Trail vs. XC: Most mountain bikes are capable of far more than the person sitting on them. Pick a bike, ride it often, continue pushing your skills to the next level again and again and you will go far before the frame geometry makes enough difference to matter for you.

every mountain biker should start on a hardtail XC bike. Build the technique and then move on to longer travel.

Lots of the world doesn't have mountains and is flatter. XC way more applicable to most people.

The rider is more important than the bike. I ride a 2013 Scott Spark and can keep up with or get away from most riders on newer, more aggressive bikes.

I'm currently in the fantasizing phase of mountain bike ownership, so thanks for this great comparison video.

Great video. I too see the differences in my bikes but mine are my Jet9 vs my Hightower. I love switching back and forth from one bike to the other. Makes you appreciate the advantages in each bike

Good to hear just how well either bike has it's own unique rhythm and rhyme. Very informative!

Always love seeing content relating to the Spur.. seems so versatile

This is great Clint thank you. A brief explanation and the beginning would have helped because I didn't really know the difference between a XC bike and a trail bike. This explains why I don't like my XC bike for the trails I usually ride because they are technical terrain, so this helps. What I really need is a trail bike.

I'm in the Appalachian foothills (local to Blankets Creek, Rope Mill, Bear Creek, etc.) and trail bikes have won me over. I had a Giant Anthem that was fantastic 80% of the time around here, but I could overwhelm it in the chunkier stuff. I now have a '19 Transition Scout and a '22 Kona Honzo ESD, which both pair to the local trails beautifully. Not the greatest climbing rigs, but they get it done and make up for it everywhere else.

Great video. I started XC riding and ended up getting a trail bike and doing more trail riding and I totally get it when you said it takes a more experienced rider to go fast on an XC bike. I was waay faster on my modern geo trail bike. However, I am constantly bottoming out my 140mm fox 34mm fork and my 135mm fox dps shock. My next bike will definitely have more travel and maybe a little slacker geometry. Great video though!

I'm a travel nurse so I'm all over the place. I bought a new Specialized Stumpjumper and it perfect for a wide variety of trails. Very happy with the modern trail bike.

Fantastic video, Clint! On top of the info, if someone likes to ride a marathon or long time riding technical trails, such as 8 to 12 hours relay, I'd recommend choosing the new "down country" models as well. That one combines speed with cornering and some more suspension strokes. I ride XC bikes (specialized Epic carbon, 29er) and enjoy tech trails a lot. uhull nice let`s ride :)

Great video. I have an old hard tail XC with 90 mm travel in the fork and just bought a new short travel trail bike. 140 mm front and 125 mm rear. I appreciate your channel.

Thanks for the great video and comparison. This is super helpful for me as i contemplate my next bike purchase.

Good analysis and breakdown, thanks!

Excellent tutorial Clint. Thanks.

Really appreciate your considered thoughts. Thank you!

Good vid, I am impressed seeing you taking those drops and jumps with the Spur with only 120mm.. WoW that’s bike is truly versatile .

I literally had to research what a trail bike was vs a XC. If you're like me and rode the same 1995 Trek hardtail for the last 26 years then any decent bike is an awesome upgrade and will be a huge improvement. Having said that I bought a specialized Fuse last September and I love it. I couldn't believe how much better it felt. I rode it on some rocky trails in Southern Utah last month and decided I might like full suspension so 2 weeks ago I picked up a new Salsa Blackthorn. I'm excited to take it out after winter finally decides to leave Montana.

Definitely helpful - thanks for posting.

Live in S.E. Michigan and we have tons of XC trails. I feel my Supercaliber XX1 was more than adequate! Just ordered a Gen 2 Supercaliber with 110 up front and 80 in the rear, that should be perfect. Now, if I head to the UP, then a trail bike would be better! XC for life!

The Sta.Cruz Tallboy is also a solid and versatile aggressive trail bike although having a 130 mm travel fork. And yeah, you could ride an enduro trails.

Just got into mtb, video and comments are very informative and helped with my decision.

