What a summer 2025 has been! It’s been a long time since we’ve had such a prolonged summer, and boy did we make the most of it. With severe flooding, freezing temps and snow just in November, winter is well and truly here, so it’s easy to reminisce on the dreamy summer. It also gave me plenty of time to test tonnes of kit, so here’s the very best I’ve reviewed throughout the year.
- The bike that helped Ty smash the brutal 300km RiftMTB race
- Is racing an e-MTB easier? – Racing the Connondale Moterra SL e-bike at Ard Rock
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For me, post-work evenings were spent riding the local trails and savouring the post-ride pizza and pints with friends. Weekends were, of course bike bike-heavy, either covering miles on the gravel bikes or mountain biking at the local(s). I’m fortunate to live in the Forest of Dean, and when the summer is this good, I have very little reason to leave the Forest. The variety of trails on offer within a 15-minute drive from my house is gluttonous.
This summer was particularly special for another reason; I had the chance to introduce my gravel-hardened girlfriend to mountain biking. It’s safe to say she’s hooked, and although a pretty horrific crash early on knocked confidence, the progression over this summer has been nothing short of incredible. Even now, the mud has come back with vengeance, she is adjusting to the new levels of anti-grip and my constant nagging about body position, and braking is starting to make sense.
July saw a four-day bike-packing trip in Scotland, riding from Glasgow to Inverness along the Badger Divide. We were unfortunate to pick a week of questionable weather, but the trip went off seamlessly with no issues. A lovely way to slow down the day-to-day hustle and bustle of life by having four days where all you need to do is eat, drink, sleep and pedal – nourishment for the soul.
Back in August, Liam and I did our first MTB stage race with The Rift MTB in Iceland. As soon as Liam got in touch about the chance to ride in Iceland, I jumped at the opportunity. I’m not sure I even asked what I needed to do. It was quite the race, offering up 300km of Iceland’s finest terrain over five days, and although COVID got me after three days, we managed to get it done. For me, the riding was spectacular, but the real opportunity was to be in front of a camera, which is a fairly new experience. If you haven’t seen our Rift MTB video on YouTube, grab a cuppa and have a watch, we’re rather proud of it.
In terms of bikes, it was time to part ways with my trusty Deviate Claymore. It’s been nearly three years, and what a machine it’s been, but it was time to find something a little more trail-oriented to suit my local riding. Cue my new Deviate, this time the Highlander 2. It’s been a great summer piloting it on the local trails, and only recently has it been introduced to mud. I’ve been lucky enough to hang some lovely test kit off it over the summer, including a new Lyrik fork, full XTR groupset, some nice carbon wheels and most recently the new Fox X2 air shock. With all that test kit at my disposal, here is a round-up of my favourite kit from the year.
e-MTB of the year: Merida eOne-Eighty
What a sledgehammer of a bike the Merida eOne-Eighty was. It’s unfortunate that the headline number for this bike is the 27kg heft, and it doesn’t matter how much I say “it doesn’t ride like 27kg”, that number is going to put people off.
My preconceived expectations of the weight were the same as the next person, however, the bike continued to surprise me on every ride. With the rear end tuned to the fantastic RockShox Vivid Air shock and that stable weight, it tracks the ground like nothing I’ve ridden yet, and still resembles some pop for mid-trail gaps. The super short rear end and mullet set-up means it’s manoeuvrable, and a big 800Wh battery means you can get some serious elevation dispatched.
The E-180 was the biggest defier of expectations this year, and I had such a hoot riding it. You can read all about my thoughts on the Merida eOne-Eighty e-MTB review.
Item of clothing of the year: Rapha Trail Lightweight glove
I know, a glove seems right down the bottom of the priority list when it comes to riding clothing, but for me, finding a good glove is important. I hate riding gloveless after having too many crashes, which resulted in grating my hands down the trail, so some form of hand protection is a must.
The Rapha Trail Lightweight glove is an absolute corker, offering a super thin palm with great feel in a very light and breathable package. The real clincher for me is the superb fit with no excess material and a close, snug shape.
They are my new go-to gloves; you can read my review on the Rapha Trail Lightweight glove to get the full low-down.
