Best of 2025: The most exciting MTB innovations in a review of the year

All Mountain: Trek Fuel

In the middle of the year, Trek presented the new Fuel models, an all-mountain platform with an extremely versatile concept. The bike is available in three versions - EX, MX and LX - which can be adapted to different areas of use in terms of suspension travel and geometry. But that's not all: the frames also offer the option of customising the suspension characteristics using various shock mounts and flip chips.

The EX is the entry-level model with 150/145 mm suspension travel and 29-inch wheels. The MX version has a mullet set-up: 29-inch front, 27.5-inch rear, 160 mm travel at the front, 150 mm at the rear and more progressive rear suspension. The result is fast, playful and agile handling. Trek is positioning the Fuel MX as the perfect replacement for anyone who misses their Trek Remedy.

>> Here you can find the detailed article on the new Trek Fuel models

The LX version is the long-travel powerhouse of the Fuel family: 160 mm rear travel, 170 mm front travel on 29-inch wheels. This puts it on a par with the key data of the Trek Slash high-pivot enduro bike. With the most progressive leverage in the line-up, the Fuel LX is aimed at riders who love the downhill power of the Slash - but without the high-pivot suspension feel.

>> New E-MTBs: Here are the most exciting mountain bikes with motors that were newly introduced in 2025

Freeride: Transition Bottlerocket

With the Transition Bottlerocket 2026, a legendary freeride bike celebrates its comeback - relaunched with modern geometry, clever adjustment systems and up to 200 mm of suspension travel. The solid aluminium frame, 27.5 mm wheels and adjustable suspension make the Bottlerocket the ultimate tool for park, trail and big mountain lines.

The former cult bike with 140 millimetres of suspension travel and 26-inch wheels is back - as a modernised aluminium racer with 27.5-inch tyres, a choice of 180 or 200 millimetres of suspension travel and a good dose of "no-nonsense" charm. The rocker arm and yoke connections are forged and the down tube is protected by a bolted shuttle guard and a solid rubber protector against stone chips. Also good: Depending on the area of use, you can choose freely - single crown or double crown fork, each with up to 200 millimetres of suspension travel. This means that Transition is aimed precisely at the niche between downhill and enduro bikes - where airtime, style and control are more important than traction, precision and high-speed performance.

Of course, it wouldn't be a modern transition bike without a pinch of nerd humour. The Americans call their adjustment systems C.H.I.P.S. and S.A.L.S.A. - and are quite serious about it. About C.H.I.P.S. ("Changes Height Independently of Progression Setting"), the kinematics can be configured in four variants: High or Low, linear or progressive. If you like it playful, go for the poppy park setup - if you like it smoother and smoother, choose the downhill mode. S.A.L.S.A.("Super Awesome Length Stay Adjusters") extends the concept with three chainstay lengths (0, +5 or +10 mm). Instead of simple flip chips, the dropouts are completely swapped.

>> Here you can find the article about the new Transition Freerider Bottlerocket.

Enduro: Forestal Siryon

The trend is clear: more and more manufacturers are consistently focussing on e-MTBs. The young brand Forestal from Andorra - founded just a few years ago - has been particularly consistent in its approach right from the start. Until 2025, they only built lightweight e-MTBs with compact motors and batteries. But then came the new Siryon.

The Enduro is strongly orientated to its older and motorised namesake - from the rear triangle to the geometry to the look. Instead of a battery, there is a storage compartment in the down tube with a practical Fidlock fastener. Visually, the bike looks more modern: straighter lines, a continuous top tube and a contemporary short seat tube give the Siryon a fresh yet unique design language. But the bike is not just a visual highlight. The riding characteristics are also unrivalled. In our big high-end enduro comparison test, the bike even blew us away so much that we rewarded it with the test victory.

>> You can find more details and the test of the bike here.

Race-Fully: Giant Anthem Advanced SL

The latest version of the Giant Anthem Advanced SL comes with a completely revised frame design - and has already secured the World Championship title in Crans-Montana.

