2026 Short Travel Trail Bike Shootout

Welcome to our first-ever Short Travel Trail Bike Shootout. Over the previous couple of months, we’ve put seven of the perfect 120mm and 130mm path bikes we might get our fingers on to the check, to see simply how far this more and more common class will be pushed.

Sitting someplace between an XC race bike and a standard path mountain bike, these short-travel machines go by numerous names. Downcountry, XC bike, path bike, light-weight path bike, short-travel path bike—no matter you need to name them, the objective is basically the identical: ship the velocity and effectivity that makes climbing and overlaying miles enjoyable, with out giving up the descending functionality that retains us searching for the following (comparatively) rowdy path.

It is unbelievable how far this class has come and what these shorter-travel bikes are able to.

Putting them head-to-head highlighted stark variations of their character on-trail, although. From technical climbs and lengthy days within the saddle to high-speed singletrack and double-black descents, we rode these bikes on nearly every little thing we might discover. What turned apparent is that 120mm or 130mm of rear journey doesn’t let you know a lot about how a contemporary mountain bike goes to journey. Some bikes on this check lean closely towards XC, with velocity and effectivity as their priorities. Meanwhile, others really feel extra like mini enduro bikes, and some land proper within the center, as unbelievable do-it-all mountain bikes.

Rather than attempting to crown one bike as the reply for each rider, our objective was to seek out out the place every bike shines and which riders will get probably the most from it. We know each rider has their very own impression of what “best” means for them, so we need to spotlight the best choice for every rider type and desire.

ROUNDTABLE VIDEO | SEPT. 27, 2026 @ 9AM PST

SUPPORTING BRANDS

THULE

With seven bikes always shifting between trails and check zones, Thule dealt with our bike transportation and equipment storage all through the Shootout.

For day by day missions, we relied on the Thule Verse, a two-bike hitch rack with an built-in work stand that proved particularly helpful throughout back-to-back testing. When it was time for greater shuttle days, the six-bike Thule Revert allow us to transfer almost the whole fleet without delay.

The Thule RoundTrip duffel saved using gear organized, whereas a Thule Chasm gave us one organized place for instruments, spare elements, and every little thing else required to maintain seven check bikes operating.

DELIUM TIRES

To hold one of many largest variables in a mountain bike check constant, each bike was fitted with the identical Delium management tires.

We ran a Delium Steady up entrance and a Delium Fast out again, each within the All-Around development, giving us a very good stability of rolling velocity, help and grip in our dry summer time circumstances.

Our baseline pressures have been 23psi entrance and 26psi rear. Despite loads of exhausting using, we completed the check with no single flat or dented rim. We got here away genuinely impressed by the quantity of traction, regardless of the dry and unfastened circumstances.

SDG COMPONENTS

We additionally wished constant contact factors between bikes, so SDG Components provided its new Thrice Open Core grips and Bel-Air V3 Overland saddles. Oftentimes throughout our shootouts our testers complain about OE-spec saddles and horrible grips. They actually do have an effect on the journey really feel, fatigue and luxury, so having these snug touchpoints on the bikes was significantly appreciated.

With lengthy days and many back-to-back laps on the schedule, having the identical saddle and grips on each bike helped us give attention to the variations that truly matter.

Seven bikes. Seven very completely different interpretations of what a contemporary short-travel mountain bike needs to be.

Read the person evaluations beneath for the complete breakdown on every bike.