articles in our buying guide. We have a general guide that also covers other categories and more affordable bikes. We have honored hardtails—because we love them—with a special feature that includes various comparisons. Beginners with a budget of around €1,500 will be happiest there.

Price, intended use, weight – these are the key factors that you must keep in mind and define for yourself when making a purchase decision. These three factors are also somewhat interrelated: The more expensive the bikes become, the lighter they are. The rougher the intended use, the heavier they tend to be.

Our test bikes all cost approximately the same, and the differences in weight and suspension travel are quite evident here: 3 kilograms separate the Orbea Oiz from the Occam LT. That’s 26% more weight for 40 mm more travel. Clearly, with the Occam LT, you’ll sweat more on the climbs, while with the Oiz, you’ll still be able to spin up comfortably. But we will get to the practical impressions shortly.

When it comes to price, there’s a general rule of thumb: The less money you spend, the better it is to get a bike with less travel. So maybe 130–140 mm instead of 160 mm of travel. Affordable bikes are heavy anyway. If the bike is also designed for rough trails, like an enduro with 160 mm, it quickly weighs over 16 kilos. The fun in uphill riding is lost. It rides well downhill, but you won’t make it to the trailhead. And pushing the bike isn’t fun.

Conversely, one could also say: Money broadens the range of use for bikes. If you’re willing and able to spend 5,000 € or more on a bike, you can get a relatively light enduro like the Orbea Occam LT. This bike weighs under 15 kilos, making it roughly as heavy as trail bikes with less travel in the 3,000 € range. The uphill efficiency is comparable. More travel makes downhill riding simply more fun.

When it comes to the intended use, it’s important not to be overly influenced by external opinions. Everyone has different priorities, and everyone perceives trails differently. While your buddy, who spends every vacation on the bike, might describe a route as an easy flow trail, the same path can be a real challenge for less experienced riders.

Simple rule of thumb: The rougher the trails, the more travel you need to have fun on them. A bike’s intended use largely depends on its travel. Manufacturers usually choose essential components like tires or brakes to match the travel and the intended use of the bike.

With 120 mm of travel, you can ride through the woods and enjoy light trails. But in rough terrain, you might reach your limits. With 160 mm of travel, you have reserves for jumps, rock gardens, or super steep trails. It’s important to keep the range of 120 to 160 mm in mind. With less travel, you won’t be happy on trails. With more travel, you might find climbing uphill exhausting.

The crucial point about travel is: You can really take advantage of it only if you’re riding at the appropriate speed. If you’re less experienced and still riding slowly on the trails, you might not reach the point where you can effectively utilize 160 mm of travel. In that case, we would tend to recommend less travel because the bike becomes lighter, and you sweat less going uphill.

In general, weight is a nuisance. Whether you’re pedaling uphill or handling the bike downhill, you don’t want any extra weight on a bike. Weighing in at 11.5 kilograms, the Orbea Oiz is super lightweight. Even in the cross-country World Cup, bikes often weigh around 11 kilograms. We’ve tested lighter bikes, too—they can be impressive but always come with compromises in off-road capability.

Up to 15 kilograms, you’re still in a range where it’s manageable to pedal uphill with your own muscle power. Beyond that, it gets honestly tough. So, if you usually pedal to the trailhead yourself, make sure you don’t exceed this weight mark. Even if the difference between 13.6 and 14.6 kilograms (Orbea Occam SL and LT) doesn’t sound like much—you can really feel every kilogram here.

The generic saying “I’ll just go to the bathroom once, and then I’ll be 1 kilogram lighter” is simply nonsense. 1 kilogram in a system weight (rider + bike + gear) of 100 kilograms is just 1%. Elite athletes often train for a year for that 1% extra effort uphill. So, it’s worth paying attention to weight.

To generate the statements for this article, we didn’t just test the three Orbeas individually. We also went on several group rides with all three bikes.

The obvious is quickly explained: If you enjoy progression and define a successful mountain biking tour by the number of vertical meters and kilometers covered, the Oiz will make you happy. However, you’ll need to bypass gnarlier trails or push the bike. With the Occam LT, you’ll sweat more on the uphill but won’t fear the downhill.

The Occam SL strikes the golden mean here—as was expected. Orbea does a consistent job with all their bikes, matching their intended purpose. You can find details about the bikes in the individual tests. When buying a bike or in online articles and videos, the downhill often receives significantly more attention than the uphill. Flowing down the trail leaves impressions that are more emotional and memorable. But the truth is: An MTB tour goes uphill as many vertical meters as it goes downhill.

The practical test also showed: If you push yourself to the limit on the uphill, you won’t enjoy the downhill—no matter the bike. Purely focusing on the downhill distorts the picture and quickly tempts you to buy a bike that’s too heavy. On the trail, you then have to live with it: When the sweat flows in streams, the fun decreases. More is not always better.

Both in terms of riding technique and fitness, experienced bikers can compensate a lot. With the right skills, the Orbea Oiz can be ridden just as fast as the Occam LT by a beginner in the same terrain. Experienced bikers who ride regularly can also offset the extra weight of a bike with better training when climbing uphill.

This clearly shows that it’s extremely important, especially for beginners, to consider what they really want. Beginners are less able to compensate for a wrong choice of gear due to weaker riding skills and lower fitness. The riding enjoyment then suffers either uphill or downhill—or, in the worst case, in both scenarios. In two out of three cases, our test riders would have opted for the golden mean, namely the bike with 140 mm of travel, as it offers the broadest base, especially for less experienced riders.