Reactor 290 Carbon RS

It's more about stability and usefulness than feeling fast. For MTB speed, tire choice and rolling resistance matter a lot, and that's baked into the score. Several build choices play a role, including typical trail-width tires and a high-end drivetrain that tends to feel crisp under load. This is why two bikes with the same rider can feel noticeably different at the same speed.

How it climbs: 9.6/10. Within Mountain bikes, this comes out near the top. The easiest gear is very spin-friendly on hills. That lowest gear comes out around 15.6 gear inches. For the low gear, it’s right at the easy end — easier than about ~96% of similar bikes. Think of “gear inches” like a difficulty score for your easiest gear: lower = more spin-friendly on climbs. It’s set up so climbs feel controlled rather than a grind. Different builds can shift the feel a bit, and some manufacturer specs aren’t always publicly listed, so consider this a helpful direction.

Suspension rating is 7/10 — “High-impact ready”. This level is aimed at repeated impacts and rougher terrain, keeping the bike more settled at speed. Full suspension means both ends can absorb impacts, helping the wheels track rough ground more consistently. Travel means the suspension’s movement range over a bump. On this bike it’s about 140 mm up front. Generally, more travel helps when hits get bigger or come faster. On rough trails, this level aims to keep the bike settled under braking and cornering through repeated hits.

Sporty fit - more tuck for efficiency, but still manageable for many riders. This is mainly because you get a large drop: roughly 88 mm from saddle to bar, plus about 649 mm of stretch forward (extreme). Expect a lean angle around 35 degrees. Spacer height is roughly 14 mm.

This bike's adjustability comes down to cockpit, routing, and seat setup: A modular front-end gives more freedom to change stem length or bar width - Internal routing is a mild hit to swap-and-go adjustability. That is why we tag it Moderately Adjustable.

Comfort comes out to 7.9/10, which usually translates to a highly forgiving ride. So it’s tagged Comfortable overall. The posture is forward, attacking (posture 8/10, torso ~35°), which loads the front wheel, which feels great for control but a bit more direct through the bars.

Against comparable bikes, this comes out looking overpriced. The value score is 1–10. Higher means better value for money; lower means the price is high for what you get. Uses MSRP as a baseline; real-world prices can be lower (discounts can change the value). On the spec comparison, it sits roughly 49% above what similar builds typically cost. In its peer group, it’s one of the pricier listings, beating only about 22% of them. To anchor it: price €7.864 versus an estimated €5.269 for a similar build. Put simply: it’s priced more like a premium pick than a value buy.

This setup suits typical singletrack and varied natural terrain. It has about 130 mm of suspension travel (how much it absorbs bumps), which works well for everyday trails. Overall, the setup matches this surface range well.