Great concise explanation. Unfortunately can’t have an XC and trail so I ride a Stumpjumper that I’ll use in a duathlon this June. Make the best of what you got, right?

Excellent content 👍🏼

Here in So Cal, every ride 1200-2200 feet of climbing with steep up to a mile downhill sections. Enduro for me 160mm/170mm of travel. I use all of it and it’s really fun! Lots of climbing on a heavier bike though. 170mm forks are heavy. Rocky Mountain Altitude A50.

good point with the super low BBs on trail bikes. had to install a bigger fork on my SC 5010 to get rid off some of the issues. works better now, but I'll probably also change the cranks on this (from 175mm to 165mm or so)

Great video. Thanks for sharing your experience between XC and trail bikes. Im definitely in favor of trail bike. Also I'm glad to see Santos trails. Boy, do I miss it! I'm in NC and love my mountains, but it's been 8 years since I've moved from Florida trails, especially Santos. Keep riding!

Modern xc bikes are extremely capable of tackling bike trails and it's very evident when you watch the latest xco races the only difference is those riding the xc bikes in that race is a full time mtber that has enough saddle time to polish skills they possesed. Unlike us who only get few saddle time that is why a trail bike which is easier to handle is both safer and more fun for us nonetheless it os still the best to enjoy what bike we have. I remember using my xc bike for long distance road travel before i got my road bike

Great perspective. I live a couple counties away from you (in Pasco). I’m way older than you - haha. I love Croom and XC trails. Trying to decide on a new bike. Appreciate this video!

Ride and race XC- I have a SC Blur, thought I would score a trail HT for the N Ga mountains etc so I picked up a SC Chamelion. Sold it soon after, felt like a slow monster truck. Bought a Santa Cruz Highball. It's a rocket. When you're used to XC bikes, trail bikes seem cumbersome and heavy to me.

I ordered a downcountry mtb and yesterday i sended a email to reorder the cart becasuse i was wrong about my intentions with the bike. I hope for tomorrow that all of that situation finish in a good way. I chossed a Epic Evo and i'm going to order Stumpi C Alloy. I like my bike for a funny week day around my local hills. And today i'm watching videos of all of that only to try to understand my brain 😊. Thanks ❤for your patience

Great review, I ride a 2018 Pivot Mach 429 trail, I tend to not be able keep up with friends who are on xc but I love the versatility of the 429 and have it dialed for technical to flow as well as jumps. The bike is certainly very capable so working on my skills is a constant mindset.

I would like to add that I feel much safer on a trail bike. I don't miss going over the handlebars on those steep head tube angle race bikes I rode for years.

Excellent translation of what the two bikes are best for. I’ll tell you what though, giant anthem and trance a few years back 27.5 were some fast bikes!

Love my trail/all mountain bike. 150 front/rear. Flats. Love it when I’m building confidence on new trails or technical. Once comfortable XC PRs. Genius/spark

There is this short V shaped creek crossing that I can take at any speed on my 160mm front fork trail bike. Just like you said , in corners, the shorter stiffer XC bike pumps faster.

Very good comparison!

Well explained. Thanks.

Great comparison/discussion on these bikes... only one pet peeve - your Timber bell is on the wrong side of your bars :)

Tank you, that's why I chose Canyon Neuron (67° head tube angle) over the Canyon Spectral (64° head tube angle). It's still an trail bike, it's slacker than XC bike, but seems like a nice compromise. I live in a low to mid mountains area with a lot of hilly meadows.

I recently changed from a ‘21 Epic Evo to a ‘22 Stumpy. I moved many of the parts over from the EE to the SJ (bought a frame and fork) so I was able to really see the difference in the geo without influence from unfamiliar parts. The biggest difference for my riding is the added stack height. The slacker head is the next standout but the stack has taken away the over the bars feeling I was getting on steeper trails with roots and rocks. That helped to give me more confidence throughout the ready of the riding aspects. It’s not as nimble as the EE but as far as speed up a hill I don’t think it is any slower. Like you said after a ride and you settle back into the bike you will find how to get speed and agility out of it.

