18 Bikes That Could Be Updated in 2024

It's time once again to gaze into the crystal ball and try to guess which new bikes we'll see released this year. While supply chain issues were the source of major hold ups in recent years, it may well be the opposite problem - oversupply - that is delaying bike launches now. While there are still heaps of heavily discounted bikes around, a newly released bike at its full price is going to be a harder sell than ever, especially at a time when the pace of geometry change is slowing down.

Indeed, we don't foresee any mind blowing changes there, though it seems a few brands in this list may have some catching up to do, particularly in the seat tube angle department. That doesn't mean there aren't new developments to look forward to, though. There are plenty of advancements on the horizon when it comes to drivetrains and suspension, and hopefully the level of adjustment put into the hands of the rider. There'll be heaps of new eMTBs in the works I'm sure, but for now I'll keep the focus of this article on the bikes.

For those who aren't familiar with the process, bike companies typically refresh a model every three years or so, which means that compiling this list is as scientific as going through the archives and looking at the bikes that haven't been updated in a few years. There were also plenty of teasers released by companies over the summer as their athletes tried out the new bikes ahead of their official launch.

Keep in mind that this list focuses on updates or revisions to existing models - there are also lots of completely new bikes in the works.

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Specialized Enduro, Demo & Stumpjumper EVO

It's now well over four years since Specialized updated the Enduro. Aside from the fact that we're now well beyond the usual development cycle for a new model, there is a comparatively more substantiable indication that the Enduro is about to be overhauled. That comes in the form of a recent patent application, describing an Under Bottom Bracket suspension layout. It is not dissimilar to the layout of the Demo prototype raced by Loic Bruni and Finn Illes, but the document discusses its use on a 170mm travel frame pictured in some instances with space for a water bottle in the front triangle.

The UBB design is said to allow designers to “independently fine-tune key ride dynamics components, including axle path, shock leverage rate, and anti-squat/anti-rise characteristics for braking". While the kinematic, and the rider's ability to fine tune it, may change, we can't see the geometry changing heaps. Aside from its fairly slack seat tube angle, all other metrics seem to be fairly in line with other aggressive enduro bikes on the market. That said, i'm sure there's a hefty portion of the market that wishes an MX version would materialize.

The Stumpjumper EVO is also getting a little long in the tooth, having not seen an update since 2020. While time is marching on, we can't really identify any obvious revisions that this one might benefit from. Mike Kazimer's review was wholly positive.

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Nukeproof Reactor & Mega

There is an elephant in the room here, of course. The future of Nukeproof is, sadly, a little uncertain. Its parent company, Signa Sports United, is currently up for sale after entering administration at the tail end of last year. Word is that the "sales process is gathering pace", and so we hope to see Nukeproof (and Vitus, Chain Reaction Cycles and Wiggle) back in business well before 2024 is out.

All being well, we reckon Nukeproof will renew its 130-150mm trail bike at some point this year. The Reactor, currently available in a 27.5" 150mm travel iteration, and a 29" 130mm iteration, has remained unchanged since its inception in 2019. I don't imagine the 27.5" option will remain in place, and any second generation 29" Reactor will have its travel bumped up to around 140mm, with some subtle geometry updates; likely a slacker head angle, and (one would hope) a steeper seat tube angle. It'll go to UDH, too.



Then, there's the Nukeproof Mega, an enduro bike that was last updated in 2020. The V4 has seen an incremental update with the introduction of the 297 (mullet) frameset, but it was created from the marriage between the 290's front triangle and the 275's swingarm, rather than a frame that was necessarily developed from the ground up. And, though the existence of the Mega was called into question with the launch of the Giga "Super Enduro" bike, we did in fact see many of Nukeproof's enduro athletes opt for the shorter travel Mega for most of the EDR races in 2023.

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Norco Optic & Sight

The Norco Optic is well overdue an update, still unchanged since its inception in 2019. Even with the update to the Fluid FS last year, there is still a heap of overlap between the two short travel 29ers. Only 5mm separates their rear wheel travel, and the geometry differences are few and far between; for example, head angle, reach and chainstay length are identical. We see the biggest difference at the BB, with the Optic 8mm lower than the Fluid FS.

We can see this going in one of two directions – either the Optic will be pushed more towards the downcountry side of the spectrum, billed as a more capable version of the Revolver, or it'll go the other way, with a little more travel to make it a full-blown aggressive trail bike, leaving the Fluid FS as the more mellow, all-rounder.


The Sight is also due an update, the latest 150mm travel iteration having been kicking around since early 2020. While Mike Kazimer's impressions were largely quite positive, it seems that the linkage left a little to be desired in terms of its bottom-out resistance. We'd expect Norco to increase the bike's overall progression from its current 18.75%, specifically with a lower end-stroke ratio. It could well go the way of the Shore freeride bike, with a higher main pivot location and an idler pulley, but still making use of the four-bar linkage rather than adopting the virtual pivot design of the Range enduro bike.

It's also worth mentioning that the Sight is currently available in both 27.5" and 29" configurations. We don't foresee that 27.5" option sticking around, though it may remain for the smallest frame size with good justification for doing so.

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YT Izzo

The YT Izzo was last updated in 2020, making it a strong contender for renewal in 2024. The 130mm travel trail bike fared well in our 2022 Value Field Test, and our testers had only a minor gripe about clearance around the shock valve and frame. Realistically, I can't see this one getting any radical changes in 2024, but it will likely accrue that neat frame storage we saw on the new Jeffsy.

