Vote Now! Most Desirable Mountain Bike – Singletrack World Awards 2023

In a bumper year for brill bikes we’ve got five finalists for you in this category – we just couldn’t narrow it down any more.

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By ben_haworth

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Vote Now: Most Desirable Mountain Bike – Singletrack World Awards 2023

Flaremax for me, even though I have the gen4. The rest are too enduro for my desires/skills.

I have voted for the bike I think is most desirable – but agree I am torn as it is not a bike I would choose for my mincecore lite riding…

FlareMax or the Starling for me. Lovely clean lines.

I appreciate what Atherton are doing with their bikes but they look like a plumber built them out of offcuts from a recent job.

The Deviate and Hope look ok but carbon high pivot enduro frames look much of a muchness these days.

Can we have a none of these button?

No

Can we have an anything by Nicolai/ geometron button?

I’m torn, those are some great bikes. I’ve got a Starling and like Joe/the brand a lot so that’s my first thought but that Atherton is on my lottery win next bike list.

Good choices

hmmmmm

*most desirable UK mountain bike. Glad you are shining a light on the home team. I hope you do that in every category.

I’d probably only consider buying the Hope. Maybe the Claymore when it comes out in black.

The Starling can get in the bin.

I’d rather have a G1 than anything on the list.

The hope looks ace, but is disqualified becasue high pivot and same goes for the Claymore although they are desirable and in the flesh the finish on the Hope is incredible looking. I’m not a fan of skinny tubed full-sussers, they just look wrong to me, although again in the flesh the Starling is an amazing looking thing.

Which leaves the Atherton, Pictures don’t do the joints justice really, and obviously they are desirable, becasue if I bought one, I’d automatically be able to ride in the Alps like Gee. That’s how it works, right?

Did Geometron launch anything in the past year? I know Nicolai probably launched a few gearbox/eeb monstrosities.

I reckon the UK theme could have been extended with the Orange Stage 7.

was gonna put my vote on the Ti deviate, mm. its the carbon model, I’ll go hope.

Should have put a pick up of the Hope in Chameleon.

I reckon the UK theme could have been extended with the Orange Stage 7.

Just for the giggles in the comments?

Could be a great bike but it’s about as desirable as a mondeo.

For me the hope is the only one on there that’s desirable, it’s the one I’d be likely to stroke and cooo over on a display stand.
It’s also one of two I wouldn’t really think about buying and I think that’s part of what makes it desirable.

Could be a great bike but it’s about as desirable as a mondeo herpes.

FTFY

None of them look great imo.

Atherton, lugs = nope

Cotics struts by the chainrings and seat post make heavy. Probably not mind…

The deviate has a wired angle on the down tune and the seat tube above the top tube is too long.

The starling is almost alright but looks like it has a rubbish untied rear triangle aka the first orange full suss and therefore looks bad. Maybe ifnitnwas the same colour as the front triangle….

As for the hop, I have never liked a vertical shock. Make the frame look too busy.

 

Hope is the best of the bunch for me

Could be a great bike but it’s about as desirable as a mondeo herpes.

FTFY

Not sure if that’s an upgrade or downgrade. At least I’d hope I enjoyed buying the herpes, can’t even say that for a mondeo.

Voted for the Atherton as that will most likely be my next bike purchase.

I wouldn’t buy any of them (as with Matt_oab they wouldn’t suit my riding) but I do like the looks of the Atherton. So as long as the question is ‘Which is the most desirable bike on this rather short and limited list?’, it gets my vote.

The atherton every time, but with black lugs..

Strangely they don’t photo that well but in the flesh are absolutely stunning.

Transition Spur.

@chakaping

Did Geometron launch anything in the past year? I know Nicolai probably launched a few gearbox/eeb monstrosities

I think these both came out.
Gearbox tick
Ebike tick
Monstrosity TICK TICK TICK TICK

Id still love either if an unlimited money tree started shaking near me :⁠-⁠)

http://www.nicolai-bicycles.com/nc1-en

http://www.nicolai-bicycles.com/Nucleon-16-Landing-EN

http://m.pinkbike.com/news/bike-check-and-shop-tour-lal-bikes-nicolai-nucleon-16-supre-test-sled.html

Which is the most desirable bike on this rather short and limited list?

Which bike did you nominate? Or did you miss the nominations stage?

Atherton with black lugs please.  As said earlier, in the flesh they look fantastic.

I have voted for the bike I think is most desirable – but agree I am torn as it is not a bike I would choose for my mincecore lite riding…

want the cotic, but I’d say that the atherton is the more desirable bike.

Which bike did you nominate? Or did you miss the nominations stage?

Classy.

Am I wrong to pick the bike I’d most like to be good at riding?

I saw a few of these up close at Ard Rock stands. I didn’t ride any of them, but based on aesthetics and what I think would would suit my riding, it has to be the Starling. Skinny steel FTW.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder so I can’t be doing with the Starling as it just looks minging (sorry Benji) and the “steel is real” contingent is more than ably represented by the Cotic. High pivots aren’t doing it for me so that’s the Deviate (which I do quite like) and the Hope (which I really don’t like) out of the picture. Which means the Atherton gets my vote. Black lugs, grey lugs, makes no difference, it’s the best of this bunch.

do hardtail bikes no longer count as mountainbikes ??

All above the high pivot hype train!

Eh?

The Atherton looks like one of those bamboo bikes.

The Deviate looks like it’s already been involved in a big accident.

The Starling looks like something @cynic-al brewed up in his kitchen (Yes Al – I remember your fat Marin)

That leaves the Hope and the Cotic. Based on everything else from Hope, I’d give that a big swerve (and that’s without even thinking about how over-priced it must be). That leaves Cy’s rather “simple” looking design as the most attractive option out of the shortlist, even though I’m not usually a fan of steel frames.

Which bike did you nominate? Or did you miss the nominations stage?

Ouch. I guess I missed it. I’d have said a Spur anyway.

(and that’s without even thinking about how over-priced it must be)

It is not cheap but in the grand scheme of things, it’s really not bad at all, within mid three figures of a like for like finished cotic frame (with a bit of artistic licence as the ohlins shock isn’t an option there).

The Atherton looks like one of those bamboo bikes.

The Atherton looks like a Giant Cadex from way back. Looks good to me!

The Atherton looks like a Giant Cadex from way back. Looks good to me!

Or an ever further back Raleigh Dyna-Tech.

That Starling is gopping, I’d have to have a good, long think if I’d ride it if it was given to me for free so I am not voting for it as most desirable!

 

That Starling is gopping

Pictures never do them justice IMO. In reality the finish and detail of them is incredible. After a while you start to notice all the fine detail that’s hidden away in their construction, they really are works of art.