Diamondback

Lux Sport 27.5in Complete Bike - Women's - 2015

When designing the Lux Sport Complete Bike, Diamondback set out to make a 27.5-inch hardtail for women that was every bit as fast and durable as the generic Axis model. Essentially, this entails nothing more than slightly resized tubing with a lower seat tube juncture for better standover clearance. The Lux Sport has the same steep head tube angle and 17-inches of stability in the chainstays as its Axis counterpart, so it knocks out fast singletrack and maintains that eagerness when the path points down or on trails with playfully techy sections.

With the exception of the crankset, the triple drivetrain is an all-Shimano affair that eschews the current trend of less gearing in order to give you the answer to every question the trail might pose. Shimano also gets the nod on the stopping end of things, with Diamondback opting for hydraulic disc brakes and a 180mm front rotor for speed-checking power that keeps things level when the grade wants to force the pace. The Lux Sport's build kit is finished with 100mm of front travel, a women-specific cockpit, and Schwalbe's Kevlar-reinforced Rapid Rob racing tires.