You shouldn’t have to drop thousands on a bike that will take a beating off road. Modern components are stronger and work better than they’ve ever done and increasingly the trickle down effect of the high end of the industry means we are riding bikes today that are better value and perform better than bikes twice the price a decade ago. This category celebrates the brands that have set out to bring new riders into our sport without the requirement of dropping a ton of cash.
Sonder EVOL SX
With a frame only option at just £999 and a complete bike build option at a staggeringly reasonable £1699 the Sonder Evol is a bike for the masses. The SX build comes with a full SRAM 12×1 drivetrain with SX componentry. The bounce is provided by a RockShox 35 fork and very capable Rockshox Deluxe RT shock. Riders on tight budgets or beginners have rarely been afforded the apparent luxury of being in a position to choose a full suspension option that isn’t in some way compromised at this price level, but Sonder have gone out to change that.
With super modern geometry and serious good looks this is a bike that deserves some recognition. Will it get your vote?
Merida Big Trail
Merida reckon that they’ve built the Big Trail hardtail to suit the unique requirements of UK riding. Agro hardtails are a pretty British thing it would seem and for just £1499 our tester Anthony reckons it’s all the hardtail you will ever need.
It’s not just the modern lengths and slack angles that make this bike stand out from the rest of the hardtail market, it’s the component choice that includes a dropper post and Marzocchi Z2 fork powered by the excellent Shimano Deore groupsets. But even though the spec list you may expect to find on pricier bikes this hasn’t prevented Merida from paying attention to the fine details too, like the underseat integrated multitool.
Here’s what Anthony thought of the ride…
Vitus Mythique
At less than £1300 the Vitus Mythique is pushing the limits at what is possible in a viable full suspension trail bike. The team here were impressed that at this price there was a solid frame and some excellent componentry, especially in the wheels. So it doesn’t have a dropper post, but for a small investment you can add one and still come in at a budget that smashes the £2k category limit here.
Anthony, again tested this bike back in January for us. Check out his thoughts…
How to vote & enter our Muc Off prize draw
Once you have considered the finalists just click the circle next to your preferred winner below and then hit the submit button. Once your vote has been counted you will be redirected to our 2020 Awards page with the other categories so you can vote again in another category.
You can only vote once in each category and once your vote is submitted you cannot change your mind.
Each successful vote will earn you one ticket in our Muc-Off prize draw. Vote in each of the twelve categories and you will maximise your chances of winning. The winners will be chosen at random from the pool of voters on the 30th November 2020 and all winners will be contacted directly via their registered accounts shortly after that date.
Although the draw is open to anyone with a registered account, unfortunately we cannot deliver prizes to addresses outside of the United Kingdom. Overseas winners will need to specify a UK delivery address for any prizes if they win.
[stw_votes id=”6″ redirect_to=”/tag/STRAW2020/” opens=”27/10/20″ closes=”25/11/20″]
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Good bike