r/xcmtb

I'm looking for recommendations for a comfortable XC bike.

At the moment I'm riding a 6-year Orbea Oiz with a 100 mm Fox suspension setup. It's been a great bike, but it's getting old and is starting to need a lot of replacement parts.

One of my biggest issues is wrist pain, so I'm looking for a bike that is lightweight but, above all, comfortable, the complete opposite of a race-focused XC bike.

I've recently demoed a few modern XC bikes, and my main complaint is that they all feel too stiff. I'm not sure how to describe it, but the combination of 34 mm forks, heavily reinforced frames, and integrated one-piece cockpits seems to transmit every little vibration straight into the handlebars. That's exactly what I'm trying to avoid.

Ironically, I actually find my current bike, with its Fox 32 fork and relatively slim carbon frame more comfortable than most of the latest XC bikes.

I'm not interested in riding aggressive technical trails or bombing downhill sections. I spend most of my time on forest roads and smoother XC terrain.

I've read that the new Orbea Oiz has a very aggressive, race-oriented geometry and handling, which is probably not what I'm after.

Another requirement is that I'd like both the fork and rear shock to be Fox. In my experience, Fox suspension has a noticeably smoother, more supple feel than RockShox.

I do ride a lot of gravel roads, but I'm not interested in a gravel bike. Without front suspension they feel too harsh and fatiguing over long rides, especially with my wrist issues. On the other hand, many of today's XC bikes seem to be designed with World Cup-level descending in mind. It feels like there's no middle ground anymore, and the number of genuinely comfort-oriented XC bikes has become very small.

So my question is: what bike would you recommend me?

I've been putting off buying a new bike because, honestly, I haven't found anything on the market that seems to fit what I'm looking for.

Thanks!

I’m trying to decide between a modern XC bike and a light trail bike, and I’d like opinions from people who ride natural rocky terrain.

Current bike:
- 2019 Specialized Epic, ~100/100 mm, Brain suspension
- I love the XC feeling: light, sharp, aggressive position, clipless, Lycra, long climbs
- But on my local trails it feels sketchy and unforgiving on technical descents

Rider/context:
- 173 cm, 62 kg
- Ride mostly solo
- Terrain: natural rocky Alpine style singletrack
- Not bike parks, not jumps, not flow trails
- Long climbs are common: pavement/fire road climbs of 1h+, sometimes big days like 80-100 km and 2500-3000 m climbing
- I care more about enjoying technical descents than being 2-3 minutes faster on a climb
- But I strongly identify as an XC/marathon rider, not a baggy-shorts/enduro rider

Problem:
My descending is my weakness. I know it’s partly a skill/confidence issue, but the Epic feels so sketchy that I avoid the local technical trails, which means I practice less, which makes the problem worse. There are sections I used to ride when I practiced more, and now I sometimes walk them.

I’m hoping the right bike would make the trails feel safe/enjoyable enough that I ride them more and rebuild confidence.

Possible 2027 goal:
I’m also considering doing marathon races or even stage races in 2027, such as Appenninica / Epic-style multi-day events. I couldn’t race to win, but I would want the bike to feel appropriate for training and racing those events. This is one of the main reasons the Spark RC is so tempting.

Bikes I’m considering:

1. New Scott Spark RC
   - 120/120 mm
   - Very slack for an XC bike
   - Full XC/marathon identity
   - Light, aggressive, racey
   - Two bottles
   - Would be great for long climbs and possible marathon/stage races
   - Concern: I might spend a lot and still be afraid on the same descents, then wonder if I should have bought more bike

2. Orbea Occam SL
   - 140/140 mm
   - Fast/light trail bike
   - More travel, longer wheelbase/front-center, higher front end
   - Local Orbea dealer nearby
   - Likely much better for confidence and rebuilding descending skill
   - Concern: I’ll lose the XC magic I love: sharp acceleration, low aggressive position, race-bike feel
   - Also one bottle only, which is annoying for long days

I’m not really considering heavier all-mountain bikes like Hightower/Ripmo because they seem like too much bike for me. I don’t ride bike parks, jumps, or enduro tracks.

Question:
Given all of that, would you choose the modern XC race bike and accept that I may still need to work harder on descending skills, or would you choose the Occam SL because it is more likely to make technical trails enjoyable enough that I ride them more and rebuild confidence?

