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Our Media’s cycling portfolio – Cycling Plus, Mountain Biking UK and BikeRadar – has returned with its bumper bike test for 2024, Bike of the Year.
This year marks 16 years of the awards, with winners chosen from a list of 54 road, gravel, mountain and electric bikes.
Once again, this team effort saw eight testers ride thousands of miles and write tens of thousands of words to bring readers the one of the most comprehensive and authoritative bike tests in the cycling calendar.
Over some of the wettest months of the year, each bike was put through its paces and tested against manufacturer claims via an independent team to provide the insight bike fans are looking for, for the type of riding they’re most enthusiastic about.
MTB
Despite some challenging times recently for the industry, the team selected 30 of the best bikes available right now from trail, enduro, E-MTB and budget MTB categories:
Trail: £3,000–£4,199, 160mm max front suspension, 130–150mm rear suspension
Enduro: £4,250–£6,205
Full-power E-MTB: £6,699–£10,000, at least 80Nm max torque and 600Wh battery capacity
Lightweight E-MTB: £6,699–£10,000, 20kg or less, 50–60Nm of max torque and up to 430Wh battery capacity
Budget: £1,000–£1,500
Back-to-back testing took place on the trails of South Wales, the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire, the Tweed Valley in Scotland and BikePark Wales.
The four-person test team of Tom Marvin, Rob Weaver, Alex Evans and Sarah Bedford decided that this year’s MTB Bike of the Year titles are awarded to:
Trail Bike of the year – Whyte T-160 RS
Enduro Bike of the Year – YT Capra Core 4 29
Full-power E-MTB of the Year – Canyon Strive:ON CFR
Lightweight E-MTB of the Year– Whyte ELyte 150 Works
Budget Bike of the Year – Rockrider AM 100
MBUK editor James Costley-White says: “This year’s close-fought testing proves just how good modern mountain bikes are. It’s great to see UK-based Whyte triumph over bigger brands to bag two wins, especially after taking the bold decision to slim down their range to just a few key models.
“Canyon, Rockrider and YT are deserved winners, too, and show that it’s still possible to build a top-performing bike without hiking prices sky-high.”
Road and Gravel
The first task was to whittle down a long list of bikes to just 24 before three testers – Warren Rossiter, Ashley Quinlan and Simon von Bromley – alongside Cycling Plus regular Nicola Lovell and Cycling Plus editor Matt Baird, could choose winners across five categories, as well as an overall Road Bike of the Year.
Warren Rossiter, senior technical editor, road hopes at least “one of the 24 bikes on test will inspire a reader’s next bike purchase, whether that’s a like-for-like of what we’ve tested, a step up, or a lower-priced model with trickle-down technology.”
After much deliberation, five category winners were awarded as well as an overall Bike of the Year:
Endurance Bike of the Year – Giant Defy Advanced Pro 2
Race Bike of the Year – Focus Izalco Max 9.8
Gravel Bike of the Year – GT Grade Carbon Pro LE
Budget Bike of the Year – Trek Domane AL 2 Gen 4
E-Road Bike of the Year – Specialized Turbo Vado SL
Overall Road Bike of the Year– Giant Defy Advanced Pro 2
Editor for Cycling Plus, Matt Baird, says: “In 2024, we’ve again witnessed a bumper display of bikes across our budget, commuter, endurance, race, and gravel categories thanks to our unparalleled industry access and the 15-year legacy of Bike of the Year. The bikes on test cost from £800 to £8,000. Some are brand new versions of familiar names, with Trek’s Domane and Giant’s Defy both present, while the Handsling and Lauf entries highlight innovative designs from the newer kids on the block.”
The Bike of the Year 2024 editions of Cycling Plus and Mountain Biking UK are available on newsstands and as digital editions now.
Full coverage of the winners and contenders will also feature on BikeRadar.com, BikeRadar’s YouTube channel and the BikeRadar Podcast.
A spokesperson for OurMedia added: “Thanks to our sponsor this year MET Helmets,
“Massive thanks too to BikePark Wales for letting us test and shoot at their amazing facility and Forest of Dean Cycle Centre for hosting four days of MTB shooting on their wealth of singletrack trails and downhill runs.”
