2023 Pinkbike Awards: Value Bike of the Year Nominees
Value Bike of the Year Nominees
Leaving aside the current supply/demand mismatch in the bike market, it's a common complaint that the price of bikes keeps spiralling out of control. It's true that if you want to spend five figures on a mountain bike, you're spoilt for choice these days. But if you have a more realistic budget, the performance of what's on offer is now better than ever. You no longer have to pay big bucks to get the latest geometry, good suspension performance and fit-for-purpose components.
The bikes in this list include short-travel trail bikes up to park bikes, costing between $3,299 and $3,899 USD. While that's still a lot of money, they offer on-trail performance that leaves little to be desired even when compared to those top-end bikes. Many have cheaper stablemates, but we think these models hit a sweet spot for performance per dollar.
Why it's nominated
At $3,499, it would be a stretch to describe the Rift Zone XR 29" as "entry-level", but it's certainly offering a lot of performance and fun in a relatively affordable package. It was the most expensive bike in this year's Value field test, but it impressed with its confident descending character and enjoyable ride-feel. It wasn't the best climber (though not the worst either thanks to the steep seat tube), but the supple suspension, burly fork, powerful brakes and modern geometry make up for it on the descents. The performance belied the 130/140 mm travel numbers, to the extent that you could take it to the odd enduro race without feeling let down. Despite having less travel than some of the other bikes on test, it was one of the fastest descenders in timed testing.
The components are well-chosen and generally durable, making it a solid option for the money. Marin offers cheaper builds starting at $1,699, but we think the extra cash is worth it for the sorted spec if you can afford it.
FULL REVIEW
Why it's nominated
This year saw YT update the Jeffsy after five years of the previous model. This time there were no Hollywood actors to convince you to buy one, but the price and specs should take care of that. The new Jeffsy rolls on 29" wheels only, with 5 mm less travel at the rear than the previous 29er version - it now sports 145mm travel with a 150mm fork - emphasising its remit as an efficient trail bike rather than a wannabe enduro bike. The anti-squat has been increased and the seat angle steepened for the benefit of climbing, but the head angle has gotten slacker too, now measuring 65-degrees in the low setting.
The result, according to PB's Dario DiGiulio, is a bike that's "predictable, fun, and simply easy to ride. YT seems to have nailed the tricky balance of a bike that is easy to cruise on while still holding its own when pushed hard or thrown into more serious terrain."
But YT's trump card is value, and the alloy-framed, Core 2 model is the pick of the crop. With Fox Performance suspension, GX mechanical drivetrain, Code R brakes and DT Swiss wheels all for $3,299/£2,999/€2,999, it's damn near unbeatable in the spreadsheet wars. Based on our experience with the Core 4 model, the geometry and suspension are very much on point too.
RIDE IMPRESSIONS
Why it's nominated
Merida wanted the One-Twenty to be simple, reliable and versatile for people getting into the sport. The frame does away with a pivot near the rear axle for simpler manufacturing and maintenance, has been stress-tested to enduro standards and carries a lifetime warranty.
Despite the name, it has 130 mm of travel at each end. Combined with a moderate 66-degree head angle and fast-rolling tires as stock, it's designed to be an everyday trail bike for typical mountain bikers who can only afford one bike.
Merida invited me to ride it at the Ex Enduro, a three-day stage race involving around 5,000 m of descending. While I would usually choose a longer-travel bike for this event, the One-Twenty held its own. The efficient climbing position and stable suspension help to save energy on the (many) climbs, while the progressive suspension and a long dropper post make it easier to deal with "oh sh*t moments" on the descents. The geometry is agile without being overly nervous, and the build kit is impressive for the price. I even managed to snag a cheeky podium on a bike that cost less than some frames (I'm looking at you, Yeti).
I rode the top-spec 700 model, which uses RockShox Select+ suspension, SRAM's NX gearing with their remarkably consistent DB5 brakes. It costs £3,100/€3,720. The mid-price 600 model might just be the smart money choice, however, with a Marzocchi Z2 fork, Shimano Deore 12-speed drivetrain and brakes, plus the same RockShox Select+ RL shock and long-travel dropper as the 700 model, all for £2,500/€3,000.
RIDE IMPRESSIONS
Why it's nominated
The Chainsaw fits into the illusive super-enduro/park/freeride category. It's probably not the kind of bike you'll see on the podium at the races (which is ironic given its namesake) but it's a good choice for those who want to ride hard in the bike park and beyond.
