What are people's favorite true trail bikes in 2026?

I can vouch for the overbuilt tallboy. Amazing set up. highly recommended. Can dig further into detail on it if desired but would highly recommend one

The Spur is a pretty sweet bike and you'd fit in with everyone else in Bellingham with a TR on your headtube. If an alloy frame is desired a Norco Fluid is a pretty awesome mid travel trail bike and would be very appropriate to slap a 140mm 36 on the front of it. Its probably closer to the jack of trades category with a bias to the gravity side of things (similar to the Tallboy). There are some alloy builds for less than the sale price on a carbon Spur frame set. Its more work to strip a frame and then rebuild it, but think of all the extra spare parts to add to the "I'll use this some day" bin. And the Fluid C2 build has some parts worth keeping/reselling at $2999. Just my $0.02 on my lunch break.

I spent a bunch of time demo'ing trail bikes over the last 6 months.  A few impressions below, I'm 6'2" so a few of my impressions are driven off of that.

-Tallboy is still the benchmark and nearly impossible to beat and the geometry has no surprises, nor weird steps between sizes.  A platform that can punch above or below it's weight depending on the build you go for.  A new one is coming, but it will be more of a nudge towards all mountain, yet still a trail bike.  

-I prefer the smuggler to the spur.  The spur gets progressively more weird the further away from medium you go and in XL, is not for me.  The smuggler is nearly the perfect bike with my only complaint being that I wish it had more stack in L/XL sizes.  It is a true trail bike in a sense where it can go bigger then you'd expect, but doesn't quite pedal as well as it otherwise should.  This is where the tallboy outshines it a bit.

-Stumpjumper 15 is absolutely worth a look, but for some reason feels like the boring choice in this segment.  Maybe that's because it does everything you ask of it, nothing that you don't and it rides exactly like you want it to ride.  

-Giant trance adv 29 is on no ones radar, but really is an impressive bike for the segment.  (you can get a size L, livevalve model for 50% off right now) It's worth a look because I can almost guarantee it will be better then you think it will be, and checks a lot of boxes... but no one ever lusts over riding a giant.  Definitely at least worth a nudge because you can sometimes find insane deals on giants

-Orbea Occam is definitely a great bike, maybe a bit too stiff and less stack and shorter chainstays then I want for a given size.  That being said, the aluminum model actually feels more compliant then the carbon model and their aluminum frames are incredibly light.  You get the great braking kinematics that you get out of trek, but a more interesting platform and amazing color options.  full build pricing can be good enough to warrant buying that and parting out the build kit.  

-Norco revolver (130mm version).  I'm including this in here because it was a bike that caught me off guard in the test rides I did.  It is not a "trail bike", but then again I wouldn't consider the spur a trail bike.  Pretty damn fast on the pedals.  

-Kona Hei Hei G10 - I liked this bike in size Large, not so much in XL but it is a great bike and the pricing is quite good.  

I don't have one but have ridden a Raww Jibb and that would be my choice.  I will have one some day.

Pretty partial to the smuggler. Fox 36 at 140mm. float x at 130 or 140mm with a super poppy fast setup. The smiles that thing makes grossly outweighs the park bike and eeeb. Kinda wish that there was a way to make it a mullet with out having the bb/cranks too low. 

Forbidden Druid V2. It makes me happy every time I ride it and I'd pretty much ride it anywhere. 

Another vote for the Smuggler; super-versatile platform and I've seen weight-focused builds around 27lbs without doing anything crazy.

https://www.norco.com/bikes/mountain/trail/2023-optic/#models

Optic Gen 2. The $3500 spec looks like a great deal. Could quickly lighten it with some different parts too. Tempted to buy one myself. The Fluid looks pretty good too. Anyone here have the Gen 2 Optic? I'd love to hear feedback. Seems like the reviewers loved the bike and the geo is still up to date.

I own a Spur. Its a fun and fast bike. Light and very tossable. Covers ground very efficiently and handles really well in the corners. Rips smoother trails. Frame is a bit of a noodle but I don't mind some flex. I use it for the smoother trails and XC style rides in my area. It beats me up too much on rougher stuff and it requires precise riding when near your limit because the window for recovery from errors is quite a bit smaller than a longer travel trail/all mtn/enduro rig. A pal here who is more comfortable with wiping out and taking a beating than I am rides his Spur like a maniac even on rough stuff. Indeed it can be done, but you better be sharp and ready. 