Shoes of the year: Ride Concepts Hellion Clip
Ride Concepts really upped their game with the Hellion. A super comfortable and reliable shoe which shone no matter what I threw at it. Enduro races, uplift days, 10-hour bike-packing gravel days and multi-day XC stage races, they worked great.
Crucially, they’ve proven to be durable, which makes the price tag a little easier to justify. A solid set of clipless shoes that should be on the list to consider.
Check out my Ride Concepts Hellion Clip BOA shoe review for full details.
Wheelset of the year: Hunt Proven Carbon Trail H_Core
The best wheelset was a tough call between the Hunt Proven Carbon Trail H_Core and the Race Face Era. Both carbon offerings are carefully tuned for on-trail compliance with a strong build, both hovering around 1750g and sporting high-engagement hubs. There really was very little to choose between these wheelsets in terms of performance.
Value for money tipped the scales towards the Proven wheels being around £450 cheaper, which is not insignificant. Whilst the Race Face wheels feel more compliant on the trails, in my books, this doesn’t make up for the increased cost.
You can read both my thoughts in the Race Face Era review and Hunt Proven Carbon Trail H_Core review.
Accessory of the year: Tailfin Top Tube bag – 1.1L Flip-Lid
Although my riding preference is gravity-assisted, I do love using a bike as a tool to travel and explore. Gravel riding and bike packing are such a different genre from my usual enduro style riding, and I really enjoy the mix-up. Along with this comes a whole new set of requirements for a bike, one of which is carrying stuff effectively and efficiently, God forbid having to wear a backpack!
The Tailfin Top Tube bag was one of those products which just made sense. It does everything you could need it to do, perfectly. The on-the-fly one-handed access is ideal, making it a solid companion on long trips – it’s by far my most trusted and treasured accessory of the year.
Check out my Tailfin Top Tube bag – 1.1L Flip-Lid review for the full details.
Tyre of the year: Schwalbe Albert Gravity Radial
I feel like finding the perfect tyre is a never-ending affair. Good, predictable grip with durability and at a sensible price is nearly impossible. Whilst the Albert has been retired for winter, over the dry summer period, it has been a firm favourite with a super soft compound up front and soft out back. The rear has lasted surprisingly well, whilst the front has made it through summer with very few signs of wear.
Whilst there has been a lot of hype around the radial casing, it certainly has its advantages for conforming to the ground to find extra grip and dampening the trail a little. There are downsides to the flexibility, however, pointed impacts will deform the tyre more, which has caused the rim to hit the floor on some occasions, so if you charge through heinously pointy rocky terrain, the radial may not be for you.
For my local trails, these have been excellent, offering amazing grip levels with predictable cornering, which helps boost confidence.
Full details can be found in my Schwalbe Albert Gravity Pro Radial tyre review.
Component of the year: OneUp Components Clipless pedals
Personally, I am an SPD fan as I find that in a crash, I will always detach from the bike; this doesn’t happen so much in my experience with the Crank Brothers cleat system. Finding a good SPD clipless pedal which has lateral float whilst holding the cleat securely, along with some good pins, a supportive platform and is built to last is a surprisingly tall order.
OneUp Components really nailed its clipless pedal. The build quality is top-notch, the cleat is held securely without any rattle, and there is more than enough adjustment in spring tension, allowing you to dial in the perfect feel. For a reliable and consistent pedal, look no further.
You can read my OneUp Components Clipless pedals review for all the details.
Object of desire: Deviate Lowlander
Yes, it’s fair to say I am a bit of a Deviate fan, having now owned two of the brand’s bikes and being very keen to swing a leg over their new e-bike, the Kurgan. However, my real interest lies with the prototype titanium-built Lowlander. Since writing this, Deviate Cycles Ltd has gone insolvent but the co-founder, Ben Jones has bought it back so I’ll be curiously watching this space!
It’s a high pivot 125mm trail bike, sounds like a lot of fun, and I suspect it would punch well above its weight. 3D printed junctions with welded tubes really get the engineering geek in me excited, and boy, does it look great. Aside from looks, there is a curiosity to ride a titanium frame, which’ll have a very different feel to carbon out on the trails.
