2023 mountain bikes

trek fuel ex

If you’re looking for a great all-arounder, a one-bike-quiver trail bike, definitely consider this one.  The Fuel line has been around for years and this is the sixth design iteration. Over the years of Fuel EX’s existence, which began in 2005, Trek has always been at the forefront of design and geometry innovations, and this generation is no different.

Bigger and beefier, the 2023 Fuel EX features a 150mm travel fork coupled with 140mm of rear travel with Trek’s long-acclaimed ABP (Active Braking Pivot) four-bar design.

This new version also features a ton of adjustability. The frame will accept a 160mm fork. Via a two-position Mino Link, you can run it mullet. There’s also a two-position flip chip at the lower shock mount with linear and progressive settings allowing for a coil shock. And get this: Trek even offers different headset cups to steepen or slacken the head angle by a full degree.

Fuel EX is available in six (!) sizes, with XS and S running 27.5” wheels and M-XXL and up running 29”. Small is the one size that comes in either wheel option. While we featured the 9.8 here, there are nine (!) models so rest assured that Trek has everyone covered – alloy and carbon frames and a plethora of spec packages to suit every budget, there is a Fuel EX ready for you.

And we aren't alone.  Pinkbike called it Bike of The Year.

specialized stumpjumper comp

Speccy’s Stumpjumper has been around as long as mountain bikes have been a thing. With that kind of longevity, Specialized has utilized the SJ as the launch pad for design innovations in their trail bikes, from the original hardtail to today’s full suspension wonders. It’s another all-arounder that ably handles nearly any terrain scenario you can ride.

This year’s offering has 130mm of rear travel with 140mm fork and updated kinematics, freshened geometry, and an all new suspension. That 130mm of rear travel has been refined and manipulated through countless hours of design research to provide a trail bike profile that descends like a bigger bike yet climbs like a goat in crampons.

Longer, lower, and slacker have been the leading design principles of mountain bikes in recent years, and Stumpy Comp is not missing the boat. Adjustability is included to fine tune your fit and handling via FlipChip.

Specialized’s sizing parameters are a departure from the usual S, M, L format. With their trademarked Rider First Engineered design, frames use a size-specific approach to ride characteristics to ensure handling and performance regardless of frame or rider size. The resulting geometry ensures stability, comfort and climbing traction, while offering descending behaviors that eat up the obstacles.

yeti sb140

It’s safe to admit that a high percentage of WRC staffers ride Yeti. We’ve carried Yeti since we first encountered them in 1990 at the UCI Mountain Bike World Championships in Durango, and we’re Yeti’s largest dealer globally. But it’s not about sales figures. Our staff’s devotion to the brand is founded purely in the quality of the ride. Yeti R&Ds all their designs right here in our backyard, on the trails we ride every day. They work exceptionally well hereabouts.

The SB140 has been wildly popular from the moment of its original release in 2019. Though the MTB world has largely gone 29er, the SB140 has been the flickable fun trail rocket with 27.5” wheels. While it still is that, you can now get it with 29” wheels for 2023.

Everything else has been updated, too: geometry, size-specific chainstay lengths AND seat tube angles, and of course, colors. Down to the millimeter, Yeti's engineering team has tweaked and refined each and every aspect of the frame to deliver a quantum leap forward in how well these bikes ride. The main frame design has been refined to provide more frame/ground clearance and overall chassis stiffness. That stiffness results from new carbon layup methods to provide a precision feel and just enough flex where it’s needed. Every millimeter of detail was examined and refined to make the bikes faster, smoother, quieter, and easier to service.

These micro refinements, when coupled with the new leverage rates and geometry adjustments, result in distinct performance improvements. Yeti’s famed Switch Infinity has been modified on the T-Series frames and comes equipped with improved bearings, seals, and hardware. This is the newest iteration of Yeti's translating pivot suspension design, promising enhanced longevity, sensitivity, and strength.

As always, you can opt for Lunch Ride upgrades on 2023 Super Bikes.

santa cruz tallboy

What’s with all these trail bikes making the list?! Well, the cream always rises and these bikes definitely fill the bill for the vast majority of riders.

