The CoilAir had the longest travel—7.4 inches—of any bike we tested this year, except when it didn't. Chain tension keeps the suspension at a pedal-friendly six inches for smooth flats and long climbs. On descents, technical sections, or big drops, a radical suspension design called Magic Link uses a secondary coil shock to move the suspension linkage and open things up for maximum travel. Despite the CoilAir's hefty weight, we still routinely found ourselves grinding up difficult climbs in search of descents that would push it to its limits (we couldn't find any). As an added bonus, when the Magic Link kicks in and drops the rear end, the bike's geometry relaxes for more confident descending. 35.5 lbs, 17″;
