cannondale scalpel

Cannondale Scalpel SE's extra travel front and rear, and components like 150mm dropper post, makes it a different animal to its race stablemates.

Ghost SL AMR 6.7 AL

Coil-sprung suspension combines attitude and aptitude but is the Ghost SL AMR 6.7 AL's extra weight compensated for by better performance?

OneUp EDC Gear Strap

OneUp EDC Gear Strap slightly stretchy polyurethane strap lashes tyres, tools or whatever to the frame to eliminate extra weight and bulk on your person.

squirt low temperature chain lube

Squirt also offers this Squirt Low Temperature Chain lube that’s great for the UK. It costs more than normal Squirt (and more expensive than rival lubes).

bluegrass skinny knee

Bluegrass Skinny knee pads are no-frills protection, with a bare minimum of superfluous features and lacking any big money materials such as D30.

100% Speedtrap glasses

The aesthetics of the 100% Speedtrap glasses are polarising but there's no debating how effective this extended coverage is at protecting your eyes.

leeds urban bike park

UK towns and cities are starting to wake up to the value of urban trail developments. We head to Leeds Urban Bike Park to sample one pioneering project.

TRP G-Spec Quadiem

The TRP G-Spec Quadiem huge lever and chunky caliper gives off as strong sense they're built to take some serious abuse and dish out some big forces.

mountain bike disc brakes

All the action with the Shimano XT M8020 disc brake is at the caliper; four ceramic pistons which Shimano claims a boost in power and heat dissipation.

Hope Tech 3 E4

At £175 per end, the Hope Tech 3 E4 undercuts quite a few of the top end brakes but you will still need to add £45 for the two-piece floating

sram level

Sitting at the cheaper end of the SRAM range, the SRAM Level is another brake you'll find equipped on many lower priced mountain bikes.

We head to the Peak District and Cotic Cycles to start a new series in attempt to find out what makes British bikes so good.