Mick Kirkman

Contributor/tester

onza aquila review

Being designed by a World Cup DH champion on a coffee shop napkin is a cool marketing story for Onza’s latest downhill tyre the Onza Aquila RC2.

best mountain bike tyres

The Schwalbe Rock Razor we’ve previously rated as a best back tyre now rocks Schwalbe’s new Addix compounds. Superb, fast rolling rear tyre experience.

transition scout

The Transition Scout Carbon 3 has a great shape and ground-tracking suspension. But for that cash, some equipment isn’t at the level we’d expect.

pivot mach 5.5 review

With the Pivot Mach 5.5 the brand waited seven years before deeming itself ready to bring out the successor its most popular bike ever, the Mach 5.7.

evil the calling

The Evil The Calling is the perfect downhiller’s trail bike. With maximum grip, cornering shred-factor and attitude. Easy to ride for intermediates too.

best mountain bike tyres

What do you get if you tweak the Maxxis Minion DHF to suit wide rims? This ‘Wide Trail’ version is designed to square off less with the beads stretched out.

source hipster

The Source Hipster belt stands out from the bumbag fannypack crowd by having additional shoulder straps and an unusual reservoir design.

forme lathkill

Flattering and instilling rider confidence isn’t a trait all trail bikes manage, so the Forme Lathkill LTD deserves props for delivering the fundamentals.

renthal fatbar 35

We ended up liking the precise control and shape of the Renthal FatBar 35 handlebar so much that it’s stayed put on our own bikes.

five ten freerider eps

The Five Ten Freerider EPS High is a winter-friendly ankle boot packed with PrimaLoft insulation. The best winter flat pedal trail shoe you can buy.

7mesh revo

From slush to torrential rain, the Revo hasn’t flinched. It isn’t cheap, but the 7Mesh Revo Gore-Tex short ticks every box to justify the asking price.

ragley stubbing

The Ragley Stubbing stem comes in a multitude of colours, all with a two-tone finish. The smaller size doesn’t result in a below average weight.

hope am freeride

Machined out of a solid billet of 2014 T6-series aluminium, the Hope AM Freeride stem is exactly what you’d expect from the Lancashire component giant.

gamut cillos

Gamut is better known for chain devices, but this minimal, matt-anodised Gamut Cillos stem shows another side to the US manufacturer.

burgtec enduro mk2

Made in the UK from 6061 T6-series aluminium, the Burgtec Enduro MK2 short stem is second-generation trail and all-mountain stem for both bar sizes.

race face aeffect 35

The Race Face Aeffect 35 is a no-nonsense, forged and CNC finished 6061 aluminium stem at a bargain price. Winner of Best value in our stem group test.