Cortex XT

Fast and agile, Cortex is a mid-travel full suspension trail bike for big mountain epics on all terrain and flying round your local trail centre. It comes alive on long technical descents with 140mm travel up front and 135mm at the rear, big wheels and a stiff, responsive frame.

With bang up to date geometry, Cortex inspires confidence with a playful character. Stand up and mash on the pedals out of turns, manual sections of trail and pop off tree stumps, rocks and roots. Smash out short and loose technical climbs, flat-out descents and tight techy singletrack sections. The harder you push the bigger your grin.

The tried and tested Horst link design keeps the suspension active when braking. We’ve fine tuned the leverage curve and worked with SRAM RockShox to produce a rear shock that’s custom-tuned for the Cortex – maximum downhill performance while maintaining the all-day pedalling efficiency from its predecessor. Cortex is your do-it-all bike of choice for lakeland 30-milers and flat-out trail centre laps alike; with enough travel to carry speed over longer sections of rough ground and a lively, playful feel through the twisty bits.

Cortex’ frameset is hand-welded from 6061 double-butted aluminium for the perfect mix of weight, rigidity and durability; with a slim hydroformed top-tube and down-tube designed to improve stiffness with just enough compliance to get you out of trouble. Internal cable and stealth dropper routing means clean lines, dampened with foam liners for a quiet ride. Dialed-in geometry and 2.4” tyre clearance gives heaps of grip; a comfortable and efficient climbing position for big days in the saddle; and a stable, spirited platform for smashing down descents.

Why Shimano XT?

Shimano drivetrains are designed, engineered and manufactured to work as complete drivetrain systems. Shimano’s new microspline hub means that you can run a 10 tooth cassette for a huge gear range. The new EV shifters and brakes provide loads of adjustment to get the perfect position as well as a rock-solid feel on the bars. And the 4-pot brakes provide consistent and reliable stopping power.