June issue’s Hardtail of the Year extravaganza saw VooDoo’s Bizango cast a spell over the entire test team with a magical ride and inspired spec. It secured an easy victory against many of its more expensive rivals. Costing £450, the Voodoo Aizan promises most of the Bizango’s bang for even less of the buck. It shares the more expensive bike’s frame geometry and 7005 aluminium tubing, but loses the adjustable dropouts that let you tune the chainstay length. Rest assured, this doesn’t dilute the fun factor. Up front, it gets a basic but supple coil-sprung Suntour suspension fork with 120mm of travel. Unlike its more expensive sibling, there’s no air pressure to tinker with, which could be good or bad, depending on how technically proficient you are. It also loses the bolt-through axle, so heavier riders might notice a bit of extra flex from the front-end. You get the same short stem and wide handlebar set-up that makes the handling so intuitive and enjoyable, as well as easy-rolling 29in wheels, decent Tektro disc brakes and 27-speed Shimano Alivio transmission. With all this for £450, it would be easy to suspect the Voodoo Aizan of witchcraft. Yet the truth is far simpler: proven geometry, quality components and impressive attention to detail.