Is the Spot Mayhem 140 the Best Trail Bike You’re Not Riding? (2024)

The Takeaway: Spot’s Mayhem 140 is an unconventional bike due to its asymmetrical frame and titanium flex-plate lower pivot. But in this case, bucking convention works. The Mayhem 140 is a brilliant all-around all-trail bike that’s fast, capable, and more efficient than most. Riders, especially if they’re lighter and aren’t aggressive descenders, will need to put extra effort into sorting out the shock setup and tune to get the most out of the rear suspension. However, once dialed, this bike sings on the descents and climbs quickly back to the top for more fun.

The Mayhem 140 is not an update to the excellent Mayhem 130 or its sibling, the Mayhem 150. It is an all-new bike that replaces both. Spot’s Living Link suspension and frame get total makeovers.

Spot is proud of what it accomplished, boldly claiming the new bike is “the most capable bike we’ve ever made” and " the best do-everything bike on the market.”

Of course, “best” is subjective and depends on your wants and needs. But Spot was shooting for a mid-travel bike that climbs and descends well, has lots of grip, and provides a poppy, energetic ride. Spot also sought to make the bike robust, light, more user-friendly, and attractive.

Most performance mountain bikes aim for the same things, so the deviled eggs are boiled in the details. And, oh boy, Spot wants to tell us about the details. The information Spot distributed to the press about the Mayhem 140 is brimming with them—even including breakdowns of their cable port clamping philosophy, the reasons it uses mechanical locking pivot hardware instead of locking collets, and why the Mayhem’s water bottle cage mount is so cool.

Spot’s Living Link suspension system is one of the most unique in cycling. Fundamentally, it is a four-bar short dual-link system, but with one of the pivots replaced by a leaf spring. The flex of the leaf spring is tuned to impart a positive spring force in some stages of the travel, a negative force in others, and no force in still others.

By coupling the leaf spring’s force with kinematics, Spot says Living Link offers its engineers additional tools to tune suspension performance in ways that are impossible with a traditional dual-link system.

In all previous applications of Living Link, the lower rear pivot was replaced by the leaf spring. The new Mayhem 140, however, debuts a new Living Link layout that flips the script.

The Inversion variant of Living Link uses the leaf spring instead of the lower forward pivot. This seems like a net zero change, but Spot’s engineers insist that flipping the link allowed them to make many improvements.

Anti-squat is the primary improvement. The old design, Spot says, forced a compromise wherein, to get the proper amount of anti-squat for pedaling performance, there was too much anti-squat at the very top and very bottom of the travel. Spot says this made the suspension firmer initially and with more pedal feedback at bottom out than is optimal.

Inverse, meanwhile, allows Spot’s engineers to tune in a generous amount of anti-squat around the suspension’s sag point—more anti-squat around sag than the previous Living Link—for snappy pedaling but with less at the very beginning of the travel (more suppleness and traction) and less anti-squat deeper in the travel (more active suspension and less pedal feedback).

Further, Spot claims that this system has “less chain growth and better touch-down feel than bikes with similar anti-squat maxima.”

Additionally, Spot claims that the Inverse design has “fewer parts, fewer bearings, better bearing sealing” than the previous layout and goes on to say it uses six bearings in total, up to a third of the bearing count of some other designs. And those are dual-row Enduro bearings, with “full complement fill” and sealed by “tensioned EPDM o-rings.” They are all the same size, which makes sourcing replacements, if warranted, easier.

In tandem with the suspension, the Mayhem 140 debuts new frame design language for Spot.

The new element that gets the most attention is the single-sided strut, a feature also employed by some Orbea and Specialized bikes (although Specialized backed off from this feature in the latest Stumpjumper).

Spot, however, clarifies that its strut spans from the top tube/seat tube junction to the downtube, creating a main frame composed of two triangles (the strongest shape), while the other struts create a main frame of one triangle and one trapezoid.

Spot states that this design helped it achieve the stiffness, strength, and frame compliance it sought. It also helped improve the Mayhem’s strength-to-weight ratio and “supports shock force at a node where the tubes come together, rather than in the middle of a span.”

