Take five dedicated mountain bike riders, give them 25 top notch trail bikes to thrash about on and you have the mother of all mountain bike group tests: the What Mountain Bike Trail Bike of the Year Awards.
And that's what's been preoccupying the chaps at WMB recently, who spent a few days testing the bikes – and no doubt the local food and wine – at the spiritual Home of the Enduro World Series in Finale Ligure, Italy.
The what mountain bike trail bike of the year 2014 video
Video: five test riders hammered the Finale Ligure trails to find the best trail bike of 2014
This year the short list was dominated by 650b wheel machines priced in and around the £2,500 to 3,000 mark because, as WMB acting editor Jon Woodhouse says, it’s the point at which "today's frames start getting truly worthy parts".
The winner is announced in the current issue of What Mountain Bike which on sale today. BikeRadar will have videos on all the leading contenders but for now, enjoy this salty snack of a preview video.