Bought my downcountry bike. And I don't like how sluggish it feels when cornering. That problem was (partly) cured by changing the fork to one with more offset. Changing stock 44mm offset fork to the old school 51mm offset fork reduce trail value and bring back the lively steering I want. It still does not handle as quick as the real original XC bike with both steep HTA and high fork offset, but anything toward that direction is welcome.

There is far less movement on a XC bike if its set up for competition. XC is one of the most extreme disciplines in the sporting world and requires very little excess motion besides going forward.

Great explanation. Thx.

Great video

I have a DC. Suits my needs perfectly. Only thing is the fork, a Sid ultimate 120mm, is pretty xc oriented. I like it but it gets pretty stiff on steep technical descents when going fast. It would be interesting to try Pike ultimate for comparison though

Talking from a not so good riders perspective: I feel better on trailbike in descents and trails. Both are good on gravel, and the XC is much lighter to pedal on tarmac. I totally agree that riding xc on trails demands more skills (that I dont have)

We are spoiled w/ choice today which can do a lot of things...paralyze us with decision or just expand the possibilities. Been in the game racing and riding since the mid-90s. The two biggest revelations in MTB for me was in 2003 getting a Santa Cruz Blur and when 29ers hit the scene. For me, the 29er was the bigger one since I already had a FS before that (Santa Cruz Superlight), but when 29ers hit the scene, it was when I really started liking singlespeed. I have 2 (technically 3) MTB, an Ibis Ripley LS with a 140mm fork and an Ibis Tranny29 (T29). The T29 is setup singlespeed but I have done a lot more mods to it: A SID Ultimate 120, Wolft tooth 2deg angleset headset so it puts into a more modern geo like a "Down country" but still singlespeed and HT. The front end by calculation is about 67deg (very close to the same as the Ripley with a 140) but a very short rear-end and higher bottom bracket so it just blasts technical bits but with a bit more precision than what the normal XC bike is. Being also just a hair under 20lb, it just accelerates so fast! I do throw gears, a suspension post and bar-ends ran inboard on it and I've done 120mi + gravel events....simply a fantastic all-arounder. That said, for the trails I like to ride...I still feel like the trail bike is a more fun bike to ride most of the time, and the Ripley isn't slow either sitting right about 25lb. Its just that regardless, that rear suspension and longer travel just created a big safety net and allow me to push the bik e further. I say if you want gravel versatility, go HT XC. IF you want travel versatility, go trail bike.

I have 175 length cranks for my XC setup and 165 length for my Trail/Enduro setup. Problem solved on pedal strikes.

Clint, great video from an experienced rider! I have both trail and XC, but nether noticed that the pedals on the trail are positioned lower than on XC. I never hit the ground or a rock more often on one bike vs. the other. Maybe it’s the model you are using or the sag or the tire pressure that is making you feel this way. It’s worth checking.

One thing I started to notice when it comes to trail vs XC geometry is that trail bikes seem to usually have a longer reach vs shorter chainstays whereas the XC bike is more often balanced between the two or often has a shorter reach and longer chainstays. Why is that? I understand trail bikes typically have the longer wheel base so it makes sense that the reach would be longer but it isn't just that. The chainstays on XC bikes tend to be longer than trail bike chainstays as well. An extreme example of this I found is the Vitus Rapide CRX, an XC hardtail, which lists for its medium frame size a tiny 402mm reach and 440mm chainstays. For whatever reason the alloy version of the bike is a bit more balanced with a 420 reach and 435 on the stays.

In Arizona, I love the extra travel of the trail bike .The extra travel is almost required for the rough technical trails. How about these longer travel xc bikes? I have not tried these yet.

This is really interesting, but would longer travel have negative impact on anything? My Diamondback Release 3 is 130 rear, 140 front. I've considering moving to an XC bike, for weight and shorter travel (more pedal efficiency), but as it turns out my Release 3 is pretty light for a trail bike.