In other words: for a rider who wants both rocky Alpine singletrack confidence and possible marathon/stage racing in 2027, is the Spark RC enough bike, or is the Occam SL the smarter tool?

I’m especially interested in replies from people who:
- moved from old-school XC to modern XC
- moved from XC to a 130-140 mm light trail bike
- ride natural rocky Alpine-style trails
- do long climbs / marathon-style rides

Thanks!

Hey guys, I'm looking for a XC fully with an aluminium frame. I think i'd destroy a carbon frame way too fast.
Nevertheless I can't find any options other than the Specialized Chisel (which isn't available anymore with the higher equipment), the Canynon Neuron (only a trail bike, not especially a XC rocket), and the Orbea Oiz (also almost sold out in the alu varient).
Do you guys could give me some advice whether carbon really is that bad of an option for a MTB? Do you know if and when Orbea and particularly Specialized are restocking?
And most importantly: Do you have any recommendations on other alu XC bikes?
Thanks in advance u rockets!!!

I posted a couple of days ago regarding a Scott Spark World Cup vs Epic and I appreciate all the responses.

I have since come across another option - Yeti ASR. The rear has a little less travel (115 vs 120) and i am intrigued.

I don’t really race and the Yeti looks to be a bit more slack, which might translate to a slightly comfier ride? I’m 6’ and would ride a large.

Has anyone ridden both bikes and can offer a comparison?

Reading in other forums, I've heard horror stories about the US Forest Service shutting down affected areas for months after a fire. Any insights?

I am currently considering an Ari signal peak. I’m between this and a Cannondale Scalpel 2. Curious if anyone here has a signal peak and can comment on their experience? I ride a mix of blue flow, some black tech trails. Small jumps and drops here & there.

I’ve had a 2018 Scott Spark RC World Cup since new and love the bike, but want something with 120mm instead of 110mm.

I should add - no one around me has either bike for testing.

I’ve landed on 2 bikes - Specialized Epic Pro vs the Scott Spark World Cup.

Thinking either 2024 or 2026, depending on a handful of things.

Flight Attendant- the Epic and the 2025 Scott both have FA. The 2024 Scott does not. With that said, I’m not sure how “great” it is. I definitely get pretty lazy on switching the suspension on my current bike, so maybe it would be nice to have it done automatically?

Travel and Ride - I’ve read that Scott’s frame fork does something a little funky in the middle position to accommodate FA. Not sure if that’s a big deal?

Ride feel - I had a specialized stump jumper before the Scott (back when it was a hard tail) and loved it. I also love my Scott. Geometry between the two is very very close, so not sure if there is much a ride feel difference.

For perspective- I live in northern Michigan and ride mostly single track, some “easy” downhill stuff, and general urban exploring.

Like the headline said. Does anyone know some good gloves for long but thin hands. For reference. With complete fingers i need an l/xl depending on the brand while with fingerless gloves(road) I used an m. I had some fox flexair in an xl and while it “fit” it wasn’t completely optimal and I got some chafing problems from it on the longer descents

Just curious if anyone else feels the same way.

Why would anyone buy a new XC bike for racing in 2026, unless absolutely essential?

The uncertainty about 32 inch bikes and whether they will take over or not could make a purchase obsolete.

For example I have a Gen2 Supercal, Trek haven't released a new XC bike in years presumably due to the 32 inch switch and getting caught out at the wrong time.

My Supercal is still fine for local and even nation XC courses which are no where near WC level which always seem to get mentioned in relational to "XC becoming gnarlier", which doesn't apply to most of the user base.

I'm still curious about upgrading to a 120mm 29er FS platform, to make it more fun off the race course, however it seems a bad time to do it. This isnt helped by the new designs being integrated headset only, meaning 10k plus to make the bike work pain free with flight attendant, wireless dropper, electric shifting, power meter ect.