The bike is available in two modes: enduro and DH. The former gets 170 mm of travel at each end, 29" wheels, a single crown fork, 12 gears and a dropper; the latter bumps up to 180 mm travel with a 190 mm dual crown fork, mullet wheels, DH gearing and a fixed seatpost. You could mix and match these traits to your heart's content - Matt Beer had his test bike set up with a dropper post and the wide-range gearing installed with the dual-crown fork and MX wheels.
After three months with the bike, Matt had this to say - "The Chainsaw is definitely full of downhill spirit that’s only held back by the braking power of the G2 REs. After a brake upgrade, the Chainsaw is ready to take on the gnarliest lines and lap chair lifts all day."
It starts at $3,899 USD, which is impressive, especially for a Canadian-made frame, but we'd recommend upgrading to the GX build (tested). For an extra $800, you have a lighter and crisper drivetrain, 4-piston brakes and a ZEB fork that is also 200g lighter than the Domain and has a compression adjuster.
REVIEW
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Canadian made aluminum frame, awesome design, solid build options.
Bring back the Wilson though! FFS!
Hope the new year is full of huge sends, smooth landings, and smashing berms!
I think a good used bike is a better investment for new riders than anything new.
Better bang for your buck, youll undoubtedly get a better spec/bike, and its the opportunity to learn/work on your bike.
Thats a win-win in my book
I started riding when hardtails were the only option, I dont think theres anything elitist about riding a hardtail (I havent ridden one in well over a decade).
Couple of points Id make
-I didnt say it was either the right tool for the job, or the way to learn skills, I merely asked about the value of learning and technique
-you can still learn terrible techniques on a fully, in fact most of us have. Simply riding a bike with suspension does not teach good technique
-You can learn excellent technique while riding a hardtail, pretty well any XC focused rider is a testament to that
-learning skills/techniques on a hardtail is still transferable to graduating to a fully, of note, trail scanning becomes a more important skill on a hardtail, obviously
-riding a hardtail can help people to focus on different things, and at a slower pace, all skills learned on a hardtail will help when moving to a fully
-Any coach should be able to help transfer the skills from the hardtail to the fully
-working with a skills coach is the best/quickest way to be able to adapt any skill to pretty well any type of bike
-we all ride different trails, and those different trails easily require styles/skills as different as ones from riding a hardtail to a fully
-My brother went to a culinary school, and had a practice knife, it was in fact so dull that you couldnt cut yourself with it. He used it with kinetic sand to understand/practice the basic principles, which he learned at slower speeds, to help better focus.
Now I get your frustration on what you think is gatekeeping from elitist riders, but in reality, does it matter? If we all ride our bikes, and have fun, thats all that matters. I like riding all kinds of different bikes, and they all require different skills and style to get what I want to get from them. Learning and practising all those skills just brings more and better skills to all the different riding I do
That might actually be a real cool article.
I say you write it up, and submit to @kazimer, and @brianpark
i bet they got plenty of traffic on the articles they used to do about bikes in the buy/sell
but I hear what youre saying, remember, its an entertainment site, that is paid for by advertising, driven by traffic and engagement. You could make an argument that an article about best used bikes of the year would drive engagement, which would put eyeballs on advertisers, similar to the baller or bust videos of a couple years ago.
I got mine right before the 2023's came out, and i was a little bummed about that. Also a little bummed that folks are getting them for 1300 under msrp now. But at the end of the day, i still got a good deal on mine, and enjoyed every minute of the 1200 miles that i put on mine in the year that ive had it, and im going to very happily continue to ride it for years to come.
Awful products. Best people in industry.
Here's a video of the action!
Some high school buddies and I met up from different cities and shuttled headleys and then rode headquarters and beehive one morning. I think 2 years ago. They are still running good!!
Hit me up if you want some GPS pins for the trails. I can even share the Google maps I made of the area. Let me know!!
$2799 full carbon bike.
Can't beat that.
Now if the answer was, hey the didn't release anything new this year and we were looking for new offerings.
I mean, taking fire sales out of the equations there are still a ton of stellar deals out there. But for me a company like Fezzari deserves some credit because they were taking their prices there before most companies were. And not because they were overstocked. That's just where they priced them.