Are XC bikes getting too boring?

They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Perhaps that’s why more and more cross country bikes are looking strikingly similar these days. Looking at a World Cup start line, the vast majority of bikes use some version of flex pivot in the rear triangle. Most of those are a slight variation on a single pivot design. Sure, the shock might mount in a slightly different location, or attached to slightly differently shaped tubes. But there’s more minor tweaks between brands than there are major design rifts.

This conservative approach is leading to a convergence, bordering on singularity, in cross country bike design. This may be fast, and/or cost efficient to design, but it is not always the most exciting for those of us that are fans of cross country racing. XC bikes used to be a vanguard of experimentation and new technology in mountain biking. Where brands tried to prove their chops by creating a newer, faster bikes. That seems to have faded in favour of supplying something familiar that riders, both on teams and amateurs buying their own machines, recognize and know what to expect from. Which is, in my opinion, less fun.

How bad is it? Well, We went through the top end of last year’s World Cups to see what different teams were riding. There were a few outliers but the majority follow a very similar silhouette. Of those that don’t, some still use the same design just packaged slightly differently. Here’s what we found.

The flock

Cervélo's ZFS-5 is fantastically fast. It also shows the, uh, close ties between the formerly-Canadian brand and its PON-owned sibling, Santa Cruz.

Santa Cruz Blur is a straight forward design that brought the California brand back to World Cup racing over the last few years

Specialized's Epic is a mainstay on World Cup start lines. And podiums.

As is Canyon's Lux World Cup.

Orbea ads a slight kink to the top tube for a slightly different look.

While Tom Pidcock's Pinarello

Willier Ultra Max SLR has all kinds of extra tubes going on at the top tub, but it still the same basic design.

Thomus, another World Cup podium regular, re-orients the shock for the Lightrider, but still fleet stays.

Berria Mako uses the brand's "in-link," which is a different name for the slightly-concealed version of the same design

Lapierre gets back to the classic, top-tube shock mount for the XR

As does Merida with the Ninety-Six RC and its "P-Flex" suspension

Belgium's Ridley, too, with the Raft Carbon

Spanish brand Megamo as well, with the Track.

KTM Scarp MT Prime looks ... very similar.

Yeti's back in the XC game, resurrecting the ASR name with the tag line "A lot like nothing else"...

Giant ditched a decade of Maestro suspension to join the crowds with its "Flex Point" on the Anthem Advanced

Liv took the same tact with the Pique Advanced, but went a step further with more travel

As similar as some of these bikes look, they are still different in important ways. The flex-stays force brands to choose their own balance of weight and durability when designing the rear triangle, at the very least. Small changes can make a big difference in how that 100-120mm of suspension feels to a rider, and to how durable the design is. So, while we’d love to see innovation, refining a proven form can be interesting, too.

Some outliers

While some of the above bikes look quite similar to each other – like really quite similar – some brands are taking the core concept and still finding ways to push cross country design in interesting directions. Here are four bikes that innovate without diverging too far from the core concept.

Cannondale Scalpel was one of the earliest to the carbon fibre flex stays, way back in 2002-ish. The big C is still going strong with the idea. And with its distinctive Lefty fork

Scott's Spark is still technically a flex-stay single-pivot, even if the Swiss brand moves design forward by hiding the shock in the frame

Trek tried something new with flex stays for its Iso-Strut powered, almost-a-hardtail Supercaliber.

Specialized's Epic World Cup followed a very similar near-hardtail design, though with a different shock design.

Why is this design so popular?

So, why are so many brands following the same design cues? It’s definitely not just aesthetics. As annoying as it might be to see so many bikes looking similar, there are a few good reasons for brands to chase their own take on the same design.

First of all, it is light. In the world of cross country racing, where hardtails were only recently relegated to the history books, that is a top, if not the top consideration. The design is also simple, which contributes to the light weight, with fewer bearings and small parts that need maintenance. It is also reasonably suited to the purpose as, with only 100-120mm of rear travel and most riders having a preference relatively firm suspension, the kinematic doesn’t have to be too fancy. And, to an extent, it’s what riders are asking for because they know it can be so light.

Are there alternatives?

Heck yes. World Cup cross country isn’t NASCAR quite yet. While most of the out-there designs are happening in downhill these days, there are still some innovative designs floating around – and occasionally landing on podiums – for the cross country crowd. We’ll take a closer look at those tomorrow.