The Takeaway: A great value and a very good bike, but the performance comes up a bit short compared to the very best of the category.

  • Customized fit and flexible build options
  • Fits two water bottles inside the main triangle
  • Arrives almost fully built and is easy to assemble

Price: $4,599
Weight:
30.8 lb. (medium)

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Fezzari’s Delano Peak is as much about what it is as what it is not. It is a good bike with compelling features, decent value, and a wide range of build kits with many customization options. But its performance is not dazzling. That’s a challenge because the category in which it plays is crowded with dazzling bikes.

—Fezzari Delano Peak Build Kit—

Frame: Carbon front and rear triangle, 135mm travel, threaded BB, 31.6mm seat post, ZS44/28.6 ZS56/40 headset, two-position flip chip
Shock:
Fox Float DPX2 Performance Elite, 210x50mm
Fork:
Fox Float 36 Grip2 Performance Elite, 150mm travel
Rear Derailleur:
Shimano XT
Shifter:
Shimano XT
Crank:
Shimano XT, 32T
Cassette:
Shimano XT, 10-51
Brakes:
Shimano XT M8120, 180mm rotors
Wheels:
Stan’s NoTubes Flow S2
Tires:
(F)Maxxis Minion DHF EXO 2.5”, (R)Maxxis Aggressor EXO 2.5”
Seatpost:
PMW Loam 200mm-travel, PNW Loam Lever
Saddle:
Ergon SM Pro
Handlebar:
Fezzari FRD aluminum, 35mm clamp, 800mm wide, 15mm rise
Stem:
Fezzari FRD aluminum
Grips:
Ergon GA-20

fezzari delano peak

I don’t want you to think the Delano Peak rides poorly, because it most definitely does not. The geometry is solidly mid-pack for a trail bike in this moment, although the the top tube is a bit short (593mm, size medium) and the seat tube angle is a bit too steep for my preferences (77.5 degrees with flip chip in low/slack mode). But riders' bodies are different and so are the trails on which we ride, so your mileage may vary on fit. The rear suspension is a long-link four-bar system (AKA Horst Link) paired to a Fox DPX2, and it works well overall. The Delano Peak pedals efficiently, and the suspension offers a well-mannered balance of sensitivity and control. However, the kinematics seem to slightly accentuate, and not resolve (as a better tuned bike will), the “hole” in the mid-stroke of an air spring. I suspect it will ride better with Fox’s more supportive Float X, but I didn't have an opportunity to try that shock on the Delano Peak.

fezzari delano peak
The Delano Peak has high end touches, like laser-engraved suspension hardware
Matt Phillips

With a Fox 36 GRIP2 on the front, Maxxis tires (DHF front, Aggressor rear), and solid accompaniment provided by the rest of the parts, the Fezzari was never a weak link and proved as lively on flatter trails as it was capable in steeper and more technical terrain. What didn’t measure up isn’t anything specific, but rather the nuances of refinement and polish. Combine decent angles with Fox suspension, Maxxis tires, and a Shimano drivetrain and if a bike isn’t a seven out of ten, somebody did something very wrong. The Delano Peak is an easy seven plus. But it didn’t have the little bit extra that makes great bikes, great. The playfulness of an Evil, the efficiency of a Pivot, the perfectly tuned rear suspension of a Yeti. I get on every mountain bike almost assured it will be good, but the great bikes always manage to surprise. The Delano Peak didn’t disappoint, but it didn’t surprise.

fezzari delano peak
Drink up. The Delano Peak is one of the only trail bikes that fits two water bottles inside the main triangle.
Matt Phillips

There are several things I genuinely like about the Delano Peak. It’s a direct-to-consumer brand that offers good value, and it arrives well packaged for easy assembly with minimal tools. It fits two water bottles inside the main triangle, and there aren’t many other trail bikes that do. The hose and housing routing was well done; clean and rattle free. It has a threaded BB and uses ZS44/ZS56 headset cups which makes it compatible with angle-adjust headsets if you want to tweak the front-end geometry. The seat tube arrangement let me run a 200mm PNW Loam dropper, making it one of the few medium sized bikes that allows such a long-travel dropper.

fezzari delano peak
A threaded BB and well-managed hose and housing routing are nice touches.
Matt Phillips

This brings me to another thing I like about the Delano Peak: Customization. There are nine complete builds that all use the same carbon frame and a Fox DPX2 shock. Prices start at $3,599 and go up to $8,999, plus a frame only option. Fezzari has a 23-Point Custom Setup (™, of course) which helps them dial in component sizes for each rider but, if you’re particular, you can also work with them to tweak the build to your liking. For example, I got the $4,599 Delano Peak Elite in for review and was able to upgrade from the stock X-Fusion Maniac dropper to the 200mm PNW Loam dropper. Plus, I was able to specify my preferred crank length, and upgraded to an Ergon saddle too. Getting that level of customization while also taking advantage of direct-to-consumer prices is special.

So, while the Fezzari Delano Peak doesn’t offer the dazzle or surprise of the very best in the crowded, hyper-competitive trail bike category, it does offers solid performance, a great value, and a terrific buying experience. If you appreciate value, build-kit choice, and customization as much (not less than) as ride performance, this is a great option to consider.

Headshot of Matt Phillips
Matt Phillips
Senior Test Editor, Bicycling

A gear editor for his entire career, Matt’s journey to becoming a leading cycling tech journalist started in 1995, and he’s been at it ever since; likely riding more cycling equipment than anyone on the planet along the way. Previous to his time with Bicycling, Matt worked in bike shops as a service manager, mechanic, and sales person. Based in Durango, Colorado, he enjoys riding and testing any and all kinds of bikes, so you’re just as likely to see him on a road bike dressed in Lycra at a Tuesday night worlds ride as you are to find him dressed in a full face helmet and pads riding a bike park on an enduro bike. He doesn’t race often, but he’s game for anything; having entered road races, criteriums, trials competitions, dual slalom, downhill races, enduros, stage races, short track, time trials, and gran fondos. Next up on his to-do list: a multi day bikepacking trip, and an e-bike race.