Our Favorite Full Suspension Bikes Under $3000 From The 2021 Pinkbike Field Trip

You have seen the individual reviews, but which of our five Field Trip full suspension trail bikes came out on top? Join Mike Levy and Sarah Moore to see which bikes surprised them, which bikes they liked and which ones didn't quite hit the mark.

More Pinkbike videos:

Ibis' $3,000 Ripley AF Review: Precise AF | 2021 Pinkbike Field Trip

Devinci's $2,299 Marshall Review: Capable All-Rounder | 2021 Pinkbike Field Trip

How Many Skinnies Can We Ride In One Lap? | North Shore Skinny Challenge

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[davidvonslingshot]

Title should be changed to - “Our favourite bikes nobody can get under $3k anytime soon”

[jamieh]

The Siskiu T that I bought is my first MTB purchase since the early 2000s. It has really sparked my enthusiasm and ride time for mountain biking. I once associated trail riding with a garaunteed otb. No longer! I love that bike.

[BDC_Loot_Goblin]

Love the series, well done. Two very accomplished knowledgeable riders giving honest feed back is great to see. Also confirms my recent purchase of the T8 🤙

[deervaliant]

Im the one who judge the bike by its look too, yeah and I think the marin is so beautiful until i see the close up footage from the siskiu T8, dude that paint job is really on the next level, and the fact that marin and polygon is made in the same factory is amaze me to lol

[alexdelarge]

I can definitely vouch for the Polygon Siskiu T8. Comfortable on both ascend and descend. No Ragrets!

[minorzuwiyya]

Polygon makes some of the highest quality budget bikes on the market

[ThunderStruckMTB]

As a 200lb SoCal high desert rider, I will only use Shimano 4 piston resin pads (although I have XT rotors) due to how they feel. A ton of power, bite and best of they're freaking quite as a church mouse. If I rode in the wet then it might be different.

[doncrescas]

I've bought the Rift Zone 3 in 2020 back when it was a bit under $2600. (Getting it dialed in cost another $350). Between the price increase which were not accompanied by single upgrade for 2021 and the competition from the likes of Ibis etc, I don't see why you would buy one today. Don't get me wrong, I like the bike and it does everything I want, but it's good, not great. If you are on a more limited budget go with the Rift Zone 2 and upgrade later as needed.
That said, their description of the Rift Zone did not match my experience with it. It feels very planted descending. It's not plush but stable. However it is a heavy bike and it doesn't feel like an efficient climber until you flick the lockout. The one thing I agree with completely is that when climbing it doesn't have the kind of ground hugging suspension that creates endless traction. It has lot's of antisquat and you need to stand to let the rear move up and over sharper edged obstacles on the way up.

[vtecmossy]

Polygon looks and seems like fun 10 out of 10 would do a buy tbh it's more so the paintjob but nice bike

[georgedaswani]

You guys need to make a special exemption and add "Status" MTB - 140 by Specialized.

For 2600$, you get a Fox Rhythm 36, DPX2 rear shock, 140mm of travel - albeit it's a mullet.

Additionally, would be nice if these were compared to last years budget line up.

For example - the Mythique VRX (albeit, that model didn't change much this year) but the others did (e.g. Meta TR).

[go]

Thanks for actually testing these and not just looking at specs.

[JamieBFilms]

It's always weird watching these in the UK. The Marin they said wasn't quite as good as the ibis... But in the UK the Marin rift zone 2 is £2, 550 ($3300 USD ) and the ibis is £3599 ($4694 USD ) that's a huge price difference

[ziggym]

Brakes seem to be a sore point so why not have a brake test? Lets see what brakes give the best performance over all, OEM equipped and after market.

[DaveCM]

Pink Bike: "Let's make a video on things trail builders hate which includes skidding."
Also Pink Bike: "Let's film ourselves testing bikes which include skidding."
Be consistent Pink Bike.

[brassmnky]

Surprised there was no mention of those Ibis wheels.

[mattos]

Love this! Finally Bikes I can affort xD

[simonstalschus]

Over here in Europe the brand "Radon" is definitely the way to go. It is insane what you get for your money in comparison with other brands!

[AlexGifford]

I’m very happy with my Devinci Marshall! I wish it wasn’t as heavy as it is… but perhaps a few upgrades like fork and wheels would put it in a lighter weight class. Overall it has handled everything well

[ethanbenton]

This is a great test for lots of people, I think right around $2750 is where you start seeing the benefits of a full sus over a hardtail for the same price

[burddog]

Next bike probably going to be the Ripley AF or (presumably new this August) Giant Trance 29 (the original 115mm travel one). If the price and spec of the current Trance 29 carries over to a modern frame for next year it'll be a very tough choice.