This was hands down one of the best bike reviews. I’m blown away with how well you described so many thoughtful details about each bike, and then compared them all to one another. Wow!!!

Once again, THANK YOU for the awesome reviews! You do the best reviews on KZfaq!

Always on point with real trail testing and comparisons that matter to those of us who dream of bike upgrades! Thank you

Great review-thank you!

As someone who went through this a year ago, I ended up with the Spire for one reason only: Low standover height with long reach and wheelbase. It's so incredibly stable and confidence-inspiring in the descent.

Fantastic summary of the other review videos. Really brings it home.

Exactly what I wanted to see! Thank you!

Awesome video! Thank you for the chart at around 0:30, that is immensely helpful. Top-notch reviews as always 🙌

😆 Your awards aren't really "participation trophies"...they're actually relevant. And the full-facers/half-shells/no-knee-pads categories of riders was great. I agree with your "versatile" award for the Altitude - I've had mine almost a year and it does almost everything* very well. (*Long pedal days made mostly of smooth XC trails can be a chore. I don't match the Altitude to those trails very often.)

Thank you so much for this showdown, I'm waiting longer than I'd like to buy a bike but this definitely helps me consider what I want to go try next.

Awesome review (awesome shop too). I got a Rail 29 and agree that it is an awesome climber. It climbs better than my Trek Fuel Ex 9.8 which it replaces. I am getting older and hence my days of bombing down gnarly trails are few. For me it was between the Rail, the Sentinel and the Switchblade. The Switchblade also climbs amazingly well.

thanks for this perfect vid definitely helped me chose between a Megatower or altitude. Keep it up

Excellent. Great review(s).

full-facers/half-shells/no-knee-pads categories made things super clear - well played.

Really excellent, practical review and commentary. You provide perfect context and applicability for each bike. I'm really curious about how you might compare the Altitude and Rail to the all-mtn bikes you've reviewed. The Altitude and Rail seem more all-mtny than straight up enduro sled. I've been looking for a best-of-all-worlds one-bike-quiver setup. I'm on the Hightower V2 today, over-forked and feel fairly confident on any terrain and it pedals well. Plush suspension but feels reasonably agile and it definitely covers a lot of my mistakes in trail. As the tech of these bikes gets more refined and the lines get more blurred it starts feeling like we're splitting hairs on the diff aspects of performance/behavior. Having ridden the HTv2 for a season and demoed the Sentinel and Ripmo, it feels like the HT and Ripmo are the Swiss-army-knife bikes to beat - but should the Rail and Altitude be included in the same discussion? More travel, but still more all-mtny than enduro? It would be great to see a review of those "blurred-lines" bikes. Best Swiss-Army-Knife bike. On paper the Ride 9 variability of the RM seems to run away with it -?

Great video, thanks.

Love the “what rider are you” section at the end! You should trademark that!

Got my Rallon from your shop (Zach) 3 weeks ago. Have a 100 miles on it and put it in the "slack" setting last night. Wow, it rides much different than the steeper HT Angle, not better just different. Need to play with the shock pressure more. I have been on short travel bikes since 2004 and I really love how well the Rallon Climbs and descends. I may need to add a bit of air if I am keeping it in the slack position I will check sag. Had a number of PR's on the down hill at Snowbasin last night. Surprisingly, I had a few PR's a couple of weeks ago on the uphills at the Basin. My other bike is the RM Element which is incredible for a DC bike. Love your channel, but love your shop even more! Keep up the great work.

I’ve got the orbea rallon m10 and boy this bike is absolutely incredible, with the harsh price of a bike without a battery, it’s extremely rewarding sending trails and the uphill climbs are far easier than any other acoustic I’ve owned

Hell yea this was such a good bike review. I like you describe whom the bike would be best for. I've been reluctant to get the MegaTower as a park only bike because it's so much money for a one trick pony but your review describing how none are inefficient climbers and how it's not even the biggest wheelbase, although still big, has me ready to buy. Nicely done!

Good Job! Another great video. You are getting to be my favorite Advertisement Agency KZfaq Channel. You are doing very good job for your Clients, Santa Cruz, Orbea, Revel, Transition, and Rocky Mountain to help them sell their bikes. Tell them to give you a Raise!

Good video. The Pivot Firebird should have been in the shootout vs the Rail. Thanks the reviews.

Good review 👍🙂

I’m the no knee pads group!! Probably the best explanation of riders to bikes I’ve heard.

