2025 EDITORS’ CHOICE

EVERY YEAR, WE QUIZ OUR EDITORS AND CONTRIBUTORS TO FIND OUT WHAT GEAR, WHAT BIKES, WHAT MOMENTS MADE THIS YEAR FOR THEM. THOSE THAT LIT OUR FIRES IN 2025 GET A COVETED SINGLETRACK EDITORS' CHOICE AWARD.

WORDS AND PHOTOS TEAM SINGLETRACK AND AS CREDITED

Carbon Wasp Compound-150 Price: £2,600 frame only From: Carbon Wasp

I didn’t really like anything about the way this bike looked – the red panels are rather naff – but I absolutely loved everything about the way it rode. It’s one of the very few carbon-framed mountain bikes that has a pleasant ride feel. This bike rides how the marketing

departments for mainstream carbon brands claim their bikes do (but generally don’t). Aside from this, the overall geometry is exceptional (and genuinely rider height proportional), and the suspension action of the back end was truly excellent. In conjunction with the still-fabulous Cane Creek DB Air, the Compound-150 totally outperformed many a four-bar or dual-link virtual pivot design out there. A linkage-driven single pivot? How very noughties. How very completely brilliant. And although not exactly cheap by anyone’s standards, £2,600 for a made in the UK carbon fibre frame is actually pretty good value in my opinion. OK, so some of the finishing is a bit rough around the edges, but it’s the ride that counts. And this rides magnificently.

Benji

“ the overall geometry is exceptional, and the suspension action of the back end was truly excell ent

Lauf Elja Price: Complete bikes from $4,990 From: Lauf Cycles

While I perhaps would not have one as my only bike, I very much liked the cut of the Elja’s jib. If you’re on the lookout for an all-day endurance or marathon-type mountain bike, I can’t think of a better bike than this. Yes, it’s light, but that is not the be-all and end-all of what makes a good endurance cross-country bike. A lot of cross-country bikes are exhausting because they can’t descend or ride any sort of technical terrain due to scary geometry or ‘brittle’ feeling suspension and, as such, they are just a constant white-knuckle wrestling match of (wo)man vs machine. A whole lorra rider energy going to waste. The Elja doesn’t feel like it’s fighting you and just waiting for the next fire road climb; it’s still a mountain bike and can mix it with the trail bike crowd if it needs to.

Benji

Deviate Highlander II Price: £2,999 frame only From: Deviate Cycles

OK, so technically I should have put this in last year’s Editors’ Choice. But I didn’t. Sorry about that. I think it was a victim of being too near the initial shortlisting for that year’s selection. Anyway, the fact that this was one of the very first bikes I considered when it came to 2025’s choices says a lot. In many ways, it’s a highly surprising bike. I assumed the Highlander II would be a descent-centric enduro curio with not quite enough travel, but I was very wrong. It’s an exceptional… mountain bike. Or ‘trail bike’, if you need to pigeonhole it. Loads of standover, loads of fun, loads of traction, loads of efficiency. Yes, efficiency on a high pivot idler design. This thing flies along. And the combo of decent length chainstays (especially when sagged) and genuinely steep seat angle simply puts you in a divine sigh-of-relief stance for ascending. Just a lovely, lovely bike.

Benji

Privateer 161 G2 Price: from £3,325 From: Privateer Bikes

“ It’s fast, it’s fun, it’s confident, it has proper geometry