$1600
29.8 pounds
3.9 inches of rear wheel travel
Specialized, (408) 779-6229
Full test: September 2007 (Click here to order this issue)

Highlights: The FSRxc Comp looks so much like its more-expensive Stumpjumper brothers that even a hardcore bike geek should be forgiven for mixing them up. The biggest difference is that the FSRxc stops at a little less than four inches of rear wheel travel (while the Stumpy stops just short of five inches). Frame construction and materials, component selection and bragging rights are also different, but inside every FSRxc beats the heart of a Stumpjumper.

Best quote: "While it still handles tight corners without breaking a sweat, the wide bar slows things up nicely at speed. You get a bike that can stick around switchbacks as well as it slides around fire road sweepers. Specialized's tire performance was mentioned on every wrecking crewer's worksheet."

Bottom line: The FSRxc proves you don't have to compromise performance, handling or weight to make a reliable and durable trailbike. If at the end of the day you measure the success of a trailbike by the amount of fun you have riding it, the Specialized FSRxc scores off the chart. This is a bike we'd like to ride to the end of the earth and back again.