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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Reviews
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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Shimano’s most expensive brakes were also their worst IMHO, but the new XTR has finally fixed that wandering bite point
I’ve had something of a love hate with Shimano brakes over the years, where I’m mostly hating on the top tier ones and loving the cheaper stuff. XTR and XT…
£499.00
I tested the original Giant Trance 20 years ago: the latest Trance X has the same peppy feel and it’s one of the smoothest and fastest trail bikes around
For almost as long as I’ve been testing bikes – quite a while, as my aching bones regularly remind me – the Trance has been Giant’s go-to trail bike. It…
£5,999.00
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I tested Shimano’s new wireless groupset: it shifts faster than SRAM, uses a hidden battery, and boasts a party trick XC racers, enduro riders and weekend warriors alike are going to love
Shimano invented electronic shifting for mountain bikes, but it’s hard to remember because it’s been more than 10 years since we first clapped eyes on it. In the decade since…
£1,639.92
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Yeti’s new MTe doesn’t have the hottest e-bike motor, and needs a few mods to unlock its full potential, but I couldn’t help falling for its brilliant suspension
Yeti’s new MTe e-bike comes with only 145mm of travel, unfashionable 29in wheels, and a puny motor (compared to the DJI Avinox). Has this iconic brand misread the room, or…
£10,999.00
Marmite on wheels: the Pivot Trailcat LT is either a short travel enduro shredder, or an overdamped and overbuilt trail bike, depending on which of us you chat to
Pivot’s Trailcat comes in two formats, the 140 / 120mm travel SL and the 150 / 135mm travel LT here. Both share the same relatively light, ultra high quality frame…
£9,600.00
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