The result is a frame that surpasses ASTM category five testing. Category five is the most punishing test and is typically reserved for downhill and bike park products. Although it exceeds cat-5 testing, Spot rates it a category-four frame because it is intended for use as a trail bike and not a downhill/park bike.

The new Mayhem 140 frame is also slightly lighter than the Mayhem 130’s. Spot claims a small 140 frame weighs 6.8 pounds with piggyback shock. That’s very light for a 140mm frame with reservoir shock that surpasses ASTM 5 test standards.

One of the kookier things about the Mayhem is that the shock is not aligned with the centerline of the frame but offset 12 millimeters to the non-drive side. When I asked why the shock was offset, I received a very detailed answer, which was a theme of my chats with Spot about this bike.

The short version of Spot’s answer is that the offset shock allows it to position the Slaybar optimally, boosting the frame’s strength-to-weight ratio, lowering standover, and providing more water bottle clearance.

There are no drawbacks as far as I can tell—the frame didn’t feel different cornering left compared to the right, for example—but, looking down at the frame from the saddle, the asymmetry of the offset shock did spur pangs of irrational irritation.

Another unique detail on this wholly unique frame is the water bottle-cage mount. Instead of the typical riv-nuts, the mount is an extension of the lower suspension link assembly. It also features a slot through which a rider can thread a cargo strap to secure a pump or other item.

Hose and housing route internally, but Spot hasn’t gone to the dark side with through-the-headset-bearing routing. Spot employs clamping ports but forgoes any threads in the frame itself. Instead, a bolt passes through the non-drive port cap and into the port cap on the driveside.

You can peruse the geometry table here. There’s nothing particularly notable about the Mayhem’s geo—It is similar to other popular trail bikes with about the same travel.

There are no geometry adjustments on the Mayhem 140. When asked why this feature was eliminated (the Mayhem 130 and 150 had a geo adjust feature), Andy Emanuel, Spot’s lead engineer, said, “We found that between the suspension performance—better climbing, better rear suspension tracking on descents [than the previous Mayhem]—and the fact that most of our customers seldom use the feature, it wasn't worth the added complexity.”

While size-specific seatstay lengths are a popular topic and burgeoning trend, Spot, ever the iconoclast, is moving away from them (all sizes run 435mm stays).

When I questioned Spot on this point, I received a comprehensive response from Emanuel. I’m running it in its entirety because it shows how Spot arrived at its decision—whether you agree with it or not.

We believe equalizing front and rear centers with size specific chainstays is wrong for a couple reasons: First, taller riders have bigger bodies (particularly longer torsos, arms, neck and head) sitting farther forward on the bike anyway. This puts more weight farther forward on the bike. Simply making rear centers longer based on the ratio of front-to-rear-center does not account for the differences in the body mass of the rider, it just makes numbers on a chart match up.
Next, we have studied how much a rider would need to adjust their center of mass to re-equalize and they would have to move their belly button 3mm to make the same weight bias difference as moving the chainstays 5mm. A rider will do this automatically without noticing, but 5mm longer stays have a very noticeable effect on ride characteristics, that can’t be counteracted by body position.
This is another way of saying that changing chainstay length makes different size frames behave differently, which is what we’re trying to avoid in the first place. We find that steepening the seat tube angle slightly for larger sizes is the best method to equalize body mass over sizes while also accounting for taller average saddle heights.

Spot offers the Mayhem 140 in three builds: 4-Star ($5,699), 5-Star ($7,199), and 6-Star ($9,499). The frame with RockShox Super Deluxe Ultimate shock is available for $3,799.

All builds run a RockShox Super Deluxe Ultimate shock, a 150mm RockShox Lyrik fork, and an SRAM 1x12 drivetrain.

Spot sent me the top-of-the-line 6-Star AXS ($9,499 MSRP, but currently on sale for $9,000) build for review. The 6-Star build has an SRAM XX Transmission, SRAM Code Ultimate brakes, SRAM Reverb AXS dropper, Industry Nine Hydra EN325 carbon wheels (with signature aluminum spokes), a OneUp carbon riser bar, Race Face Turbine R stem, and a WTB Silverado with carbon rails.