I've made the move to short-travel trail bikes, but whole heartedly agree on Santa Cruz suspensions on their all-mountain/enduro bikes that I will always be a fan of. There's something about them that feels unique as being plush but still sporty and efficient and can bomb through anything you put in front of it. The most comfortable bikes I have ever ridden.

Jolly good show !

Hey Connor! Awesome review as always! Your reviews are some of the best Ive watched! But I’m curious if you’ve ever had a chance to ride a YT Capra? I know it’s a direct to consumer brand and you guys don’t sell them or whatever but if you have, how does it compare to the bikes you tested? If not the no big deal lol. But thanks again for the great review! 👍😁

I ordered a megatower in may, no idea when it will Get here but thanks for the video!

I think the Rail 29 could be the absolute Swiss Army knife if it were paired with a 170mm fork and or a 27.5 rear wheel. I've ridden plenty of 150mm rear travel 29ers and it's more than enough suspension for any Enduro trail, the Yeti SB150 is an example of this. I think the Rail with it's climbing ability and agileness would be my go to bike

Quality review here

Easily the most relatable, structured, and comprehensive MTB review I've ever seen!! Whole team involved: take a bow!! Only question I came away with was between the two "most versatile" bikes; how would you divvy them up for sub cohorts of the "all arounder" rider?

Rail 29 is my favorite big bike from this list for my riding style

I swear, you are the best bike reviewer on the world wide web Connor, hands down. You may know who I am when I mention Ripmo, but every bike you review makes me want to go for a rip. I'd love to see if you could get your hands on a Super Foxy (if you have and I've forgotten, excuse me) and the Antidote Carbon Jack, heck, you're going to ride a carbon Jack, through in a Unno for fun while you're at it. Cheers sir, look forward running into you on the trails!

As always in my opinion the best reviews available. Is there a chance to see a Showdown from the big bikes of Yeti (SB150 and SB165) and the big bikes from Santa Cruz (Megatower V2 and Nomad V6)

Love this video! I just sold my Megatower, but I couldn't agree more with how you describe it. It was an absolute beast! Question for you: Where is that trail around the 8:00 mark when you were on the Megatower? That trail looks like a blast!

Nice work, you do these reviews well, real world diagnosis.

Hey man, ive been waiting for your updated Rascal review. How does it compare to the Rail? Thanks for the videos btw!

Great review! I purchased the Rallon back in May and have about 200 miles on it now. I know what you mean by versatile, this bike is insanely good on multiple trails and i climb faster than i did on my ripmo v2 or the stumpy evo it replaced. I have just as much fun on black diamonds as I do on blues and what you mentioned about the suspension being active and supportive throughout all phases of compression is really spot on. I have a friend with the spire who sold it because it was too big to jump and boring on small trails, it definitely seems amazing if you are dedicated to only big stuff though. My other friend has an altitude and really likes it. Wish I had time on the other bikes you reviewed.

What trails are those? I know they are in Utah maybe around the wasatch front. Could I get a list of the trails? They look so fun. I only recognized 2 of them

Great Review 🤩 Keep up with producing top notch content. One more question. Could the travel of the Orbea Rallon be increased by changing the rear shock and maybe a burlier fork? ;-)

Looked close at all of these bikes and ended up buying a Specialized Enduro - still totally relevant geo and great support here in NZ. Not a bargain buy but can be spec'ed quite well compared to the Megatower and Spire for the same money.

Lol...'wheelbase of a school bus'...hahaha. I loved it!

Love your videos! So through. And production of your videos is next to non! Excuse my inexperiences.. but why no Pivot bike reviews comparison?

would love to see some coverage on the radon swoop

Great review! Now just waiting on the E bike showdown!!

In other words, RockyMountain is the best choice. Got it!

I’m always surprised that I don’t see the Evil Wreckoning V3 in these types of videos

I bought the 22 Rallon. I wanted something that did everything well

Can you do a review on the Cannondale Jekyll because I am considering it as my next bike

If I had the money, the need or a place to ride these bikes l would choose the Altitude. great at everything. Plus it looks awesome!

Did you mess with the ride 9 setup on the Altitude much? I know it has both linear and progressive linkage rates. I demoed one back in may and they set it up in progressive/full slack for me and the bike actually felt very poppy and fairly playful. IMHO the Altitude in progressive/slack mode would be a really fun park bike, that also climbs better than some trail bikes. Though now I'm really interested to try out a Revel Rail 29, I demoed a Canfield Lithium back in May so I know how well CBF pedals, though the Lithium is definitely a monster truck, not a play bike.

