Getting the best mountain bike wheels can totally transform your ride. Upgrading your bike's existing wheelset will add speed and improve the feel.
Mick Kirkman
Contributor/tester
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Propain’s new Spindrift is a shapeshifter: fun and fast on the descents with 180mm travel, but efficient enough to work on mellower singletrack too
In a world where excess is increasingly frowned upon, it’s easy to find reasons to be more conservative and play things safe. Propain’s Spindrift takes that ethos and throws it…
Near DH protection, without the stuffiness: the Bluegrass Jetro helmet is my favourite 3/4 helmet
Three-quarter helmets like this new Bluegrass Jetro have forged a bit of a category of their own, sitting between regular half shell lids and the best lightweight full-face enduro helmets. The…
“Like riding chainless” – e*thirteen’s Sidekick decoupling hub irons out the trails, but XC riders will probably hate it
e*thirteen has something special inside the rear hub on these Sidekick wheels. Seven years in the making, the brand’s innovative new design claims to end pedal kickback on a full…
The Atherton S170 is like nothing else when it comes to how it looks, the way it’s made, and the range of sizes, but at 17.5kg it’s one of the heaviest enduro bikes I’ve ridden
Atherton Bikes moves so fast that loads has happened since the brand’s first aluminium bike – the S170 – first appeared in the spring. One of the biggest changes being…
My last SDG Tellis dropper post did 5,000km without a service, and this V2 version is even better
The original SDG Tellis dropper came out in 2018 and made a bit of a name for itself as one of the cheaper options on the market that was still…
Coil or air? Cane Creek’s unique Tigon shock gets both, but it’s not enough to lure me away from Fox
Cane Creek has made twin tube coil and air shocks for decades now, including the Kitsuma Coil shock I’ve previously raved about. This new Tigon design represents something entirely new…
Peaty’s Monarch Grips offer pinpoint control and build quality, but there are squishier options out there
Peaty’s all-new Monarch grips come in two different designs and five different colours with both tread patterns selling for under £25. There’s both a knurled option with diamond shaped file-like…
Best mountain bike tyres: e-bikes, trail riding, XC racing, gravity, and everything inbetween
Ultimate grip? Fastest rolling speed? Ride in sand? Rocks? Or loam? Here are the eight best mountain bike tyres for you and your trails.
Burgtec’s Josh Bryceland Bartender Pro Super Soft grips provide most of the comfort of a push-on design, with none of the hassle
As one of just two bike contact points when you’re stood up taming the most technical trails, grips better be pretty darn, err, grippy in your hands. To deliver this…
I’ve tested hundreds of mountain bike tyres, and the Schwalbe Albert Radial Gravity Pro has the most planted and supremely-damped ride quality I’ve encountered
Schwalbe’s latest gravity tyre range has to be one of the most hyped in recent memory, with its new Radial casing the talk of the World Cup downhill paddock. All…
Castelli’s Prosecco is the most effective base layer I’ve ever tested, it wicks sweat faster than you can make it
Italian brand Castelli has been providing kit for pro road teams for decades and offers various product tiers from amateur or training gear, right up to top-level World Tour outfits.…
Merida’s new eOne-Eighty is the most capable long-travel e-bike I’ve ever tested, at 27kg I’d hate to have to muscle it over a gate though
Merida started down electric avenue early, it developed sweet riding e-bikes before many other brands even got switched on to the concept. This helped the Taiwanese behemoth tie in with…
POC’s VPD Air Flow knee guards are supremely comfy and cool… and on sale right now at 63% off!
The POC VPD Air Flow knee pad takes its design cues from roadie bib shorts, it’s the lightest and most minimal knee protection offering from the Swedish brand and targeted…
Michelin’s DH22 Racing Line tyres offer unmatched traction in the wet… but there’s a price to be paid
Michelin has completely rebooted its gravity tyre line up this year and the latest on test is its DH22. It’s more gravity focussed, heavier and grippier than the also-new Wild…
Winter’s coming: Rapha’s sleeveless base layer adds warmth and comfort, but its roadie fit was too snug for my bulk
This sleeveless base layer from Rapha is designed for the much more serious business of road cycling… but don’t let that put you off. Because base layers are much more…
Hope’s handmade HB.916 is dull and dead to ride… but in a really (really) good way
High pivot bikes with idlers have been trending recently, but are they all hype like the Emperor’s New Clothes or do they offer genuine ride advantages? Multiple brands including Forbidden,…
“Just about perfect” PNW’s Range Stem is stiff, well made and looks great
PNW says its Range stem is CNCd from a block of 6061 aluminium, but judging by the shape it’s been cold-forged first, a process all the best mountain bike stems…
The Abus HiDrop is a tropical microclimate for your head, and one of the hottest full face helmets I’ve ever tested
Abus is probably best known for making bike locks, but the German brand is well versed when it comes to protecting heads too. Its latest piece of safety equipment is…
Lightweight, lively and nimble: Cannondale’s Habit LT is a proper trail bike, not an overbuilt enduro rig
As one of a handful of trail bikes with a very similar shape and suspension design, Cannondale’s Habit LT had a hard job convincing me it was a truly unique…