If flames were to engulf your home, which bike would you choose to save?
We believe the sensible pick would be your trail bike, with their all-around ability enabling you to tame downhill trails without a weight penalty on the uphills.
Advances in geometry, travel and component durability have clouded the trail segment in recent years, with downcountry and all-mountain bikes sitting at each extreme.
For the sake of argument, we’re going to say a trail bike ranges from 130 to 150mm in travel.
In this article, we’ll detail why we think a trail bike is the only mountain bike you need and what makes them so much fun to own.
Ride every trail
While you may be more comfortable riding extreme tracks on enduro and downhill bikes, there are very few (if any, ask Sam Pilgrim) that can’t be tamed with a trail bike.
Sure, you’ll have to be more careful with line choice and more precise with your riding skill, but the best trail bikes are incredibly capable descenders.
The playfulness of trail bikes makes them engaging to ride when the going gets steep, with lightweight frames that are easy to thread through trees and manoeuvre over obstacles.
Unlike beefier enduro bikes, trail bikes remain fun on more mellow ground, meaning you don’t need tons of gradient to have fun.
Compared to cross-country bikes, trail bikes provide a reassuring platform to push hard on descents, with minimal fear of over-stressing components.
Weight
Thanks to their lighter weight, trail bikes not only conquer the descents but provide a much more pleasurable climbing experience compared to enduro bikes – and can be ridden uphill, unlike downhill bikes.
While there’s no competition with cross-country bikes on the hills, considered geometries allow for good pedalling positions that encourage climbing rather than making you want to push your bike to the top.
Trail bikes also usually feature more anti-squat in their suspension linkages, meaning your hard pedalling inputs aren’t wasted on suspension bob.
Heavier bikes have a more grounded ride feel when hitting rough terrain, as you'll note when riding electric mountain bikes, but trail bike suspension has improved to such an extent that overall suppleness isn’t far behind.
Affordability
Trail bikes tend to be the most affordable ‘real’ mountain bikes you can buy, with the segment one of the most popular.
With this comes economies of scale, with brands able to provide a better spec for the money compared to other styles of bike.
There is something to say about trail bike componentry, and while it is usually very similar to enduro bikes, it's not quite as durable.
A key consideration here is mountain bike tyres, but these are consumables and they can easily be changed out for something with more protection.
Easy to live with
In comparison to downhill bikes, trail bikes are easier to store and transport to the trail.
Instead of untightening several pinch bolts and axles, trail bikes usually feature quick-release thru-axles on the front and rear, making it easier to chuck them into car boots.
Free-moving bars, unrestricted by dual-clamp forks, make laying the bike flat or leaning it for storage possible.
Things get better with enduro bikes, but they're still not as easy to live with as trail bikes.
The winner here has to be cross-country bikes, with their low weight making them the easiest to sling into car boots or carry upstairs.
This comes at a cost, though, with their lightweight components requiring more maintenance to keep them running smoothly.
Adaptability
Your trail bike can have various identities, with a couple of upgrades transforming it into a completely different type of bike.
While you may always be limited by suspension travel and geometry, your trail bike can easily be turned into a baby enduro bike or downcountry bike depending on your preference.
Beefier tyres and more powerful brakes will go a long way to making your bike more capable, while it's not uncommon for riders to upgrade to coil shocks for ultimate downhill potential.
We've even seen trail bikes turned into slopestyle bikes in the past, with Josh Bryceland, aka 'Ratboy', riding his Cannondale Habit on the dirt jumps.
Conversely, adding lightweight wheels, a longer stem and some carbon fibre trinketry can turn it into a downcountry slayer.
With ever more challenging World Cup XC courses, many racers are riding cross-country bikes with more travel.
It's now common to see bikes with 120mm of travel front and rear, which was trail bike territory only a couple of years ago.
