9 Dream Bikes That Will Break Your Budget
9 Dream Bikes: GT Fury World Cup, Marin Attack Trail Pro, Norco Aurum C7.1, BMC Teamelite 01, Intense M16 Factory, Rocky Mtn Thunderbolt 799 MSL, Pivot Cycles Mach 6 Carbon XTR Di2, Scott Spark 700 Ultimate, Cannondale Habit Hi-Mod Black Inc.
One of the best parts of my job is getting paid to attend trade shows like Interbike and seeing all the hottest new bikes available. Manufacturers bring out the bling and feature their high-end models with matching high-end price tags. There are many reasons that a bicycle can push into the five figure price range. Carbon remains the high end frame material of choice with some manufacturers even offering different levels of carbon frames with different layups and carbon processes used. Electronics have also driven up prices whether it be e-shifting, e-suspension or the much debated e-drive. Even without electronics, the latest 1x and 2x drivetrains carry a hefty price. Of course, no Dream Bike is complete without Dream Parts like carbon hoops, carbon bars, carbon stems, carbon cranks, carbon spacers…etc. It should also be noted that all of the bikes featured here are rolling on 27.5″ wheels with the exception of BMC’s XC racer (rolling on 29s).
With any of these Dream Bikes, you are getting a drool worthy rig that is sure to be the envy of all your buddies on the trail. But not only does carbon look good, it is stronger and lighter than anything else out there. And let’s not forget the top notch ride quality of a truly dialed ride. As in some of our other round-ups, this is not meant to be an exhaustive list of every Dream Bike, but a collection of those that we saw in person at the Big Show. Here, in order from least expensive to most expensive are the 2016 Dream Bikes from Interbike.
If you hit the Powerball tomorrow, which of these bikes would you throw down for? Any other favorites? Perhaps you’re already riding a high zoot Dream Bike? Let us know in the comments below.
That GT’s most expensive bike is a DH race rig is not surprising given their serious WC level race team and gravity oriented heritage.
GT Fury World Cup – $7050
GT has spent many years building up a serious race team for both World Cup Enduro and DH racing, so it’s not really a surprise that the Fury World Cup is their most expensive model. It’s an alloy frame which is part of the reason it starts off our list as the least expensive of the most expensive. Refined over the years by racers such as Mick Hannah, Gee and Rachel Atherton and Tyler McCaul at Red Bull Rampage, the Fury represents the pinnacle of all those years of development. With 210mm of travel, the Fury World Cup is ready to race right out of the box. But not only is it ready to race, it’s ready to win.
The Fury WC is kitted with Fox Factory 40 Float fork and Fox DHX2 shock, Shimano Saint drivetrain and brakes, and Shimano Saint hubs paired with DT Swiss spokes and Stan’s rims. If you prefer to build up your own race rig, the Fury WC is available as a frame and Fox DHX2 shock for $2170. Or if you’re a racer on a budget, GT offers the Fury Elite at $3250.
GT Fury World Cup – $7050
To learn more, visit www.gtbicycles.com.
The Marin Attack Trail Pro features a monocoque carbon frame and uses Marin’s QUAD 3 suspension design to produce 150mm of travel.
Marin Attack Trail Pro – $9349
Marin has been building up their high-end bikes and have built up a reputation on both the EWS and National enduro scene with the likes of Kyle Warner racing his Attack Trail Pro. It features a monocoque carbon frame and uses Marin’s QUAD 3 suspension design to produce 150mm of travel. The price tag here is a culmination of the carbon frame and high end parts together such as the Shimano XTR 1×11 drivetrain, XTR brakes and XTR hubs mated with WTB’s Ci24 carbon rims.
Something a bit different is the BOS suspension. BOS is a French company that is popular in Europe and gaining more OEM ground here in the States. The front is handled by a BOS Deville FCV fork with 160mm of travel and the rear 150mm of travel is powered by a BOS Kirk 3-way shock.
The Attack Trail is available as a frameset (frame+shock) for $3079. If you forego the carbon frame, there is an alloy framed Attack Trail complete bike available starting at $2749.
Marin Attack Trail Pro – $9349
To learn more, visit www.marinbikes.com.
The Norco Aurum C7.1 is a beautiful bike with its Yellow and Black finish paired with the color matched ENVE carbon rims.
Norco Aurum C7.1 – $9700
Norco shows their North Shore roots and is another brand that specializes in gravity machines. The Aurum C7.1 is a carbon framed work of beauty with the black and yellow frame matching perfect with the ENVE M90rims. This bike is raced by the likes of Jill Kintner, Bryn Atkinson, Sam Blenkinsop, Jack Iles and more. Norco’s A.R.T. suspension produces 200mm of travel from the Cane Creek double barrel coil shock and the RockShox Boxxer World Cup matches that with 200mm of travel up front.
The Aurum C is also available as a frameset (with shock) for $2475 with a complete bike carbon version (Aurum C7.3) available for $4050.
Norco Aurum C7.1 – $9700
To learn more, visit www.norco.com.
The BMC teamelite 01 is the pinnacle of XC 29er hardtails and it is piloted on the WC circuit by none other than Julien Absalon.
BMC Teamelite 01 – $10,599
At the complete opposite end of the mountain bike spectrum is the BMC Team Elite 01. This bike is all new for 2016 and it is a World Cup race rig as well, except for the high performance XC category. There are a lot of tech features built in to this carbon 29er hardtail, like the MTT (Micro Travel Technology) system that features user customizable elastomers in the seatstays to provide just the right amount of cush.
The carbon frame itself is designed with all the knowledge that BMC has gained from working with carbon on their road bikes but that doesn’t mean they don’t know about mountain bikes. They have none other than Julien Absalon racing this very same bike and not just winning, but dominating.
The bike features Shimano’s top of the line XTR Di2 drivetrain with plenty of BMC’s own carbon parts like the bars, stem, seatpost and even BMC’s hubs and carbon rims. Truly, if XC speed is your utmost concern, this rig is for you. And yes, it’s over $10k.
BMC Teamelite 01 – $10,599
To learn more, visit www.bmc-switzerland.com/.
The Intense M16 has adjustable rear travel from 215 to 240mm. We tested the Pro Build version and it straight up rips.
Intense M16 Factory – $11,299
Intense Cycles was born from DH racing and they have always had some of the most innovative bikes on the market. For 2016, The Intense M16 Factory represents the highest of the high and utilizes titanium hardware throughout. The high modulus carbon frame produces a staggering 9.5 inches of rear travel (that’s 240mm for those of you on the metric system). The list of development riders and racers include Bernat Guardia, Jack Moir, Luca Cometti and Ferran Jorba, as well as Intense test pilots Chris Kovarik, Claire Buchar and none other than Shaun Palmer himself (who has his own limited edition of the M16).
We recently did a full review of the M16 with a Pro Build and came away completely impressed. The M16 Factory spares no expense however and features a RockShox Boxxer WC fork, RockShox Vivid Coil shock, SRAM X01 DH drivetrain, ENVE carbon bits like the bar and seatpost, and ENVE M90 wheels with DT Swiss hubs and spokes. The Intense M16 Pro Build that we tested has a price of $8499 but the M16 Factory pushes past the $11k mark! But they do make an aluminum framed version, too. Oh, and that finish? The M16 Factory paint job goes through the paint line 4 times due to masking and process.
Intense M16 Factory – $11,299
To learn more, visit www.intensecycles.com.
Continue to page 2 for more budget busters from Rocky Mountain, Pivot, Scott and Cannondale »
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