Gary Fisher Roscoe 3

The Gary Fisher Roscoe receives a lot of buzz from riders and bike reviewers in 2009. After all, it's not every day that Gary Fisher says that these are the best bikes he's ever made. Overall, reviewers say that the Gary Fisher Roscoe 3 lives up to the hype -- it performs well on long climbs, absorbs hits easily and handles technical descents better than your average trail bike. The Gary Fisher Roscoe 3 is a combination of an all-mountain bike and trail bike; it's lighter than most all-mountain bikes, but it has a more rugged frame and more travel (5.5 inches in total) than most trail bikes. As a result, reviewers say it can handle rougher terrain than a trail bike, but it's also faster than your average all-mountain bike. The biggest downside to the Gary Fisher Roscoe 3 is the price tag -- at nearly $5,000, it may be too expensive for many riders. Fortunately, the Gary Fisher Roscoe 1 (*MSRP: $2,970) also gets good reviews, and it saves you $2,000. Outside magazine calls it one of the best mountain bikes of the year, and Mountain Bike Action says the Roscoe is the "best long-travel, aggressive trailbike Fisher has ever made."

We find the best reviews of the Gary Fisher Roscoe 3 in specialty bike publications like Bicycling, VeloNews and BikeRadar.com. Other publications, like Outside and Mountain Bike Action, review the less expensive Gary Fisher Roscoe 1. Because this bike is relatively new, there aren't many owner-written reviews available to confirm these professional opinions.