Mick Kirkman

Contributor/tester

7Mesh Foundation brief padded short liner

A pair of the best padded liner shorts underneath baggy MTB shorts add extra cushioning for long days in the saddle. I’m a big fan of them, since cycling-specific liners…

Motorex bike cleaning kit

Swiss brand Motorex offers this plastic tub as a one-stop bike cleaning kit to get your machine shiny after you’ve dragged it through the mire. Included in the tub (that…

Scott Vanguard Evo Protector jacket

Scott’s Vanguard EVO jacket is one of a slew of upper body armour models that target trail and enduro riders looking for extra protection, rather than full-on downhill racers. To…

Urge Gringo De La Pampa FF helmet

French brand Urge doesn’t often crop up in our list of best mountain bike full-face helmets, but this convertible, lightweight full-face helmet ticks the value-for-money box, coming in at under…

WTB Ranger tyre

WTB’s Ranger is one of a niche breed that aim to be the best MTB tyres for rapid-rolling trail bike applications on the rear. Like the Kenda Karma and Schwalbe…

Goodyear MTF tyre

Since ambitiously launching a full range of MTB tyres in 2018, Goodyear has been back to the drawing board and spent considerable time completely re-engineering its tyres from casing to…

100% Armega goggles

The Armega is 100% ‘s all-singing, all-dancing goggle. It’s primarily designed for motocross, but is also a favourite of full-face wearing MTB DH and enduro racers. Does its popularity make…

Continental Xynotal tyre

This Xynotal is another one of  the brand new Continental tyres to have emerged from a lengthy development process that’s taken in dozens of prototypes and revisions. Like its sister…

Leatt MTB 3.0 trousers

The 3.0 trouser uses flexible fabric that stretches in all directions. And, like the best mountain bike trousers, there’s a tapered cut that’s roomier in thighs and knees, for freedom…

Urge All Air helmet

French brand Urge has been making helmets for a long time now, with input from multiple World Champion, Fabien Barel. It is particularly known for very lightweight lids, often with…

Fist Evel Knievel gloves

There’s no missing these tributes to the most famous airman on two wheels, but are the Fist Evel Knievels a match for the best mountain bike gloves? When these Evel…

Say hello to the third iteration of the YT Capra. Since the Mark 2 Capra was hardly a slouch on the downhills, the new Mark 3 YT Capra Core 3…

Vitus Sommet 297 AMP

The Vitus Sommet has been around for long enough to be refined multiple times already. It also happens to be one of the best enduro mountain bikes you can buy.…

Silt Carbon XC wheels

In this age of ever more durable, enduro-ready gear, it’s totally out of fashion to shout about lightweight components and how much difference they make to ride quality. Indeed, it’s…

Kenda Karma tyre

The Karma II is a complete update of an older Kenda design intended for mixed conditions trail and XC riding – now trendily marketed as down-country. With an all-new tread…

Specialized Eliminator tyre

Until about eight years ago, Specialized was the absolute value kings of the best MTB tyre world. It sold classic treads like the original Butcher and Purgatory that were actually…

E*thirteen Grappler tyre

Brand new for 2022, E*thirteen’s latest gravity tyre is this ground-grabbing Grappler – and it’s shot straight to the top of the best MTB trail tyres chart. It’s available in…

Kask Koo glasses

Italian brand Kask is best known for high-end road bike helmets, but also has an eyewear arm called Koo, making quality glasses suitable for mountain biking as well as road.…