Renowned for its forward-thinking approach to bike design, British brand Whyte has been on a bit of a mission of late to launch new bikes and tech. JD reviewed the…
£1,499.00
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Reviews
Smith’s Forefront 3 is about the comfiest helmet I’ve ever strapped on, but it’s not as breezy as the cheaper Payroll
Smith’s Forefront 3 Mips helmet is about as premium as it gets, and while £250 for an open face is top dollar you do get more features and tech than…
£250.00
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Cube’s Reaction hardtail is bulletproof: designed for agility and muddy tech, it’s ideal as a winter hack
Cube’s Reaction TM Pro is great looking and even better value: It’s for riders who want a tough, well specced, aggressively agile play bike but don’t want rear suspension or…
£1,500.00
The new Scott Gambler has a 6-bar linkage, hides its shock inside the frame, and can be configured in 36 different ways – but is it too complicated for the weekend warrior?
The new Scott Gambler is a multi-faceted, shapeshifting race platform built to deliver at the highest echelons of downhill. Ironically, with so many parameters adaptable by the end user, Scott…
£8,849.00
Deviate’s first e-bike is a none-too-subtle high-pivot marauder, and the Kurgan boasts some clever features that further separate it from the hordes
Deviate Cycles has built a loyal fan base from its home in the heart of Scotland, centred around a small range of high-pivot idler bikes. The launch of its first…
£7,999.00
The Specialized Status 2 is the perfect holiday bike for Alpine tourists or bike park weekends: it’s cheap, fast and fun, but ultimately safe and composed
Californian and sun-kissed, the Specialized Bicycle Company is a bit of a bike-industry Golden Child. The brand has an enviable reputation for performance, an S-Works range that’s a top choice…
£3,500.00
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Bored of Jelly Babies? The new Torq Energy Jellies deliver a punchier energy hit and taste delicious, but they’re not cheap
I bumped into Richard from Torq up at a cool gravel bike event called Dalby Grit, and like some dealer of illicit substances, he hooked me up with my first…
£41.25
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Trek’s new alloy-framed Fuel 8 is over £1,000 cheaper than the outgoing model, and small changes help it rip even harder on the trails: but at 17kg it weighs nearly as much as some e-bikes
Mid travel trail bikes are theoretically the sweet spot of modern mountain biking, but the reality is that sales are stagnant in the sector if they don’t have a motor.…
£3,200.00
Vittoria’s new Mostro is right up there with the Maxxis Assegai for supple trail damping, but you won’t believe the weight of this thing
Italian tyre brand Vittoria is massive on the road bike side of things, but yet to make it big on dirt, where Maxxis, Continental and Schwalbe make some of the…
£64.99
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Why did e-bike-only brand Forestal make a regular-powered mountain bike called the Cygnus? I’ve ridden it and there are flashes of genius
While the entire mountain bike world is figuring out how to turn regular bikes into e-bikes, Forestal has done the opposite with the Cygnus and turned one of its eebs…
£7,789.00
Schwalbe’s Nobby Nic Soft is a Magic Mary for people who like to pedal, with great all-weather grip, but the range is massively confusing – here are the only options you want
Schwalbe’s Nobby Nic used to be the tyre I dreaded finding on a test bikes. However, those sketchy days drifting in the wilderness are no more – a few years…
£65.00
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YT’s new Decoy e-bike is make-or-break for the beleaguered brand, and it’s the best Bosch bike I’ve ridden – but will that be enough?
This is not the intro I had planned for the new YT Decoy mark 2. But last week, YT took the painful step of entering self-administration, sending a shockwave through…
£8,999.00
OneUp’s new Wave pedal is great for new riders who need help dropping their heels, but I found the quirky shape less than ideal
I’ve tested flat pedals for decades now and thought I’d seen it all. Concave or convex, big or small, plastic, alloy, magnesium… magnetic, even. And too many bearing and axle…
£149.99
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“The lightest, most breathable trousers I’ve tested” – Patagonia’s Dirt Craft Pants are my pick for summer riding
It’s a strange quirk of mountain biking in 2025 that my friends and I drive to the trails in shorts, before changing into trousers to actually ride. I’m sure it…
£130.00
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I’ve tested all Whyte’s e-bikes, and the new Kado offers the best blend of power, performance and range… I still find the scintillating E-Lyte more fun to ride though
The Kado is now Whyte’s go to e-bike for most riders, replacing the old E-160 and brushing aside the ELyte. It’s not that the E-160 wasn’t good by the way,…
£7,499.00
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Endura’s latest MT500 waterproof jacket is lighter and easier to move in than the original, but the latest regulations mean it’s just not as good at shedding water
This hardshell jacket is the latest version of Endura’s flagship MT500 mountain biking waterproof. Around for years, the MT500 has always been the brand’s go-to for maximum protection from the…
£269.99
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The Propain Sresh SL may not sparkle and fizz, and the TQ motor is no match for the grunt of the DJI, but I still loved every second aboard this stealthy e-bike
Proof that life goes on outside the DJI Avinox bubble takes the form of the new Propain Shresh SL. A lightweight, mid-power enduro/all-mountain e-bike with the latest TQ HPR60 motor.…
£8,818.00
Fox’s inverted Podium fork is heavy, expensive, and a faff to live with, but it’s the best enduro fork I’ve ridden
Fox’s new upside-down Podium fork isn’t pioneering – countless brands have tried inverted forks in the past. And it’s not even particularly eye-catching, particularly compared to the likes of Intend’s…
£2,199.00
Silt’s Enduro wheels offer just about the best price to performance ratio of any hoops I’ve tested, at £380 there’s no need to pay more
Silt’s entire thrust is putting together complete wheels offering top performance for a sensible price. Plenty of others are trying to do a similar thing too and product the best…
£380.00
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“It grips like stink” – the new Specialized Butcher gets more rubber, more weight and more damping, but it’s still amazing value
Specialized’s Butcher has been around for well over a decade, but is now a very different beast to the first generation. It started life with an all-round tread much like…
£54.00
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