Bike
MTB
7 great all-rounder full suspension trail bikes
These are some of our top picks of ready to roll trail mountain bikes for anyone on a budget.
When it comes to choosing an all-round trail mountain bike, the almost infinite options available can seem overwhelming. If you're looking to buy a new bike for the summer, though, we've compiled some of our favourite trail options around the $3500 mark, and a couple slightly above the price point to help you out.
What is a trail bike?
There are many varying interpretations of this, but we have defined 'trail' as a full suspension bike that will be fun and reliable for trail centre adventures, local jaunts, epic rides in the mountains, and Sunday fun alike.
These aren't race bikes for Enduro World Series thrashing, and they also aren't lightweight cross-country steeds. They balance weight, geometry and practicality in order to ensure fun times are had on the flat, the uphills, and the descents, too. These are versatile workhorses that can take a hammering yet still have a spring in their stride when the going gets flat.
1. Focus Jam Elite 27 -- $3406 CAD approx.
Focus Jam Elite 27
© Focus Bikes
Travel: 150mm front/ rear suspension travel.
Wheel and frame sizes: 27.5” wheels only, available in four frame sizes.
A brand of the Dutch Pon Bike group (which includes Santa Cruz bikes), Focus bikes have been revitalized in the last year or so and their range includes some great budget offerings – namely this Jam Elite.
As this list of bikes proves, you can get a whole lot of bike for under $3500 now, and the Jam Elite is just that. Its 34 Rhythm fork and Float Performance shock will appeal to Fox fans and Maxxis Minion 3C DHF and standard DHR tubeless-ready tires are ready for all terrains, while RaceFace AR30 rims on Shimano Deore hubs (boost sized) offer reliability and big-brand assurance. Shimano Deore XT brakes and a KS E30i dropper post round out a great package.
2. Marin Rift Zone 3 – $3,449.99 CAD
Marin Rift Zone 3
© Marin Bikes
Travel: 120mm front and rear.
Wheel and frame sizes: 29” wheels, available in four frame sizes.
Marin's range has had an overhaul in the last few years and the result of their toils really show in their latest bikes. The Rift Zone 3 packs great value and is a sturdy package – it's a bike that’ll take all the singletrack you can throw at it and more, powering along the flats and punching up the hills. This model is the priciest of three versions, with the Rift Zone 2 and Rift Zone 1 offering decent entry-level packages for folk looking to get started at the trail centre.
3. Canyon Spectral CF 9.0 – $6705 CAD approx.
Canyon Spectral CF 9.0
© © CANYON BIKES
Travel: 150mm from and 140mm rear suspension travel.
Wheel and frame sizes: 27.5” wheels, available in four frame sizes.
German mail order specialists Canyon have dodged the mountain bike categorizing bullet by labelling the Spectral an "all-mountain trail bike" – clever. Luckily, the Spectral is just as adaptable as its title. Developed with the help of Joe Barnes and his motley crew in Scotland alongside the brand’s factory EWS team, this bike is a downhill shredder that likes to pedal up and around as well. A handsome component list on this CF 9.0 PRO model makes it a great package for the price, and there are also six other price-point models, as well as a female-specific range available.
"The Spectral rebels against overly complex linkages to deliver pure performance you can rely on time after time," says Canyon. Sounds good to us.
4. Specialized Stumpjumper ST Comp Carbon 29 – $5589 CAD
Specialized Stumpjumper ST Comp Carbon 29
© Specialized
Travel: 130mm front and 120mm rear suspension travel.
Wheel and frame sizes: 29” wheels, available in four frame sizes.
An absolute classic, the Specialized Stumpjumper has appeared in various guises in the Californian company's range since its beginning in the 1980s. A workhorse and all-round trail destroyer, the 2020 Stumpjumper is more practical than other recent versions, with a threaded BB, internal cable routing with tubes to make replacing cables/hoses easier, a SWAT storage section within the frame and, ahem, "no more proprietary BS", in the words of Specialized themselves.
The ST version (one of a family of three Stumpjumper options) has slightly steeper angles and shorter travel, making it perfect for singletrack shredding and pedalling. Women's versions are also available with specific shock tunes.
5. YT Jeffsy 29 CF Pro – $7,299 CAD
YT Jeffsy 27 Pro
© © YT INDUSTRIES
Travel: 140mm front/ rear suspension travel.
Wheel and frame sizes: 27.5” wheels, available in four frame sizes.
YT's Jeffsy is an unashamedly hard-hitting take on what a trail bike can be: it has a punky character that likes to be thrashed around trail centres and singletracks. 150mm travel up front and 140mm in the rear, a sturdy carbon fibre frame, and a solid build kit put Jeffsy at the burlier end of trail riding. Decent components and low price are part of what make all YTs so popular – and sometimes a little hard to get ahold of. Check their site for availability. A 27.5”-wheeled Jeffsy and other price points are also available.
"Just like your best friend, Jeffsy inspires you to new performances: together you climb the highest mountains, discover the most remote locations, and shred the trail on the way back down," say YT.
6. Orbea Occam H20 Eagle -- $4031 CAD approx.
Orbea Occam H20 Eagle
© Orbea Cycles
Travel: 140mm front and 140mm rear suspension travel.
Wheel and frame sizes: 29” wheels, available in four frame sizes.
Basque company Orbea is based in the centre of some of Europe's best natural mountain biking areas, and it shows in their line of bikes. Over the last couple of years their brand has gone through a massive rework in terms of the machinery it's producing and, heavily influenced by a top-flight EWS race team, the new-look Occam is proof of this.
We've selected the H20-Eagle on account of its mid-range all-round credentials, but there is a myriad of Occam's to suit just about every need and budget. And that's before you get into Orbea's 'My O' custom program...
7. Santa Cruz Tallboy X01 Carbon CC -- $9249 CAD
Santa Cruz Tallboy
© © SANTA CRUZ BICYCLES
Travel: 130mm front and 120mm rear suspension travel.
Wheel and frame sizes: 29” wheels, available in five frame sizes.
OK, so Santa Cruz pricing isn't for the squeamish BUT in the all-new Tallboy they have crafted what may just be most peoples perfect do-everything mountain bike. On top of that, there's the peace of mind that comes from perhaps the best build quality and finish in the business.
Santa Cruz have a habit of coming up with exactly the right bike at exactly the right time and the new Tallboy looks to be a continuation of this. The travel of a Trail/XC bike mated to the geometry of a full-on enduro bike gives some credence to their marketing claim that this is 'the downhillers XC bike'. Fast, playful, and pretty to look at - there's not much more you could want.
