The Bikes I Loved in 2025: A 2025 Picks Series From Our Tech Editor (Part 5)

The last 12 months have been packed with new bikes, and I've spent a lot of time riding all kinds. From mega-days on the road bike, big elevation days to celebrate my birthday, to multi-day bikepacking trips on gravel bikes, and even a gravel event on an XC mountain bike - I've done it all. Trail bikes from Specialized and Revel, an XC-ish bike from Transition, a gravel bike from Kona, and a steel all-road bike from Stinner Frameworks; this list has it all. In the last year, I've gained a new appreciation for all the different purposes that bikes serve, and here are 5 of my favorite bikes I've been lucky enough to ride and review in 2025.

In part three of this series, I talked more about e-bikes, which you won't find on this list. This is dedicated to the best non-electric bikes of 2025, though some on this list are from 2024 or earlier; I think they still deserve a mention amongst the latest and greatest from this last year.

Revel Rascal SL

My Favorite MTB of 2025

I’ve been Revel Rascal-curious since 2021, and after years of yearning, I was finally able to swing a leg over a Rascal. I know they say never meet your heroes, but that is not the case with the Rascal at all. I’m already a massive fan of the trail bike category, and the Rascal SL is hands down the best 130mm bike I have ever ridden. Read the full review here so I don’t have to keep waxing poetically about the nimble little ripper.

Specialized Stumpjumper 15 Evo

A Legendary Classic Reimagined

Specialized made waves with the SJ 15 this year, and after pivoting to Evo-only for the future, the SJ 15 now features a Genie rear shock with a piggyback and a 160mm fork. While still in the trail bike category, the SJ 15 Evo now punches closer to an enduro bike platform that lets you get away with a whole lot more while still being a relatively efficient climber.

I am still getting a vibe for the Specialized Stumpjumper 15 Evo, but a complete review is coming early next year, in which I will dive into all my thoughts and feelings of this enigmatic new offering from one of the oldest mountain bike brands.

Stinner Carrizo Select

Rekindling a Love for Drop Bars. Is It All-Road, or Alt-Road?

This is a different one, and one that really surprised me. I’m a mountain biker, but I like to mix things up with drop bar rides and stupid days of climbing next to people driving and scrolling on tight mountain roads. The Stinner Carrizo checks that box. I also don’t focus on riding roads all the time, and the ample tire clearance and damped ride quality of the Carrizo lets me venture off the tarmac when I need to get a little wilder. It’s also not going to break the bank, so I can spend more money on razors to shave my legs in the summer and pay for my Strava subscription and chain wax.

From long, steep 100-mile days to after-work cruises and mixed-terrain adventures, the Carrizo Select is an affordable, capable all-road missile made in the USA, making it hard not to love.

Kona Libre CR G2

A No-Nonsense Do-It-All Gravel Bike

A mountain biker's gravel bike, but one that doesn’t dangerously approach the geo of a hardtail. I loved the Libre G2 a ton. It’s simple, gimmick-free, and designed to do everything a modern gravel bike should do. It checks the boxes for simplicity with internal, tube-in-tube cable routing, dropper post compatibility, and geometry that inspires pushing on descents but still rocketing up climbs.

The Libre G2 made me fall back in love with riding gravel, something I had gotten pretty burnt out with. But it was more than just a capable gravel bike, and if I didn't have the option, it would likely be my pick for a one-bike stable for road and gravel.

Transition Spur

The Trend-Setting MTB That Helped Define a Genre

The Spur is Transition's short-travel XC-ish mountain bike, and I say "-Ish", because this bike is more of a trail bike with XC influence rather than an XC bike that skews trail, but that's getting into the weeds a little bit. From high-speed XC-ish rides to gnarlier singletrack and massive days of climbing in the woods, the Spur doesn't miss a beat. While it might not be as forgiving on aggressive trails as a longer travel trail bike, over-forking to 130mm and a piggyback Rockshox Super Deluxe made the Spur seriously versatile in a way that keeps blowing me away.

The Transition Spur is nimble, light, and has excellent geometry that makes it hard to categorize, and I think it was WAY ahead of the current trend we're seeing in XC bikes. With external cable routing and easy-to-live-with standards, it makes it an ideal test bed for many product tests and one of my most ridden bikes this year.