Two Dentists Wanted: Test the Fastest XC Bikes of 2026

James Moore · 2026-09-28

Weekdays: surgery lights, drills, and fillings. Weekends: carbon frames, rooty trails, and a heart rate pushing 180. If that sounds like your life, keep reading—because we've got something unusual for you. For our big 2026 cross-country group test, we're opening the doors to our test garage and looking for two dentists who'd happily swap the surgery for half a day of rough trails, root carpets, and the hottest XC machines of the season. ### Get Your Teeth into the Most Exciting Bikes of the Season We're putting some of the year's fastest cross-country bikes through their paces: the SCOTT Spark, Santa Cruz Blur, Specialized S-Works Epic, Canyon Lux World Cup, and more. You'll get the rare chance to join us and test the latest kit on the trails around Stuttgart, Germany. This isn't about chasing KOMs on Strava. It's about real-world riding impressions, talking tech on equal terms, and giving us your honest feedback on the trail. We want to find out which bike is the best XC machine of the year—which concept works best in practice, not just on paper. And we want to know: which bike would you want to take home on the spot? Be among the first to test the year's most exciting XC bikes back to back. ### Who We're Looking For We're not looking for pro racers. We're looking for two passionate riders who are hungry for trails and up for a good time. There's just one requirement for taking part in the first Dentist Bike Test: you have to work in dentistry. - You must provide proof that you work in dentistry (a license to practice or similar). - If you're a student, proof of enrollment will do, along with your latest grades. - Our resident dentist Kilian will be joining us for the benchmarking too. Since we're very deliberately leaning into the age-old "dentist bike" cliché, there's one firm rule: proof required. No license to practice or proof that you work in dentistry, no place on the test crew. Simple as that. ### When and Where? The benchmarking session takes place on October 6 from 1 pm. We'll meet in 71229 Leonberg, Germany. You can apply until Wednesday, September 30 at 1 pm, and we'll get back to you that same day. We know that's a pretty tight schedule, but sometimes you've just got to send it. ### How to Join Us Send us a photo and a few lines about yourself, your passion for riding, and proof that you work in dentistry. We'll notify the two selected dentists on September 30, 2026. Apply now. > "The best bike isn't the one with the highest price tag—it's the one that makes you grin inside your helmet." ### A Little Bonus for the Right Candidate Our dentist Kilian is also looking for someone to join his bike-mad dental practice. And Annika Langvad is probably the only person who could challenge him for the dentist world championship title. If you can't make the test but fancy spending your working days drilling around in the mouths of half the editorial team, get in touch directly with Kilian at Dr. Kilian Klügel's dental practice in 71277 Rutesheim. So, if you're a dentist who lives for the weekend ride, this is your chance to ride the best XC bikes of 2026 before anyone else. We can't wait to hear from you.