We’ve got exciting new tyres in on test this week, a 2.5″ Vigilante and a Verdict from WTB, they’ll be put to test in the loose, dusty loam of the forest very soon! There’s also a carbon helmet from Alpina, a £2,000 trail bike from Merida and new shoes from Ride Concepts. Dig in… 11 … Read more
The Bontrager Evoke Mountain Shoe is a great entry-level shoe that straddles the line between gravel and trail use. It’s solidly built with an aggressive tread and decent grip in all terrain, but it’s weighty and not the most comfortable. Giro Manta R Women’s Trail shoe review Specialized S-Works Recon shoe review Buyer’s guide to mountain … Read more
The Flywheel from Smith Optics is a retro/modern-looking pair of sunglasses featuring their own tinted ChromaPop lenses. They’re light, comfy and give excellent coverage for riding. Although downsides are few, the lens isn’t interchangeable, meaning they’re only really useful for spring and summer. Smith Optics Wildcat glasses review Julbo Renegade Zebra Light glasses review Tifosi … Read more
Like most gear-obsessed sports, mountain biking has seen its fair share of fads, trends and dead ends. Is the current trend for longer frame reach and slacker angles one of those? Editor Jon feels rather strongly about the topic. The Rules of Faff: A mountain biker’s guide Dear bike industry, what did we do to deserve … Read more
SR Suntour has just launched a new gravel suspension fork, it’s called the GVX and it’ll give you 40-60mm of squish at the front end of you gravel or adventure drop bar bike. All the details of the tuneable short travel fork for 700c and 650B wheels are here. The best e-gravel bikes you can buy … Read more
The Camelbak H.A.W.G (Holds Alotta Water and Gear) LR is very well-named thanks to its three-litre reservoir and 17L of storage. This Low Rider version positions cargo further down on the hips for a low centre of gravity and works well on long rides, but it’s heavy even unladen and the reservoir could do with … Read more
Cube’s snappily named Stereo Hybrid 160 HPC Actionteam 625 27.5 is a full-fat e-MTB that offers up a large battery capacity and latest generation Bosch drive unit mated to a sleek carbon frame with solid trail-taming capability and some great kit for the money. The only real issues were an unexplained rattle from the motor unit and the substantial … Read more
Joining the string of test bikes that cost less than £2,000 is the Merida One-Forty 600. The 27.5″, alloy, 140mm full suspension bike gets the lowest price tag in the One-Forty range and a smattering of what looks like good spec choices. Here’s an in depth first look, the review will follow shortly. The best mountain bikes … Read more