Thanks! Newbie’s question, would the Santa Cruz 5010 fit in this comparison?

Where would you place the Yeti SB160 compared to these other 5 models? I know it wasn´t released at the point you made this video but I´m curious if it´s closest to the Rallon or the Spire/Mega? Feels like really fast and efficient but not so forgiving bike maybe..

How would you compare the riding position of the altitude with the sentinel? I'm looking for a bike that doesnt require quite a super forward active body position all the time.

Propane tycee?

I would like to see the firebird.

Spire for me. No pads, and full face in the park only. It’s very playful and poppy, but can absolutely Mach rough and steep terrain. It’s surprisingly balanced at low speed too, and comfortable on long climbs. Yes, tight technical turns are challenging, but who cares? And it’s a little boring on the mellow flow trails, but as long as there’s plenty of air time you’re all set. Only bike in the test Group I have not ridden is the Revel, but most of my trails are too rough, and I hit the bike parks a dozen times a season.

How does the yeti sb150 compare to these? I find it strange that this channel does not cover an enduro bike that keeps doing so well on the EwS circuit. This bike also has a pretty solid pedaling/ susp platform

I also live along the Wasatch Front, where are you riding at 6:10?

Waiting for the upduro vs downcountry shootout

so what i’ve got from this video, Spire for tour de france races

Where would you place the sentinel in terms of downhill capability compared to these bikes?

How would you compare Rallon to the Sentinel?

I’m a full face, bikepark no paddle rider, but most downhill bikes are to heavy and not playful at all.. this might be the hardest position to be in to find one bike haha

If i wanted a nice and plush, ground hugging bike that isnt a terrible climber, would the altitude be a good choice?

Did you end up keeping or buying any of these bikes? I saw in the Megatower review you said that it felt like your sentinel but with deeper suspension -- was wondering if that became your daily driver?

So… if a guy rides snowbasin, powmow, bst, pcmr, lost lad, and then also does the crest at least 2 times a week in the AM before work… with a couple weekend trips to Moab/brianhead in the fall which bike you sending him otd with?

Where are the bikes testet? It looks like a really nice terrain?

Does the EVIL Wreckoning fair well against any of these bikes?

How come the norco range wasn’t included?

Is there any significant difference / improvments between these bikes and a Trek Slash 2021 9.8?

whats the best bike for bike park riding with big jumps

Watch the video. Like the Rallon Bought a Speci Enduro in the end. Still king 👑

Should i sell my Ranger or Rascal to buy the Rail29? 🤔 … thoughts/opinions appreciated

Love my altitude! but i don’t know if i would call it efficient :/

I love the Spire, but the external cable routing completely kills it for me.

Any chance to test the Kona process X ?😊

No specialized enduro?

I want all of them 😁

What about the Specialized Stumpjumper EVO, the Status and the Enduro ? 🤦🏻‍♂️

... Pivot Firebird?

whats about the specialized enduro?

The Trek Slash, YT Capra and Pivot Firebird at a minimum should have been in the test, 5 Enduro bikes isn't a comprehensive test

I noticed the “No pads-double black-hardtail rider” wasn’t on the list…

😎

Firebird

Still Ripmo V2 wins for me :)

You keep saying the megatower is plush i owned the previous model and it was a bitch to set up ,other reviews are saying the v2 is still harsh so whats the go

Just bought myself a Magatower, too bad you don’t show all these bikes from side view. Thanks for the reviews, watch them all ❤

No Evil Wreckoning V3?!?!?!

Of course it needs efficient climbing it is an enduro bike lol... enduro bike is supposed to be the do it all bike. Trail ready, downhill ready and downcountry thats why we have enduro race and requirements of tough parts

Where is the Specialized Enduro? if it’s a Enduro comparison video I don’t believe you can leave out the bike named after the sport itself!

I feel like the nomad is better than the mega tower for everything except maybe racing…

Rail 29 should not be an Enduro bike , it's more a Trail bike at 150 rear and 160 front. Santa Cruz Bronson is a Trail bike and it has the same 150 to 160. That is why it climbs better and faster.

forget specialized..

The minute you said participation trophies you lost me. Your review seems like Switzerland you're trying to be neutral with everybody and not piss anybody off in regards to the sponsors that will give you these bikes to try. Pretty lame. And yes you may not get compensation from these guys but you get hits on KZfaq because you get to use these bikes to test them out. So yeah their sponsors.

Where them pivots at?🤌🏻