Then try a 26" bike))) It is much more percise in handling and faster to acelerate. 29er is like a boat.

Clint, I think you should try putting 760mm bars on your trail bike. I think you'll find that the bike will feel a lot more agile. I went from 800mm to 760mm on my trail bike and this was my experience. So I think it's not just the head angle, shorter wheel base, and steeper seat tube angle that contribute to the difference in feel between the xc and trail setups.

Modern trail bikes are so good now! I have a carbon ibis ripley and set kom’s at my local xc trail.

I sure do enjoy my 29er 130 front and rear trail BMC

Call me crazy but I race a stumpjumper evo for xc, and it’s super fun for me

I race XC and typically ride a Trek SuperCaliber(XC) (27.0 lbs, 100/60 susp)... prior to that I had/raced a Kona Hei Hei(XC) (30.5 lbs, 120/100 susp)... I traded in my Hei Hei for an Ibis Ripley SLX (trail) (30.5 lbs, 130/120 susp) mostly for some of my local trails. On more tech race courses I sometimes ride the Ripley because of some of the points you mentioned... like in a rock garden if the SuperCal gets knocked off line a bit, it is dicey, which can make you tentative... where the Ripley.. Rips right through.(surprise) Anyway.. In my experience racing, not only does the trail bike seem sluggish but I find you have to work so much more to keep them going, especially on flats/climbs. On my training loop, the trail bike is always just a bit slower per lap, and in addition my strava reletive effort is always significantly higher. I always tell myself that the Ripley was close enough to the Hei Hei that they should ride close to the same, but it's just not the case. The difference in geometry and rider position makes a huge difference, and as you mentioned, how they handle. Basically it comes down to using the right tool for the job. In my experience the faster tech and decending of the trail bike doesn't make up for the all around performance of an XC in a race scenario. But the trail bike may keep you upright/confident on tech courses. I typically just suffer through rough tech in races on the XC bike because the trade off in 'effort' to go fast on the trail bike doesn't pay dividends over an entire lap/race. Trail bikes for me.. great for tech trails, and training/fun rides... and yeah you can go fast. But only race them on the knarliest of courses. So I completely agree..for racing XC bikes for sure check more boxes in the pro column, and the cons of the trail bike make it an unlikely choice unless you are just leisurely ripping around.

I really like the 165mm cranks on the "low trail bike" - for me that erased the strikes (had 175mm before) - as these bikes to be on the edge of "too low". it didnt really make a noticeable difference in pedaling after one ride i got used to it completely.

If you want to split categories even further between XC and trail bikes, you can look at downcountry bikes. Another option that I'll advocate for is what I call long legged trail bikes, which are bikes with geo closer to an XC bike, but the travel of a trail bike. My Orbea Occam fits this description and it's great: as a cyclist who enjoys the endurance and pedaling aspect of cycling and will never be someone who likes to ride insanely technical stuff, I love that the Occam retains the playful and nimble feel of an XC bike but still has some travel in reserve for rougher stuff if I get in over my head.

I ride an Specialized Epic Evo - coming from a Stumpjumper - its all better, it's lighter, faster and has enough Suspension for even rough trials - its almost as fast as a gravel bike too - no need for anything else

I will never swap my Specialized XC 29 Stumpjumper HT for any full suspension XC ( I tried it) or a trail bike as my bike rolls perfectly in the terrain where there are quick singles with no rocks. Preferring riding Porsche 911 rather than Kia Sorento so to say. IMO the type of terrain you ride determines which bike you choose. More rocky - trail, fast singles - XC hardtail/full XC

Although I don't have an XC bike it is interesting comparing my Down country and Trail bikes and its pretty much the same as what you are saying Clint. The steering is sharper on the Down country than the trail and if I am going on a long ride, I take the Down Country every time. In the winter I prefer the trail bike as we get a lot of mud and the trail bike is just that bit more robust. The Down Country climbs loads better than the trail bike as well.

