Welcome to the 2024 Downhill Field Test

Welcome to the 2024 Downhill Field Test. This year, I drew the short straw and risked life and limb trying to keep up with Pinkbike Fastguy™ Matt Beer as we jam-packed just about as many downhill laps as we could in the wet early season of Whistler Bike Park.

The real focus of this test was on bikes that are ridden and raced at the highest level. We wanted to establish what our pick would be of true downhill bikes—not long-travel enduro bikes, single-crowned freeride bikes, or maybe even e-bikes without motors. In this group, we have a very mixed bag, all of which have already enjoyed podiums at the highest level.

While you might think that all downhill bikes are going to ride the same, or at least near enough to one another that they become nearly decipherable, that simply wasn't the case. Even though they're all thoroughbreds built for the race track, the variation in temperament is enough to make any equine metaphor very much justified.

So, what bikes are we dealing with?








The vast majority of our testing took place in the Whistler Bike Park. While you might typically think of the smoother, jump filled trails like A-line and Dirt Merchant, there are enough fast, rough tech and steep committing features - perfect for testing true downhill race bikes. A typical run might be Upper Whistler Downhill to Detroit Rock City, finishing on Naughty Hands. The trails have plenty of variety. That's not to say we didn't ride the typical bike park flow runs you might expect, too, but rather we knew what our focus was.




While Matt and I are slightly different heights, our preferences seem to converge on downhill bikes. I, while slightly taller, prefer something with a shorter reach. Matt, while not extreme in his demands, is happier riding somewhere between a medium and a large.

All bikes were outfitted with Tacky Chan Ultra Soft control tires from Schwalbe.

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