2024 has been a landmark year for the cycling industry, with an incredible lineup of launches from some of our favourite brands. Whether you’re into mountain bikes, gravel adventures, or sleek road machines, there’s been something for everyone this year. Among the many exciting new models, a few truly stood out, offering game-changing innovations, refined performance, and standout designs. Here’s our roundup of the bikes that defined 2024—let’s dive in!
Specialized Stumpjumper 15
Specialized came in hot this year with a bunch of new bikes to challenge the status quo, the most important of which is the new Stumpjumper 15. The Stumpjumper 15 updates and consolidates the Stumpjumper line, taking the place of both the regular Stumpy and the Stumpy Evo. Using Specialized's new Genie shock technology, Stumpjumper 15 combines a huge range of geometry adjustment, with unparalleled grip, and a lightweight highly refined frame to create the ultimate trail weapon.
Honourable mentions from Specialized this year go to their XC bike, the Epic 8 and Epic 8 Evo, making the bike longer, slacker, and faster, with the Evo version placed solidly in the downcountry bracket, the regular Epic picks up where the old Epic Evo left off. At the other end of the spectrum is the new Status, coming in aluminum only and 140 and 170mm travel versions with a park-ready dual crown option, the Status is a wallet-friendly budget trail shredder ready for enduro, bike park and DH runs, and we're stoked to see the Status nameplate back in service.
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Cervélo
Cervelo launched their new Áspero in 2024, to huge fanfare. Improving what was already a well-regarded gravel race bike, the new Áspero adds UDH compatibility, bigger tire clearance, a threaded T47 BB, and fully integrated cables for a clean, fast bike.
Cervelo also launched a new road bike in 2024, the Caledonia-5. Building on what was already a celebrated endurance road bike, the new Cal-5 brings changes that improve day to day liveability, the biggest change being the inclusion of in-frame storage. The other main change is a bunch of more subtle tweaks to tube shape etc. to improve compliance and overall comfort.
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Enve Fray
This year, we saw a new bike from ENVE: the Fray. The Fray is arguably the one bike to rule them all from the high end Ogden, Utah based manufacturer. Designed as a light, fast, and comfortable bike, the Fray blurs the lines between race and endurance, creating a bike with aero cues, light frame weight, and all-day comfort, for the ultimate go-anywhere road bike, for whatever the ride throws at you.
Enve's unique in-frame storage solution sweetens the deal.
Santa Cruz Vala
Santa Cruz made some big changes to a bunch of bikes this year, but the one that really flipped things on their head was the Vala. Vala is Santa Cruz's latest emtb, and is their first ever bike to use a Four-Bar Horst Link suspension layout. Santa Cruz weren't happy with the Kinematics achievable with VPP and a full-power motor, so opted to make the change, since the Four-Bar layout gives more freedom of pivot placement around the motor. This enabled them to create a bike with a more consistent anti-squat and anti-rise numbers, for a more predictable ride with gobs of traction. Despite the big change, we think the Vala looks great, and are glad that Santa Cruz aren't resting on their laurels.
Honourable mentions go to the Hightower and Bronson launched earlier this year - with a revised VPP layout and new frame aesthetic, the Hightower and Bronson aim for lower anti-squat numbers for more grip and stability. The Hightower 4 also gets a bump in travel, making it more of a mini enduro bike.
Giant TCR
The 2024 Giant TCR is the 10th generation of this legendary race bike, and it’s faster, lighter, and more aerodynamic than ever. Giant’s engineers refined every detail, from reshaped tubing for better speed to advanced carbon construction that cuts weight without sacrificing stiffness or comfort. With its sleek, integrated design and razor-sharp performance, the new TCR is built to dominate sprints, climbs, and everything in between—cementing its place as a pro peloton favorite for nearly three decades.
Cargo Bikes
Rounding out Specialized's new bikes are the Porto and Globe Haul, adding two e-cargo bikes to the range, with the Porto filling the ultra high-end niche, and the Globe Haul slotting into the affordable space. With a pared-down but ultimately functional spec, the Globe Haul looks to be a winner.
Rocky Mountain Altitude
2024 saw us launch a legendary, but new-to-us, bike brand - Rocky Mountain Bicycles. Rocky Mountain have a ton of history here in the Lower Mainland. Formed out of the same workshop as Race Face in Vancouver back in the 1980s, and based on the North Shore for the last few decades, they've been a mainstay in the mountain biking scene, particularly the freeride movement, and in recent years, Enduro racing.
Rocky had a big year in 2024 and launched a new Instinct, Element, and Instinct Powerplay SL, but our pick is the new Altitude. Launching in April of this year, the Altitude is based on a new but revived suspension platform: LC2R, standing for Low Center Counter-Rotating. Similar to VPP, LC2R blends a supple feel with a progressive leverage ratio and great pedalling manners for a bike that feels truly at home in steep and rough terrain, with enough pep for big days in the saddle - the Altitude is a proper enduro bike.
Rocky Mountain bikes are designed and tested here on the North Shore by members of our own mountain biking community, so it seems like the perfect fit to welcome them on board as part of our selection of high quality bikes, for local North Vancouver riders and beyond. Starting with a selection of bikes tailored to our local riding, we have the Altitude, Instinct, Instinct Powerplay SL, Element, and Reaper Powerplay in stock now.
Though Rocky Mountain are going through hard times right now, they are still operating as usual, and we're confident they'll come back stronger.
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