While not as long-legged in travel as the previous bikes in the 2023 list, with 120mm rear and 130mm fork, Tallboy is still a heralded 29er trail rig. Updates for 2023 include slightly tweaked geometry and kinematics, much in the same vein as the massaging Yeti applied to their bikes for 2023. These small enhancements and adjustments are paying off in ride quality, as evidenced by our own experiences and the general consensus of the online review community.

You’ll also notice that pattern mentioned earlier – longer, lower, slacker. Chainstay lengths are determined by frame size, as well as seat tube angles. Suspension kinematics has been refined and the leverage curve has been toned down ever so slightly to enhance rear end responsiveness. In addition to the proportional geometry considerations, frame stiffness has been tuned by size to ensure ride quality across the spectrum. 

juliana roubion

The days of women-specific design ubiquity are behind us now as manufacturers have embraced an all-for-one frame design sensibility, though Santa Cruz’s Juliana line nevertheless embraces the female aspects of spec.

Juliana frames are the same as Santa Cruz frames excepting colors and sizing, and the spec is determined accordingly for female riders. Narrower bars, shorter cranks, thinner grips, different saddles, and lighter suspension tunes result in a tailored ride experience for women while giving up nothing in overall performance.

Roubion is the big hit bike that is “ready to rally the world.” This is essentially the Santa Cruz Bronson for the ladies. Featuring the MX wheel philosophy commonly called the mullet – 27.5” wheel in the rear and 29” wheel up front – provides a ride quality that capably tackles virtually any trail while inspiring confidence and maneuverability. Note: The XS version is 27.5” front and rear.

With 150mm of rear travel and a 160mm fork, the bump-busting prowess of this bike still yields surprisingly efficient climbing chops. 

Hardtail: yeti arc

Yeti’s first race frame design was the ARC, which stands for Alloy Racing Composite. This was back in the days of aluminum frames and they took it one step further using exotic alloys and butting from Easton, resulting in a frame that weighed about half what everyone else’s frames weighed. Revolutionary for the times in 1991, believe it.

We have no idea why Yeti chose to stick with a name that conjures history in metal, but this new carbon hardtail could update the initials to stand for Astonishingly Rad Capability. While mountain bikers tend to think about capability in terms of suspension travel and tire widths, riding a well-designed and nimble hardtail bike will make you quickly realize that capability is even more important without a rear shock.

While the ARC name screams nostalgia, the modern design of this bike does not. Hardtails are generally relegated to use as lightweight XC or race rigs, but Yeti’s big-bike design principles have carried over to provide a hardtail with more brawn and downhill chops than might be expected. Built around a 130mm trail fork, the modern frame geometry provides a headtube angle just steep enough for pedaling efficiency while still offering plenty of descending capability. In that same respect, much of the ARC spec will be found on full suspension bikes, which further lends capability when the fast downhill line is tackled and your legs are the rear suspension.

e-mtb: trek fuel exe

The advent of e-mountain bikes has fallen mainly in two design camps: Big, high-powered, long travel and light, short travel, lower powered rigs.

But what if there was another option? An e-mtb that straddled the experiences available and resulted in a better overall balance? It appears Trek has answered that desire with the Fuel Exe.

With a 150mm fork and 140mm of rear travel, the Fuel Exe is definitely in the trail bike category, and Trek’s capable frame adjustability via Mino Link makes it tuneable. With a TQ HPR50 motor, it’s virtually a standard Fuel EX with the addition of the assist. The motor is in the BB and the battery is in the downtube, like most designs, and the motor is so small that it allows the short chainstays of the analog Fuel EX – handling is superb. 

One of the most noticeable aspects of this motor is how quietly it operates. The motor has no belts or gears, which contributes to its smooth and near-silent operation while still pumping out 50Nm of torque and weighing fully 2.5 pounds less than the usual 85-90Nm motors found on e-mtbs.

Yet with the smaller, lighter motor and smaller battery, many will wonder at ride time reality and anxiety of losing charge on a ride. Trek offers a range extender that adds a whopping 44% more capacity for long days in the saddle.