Alan Hatherly has already ridden the entire World Cup season on a prototype of the new Anthem and secured the World Championship title in Switzerland on the almost production-ready bike. To make the new Anthem even faster and more agile, the frame was redesigned from the ground up. The most striking feature: Giant has abandoned the typical upright rear shock. By placing it just below the top tube, Giant not only achieves ambitious weight targets, but also creates space for a second water bottle in the main frame.

>> Click here for the detailed article about the Giant Anthem Advanced SL.

But it's not just the look of the frame layout that has changed. To make the Anthem Advanced SL fit for the increased demands of the World Cup, the suspension now offers a standard 120 mm of travel at the front and rear. This puts the race bike in the league of established competitors such as Scott Spark or Specialised Epic and also provides reserves off the racetrack. Five equipment variants are available in Germany - from 4500 to 12,500 euros.

Downhill: Scott Gambler

Concealed shock absorber, versatile range of use and innovative look: the new Scott Gambler looks like a Donwhill bike from the future.

The centrepiece of the bike is a newly developed 6-bar chassis with 210 mm rear suspension travel and a shock mounted centrally low in the frame. The aim: balanced handling and maximum adaptability to the route and riding style. This versatility is reflected in several features: double chainstay length adjustment, a flip chip for adjusting the bottom bracket height and rear triangle progression as well as triple reach adjustment in the headset.

The bike is available in two equipment variants and comes with a mullet set-up as standard: "A 29er rear wheel restricts the manoeuvrability of many riders," explains Product Manager Clement Martin. Those who still prefer a large rear wheel can easily retrofit it. The centrepiece is the shock absorber hidden above the bottom bracket, which is accessible and adjustable through two plastic covers. The rear triangle works with both steel and air shocks. As the SAG cannot be read directly on this design, the "Scotties" have integrated a SAG indicator on the crank base. While the predecessor was a real weight miracle at 15 kilos, the top model with steel spring shock weighs 16.85 kilos (size L) without pedals.

Trail bike: Propain Hugene

In 2021, Propain presented the last evolutionary stage of the Hugene. This year, the German manufacturer is launching the latest generation of its trail bike - now with only 130 mm travel.

In terms of geometry, Propain relies on full-throttle values for the Hugene. A slack 65 degree head angle and 444 mm chainstays keep the trail bike on course even at high speeds - our riding impressions confirm this. On rough terrain, the limited suspension travel is noticeable, but is extremely sensitive and offers a surprising amount of comfort. In our downhill-orientated test setup (Ultimate equipment), the Hugene weighs around 15 kilos without pedals.

But it's not just the suspension travel that has been tweaked - Propain has also improved the details. For example, buyers have a free choice of cable routing: classic through the frame, via the headset or directly into the interior via the six-pack stem. Laminated guides make assembly and maintenance noticeably easier. The bolted bottom bracket and bolted frame protectors also contribute to durability and ease of servicing. Another highlight: the storage compartment in the down tube with clever sliding closure. The seat tubes are deliberately shorter across all four frame sizes to allow for longer dropper posts.

>> Click here for the detailed article on the new Propain Hugene, including a test.

The price of the Hugene starts at 3399 euros. Alternatively, Propain offers a frameset for 2499 euros. Of course, the in-house configurator is also available for the Hugene, which allows weights from 14.2 kilos depending on the build. There are four predefined build kits for orientation: Base (3399 euros), Bomber (4849 euros), Ultimate (6424 euros) and Factory (8149 euros), which can be further customised in the configurator.

Conclusion from Max Fuchs

Take a look at the selection of new 2025 bikes: Even for mountain bikers who don't want to switch to e-MTBs, there are still exciting new products - no question about it. However, what is shocking is that when my colleagues and I were brainstorming which bikes would be suitable for this overview, we could hardly think of more than the models presented here on our first attempt. On our second attempt, the list grew only slightly. This means that although something is still happening in the classic mountain bike sector, most manufacturers are now focussing almost exclusively on e-MTBs. It's a shame - the few new models are all the more impressive. Hopefully there will be more of them soon! - Max Fuchs, BIKE test editor