When you really want to maximize your shredding by upgrading your ride, then check out our guide to the best mountain bikes 2023. Wrench Science can get you kitted out so you’ll be ready to conquer the trails.
Best mountain bikes in 2023
As mountain bike experts, we have made a study of what are the best mountain bikes to buy depending on your riding focus. Since we have a deep stock of the top mountain bikes currently on the market, we want to help you when deciding what bike is right for you.
Ibis Ripley V4S
Treading the line between XC and trail, the Ibis Ripley V4S finds that perfect balance between lightweight snappy acceleration and beefy downhill capability. It’s super flickable fun thanks to the Dave Weagle dw-link suspension platform that uses V5 kinematics. Combining that with the 120mm rear travel paired with 130mm up front always guarantees climbing efficiency and descending capability, well beyond what you’d typically expect from 120mm of travel. Among the top mountain bikes for 2023, it’s a versatile lightweight trail bike with enough travel to allow you to tackle tougher terrain but offering incredibly efficient pedaling.
Evil Bikes The Offering LS
You may see a pattern when we tell you that the Evil Bikes Offering LS is next in line on our list of best mountain bikes for 2023. With 29-inch wheels attached to 150mm front and 141mm rear suspension, it falls a little closer to a pure trail bike than the Ripmo V2S, but The Offering LS’s secret weapon is similar to the Ripmo’s: Dave Weagle designed this link system as well. His DELTA Link provides an ingenious Flip-chip adjustability, you can still tweak the geometry exactly to suit your needs. Do you want it to be a bit more responsive on the climbs, set it in the higher position. Ready to rage down your favorite descent, then the low setting will make you feel totally gravity ready.
Intense Sniper T
Coming in on the slimmer side of full suspension travel, the Intense Sniper T is the ultimate XC-trail bike that can climb, descend, and pop off some wicked bike park jumps. The lightweight carbon frame offers a hard-tail snappiness while the 29-inch wheels ensure big rollover for when the trail gets demanding. Paired with 120mm suspension front and rear, the Sniper T keeps it real for XC racers, but will impress even enduro nuts with its level of capability thanks to the progressive modern geometry.
Best All Mountain Bike 2023
Ibis Ripmo V2S
Though technically a dedicated enduro racing bike, the Ibis Ripmo V2S slots in as the best all-mountain bike that could easily be your go-to rig for all types of trail riding and even bike park popping. With 160mm front suspension and a 147mm dw-link rear travel, this 29er descends like a demon, but is snappy enough to be supple and surefooted on climbs as well. That’s largely thanks to the Dave Weagle developed linkage system which makes the Ripmo V2S capable and progressive without feeling sluggish. Its super efficient pedaling platform, but longer travel to allow you to tackle spicier terrain.
Best Mountain Bike for the Money
Niner Air 9 RDO
We have several candidates for best mountain bike for the money on our stock list. Sometimes it is even hard for us to choose what is our favorite ride, but if you are looking for an incredibly lightweight hardtail to rocket around your local XC race series, then the Niner Air 9 RDO is the way to go. Using their RDO Carbon Compaction System to make a super lightweight and durable carbon frame helps keep the Air 9 RDO race ready and bike park poppable at the same time. The geometry caters to those who like snappy handling while still offering a slack stance for when you need to handle some techy downhills. The frame has been optimized for 100mm forks, though if you like that extra bit of shock for your courses, it can fit up to 120mm. Super versatile, the frame is compatible 1X, 2X and even 3X.
The wild card
Moots Womble
We love the Moots Womble. The gorgeous titanium tubing and welding makes the Womble look so sleek and elegant that we sometimes just like to sit and stare at it. Titanium is an overlooked frame material for mountain bikes, but since Moots is among the greatest experts in Ti frame manufacturing, they have instilled the Womble with all their knowledge on how to make the strongest, lightest titanium hardtail mountain bike possible. They use a proprietary double butted top and down tube to ensure it’s the stiffest most durable frame possible. With 29-inch wheels and 2.6-inch tires combined with a 140mm fork, the Womble glides over the gnarliest terrain. Since Colorado-based Moots sits comfortably among the best mountain bikes brands and has all the Rocky Mountains as their testing grounds, it’s no wonder the Womble feels so good even when the going gets tough.
When you are looking to buy the best mountain bike for your shredding needs, make sure you have a close look at our wide selection of hardtail and full suspension mountain bikes for all types of off-road riding. Whether you are aiming to increase your XC speeds or amp up your downhill skills, Wrench Science has the perfect rig for you.