While it does not achieve Canyon-level value, Spot’s bikes do cost less than many boutique brands’ bikes with similar builds. Examples with similar builds are the Yeti SB140 ($11,200), Pivot Switchblade ($11,399), Evil Offering LS ($11,200), and Santa Cruz Hightower ($11,000). Note that all prices are MSRP—many are currently on sale.

The Mayhem is also significantly less expensive than a Specialized S-Works Stumpjumper 15 ($12,000), and cheaper than Trek’s Fuel EX 9.9 AXS T-Type ($11,000).

The Mayhem ships with a RockShox Super Deluxe Ultimate shock fitted with a standard air can, no air volume-adjusting spacers, and the brand’s optional hydraulic bottom-out (HBO) system, which affects the last 20 percent of the shock’s travel.

Between the linkage progression (about 20 percent), the air-spring-compression ratio of the long (for a bike with 140mm rear wheel travel) 60-millimeter stroke shock, and HBO, utilizing the last quarter of the Mayhem’s suspension travel is challenging, even with the shock’s high-speed compression set at minus two.

I don't typically have an issue with not getting full shock travel. If anything, I usually need more progression than stock tunes provide (which is why I maintain an impressive collection of volume spacers in my shop).

The HBO in RockShox air shocks is not adjustable, unlike the system in its coil shocks. And since the Mayhem ships with no volume spacers in the shock, it cannot be made less progressive.

Because the suspension was so rampy, I never felt I could get a balanced tune. Trying to eliminate medium to big hit harshness made initially overly soft and compromised mid-stroke support. The later stroke was almost inaccessible if I set it up to get it sweet at the beginning and early middle.

A solution came in the form of RockShox’s Linear XL air can. With this and one volume reducer band installed in the air sleeve, I found I could get a more balanced tune, which made the entire stroke more usable. Plus, I could run the compression clickers in the middle of their range, which gave me more room to tune the shock for conditions.

Even so, I never accessed the last couple of millimeters of travel. Getting those last little bits of travel out of the shock would take a seriously hard hit or a sizable huck to flat.

I’m not claiming to be the fastest and gnarliest rider. But I am 180 pounds, and I regularly ride higher-speed trails with embedded square-edged rocks; plus, I take regular trips to Moab and Sedona. So, I typically don’t have trouble using a bike’s full travel now and again.

But if I’m having trouble getting full travel from the Mayhem 140, lighter and less aggressive riders will have even more difficulty. Because of these factors, I feel that a better arrangement for the Mayhem would be to ship it with the Linear XL can and without HBO. This would give all riders more progression tuning range (using air volume spacers) and especially benefit lighter riders.

I am a fan of Spot’s suspension bikes overall, particularly the Mayhem 130. So much so that I made one part of my personal bike collection.

Spot’s bikes are quirky, or at least don’t strictly adhere to mainstream conventions. But there are reasons why mainstream conventions exist—they tend to work. There is a high probability that what would be considered a conventional mountain bike in 2024—something like a Specialized Chisel—is very good. But as quirky and different as Spot’s bikes typically are, I’ve usually found them to be superb and perplexingly underrated.

This Mayhem 140 continues the tradition. It’s the quirkiest Spot full suspension bike and the brand’s best yet. It is a damn fine machine and has no problem matching up against the category’s elite.

If any bike can make the world wake up and respect how good a bike Spot makes, it is probably the Mayhem 140

If you haven’t read my treatise on the stock shock up higher in this story, you should. Because, while I thought the Mayhem 140 worked well with the stock shock, I felt the bike leveled up with a larger air can fitted. Most of my impressions here are based on riding the bike with the Linear XL can.

One of the things that sets Spot’s Living Link bikes apart is their energy. They have a unique spark about them. They’re poppy, swift, and playful but still highly capable. With the Mayhem 140, it feels like Spot slightly turned down the dial on its energy but in the process, it gained a lot of refinement and better overall balance.

