more descent-hungry than ever
Best all mountain bikes 2023
More descent-hungry than ever: the best all mountain bikes 2023
If you have routinely purchased enduro MTB´s until now, maybe you should look out for an all-mountain bike in 2023.
Enduro mountain bikes are becoming increasingly downhill-oriented. And that means they are also heavier. Even high-priced current enduro MTBs usually weigh over 15 kilos. On mountain bike tours on your home trails, you feel the weight of these bikes on every small climb. And often the trails in lower mountain ranges are still too tame to feel the full potentail of current enduros when descending. In most cases, you are overpowered with an enduro bike. But that’s no reason to worry. Current all-mountain bikes fill the gap left by enduros as former all-rounders perfectly. With solid suspension of 150 millimeters of travel, telescopic seatposts and modern geometries, current all-mountain MTBs are at their best downhill. As true trail machines, they are slowly but surely outrunning enduro mountain bikes.
Continous progress – why modern all-mountain bikes ride so well
All Mountain MTBs were never the celebrities among mountain bikes. Somehow, the downhill-heavy touring fullys always had an unadventurous image. For alpine crossings, they were too heavy and in the single trail, the capabilities were too limited. All-mountain bikes were always the in-betweens. But, 29er wheels and a more powerful chassis were the game changer in recent years for all-mountain bikes. Because with better rolling resistance of the wheels, mixed with the stiff forks from Fox (36) or Rock Shox (Lyrik), as well as modern geometries, all-mountain bikes became real trail shredders that are really fun to ride. The minimally lower suspension travel (in comparison) to the enduros is compensated with the downhill-heavier orientation and modern technology. Our experience during test rides shows again and again: A current all-mountain rides better downhill than a 3-year-old enduro. The touring-heavy trail bikes distinguish themselves from the all-mountain bikes primarily by suspension forks with thinner standpipes, less travel, shocks without reservoirs and slimmer tires. You can find a detailed buying guide for trail bikes here.Features of all-mountain bikes:
- 150 millimeters of suspension travel at the fork
- 36 or 35 millimeter stanchions on the fork
- telescopic post
- geometry with flat steering angle and long reach
- tires with a thick profile
What can you do with an all mountain bike?
Honestly: Quite a lot! Bikes like the Specialized Stumpjumper, the Giant Trance X or Propain Hugene do not shy away from the occasional bike park use, nor an enduro race. Although these bikes can still improve to some extent up the hill, they bristle with confidence on the descent. The usually very solid chassis and the often smooth-running geometries do not get out of control even at high speed downhills. Medium-distance jumps are just as possible as extremely chunky and technical descents. We can summarize: The downhill is a real joy! But the solid equipment of modern all-mountain bikes is of course reflected on the scale. As a rule of thumb, all-mountain bikes usually weigh over 14 kilos. This allows long climbs to be conquered, but a little sweat is sure to flow on the way to the summit. For crossing the alps, you are usually better equipped with a trail bike. So in order to better estimate the weight of an all-mountain bike, we have prepared a weight table for you here. The weight table is based on data we have collected after a complete analysis of the market.
