The bicycle industry is constantly advancing new bicycle technologies and innovations.Much of this progress is good and ultimately makes our bikes more capable and fun to ride, but that’s not always the case.Our recent view of technology dead-ends is proof.
However, bike brands do often get it right, perhaps more so than off-road bikes, which now look nothing like the ones we rode a decade ago.
In what may be chicken-or-egg, cross-country mountain bike racing has become more technical and faster – as the test Izu circuit at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics proves – and the bikes have become more The ability, well, a damn sight is faster too.
Nearly every aspect of off-road MTB has changed over the past decade, from longer, looser MTB geometry that can chop it up on technical downhills and rocky sections while still being lightning-fast fast uphill) to a handlebar as wide as the one on some cars.The best enduro mountain bike.
We can’t say we were disappointed.These changes make off-road riding and viewing more fun and, to a degree, pave the way for off-road bikes that combine the best parts of XC and off-road bikes.
So, with all of that in mind, here are six ways that off-road bikes are changing, and why it’s a good thing for every cyclist.If you want to learn more about XC bikes, be sure to check out our buyer’s guide to the best off-road bikes.
Perhaps the most notable change in XC bikes is the size of the wheels, with top off-road mountain bikes all using 29-inch wheels.
Looking back 10 years, while many riders are starting to realize the benefits of 29 inches, many are still stubbornly sticking with the smaller, and until then, standard size 26 inches.
Now, that will also depend on sponsorship requirements.If your sponsor doesn’t make a 29er, you can’t ride it even if you wanted to.But no matter what, many drivers are happy to stick to what they know.
And, they have good reason.It took the bike industry a while to get the 29ers geometry and components right.The wheels can be flimsy, and the handling can leave a little to be desired, so it’s no wonder some riders are skeptical.
However, in 2011,  was the first rider to win the Cross Country World Cup on a 29-inch bike.He then won the 2012 London Olympics cross-country gold medal in a 29er (Specialized S-Works Epic).Since then, 29-inch wheels have gradually become the norm in XC racing.
Fast forward to now, and most riders would agree on the benefits of 29-inch wheels for XC racing.They roll faster, provide more traction and increase comfort.
Another big change for dirt bikes (and mountain bikes in general) was the advent of mountain bike kits with a gearing, a chainring in the front and a wide range cassette in the rear, usually a small 10 on one end Tooth sprocket with a huge 50-tooth sprocket on the other end.
You don’t have to go very far to see a trail bike with a triple crankset up front.A member of the BikeRadar team remembers their first off-road bike,  coming out in 2012, with a triple crankset.
Triple and dual chainrings may provide the rider with a good range of gears and neat spacing for the perfect cadence, but they are also more difficult to maintain and keep in good working order.
As with any innovation, when released its one-by gearing in 2012, many riders weren’t quite sure because conventional wisdom was that 11 gears wouldn’t really work on an off-road track.
But gradually, professionals and hobbyists alike began to realize the benefits of one-by.Drivetrains are easier to install, easier to maintain and reduce weight while keeping your bike looking clean.It also enables bike makers to build better full-suspension bikes because there is no front derailleur to make room for the rear shock.
The jumps between gear ratios could be a bit bigger, but it turns out no one cares or actually needs the tight spacing that dual or triple chainrings provide.
Going to any off-road race today, we suspect every bike will be a cog, which is just a good thing in our opinion.
Geometry is a great example of how cycling technology can keep up with the demands of the discipline and keep improving.As off-road racing has become rougher and more technical, brands have evolved by making their bikes more suitable for downhill while still maintaining climbing performance.
A prime example of modern off-road bike geometry is the latest Specialized Epic, which outlines how much off-road gear has evolved.
The Epic is perfect for the high-speed and technical demands of modern off-road.It has a relatively slack 67.5-degree head angle, along with a generous 470mm and a steep(ish) 75.5-degree seat angle.All the good stuff when pedaling and descending fast.
2012′s Epic looks dated compared to the modern version.The 70.5-degree head tube angle makes the bike sharp in turns, but it also makes it unconfident downhill.
Reach is also shorter at 438mm, and the seat angle is slightly slack at 74 degrees.A looser seat angle can make it harder for you to get an efficient position to pedal on the bottom bracket.
Likewise, the new is another XC bike whose geometry has changed.The head tube angle is 1.5 degrees slower than the previous model, while the seat angle is 1 degree steeper.