Going from a trail bike to a light weight xc hardtail was the best thing I've done - feels fast everywhere, accelerates like a road bike and I can approach the limits of the bike and it feels mega agile, far more versatile as I can use it on road, around the park and on trails. trail bike was amazing when pointed downhill and you can lean it right over and drop off insane stuff but everything else was a chore. like driving a truck Vs an Ariel nomad.

When in doubt, one of each… N+1! :)

I think that you can see that XC bikes are getting more and more suspension. Even Schurter runs a 120mm/120mm for 2022. Lock it up on the uphill, and let the slacker, more trail oridented geometry do the work on the downhill and save seconds there. Downcountry is getting more and more popular. You would have a hard time finding a 2022 XC bike with less than 100mm front and rear. (I'm sure they exist)

I have been running XC for all applications for years. It is a good compromise between trail and downhill.

My biggest issue with the Spur was the BB height. The Spur is actually on the low end of the BB height spectrum (even for long-low-slack movement). This is why I went to the new Trek Top Fuel. I can still run 175 cranks and have zero pedal strikes on the front range. Might want to qualify saying 'every' trail bike is like this - there are exceptions, and they're great bikes. Evil Offering, Pivot Trail 429, 22' Trek Top Fuel to name a few.

Eying the Rocky Mountain Element C50. Not too bad of a spec for sub $5k and a somewhat local dealer helps.

Very age relative - I rode XC bikes over every conceivable trail I tackled as there were no Hybrid Bikes available - from the 1990s up till now - I’ve purchased a 2022 Trek Fuel Ex 9.8 at age 61, tackling the same trails even faster than my 29 FS XC & even doing light enduro trails - I could never go back to XC at my age

Truly madly deeply, a full suspension bicycle isn’t anything other than downhill or enduro. What you just showed us are two enduro style trail bikes. A cross country bike in my eyes is a hard tail steep angled mountain bike which is made for speed and climbing efficiency and at the top end these bikes are carbon fibre and weigh like 8-9kg.

I have two "trail" type bicycles, a Cannondale Trail SE1 and a new Transition Transam. They're both hard tail 29-ers, and ride like you describe for your Spur (though being hard tails). I have an old Klein Palomino, a 2002 full suspension bicycle, which, as a 26" with a relatively short wheelbase and steeper head angles, handles quickly like I would imagine a contemporary XC bike. The Palomino handles very quickly, but is not as robustly smooth as the later trail hard tails. Even though it's 21 years old, the Palomino is in good shape and has a sweet ride on flowy trails. If I had to do it again, I wish I'd gotten an XC bike rather than the Cannondale trail bike.

I have a classic “old school” 2013 cannondale scalpel 1 vs a 2020 cannondale habit. The ride is night and day different. 90mm vs 130 and cornering vs downhill so different. Yet I feel the scalpel is better at climbing and short track vs the habit is bomb going downhill. Cornering is much faster on the scalpel. At the end of the day though the Scalpel is punishing on my 58 yo body for anything other than brief training or event days. Plus you have to be very attentive during the ride because it’s handling is so fast.

Built up my spur with 165s 28 w/ 10-45. I can’t stay that pedal strikes have been a problem and get a similar climbing gear.

Learning a lot from this video as I mentally & financially prepare myself to owning a hardtail trail MTB---specifically a Marin San Quentin 3. At the moment, I only use an Giant Talon 2 (2017). I enjoy this bike a lot! Very versatile & utilitarian. Lots'a love, cheers, & Mabuhay, from tropical Philippines! #KeepBiking

Steeper Head Angle = Quicker more responsive cornering but can be twitchy. Slacker Head Angle = Slower to corner but more stable at speed.

My 1240 gram Yishun XC wheels with the 180 EXP hubs for the Niner RDO came Today, will get the bike to the shop Monday before work to swap over. Should bring weight down to about 21.2 WITH 212 gram Xpedo mountain force XM T pedals, right now it's 21.6 with the 1426 trail wheels. I love the speed off the hardtail and the low rolling resistance tires on the right trails make climbing a breeze, beautiful paint scheme as well on it. I have the SRAM centerlock 180/160 rotors never used if you know anyone interested? I just built it with the X rotors as they are lighter

I've been considering building a full carbon, ridgid, lightweight xc but so far I've only found a frame with forks at 70 degree head angle. I'm after the weight but I'm afraid the angle will hold me back in the corners, most trails I ride are similar to yours. If you get the opportunity to try a ridgid bike, please review it. I'm a year away from doing this and am very much on the fence. Great comparison video Clint. Thanks.