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Marin Alpine Trail

Marin's longest travel offering is the Alpine Trail, currently available in both carbon and aluminum. The current version came into being in 2020, and it does not run a UDH. That will certainly be rectified in any new iteration. I can't see the geometry getting a huge overhaul; the headtube angle is already a slack 63.5°, and the steep seat angles are in line with the prevailing trend. It is a dedicated 29er at the moment, so it would be nice to see Marin add capacity for wheel size adjustment. The linkage-driven single pivot delivers 150mm travel, so there's plenty of scope for this one to gain at least 10mm rear wheel travel, possibly more, with potential for the 430mm stays to gain some length, too.

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Transition Scout and Transition Sentinel

There's every chance that Transition will simply discontinue its 27.5" wheel 140mm travel Scout, what with 27.5" wheels becoming something of a dying breed. It's coming up on four years since the Scout saw any meaningful updates, and we can't really see them pouring a heap of R&D resources into an evolution of this particular configuration. That said, it's not impossible the Scout will move to a mullet setup, just as we saw Santa Cruz reposition the 5010, only with slightly more aggressive geometry figures.


It's been a long time since the Sentinel saw an overhaul, too. The very well-received incumbent has been in place since 2020. I'd like to think that any new iteration of the Sentinel will see some kind of drainage port put in place underneath the shock to eradicate the issue of the "loam swimming pool", and I reckon taller riders will want to see that effective seat tube angle go steeper, in line with more recently released bikes of this category. Again, I can't see any radical changes coming from Transition, and I'd eat my hat if they moved away from the Horst platform.

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Scott Gambler and Ransom

It's no huge surprise to see Scott implementing the integrated shock solution - seen on the Genius and Spark - on a new Ransom. An annotated prototype was spotted last season at the EDR in Loudenvielle, France. It'll be interesting to see how Scott will tackle the issue of shock temperature, which I imagine is something that would've at least been considered, especially in the context of the 12+ minute race runs that the EDR often presents. Chances are it won't fit a coil shock, as the current Ransom is capable of. Oh, and fingers crossed they'll have abandoned the thru-headset cable routing we saw on the prototype.


Another model that has remained the same since 2020 is the Gambler downhill bike. It's hard to imagine how this one might change; it already has two sets of flip-chips that let you run either rear wheel size and change the suspension’s progression. We’ve seen Scott play around with pulleys and high pivots before now, but they never committed to the design. Perhaps they will revisit it, given how much success high pivot designs have seen on the World Cup circuit in recent years. Or, they'll go ahead and bamboozle us all by putting the shock inside a DH frame, too.

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Lapierre Spicy

This one's a sure thing. A new Lapierre Spicy was spotted underneath Lapierre-Zipp Collective team rider, Adrien Dailly, ahead of the EDR in Morzine-Avoriaz last season. Like the current model that Isabeau Courdurier rode to victory on in 2022 and 2023, the new frame runs a four-bar linkage, but it looks to have a slightly different layout wherein the more horizontally-oriented shock is simultaneously compressed from each end as the rear wheel is displaced.

It'll run a UDH dropout for T-Type compatibility, and will probably have that flip-chip on the lower shock mount, which could allow for geometry, wheel size, travel adjustment, or all of the above.

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Pivot Switchblade

The Switchblade materialized in its current 142mm travel configuration in 2020, with Super Boost rear spacing and the capacity to run a 29" x 2.6" or 27.5" x 2.8" rear tire. Turns out that the market's appetite for high-volume tires sort of peters out beyond 2.5". It's my understanding that demand for a 27.5"+ rear end is remarkably low. While the Super Boost rear-end on the Firebird enduro bike is arguably easier to justify, it seems a little out of place on a bike of this category.

To that effect, I wouldn't be surprised if Pivot were to return to the 148mm Boost standard. I reckon it would make the bike a more attractive proposition, with the potential to make an already lightweight frame even lighter.

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Evil Following

It's coming up on four years since Evil Bikes last updated their 120mm travel 29er, the Following. We did see it switch to a UDH swingarm in 2022, but all other details were left untouched. So, I wouldn't be surprised if we saw it refreshed in 2024, with more aggressive geometry figures that will push it toward the more extreme end of the downcountry category. While the 66.4º head tube angle was a little ahead of its time in 2020, it seems a little conservative now, especially in the context of highly-capable descenders like the Canyon Spectral 125.

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Devinci Troy

The Devinci Troy Carbon has existed in its current 140mm travel format since late 2020. It's their "no excuses" all-mountain bike with a split pivot suspension platform and adjustable geometry. Could it go the way of the Spartan and the Chainsaw with a higher main pivot and idler pulley to boot, or will Devinci keep to the more traditional layout with the comparatively lower maintenance?


Ibis Ripmo and Ripmo AF

Over four years has gone by since Ibis updated the Ripmo, or its aluminum counterpart, the Ripmo AF. And, both models are on sale with 25% off the RRP of the GX, SLX and XT builds, as well as the frame only. For a little while, the Ripmo was Ibis' longest travel bike with a 29" wheel, and it certainly saw its fair share of EWS racing action underneath Robin Wallner and Bex Baraona. The burlier HD6 now occupies that territory with 165mm travel on an MX configuration.

Realistically, we can't see the Ripmo or Ripmo AF changing too dramatically. Nevertheless, it'll be interesting to see how Ibis, and all of these brands, go about differentiating themselves at a time when bike geometry is pretty dialed.

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