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…
£23.99
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Reviews
Cotic’s new Rocket e-bike made me swipe left when I first saw it, but the beautiful details and stunning ride quality turned me on
Cotic’s new e-bike stays true to its signature steel frame style of 21 years, and uses a wholly UK-built frame to minimise ecological impact and maximise build quality. Mounting the…
£8,000.00
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…
£81.99
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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.…
£75.00
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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…
£7,500.00
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Mondraker’s new Crafty e-bike might not be the most agile descender, but it made me laugh out loud on the climbs
As the most successful bike in Mondraker’s substantial range of e-bikes, the new Crafty has big shoes to fill. ‘Don’t mess it up!’, or slightly stronger words to that effect,…
£7,699.00
All of this for just £1,500? Calibre’s Bossnut is back, with more travel, bigger wheels and a higher quality frame
After a four year hiatus the Calibre Bossnut is back. It’s got bigger 29in wheels, more travel and now comes with a dropper seat post fitted as standard. Yup, the…
£1,499.00
Nukeproof and Ragley are gone: step forward Merida’s new Big Trail, one of the few properly radical hardtails left
The original 2020 Merida Big Trail started as a collaboration between Merida and UK dealers wanting something more rad than the average trail hardtail. Four years later it’s become available…
£1,999.00
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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…
£130.00
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Shimano’s EP801 firmware update is a must for e-bikers: it’s not always free, doesn’t match DJI’s power, but the overrun is perfect
In the race to build the best e-bike motor, Shimano has been falling behind. Bosch has its new Performance CX motor and it’s smarter than ever. Yamaha, Specialized, and now…
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…
£80.99
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I’ve never ridden a heavier lightweight e-bike than Marin’s new Rift Zone EL, but it crushes the descents and starts at just £4,699
The Marin Rift Zone EL is a new lightweight e-bike straight out of California, it comes with the punchy Bosch’s SX motor, 29in wheels and tyres built for dust. It’s…
£6,700.00
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…
£55.00
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The DJI Avinox motor in Amflow’s PL Carbon Pro is obscenely powerful, but I found the lightweight chassis and trail bike attitude at odds with the extreme drive unit
The Amflow PL Carbon with DJI’s Avinox motor has put the cat among the pigeons. In 30 years as a mountain bike journalist, I can’t remember another bike that has…
£8,999.00
The RockShox Pike is a flawed genius of a fork thanks to its Charger 3.1 damper
The latest RockShox Pike Ultimate literally reams out the QC problems of the old fork, which was beset by problems and often choked by damping and bushing issues when pushed…
£1,049.00
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Santa Cruz ditches the Heckler (and VPP!) for the new Vala: Bosch powered, two flip chips and a smaller battery
Santa Cruz has just unveiled the Vala – a brand new all-mountain e-bike that replaces the similarly intentioned Heckler. Instead of a Shimano EP801 motor like its predecessor though, the…
£9,999.00
Bosch’s Performance CX gen 5 motor doesn’t get any extra power, but I don’t care because it’s so much smarter and quieter than the old one
It’s been three years since the last big update to Bosch’s benchmark Perfomance CX motor. And with significant improvements to legacy rivals like Shimano’s EP801, innovative new options such as…
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,…
£8,445.00
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“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…
£75.00
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Fox carves out free speed on the descents with its new Live Valve Neo active suspension system
Fox has a new suspension system out called Live Valve Neo that will open and close your shock faster than the blink of an eye and make your bike quicker…
£1,550.00