After closing with the end of Chain Reaction Cycles, 2025 has been an incredibly exciting year for Nukeproof. Not only is the brand back and already offering new bikes in the form of the Reactor, but the brand has announced its return to the downhill circuit for 2026, and it’s signed quite the rider roster. … Read more
The Hunt Proven Carbon Trail H_Core MTB wheelset is a lightweight trail offering available in full 29 and mixed configurations. At just under 1750g for the 29er wheelset, the strength-to-weight ratio is impressive, particularly considering the stiffness on offer. These wheels do fall on the stiffer side, which gives a direct and instantaneous feel to them … Read more
[Header image by Steve Thomas]As XC bikes with 32-inch wheels are set to arrive at the UCI World Cup in 2026, along with the emergence of flat bars and suspension on gravel bikes, I can’t help but wonder if the lines are being blurred even more so when it comes to the labelling and marketing of bikes. That … Read more
With the EVO TR4, Hope has taken its Tech 4 formula and given it a healthy dose of refinement. With a new-shaped lever as well as heaps of fresh tech, the brand has delivered an incredibly impressive brake that balances lever feel and modulation with plenty of power. Performance-wise, it’s all any trail rider can … Read more
The Absa Cape Epic is known as the biggest, toughest, and most prestigious mountain bike stage race in the world, and is the brainchild of pure outlandish and bold passion from Kevin Vermaak, a young South African mountain biker. After living in the UK for a while, Kevin took off on an adventure with a … Read more
Whyte’s Secta RS is a nifty hardtail and performs well beyond its price tag. It’s not going to take you to Red Bull Hardline, but there’s not much else it won’t conquer… with the right rider atop it, of course. Best hardtail mountain bikes 2025 – great hardtails for every budget Is the hardtail the best … Read more
As the old adage goes, a gravel bike is just an old-school mountain bike, right? Well, in some cases, they quite literally are. Michael Hird, in Middlesbrough, is part of a growing number of people taking older mountain bikes and turning them into something more modern. Best gravel bikes 2025 — drop-bar bikes for off-road … Read more
The SQ Lab 410 2.0 Innerbarends are a great addition to your handlebar architecture if you ride any distance further than the woods for a few laps, and back. However, they may be aesthetically challenging to some, and they don’t play well in the gap between the grip and certain brake levers, which could compromise your brake … Read more
2025 has been the year of wireless for Shimano. After waiting years for truly wireless shifting from the brand, it’s refreshed its whole MTB range and introduced GRX Di2. However, it doesn’t stop there, as today Shimano has unveiled GRX RX717 that boasts all of the wireless convenience with a lower price tag. SRAM MTB … Read more
[Images by Drew Lawson]There’s so much of the old “American Dream” about the free and easy story of the Californian klunker crew and the birth of mountain biking – a tale still regularly told today (including by me), and rightly so. However, as the American founding fathers acknowledge, bodging and building flat bar bikes and … Read more