It’s worth noting that we’re drawing thick lines here.In addition to the geometry figures we’re citing here, there are many other figures and factors that affect how an off-road bike handles, but there’s no denying that modern XC geometry has evolved to make these bikes less shy when riding downhill .
We suspect that if you told any 2021 Olympic rider that they would have to race on cramped rubber, they would be very upset.But rewinding 9 years and thin tires is fairly common, and 2012 winner comes with 2-inch tires.
Over the past decade, there has been a broader trend in tires across the cycling landscape, from road riding to XC, and the best mountain bike tires today are pretty solid.
Conventional wisdom used to be that narrower tires roll faster and save you a little weight.Both are important in off-road racing, but while narrower tires can save you some weight, wider tires are better in almost every other way.
They roll faster, provide more grip, provide more comfort, and can reduce the chance of an untimely puncture.All is good for a budding off-road racer.
There is still some debate about which tire is actually the fastest, and there may not be a clear answer to that question.But for now, most riders seem to be opting for 2.3-inch or 2.4-inch tires for XC racing.
We even ran our own experiments on tire widths, exploring the fastest tire sizes for mountain bikes and the fastest tire volumes for off-road.If you’re sizing tires yourself, make sure you also read our MTB tire pressure guide.
As someone said in a movie about spiders, “with great power comes great responsibility” and the same goes for modern off-road bikes.
Your optimized tires, geometry and wheel size give you the opportunity to go faster than ever.But you need to be able to control that power – and for that, you’ll need wider handlebars.
Again, you don’t have to go very far to see a bike with a handlebar narrower than 700mm.Looking further back, they even start to dip below 600mm.
In this age of wide bars, you might be wondering why anyone would ride such a narrow width?Well, speeds were generally slower back then, and downhills were less technical.Also, it’s just something people use all the time, why change it?
Luckily for all of us, as speeds go up, so do our handlebar widths, and many XC bikes are stocked with 740mm or 760mm handlebars that would have been unthinkable a decade ago.
Kind of like wider tires, wider handlebars have become the norm across the mountain bike scene.They give you more control over technical sections and can improve the fit of the bike, and some riders feel that the extra width helps open up the chest for breathing.
The suspension has come in leaps and bounds over the past decade or so.From Fox’s electric locking to lighter, more comfortable shocks, there’s no question that today’s bikes are more comfortable on steep or technical terrain.
These improvements in suspension technology, along with the fact that the track is more technical than ever, means you’re more likely to see a full-suspension bike than a hardtail in a top XC race.
Hardtails are perfect for the courses we saw in off-road a decade or more ago.Now everything has changed.While the is one of the less technical courses on the current World Cup circuit, and raises the question of whether to choose a hardtail or a full suspension bike (Victor won the 2021 Men’s Classic with a hardtail,  won the Women race full suspension), most riders now opt for both ends in most races.
Don’t get us wrong, there are still lightning-fast hardtails in XC—the BMC  introduced last year is evidence of progressive off-road hardtails—but full-suspension bikes now reign supreme.
Travel is also becoming more progressive.Take the new Scott Spark RC – the bike of choice for .It has 120mm of travel front and rear, whereas we’re more used to seeing 100mm.
What other developments have we seen in suspension technology?Take Specialized’s patented Brain Suspension, for example.The design works using an inertia valve, which automatically locks the suspension for you on flat terrain.Hit a bump and the valve quickly opens the suspension again.In principle, it’s a brilliant idea, but in practice, early iterations have given the brain some earthy followers.
The biggest complaint was the loud thump or thump the rider felt when the valve opened again.You also can’t adjust your brain’s sensitivity on the fly, which isn’t great if you’re riding on different terrain.
However, like everything on this list, Specialized has gradually improved the brain over the years.It can now be adjusted on the fly, and the percussive sound, while still present, is much softer than previous generations.
Ultimately, the evolution of the shock is a prime example of how today’s XC bikes are designed to be more capable and versatile than ever before.
has been competing in a variety of different events for over a decade, including cross country, marathon and mountain climbing, and now he enjoys a more sedate life, stopping at cafes and drinking beer after cycling.While a younger family means he has less free time, he still enjoys going uphill and suffering on the rides.As a staunch supporter of hardtail mountain biking on the road, you might also find riding his beloved as the sun goes down.
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