Pedaling performance is one example. On a smoother climb, the Mayhem 140 feels a bit less crisp than the Mayhem 130. It also doesn’t have quite the same snap when accelerating out of a corner. Even so, Mayhem 140 is still very efficient and snappy—the unique Spot energy can still be felt—but is tractable on slippery and rough surfaces.

So, while it feels less energetic, it is more efficient and better across a wider swath of conditions. And thanks to that Spot energy, it climbs superbly and quickly for a bike in its category, with traction in spades and great support. The front end does get a little loose on steeper climbs, but that’s hardly unique in the era of geometry we’re living in.

But while it wanders slightly on steep climbs, the Mayhem 140’s handling is otherwise ideal for a mid-travel, all-around mountain bike. It’s balanced and intuitive across a wide range of speeds and trail conditions; it’s easy to lift and place where you want it, and it’s composed when pushed to its, or the rider’s, limits.

It’s not unique in these respects, but with well-tuned frame stiffness and very good rear suspension performance, the overall package is very fun and very fast.

Pushing myself down a descent with lots of speed variation, corners of all sizes and speeds, plenty of square-edged rocks (loose and embedded), and a handful of smaller drops and jumps, the Mayhem 140 was nearly magical. The wheels skipped and floated across the terrain while the bike above remained calm. It was phenomenal in the corners and drama-free when braking late and hard on bumpy and loose terrain.

It was a few minutes of what felt like perfection. The bike felt so hooked up and so floaty that I kept pushing harder but never found myself over my head. And it was so damn fun and satisfying to feel that I was charging hard and riding this section of trail much faster than I ever had, but feeling like I was getting too loose and putting myself at risk.

In my career testing bikes, I’ve noticed that I often experience One Great Ride during my time with a bike. One ride where I’m extra fast, extra strong, extra talented, or I set a new PR or two. One ride where I feel especially good, especially on, and everything seems almost perfect.

Early on in my career, I’d attribute that One Great Ride entirely to the bike, and it would form the bulk of my impressions. But years of testing have taught me that, some days and for whatever reasons, I will have a great ride regardless of the bike I’m testing. So, rather than the One Great Ride being the foundation of my opinions about a bike, I now note it but largely eliminate it as an outlier and use all the other, normal, rides to underpin my reviews.

Those few minutes of perfection I described above were part of the One Great Ride I had on the Mayhem 140. But the thing is, all the other rides I took on the bike weren’t far off so One Great Ride feels less like an outlier and more like what the Mayhem 140 lets me achieve every time I take it on the trail.

Spot’s Mayhem 140 is quirky and a bit different. And it’s also one of the best trail bikes you can buy.

• Spot states that the Mayhem’s tire clearance is 2.5-in/63mm. However, clearance was very tight on my bike fitted with the stock 2.4 Maxxis Dissector (my calipers measured them right at 2.4 inches). When I relayed this to Spot, it stated that both the rubber guard and the paint were coming through production thicker than anticipated. “We're evaluating some changes to the protection and paint application that should help,” a representative stated.

• It seems like Industry Nine uses spit to affix the stickers on their wheels. After just one ride, they started peeling off, and I unknowingly littered the trails with mylar shards. Which…not cool fam. As soon as I noticed, I peeled the remaining stickers off the rims. Outside of the environmental concerns, stickers aren’t hard. It seems shocking to me that a brand selling $1,700-plus wheelsets didn’t sort that out.

• After going crazy trying to figure out the source of a clacking noise on bigger hits, I finally discovered that the swingarm uprights were hitting the bottom bends of the height-adjustable Wolf Tooth Morse Cage I had installed. Full disclosure: I positioned the Morse cage “low” so a 24-ounce water bottle would fit into the frame. Positioning the cage higher eliminated the interference but also reduced clearance so only a smaller bottle would fit.
After trying a few different options, I found that many non-traditionally shaped composite (plastic) cages were low-profile enough to clear the swingarm and let me fit a 24-ounce bottle (I settled on a Trek recycled side load, left, entry cage).