Not to muddy the waters, but “down country” bikes are blurring that distinction further. My Spark has 130/120 mm combo with slack geometry. My Genius is much burlier with 150/150 and 2.6” tires. The downcountry strikes me as a great balance for most..

Thank you for this! I live in Orlando so I ride at Santos too. I was thinking of trading my trail bike for XC but I think I'm better off just keeping my trail bike. I'm a triathlete/roadie primarily so my mtn bike skills not the greatest!! I think I am better off with my slower heavier trail bike! Thanks

On a giant xtc would you spend money on carbon 29er wheels or on 27.5+ carbon wheels if you had to choose one?

I'd probably go with an xc bike with light tires in flat Florida/south trails.

It would be interesting to swap the bars and see how it corners. 800mm for the xc and 760mm for the trail bike. How do the stem lengths compare?

Xc/trail xc with slack headset short stem long 200 dropper 100 120 24lbs Is the goat build for light riders to do it all.

I'm not sure I'd call the spur a trail bike. It's definitely on the XC side of a trail bike in that case. But it's a fantastic bike no matter what we call it :)

this is another perspective which isn't in the video. so lately gravel has been the trend but i love to mountain bike too. i found a XC bike was capable enough and light enough for me to slap some low tread rekon race and hang with gravel riders too. by doing this i consolidated my collection and sold off the gravel bike. my friend who is an absolute monster, he races. he owns a 10kg trance with a pike 140, firmly putting it as a trail bike and smokes me and all my gravel friend. at the end of the day, i dont think there's a simple answer to this question that encompasses every rider. the difficulty is knowing what to buy when you havent ridden it yet.

Heard people having less pedal strikes with 165 cranks on trail bikes. Haven’t tried it myself. Running 2.6 tires on my ibis and noticed less as well so didn’t need to change the cranks

As a owner of a Niner RKT9TDO with the 120 fork myself, I must say that this bike is far more traily than bikes from yesteryear. In my opinion the down country XC bikes are the bike for most of us casual riders

Or a downcountry with 120/120 and 2 wheel sets. Wheels can make a big different. I have 1 lightweight with xc tires and it feels like a rally car.And 1 set that is strong with wider and more grip tires that rides like a tractor. Both are fun but change the bike massively.And you can hit almost every terrain.

You, your terrain, and riding should guide the bike type. With the handling, it's not just geometry. Tires play a big role. Trail bikes have more aggressive tires, providing better traction in all situations.

For real question. Why all the hubbub if you kid is keeping pace on a hardtail? For me I like simple. Did you document laps on the two bikes? Your fights are pretty trick looking

I would say from personal experience and getting into racing enduro/downhill and xc Buy the bike that you will be fastest on during that type of race i have a enduro bike and a xc bike both for each discipline of racing. However if you are not racing go with a trail bike you will have the most fun even if you arent the fastest one on the trail

I have an orbea occam tr m30 2017, with 120 front and 110 rear, and im still wondering if its really different from the xc bikes nowadays..could it be that modern xc bikes are similar to trail bikes Back to 2017??

I have a 1997 full rigid retro MTB with Hi-ten fork and Cro-Mo frame. 3x6 have no problems. I love it and use for everything including carry groceries. Is there any modern bike that can take over as a successor?

Solid video...I'd say like 95% of people would be fine on a trail bike.

Pick the bike that matches the trail. XC bike ride on XC trails, Trail bikes ride on... Most the time my XC dual sus bike I ride with susp locked out. When I get to an area I want the cushion of susp, I engage the suspension.

great comparison. where are those trails and bike park? thanks!