Hello. So I have a trek xcaliber 8 I got in 2023 and I really like the bike. The only thing I could think to complain about is the rather steep headtube angle. It’s 69 degrees and it can make descents feel rather precarious. I have a Rockshox Judy gold on the bike and I’m curious if increasing the travel to slacken the headtube is even a worthwhile upgrade. My second question is what I can do to this bike to make it more capable. I’ve upgraded the bike quite a bit with a dropper post and new brakes. But I’m curious what else could be done to make the bike quicker. Thanks for any advice

Which XC MTB SPD-style pedals stay silent (long term) when riding?

For the last year, I have been riding "Shimano DEORE XT XC SPD PEDAL PD-M8100", "Shimano XC703" shoes and "SM-SH51" cleats. I like these for functionality, ride feel and robustness. But these are giving me occasional noise on both pedals, especially on dry dusty days. Everything torqued to spec and greased where needed.

The noise is exactly the same as in this thread and its video link: https://www.reddit.com/r/cycling/comments/1hglx3t/spd_vs_spdsl_squeaking/

The only solution I have found that works for 1-2 rides max. between reaplying is putting lots of chain lube on the springs. But this is time-consuming and attracts dirt. The latest I have tried is to degrease the whole pedal body, including the mechanism and hot chain wax it. Again, time-consuming, but I have yet to test this out riding for silence. I've also drip waxed the cleats. What bothers me most is that I haven't yet located exactly where on the spring mechanism the noise originates. I suspect the noise is also coming from the pedal platform-shoe contact area. At least when I spray some bidon water on that area mid-riding, it shuts the noise temporarily.

I have read about people having a noise-free experience with "LOOK X-Track Race Carbon" pedals. Those unfortunately have a 3mm narrower Q-factor, are 10gr heavier and are 0.3mm higher in stack height than my current XTs, but I would trade this for silence.

I'd love to stay with Shimano and buy "XTR PD-9200" if those are noise-free, but I'm afraid it's just the same if the source of noise is the spring mechanism. And that is quite the same in all Shimano SPD pedals. The only thing that seems to majorly differ in design between my XTs and the XTRs is the shoe-platform contact point, which is now rounded on XTRs. This could lead to less left-right friction that I have on my XTs, and which I really like, since I also ride trails and want to have some "flick-control" for berms and jumping. I am afraid this would be lost if there is more free-float or left-right shoe movement due to less area in direct contact.

Thank you for sharing your experience.

Those of you who train and race for xc, how much do you ride your mountain bike vs a road or gravel bike.

Previously I only had the mtb, so my answer to that was all the time, but this year I got a gravel bike and have been spending way more time on the gravel bike, often on pavement. I feel like gravel and pavement riding is more controllable so I’m able to do “better” training there, but when I did a mtb race recently I didn’t feel confident on the mtb. I’ve definitely gone too far in the direction of too much time on drop bars and not enough in the race bike, but I’m curious how that balance works for others.

Out of curiosity, how many XC and/or Trail Guys are shifting toward more enduro style handlebar setups? If you’ve made the change what pros/cons have you experienced?
I’m seriously considering swapping my low rise bars out for a 40mm or 50mm rise. Thinking I’ll go wide but not too wide (780) and possibly carbon both for weight and the added damping benefits. Hoping this will help with hand numbness on longer rides.

Hi, ive just had my 3rd race and i am looking at my HR stats and wondering whether i have my hr zones incorrectly set or just went too hard. (Using polar h10)

Race profile was 48km and 1200m and took me around 2:40~ to finish. Weather was avarage 37°C and on direct sun garmin edge showed me 50C.

Now to the zones, apparently i was 48 min in Z5 and 1.04 in Z4. I started cramping around 30km and had to walk for 500m and had to slow down from then on. I felt ok breathing/energy wise but when i tried to push harder uphill i cramped.

The way i set zones was doing all out effort for 1 hour, take last 45 min and avarage them. That gave lthr2 of 168bpm i added 3 bpm and put 171 as my top Z4. Did this a month ago and till now it seemed accurate, rarely hitting z5 mostly in z2/3 and z4 felt like hard effort.

Should i recalculate them ?

Thanks in advance

Hello,

Just got a Garmin Edge MTB and am setting it up currently. I’m curious about other peoples data fields and you are viewing as you ride, what might be useful and also what might be unnecessary etc.

I dont gave a power meter yet so i go off heart rate,

Right now i have HR, HR zone, speed, climbed, distance, ride time and actual time.

Thanks!