David started mountain biking in the 90’s, by which he means “Ineptly jumping a Saracen Kili Racer off anything available in a nearby industrial estate”. After growing up and living in some extremely flat places, David moved to Yorkshire specifically for the mountain biking. This felt like a horrible mistake at first, because the hills are so steep, but you get used to them pretty quickly.
Previously, David trifled with road and BMX, but mountain bikes always won. He’s most at peace battering down a rough trail, quietly fixing everything that does to a bike, or trying to figure out if that one click of compression damping has made things marginally better or worse. The inept jumping continues to this day.
Review | The Panaracer PanDura is a fast-rolling tyre with some surprises on the trail
Though many mountain bikers will know Panaracer for the classic Smoke & Dart tyres (which are still in production!), the Japanese tyre manufacturer has been busy adding a load of...
Trust Performance Message: Testing This Bonkers Carbon Linkage Fork
We take the latest carbon fibre linkage fork on the market and test it in the U.K grit and mud. Keep reading for our Trust Performance Message linkage fork review....
Review | Flat Tire Defender tubeless inserts are easy on your rims, but hard on your hands
Tubeless tyre inserts claim to offer additional protection for your mountain bike rim, so you can run lower tyre pressures for improved traction. The Flat Tire Defender is a US-made...
Review: The ShredMate Computer lets you know how rad (or not) you really are…
ShredMate recently introduced a GPS sensor designed for your mountain bike, but as it turns out, this ain’t no ordinary trip computer. As well as recording your riding speed, distance...
Review: The Magura HC 1 – Finger Brake Levers Change The Way Your Brakes Feel
A lever blade may seem like an odd thing to review, but as one of the contact points for your bike, it’s important. Magura started offering these single finger HC...
Review | Panzer Rim Protection takes on the big guns of the tubeless tyre insert world
Tubeless tyre inserts claim to offer additional protection for your mountain bike rim, so you can run lower tyre pressures for improved traction. The Panzer insert is one of the...
Review: The Cane Creek Helm Coil Fork – Is it better than the Helm Air?
Shortly after releasing its very first mountain bike suspension fork, the Helm, US brand Cane Creek brought out a coil-sprung version. And having amassed no fewer than 7 months of...
Review: Hayes’ new Dominion A4 may just be some of the best 4-piston disc brakes we’ve tested
Hayes recently debuted a brand new hydraulic disc brake called the Dominion A4. Designed as a powerful 4-piston disc brake for trail, enduro, downhill and e-MTB use, the Dominion A4...
Review: Is the Liteville 301 MK14 the most German mountain bike on the market?
German brand Liteville sent us the 14th iteration of its 301 full suspension trail bike, which is quite possibly the most over-engineered mountain bike we’ve ever laid our hands on....
Love running really low pressures? We review the CushCore Inner-Tyre Suspension System
When it comes to protecting your rim from damage while running low tyre pressures, CushCore is one of the best-known options on the market. To see just how tough it…
Review | Vittoria Air-Liner Tubeless Tyre Inserts provide maximum fit-and-forget protection
Tubeless tyre inserts claim to offer additional protection for your mountain bike rim, so you can run lower tyre pressures for improved traction. The Vittoria Air-Liner is one of the...
Review: Brake Force One’s 2nd generation H20 disc brakes are filled with…water?
This isn’t the first time we’ve tested the H2O from Brake Force One. We first reviewed them in our disc brake group test last year, but they weren’t exactly quirk-free....
Shimano unveiled a brand new line of gravity-oriented flat and SPD shoes last year, and since then we’ve been testing a whole swag of them. Two such shoes are the...
Review: This 185mm long Revive dropper post from BikeYoke is better than the original
Shortly after the original BikeYoke Revive dropper post was introduced, we tested and reviewed one. Full of promise with its super-slick action and clever IFP-free hydraulic internals, it wasn’t without...
After 8 months of foul-weather testing, here’s our review of the OneUp Components Aluminum Flat Pedals
Having tested no fewer than 17 flat pedals in last year’s epic group test, David Hayward has developed a keen eye (or is that foot?) for detail when it comes...
Carbon wheels are creeping down in price, but are they worth the outlay? David Hayward and the team have been testing six sets under £1500 to see how they compare....
Sixth Element combines tough Asian-made carbon rims with bulletproof UK-made hubs for the Race SE 34.28 wheelset
In Issue #116 of Singletrack Magazine, David and the crew tested six sets of sub-£1500 carbon mountain bike wheels. We subjected all of these wheels to the same bikes, the same...
Review: The silky smooth Mavic XA Pro Carbon wheelset will have you dancing on the trail
In Issue #116 of Singletrack Magazine, David and the crew tested six sets of sub-£1500 carbon mountain bike wheels. We subjected all of these wheels to the same bikes, the same...
Review: At less than a grand, the Bontrager Line Pro 30 is one of the best value carbon wheelsets we’ve tested
In Issue #116 of Singletrack Magazine, David and the crew tested six sets of sub-£1500 carbon mountain bike wheels. We subjected all of these wheels to the same bikes, the same...
The One-Sixty is Merida’s longest travel full suspension bike, with 160mm of rear travel and a 170mm travel fork. Designed as a big, burly all-mountain rig made for going down...
War In Washington: US Mountain Bike Groups In Bitter Feud Over Wilderness Access
There\'s a bill in the US Senate aimed at opening up wilderness access to mountain bikers, but the International Mountain Bike Association and the Sustainable Trails Coalition are in disagreement