I love my Bronson v5 but it's closer to an Enduro bike than a general trail bike.  I had a Smuggler v1 and that thing was a hoot but it was too easy for me to hit the limit of the bike (rather than skill limit). For that reason I'd never get a downcountry bike again.  Only lesser travel bike that's tempted me has been the Druid.

My Bronson is overbuilt because I am a talentless hack, but it can be built for aggro trail duties with light duty suspension and wheels.

I don’t know if it’s a true trailbike but I use it as one : Giant trance advanced 2024/25/26 could be it, reasonable geometry, no weird kinematic, so pretty predictable in every moment. Geometry can be tailored with headset cup and flipchip, and depending on the wheelset tires combo could be built under 14kg. The price is a bit steep but if you can find a discount the build kit of the carbon is reasonable, comes with a 36, 140 rear 150 front or 150/160 and giant carbon wheelset that aren’t bad for weight (1800g in 29) and ride feel if you like compliant wheels. If you want something more light, faster pedalling an old Ibis ripley v4s could be it, if you like the geometry and find one. 

Just to clarify, you're talking about the "Trance X Advanced".  That bike is sold as a 29/29, 140/150 bike with a 52.5mm stroke shock.  They used to sell an SX version of it, that was MX, 150/160 with a 55mm stroke shock.  Probably one of the best giant bikes made in the last decade that they completely screwed up with their naming scheme, lack of marketing and dealer network.  Pro-tip, you can also run that bike 150/160 with the full 29 setup.  

You can get C framesets from Santa Cruz.  I just bought a C level hightower 4 and I previously bought a C level nomad 6.  They rarely discount frame only purchases however... the only place I've seen deep discounts on SC frames is from Jenson.  

you might be suprised how the evo rides with some light wheels/tires.  Not saying their isn’t true trail bikes that will be better.  But a wheel set is cheaper and takes less space.

I'll vouch for the Norco Optic Gen2.

I bought one on a whim when Jenson had the frames on sale for $1400, ended up doing a budget build with some leftover parts I had from a Santa Cruz Chameleon, but after riding it I decided to fully invest in a build for it. Went on a bargain bin shopping spree about a year and a half ago and found the lightest stuff I could get a good deal on. Biggest improvement was getting a set of sub-1700g wheels for it (ENVE M630), as it made the bike feel significantly lighter, but I still get to run 2.5" tires.

Best description for it in my mind is feels like a short-travel Enduro bike. Slack, low, but has a much better pedaling platform than my Megatower.  I felt that I was fairly over-biked for a lot of the stuff I ride, and this fits the bill perfectly. It's happiest riding places where I'm doing a lot of miles/vert but where the trails aren't crazy technical and more flowy.  I built it with Kingdom Trails in East Burke, VT in mind (I call it the Burke Bike), the stuff I ride that's within 1hr of NYC (Westchester, North Jerz, etc.), but I also ride it when I'm in AZ at places like Hawes and SoMo (the easier parts, I still want my MT for a lot of it).

Big fan, I've really come around to the fun of a slack ~125-130mm bike. Great addition to the stable, especially when my shortest travel bike had 165mm.

+1 to the Norcos, Smuggler, Druid V2 and Tallboy. The Spur is a sweet bike, but too much on the XC side IMHO. And yeah, frames are stupid expensive. Forbidden and Transition have sales from time to time, and I'd seriously consider buying a complete Norco carbon bike on sale and stripping it. 

This is a good call, Transition had complete Deore Smuggler builds for less than a frame a while back; craziness!

Depending on your height, the Propain Hugene might be worth a look. Long seat tubes seem to deter shorter riders, but not an issue on my XL with a 210 dropper. The V2 has been one of my favorite bikes and works well on a variety of terrain. Frame prices and complete builds are quite reasonable with all of the sales.  

