3 full-squish XC-oriented bikes

Intense Spider Pro

$6,950

Intense Cycles, a brand well-known for its gravity-oriented bikes, also makes a machine designed to go uphill as well as it can go down. With a full carbon frame, front and rear Fox suspension and SrAM X1/X01 drivetrain, the Spider has all the essentials to keep you competitive on the start line. Intense stays true to its downhill pedigree and specs the Spider with a Renthal bar. SrAM Guide RS brakes keep your speed in check and the RockShox Reverb dropper post with stealth routing gets the seat out of the way for those downhill passes.

Trek Top Fuel 9.8 SL Women’s

$6,900

Trek’s Top Fuel 9.8 SL Women’s bike is aimed at riders looking to stand on the cross country podium. Ridden by Canadian Emily Batty in World Cup events, the Top Fuel’s frame is made of both carbon and aluminum. A Fox 32 Step Cast fork and Float Reaktiv rear shock soak up the bumps so the Bontrager Kovee Pro Oclv carbon rims can roll smoothly on the trails. A SrAM X1 11-speed drivetrain provides reliable and lightweight shifting while the SrAM Level tlM brakes provide great stopping power with a lot of modulation. If the part spec isn’t enough to win you over, it also comes in a sweet powder blue paint job.

Specialized Epic FSR Expert Carbon World Cup

$6,149

The Epic fSr is the flagship dual-suspension XC race bike for Specialized. The Expert Carbon World Cup edition sports a RockShox SID fork equipped with Specialized’s Brain technology. Rear-suspension duties are handled by the Fox SBc Epic remote Mini Brain. The rear shock also has Specialized’s Auto Sag, a feature that eliminates the need to adjust air pressure during setup. A SrAM X1 11-speed drivetrain works alongside a Race Face Aeffect 6000 1-by crank sporting a direct-mount 32-tooth chainring. Roval wheels with DT Swiss hubs round out the build of this ultralight, and ultra-smart race bike.