If we're talking Stance versus Bossnut, choose the 'nut and spend the difference on a dropper post and tubeless-ready rubber. The Bossnut makes short work of the Stance - pushing the Giant on rough (but appropriate) terrain feels a bit like trying to push a rope it's an over-cooked noodle of a frame that's still using a quick-release rear-end. Onto the cage match, and this time it's the Bossnut going up against the $1,800 Giant Stance and the $2,000 Vitus Mythique 29 VRX. Sure, push it hard and you'll find the difference between it and the back of the Vitus - it could feel noticeably choppier over repeated high-speed impacts - but what do you want from your $1,400 trail bike? The suspension sensitivity is just as good as its competition, and there's both support and ramp-up to run 30-percent sag and still hit all of the trail bike-appropriate lines without worry. Levy: "I had my fourth quickest climbing time, third quickest descent time, and was fifth over the entire loop.''Īt the other end of the bike, the Bossnut's 130mm of travel and little Monarch R shock gave us nothing to moan about.
Kazimer: "I had my second fastest climbing time, fifth fastest descending time, and my fifth fastest overall time" Nothing too rowdy, but representative of the terrain these trails bikes were intended to see.ĭon't forget that timing is just one of many ways to judge a bike, and fast doesn't always mean it's the best for everyone. After that, we dropped into a fast descent that began with rough, suspension-testing corners before some fast berms, flat corners, and a few fun-sized jumps. First, a smooth, twisty singletrack climb topped out along a technical traverse that tested the bike's slow-speed handling and traction. Our timed lap for the trail bikes was around 11 minutes long and split into three distinct sectors. Out of the eight value bikes, how do you think the Bossnut fared? Speaking of fun, heatstroke, and cactus, here's a spoiler alert: The 27.5" wheeled Calibre was the underdog of the Impossible Climb pseudo-science test (yes, there's a video coming) but ended up surprising everyone.
Calibre bossnut 2020 full#
With plenty of pep, a compact feeling cockpit, and a head angle that I would have guessed to be a full degree steeper than it actually is, the Calibre has that darty personality that can make technical climbs fun. Not even the fast-rolling, low-traction rear tire could stymie the 'nut, although it sure did its best on the dusty, loose Sedona singletrack. It's efficient, but its real forte is on the tight, technical climbs where it makes short work of those low-speed tests of balance. The 130mm-travel single-pivot rear-suspension doesn't feel like it wastes any watts, which is nice given that I don't have any to waste and the shock doesn't have a pedal-assist switch.
Okay, it wouldn't be my first choice (that's the Vitus) or my last (shoutout to the Giant Stance), but the Bossnut does a remarkable job of hiding its low-cost price tag on the climbs, trucking along just as well as bikes costing more than twice as much. The Bossnut is the lone 27.5" wheeled bike in our Field Trip group test, along with also being the least expensive full-suspension bike by $400, so I mistakenly assumed that it'd be the worst climber of the bunch to boot.
Speaking of holes, the only place to carry water is on the underside of the Bossnut's down tube. That’s hung off a fairly basic aluminum frame it uses steel pivot hardware and simple tube shapes, but you’ll also see things like ISCG tabs, a (non-Boost) thru-axle, and while it doesn’t come with a dropper post because you can't have everything at this price, goddamnit, it does have the frame holes to accept one. The suspension design is a single-pivot, linkage activated system that drives a RockShox Monarch R shock, paired with a 130mm-travel Recon RL on the front of the bike. Buuuuut anymore than that might require some re-thinking. Those numbers are relatively contemporary and wouldn’t be out of place on something much pricer, so the Bossnut won't need retiring as an entry-level rider progresses their skills to mid-level status. I’m 5’10” on a good day, putting me on a large-sized Bossnut with a modest 460mm reach, 66 and 74.5-degree head and seat angles, and 436mm chainstays. More info: You might expect some sketchy geometry at this price, but that’s not the case. Price: $1,400 USD (depending on duties, taxes)
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