Ragley’s Piglet hardtail offers confident, fun handling with a solid selection of bits attached to a well-made steel frame with some clever features. It’s happy as an all-day trail bike but it thrives when things get steep and fun, which makes it easy to overlook it’s only real foible of a relatively narrow range drivetrain. The best mountain bikes you can … Read more
This week’s new stuff is a mixed bag of gear, there a new Boardman hardtail for £1,000, smooth bearings from Cane Creek, a power meter from Stages Cycling, bike cleaner from Kingud and a different tubeless repair kit from Ryder Innovations. First Look: Boardman MHT 8.9 – £1,000 hardtail First Look: Is the Giant Trance 29 3 … Read more
Park Tool’s MT-20 is an incredibly small multitool that carries only the bare essentials. If you frequent the bike park or are partial to a lunchbreak spin, this tool is easy to dump in a pocket and forget about until you really need it. However, the MT-20 won’t get you out of every situation without … Read more
It’s week two of Saturday Social, the place where we round up all the stuff we’ve been giving our ‘likes’ to this week. This week we’ve got steezy riders, new concealed tools, bikepacking in Kyrgyzstan plus retro gravel bike, dig in… Big Read: Racing e-bikes at the EX Enduro; how much difference does a motor make? Top … Read more
Mondraker’s Foxy Carbon 29 RR offers a lithe feeling carbon fibre chassis with well-sorted geometry though it doesn’t feel like quite as much as of a flat-out slugger as some 150/160mm bikes. The price is also high considering there’s some low-rent kit in places, but it’s still a fast and fun long-legged trail bike capable of handling itself in … Read more
Giant gave us a 29er option in the Trance range in August of last year and we’ve been keen to have a ride ever since. The 2020 trail bike three price options that are both aluminium and sport the big wheels, it’s the bottom of the range bike we have here, the Trance 29 3 costing … Read more
Hope’s 35W Pro 4 wheels are super-sturdy, wide enough to make the most of aggressive trail tyres, spin on excellent hubs and offer impressive strength and durability. High weight means they’re not the most sprightly option though, and climbing on them can be a chore. Muc-Off Disc Brake Covers review The best mountain bike trail … Read more
Inspired by staff and customers custom builds, Pivot has launched a limited edition version of their Trail 425 trail bike. Featuring chunkier fork, hollow-forged cranks and fat carbon 34mm rims, this edition of the Trail 425 becomes an enduro shredder. Bernard Kerr shows you exactly how hard this trail and enduro bike can be ridden. Best mountain … Read more
Hutchinson’s Taipan Koloss is an unashamedly large, rear-focused plus-size tyre that works well on rough and rocky ground whether it’s wet or dry. It lacks real bite in mud or wet roots, though, and the price is high. Buyer’s guide to mountain bike saddles – get the best saddle for your MTB The best trail … Read more