Raww currently has V1 Jibb frames on a killer sale.  I'm not sure what Tariffs are fro Germany so it may make it expensive.

https://raawmtb.com/en-us/collections/frames-bikes/products/jibb-v1-fra…

Haha is this a setup? I have the C3 and mention it any chance I get. A couple others on these boards have it and all agree it rips. The Bryn Atkinson special! 

the jibb is too heavy, therefore if you like the Jibb, you are gravity oriented.. which is fine. I am as well, and own a Madonna... but I did get a killer deal on a Cannondale Habit, 140mm pike, shock with stroke for 130mm.. DTSwiss XMC trail wheelset.. with light trail tires or high volume XC tires, it's a rocket, and I think its more comparable to the smuggler... there is nothing adjustable in the frame ( no flip-chip, no storage), just a solid thought out trail bike with a lot of versatility.. I think the tallboy is benchmark of versatility from pretending-XC to pretending-light-enduro... the Habit you can make it almost a stumpy evo 160/140mm.. I think the Druid is a DH-ler's trail bike.. 

I rode a Smuggler for a year, and it definitely ticks the boxes for you it seems - I definitely enjoyed it as a bike that can handle pretty much everything short of full-on enduro quests. Another trail bike that I really enjoyed was the Nukeproof Reactor, although at 140/150 it may not be the step down in travel you are looking for. Definitely a fun and lively ride though (more so than the Smuggler I would say).

I'm hesitant to chime in as I see the discussion has veered pretty heavily towards pricing, but I'd throw the Ibis Ripley V5 into the mix. I've been on one for about a year and a half and it's a really impressive trail bike. 130/140 travel, 29 or MX wheels with a flip chip that keeps the geometry intact, well executed in-frame storage, and DW Link suspension. I run mine a few different ways - stock suspension (Float/34) for a lighter, sportier feel and a Vivid air/Lyrik for more support and rowdier riding. Also change up the wheels between full 29 (cover ground more efficiently) and MX (fun!). It's one of my favorite bikes ever and I've had a bunch. There is an aluminum frame option with all of the same functionality, but it comes with a weight penalty. Anyhow, that's my take, lots of good suggestions in this thread.

Nabbed a new Ripmo V3 for a good price. It's definitely a welter weight with stock wheels but a lighter set of wheels and tires decidedly put a good bit of pep in its xc-ish step. I had intentions of getting the rocker and clevis to turn it down to a Ripley V5 but honestly haven't felt the need to with the lighter wheelset. Likely will still at some point (tinkerers gotta tinker), but that's very low priority for now. I've only two complaints with it. 1. the tube in tube routing for the dropper prevented me from running a 213mm Revive dropper (interference with the actuator) and 2. the sealing around the downtube strorage frame was to be desired. Not the door itself, but the frame the door latches to. It has a skinny lil o-ring that isn't up to snuff. Fixed that one with a bit of silicon caulk, a side benefit of remodeling the bathroom. 

All that to say a Ripley V5 should be on your list of rigs to try. 

Went thru the whole trail bike exercise last year as well and ended up going with lighter casing tires, a different shock, and switching up the geometry with a stevo - ended up staying with the stumpy.

I snagged a gen 2 XL Optic frame for $575 lightly used last spring. It rips. I wish it had a bit more stack, and the recommended dropper says 170 but I was able to put a 210 OneUp in there and shim it to 200 and get it to work. Oh and it's pressfit, but it hasn't caused me issues thus far.

I demo'd a Smuggler and it felt very similar. I think I'd go for the Smuggler if I had the money but the Optic is a damn good deal and really fun.

I had a Switchblade, and then went with a 5010 and quite happy with my decision for what I consider a trail bike.  I loved the switchblade, but for all around riding I prefer the 5010 (greens through black trails).  Pumping and jumping its so fun, but still handles tech super well.  FWIW I run it in high.  If you want 29 wheels and likely a bit more roll over speed, I'd assume the tallboy is a pretty good bike.  As someone shorter who buzzed his butt with 29, I like the mullet and don't feel its really that much less efficient.  In some ways steep climbs are easier on a mullet.  

I've also heard the last gen Optic (non HP) is excellent from a riding partner who has ridden lots and lots of bikes that opinion I trust more than most.  

I was bummed when they went away from that last gen optic design. If they just made that same bike with a carbon rear end to bring the weight down a bit, and did a couple little tweaks to modernize the geo, it would be the perfect trail bike. The new gen optic is cool, and probably a ton of fun in the right situation, but that is a very small situation. 

NorCo revolver 130.  

I assume they felt beefing the xc bike up took it into optic territory and adding the high pivot took the optic into something pretty distinguishable from the competition.  That said the 27.5 optic is one bike I’d love to own if I could justify something just for one set of trails out of everything I ride.