NEW YORK, NY (BRAIN)—Bicycling magazine has revealed the eight winners of its 2011 Editors’ Choice Awards in the mountain bike category, honoring the year’s best new models across a wide range of categories and price points as part of an eight-page feature in the new August issue of the magazine on newsstands this Saturday, July 5.
The winners, as well as the finalists in each category, are also featured as part of a special Editor’s Choice Awards slideshow on Bicycling.com (click on above link).
Bicycling’s test team, which collectively has more than 50 years experience reviewing mountain bikes, determined this year’s Editor’s Choice winners following a week of intense testing on the trails of Sedona, Arizona—a backdrop that features prominently in the dynamic photography showcasing this year’s winners in the August issue.
The magazine’s 2011 Editor’s Choice winners in each category are:
BEST VALUE BIKE: Salsa El Mariachi
BEST ALL-MOUNTAIN BIKE: Specialized S-Works Enduro
BEST TRAIL WOMEN’S BIKE: Santa Cruz Juliana SPX
BEST TRAIL BIKE (26-inch wheels): Pivot Mach 5.7
BEST RACE FULL SUSPENSION (26-inch wheels): Trek Top Fuel 9.8
BEST XC FULL SUSPENSION 29er: Santa Cruz Tallboy Carbon
BEST TRAIL 29er: Turner Sultan
BEST RACE HARDTAIL 29er: Cannondale Flash 29er 1
BEST OF THE BEST: Santa Cruz Tallboy Carbon
“The technology and performance in today’s mountain bikes are the best we’ve ever seen, but our Editor’s Choice winners stand out as truly exceptional bikes,” said Peter Flax, Bicycling editor-in-chief. “Our testing team once again went to great lengths to make sure that we rode the hell out of every bike in consideration—all of which makes it easier for our readers to choose their next mountain bike.”
Bicycling’s Editors' Choice Awards are a long-running mark of distinction for exceptional bikes and cycling gear reviewed by Bicycling, which formalized the awards in 2005 into specific product categories, with one winner selected from among four or five finalists, tested head-to-head.
From a market of hundreds, Bicycling’s testing team narrowed the field down to the best 32 bikes available—all named as finalists in their respective categories. They then took the bikes to Sedona for a week of hard-charging riding on slickrock descents, jagged climbs and rugged washes. To ensure fair comparison, price, travel, and components were evenly matched whenever possible.
Each winning bicycle manufacturer, as well as the finalists in each category, is eligible to include the Bicycling Editors’ Choice logo in the marketing of their brands—in print advertising, catalogs, websites, product hang-tags and retail displays—to build awareness for the award among cycling consumers.
