When hunting for a new bike or bit I can never find the ones I'm looking at reviewed head to head. What would you like to see (Chipps feel free to nick any good ideas).

Me – I would like a 120 / 140mm Ti hardtail group test.

On One ti 456
Pipedream Ti Sirius
Rock Lobster Ti
Van Nickolas Mamtor

pub and cake shops on a stw forum organised ride for the mag.

Probably been done before but i'd like to see an article on the different suspension designs available (because I don't fully understand the pros/cons), and then maybe a grouptest of three 120mm bikes each with different suspension designs to see how they work in practice.

Bottlecages 🙂

Actually I'd like to see a comprehensive review of 29er hardtail frames – something like Singular Swift, On-one Scandal/steel, GF, Giant etc etc. Not just the high-end review like a few issues ago(which was great btw).

Generic trail food test, assorted cakes and niceties available from your average shop 🙂 Nothing that is sport nutrition specific.

I usually go for Eccles Cakes and/or Lyles Ginger cake, am I missing any other gems hidden in the long life cake department?!

I'm sure a grouptest of this sort would go down well on a rainy day stuck in the ST office.

Good idea!

I'm sure a grouptest of this sort would go down well on a rainy day stuck in the ST office.

Surely to test them properly you would need to go out riding and nearly bonk, in order to test the effectiveness of flapjack/battenburg/pasty/foie gras as trail food?

Razors! 😉

Downhill bikes

The best downhill bikes for small ladies…….

I think I may have possibly found mine, but it wasn't easy!

As it happens 'bunny I'm currently working on something very much along those lines right now 🙂

Not specifically a 'grouptest' but I was thinking the other day… Wow, my bike rides GREAT… however, I've actually no idea if it climbs better than anything else, or descends better either!
Some sort of article on handling characteristics and what makes a 'great bike' from someone who's ridden lots of different bikes would be very interesting.
I'd also find an article on riding position and bike fit quite interesting, but maybe thats just me!!

P

A big selection of trail bike tyres (2.25-2.5") on a range of surfaces, not just Calderdale.

A 29er test would be good so that I can confirm that my Swift is awesome 😉

My biggest gripe with many of the bike tests is that the bikes often aren't that comparable (e.g: the 29er review a few months ago). Nice reviews in themselves but lacked the context of comparisons to a broader field. To be really informative a better frame of reference is needed. I'm less bothered by price differences but design and usage differences really hamper (my) interpretation of reviews.

I'd also like to see a review of the Banshee/Mythic Spitfire with some other burlier trail bike designs. I'd consider it to be similar to my 2005 Heckler and the Orange 5 in usage but have no idea if I'm correct!

Singletrack forum bike vs rest of the world

So a Cotic Soul with Hope/Stans Hoops, SLX groupset, Thompson finishing and Nevegals against similar price Specialized full suss.

Handlebars

Chamois cream

How about covertly taking the same bike with the same problems (like a knackered headset, undertight front mech clamp, knackered BB) to a bunch of different LBSs, Halfords, Evans, etc for a service and see what they find?

You could do a similar test on manufacturers warranties.

Handlebars

Did that not too long ago.

New versus old. Compare new, 5 year old, 10yo and 15yo bikes of the same type….

It must be hard to come up with a new grouptest each issue, without some of them being deathly dull.

Personally I can never get enough tyre reviews though. I like the generic trail food idea too. Maybe extend to recovery drinks.

considering how important tyres are compared to every other part, as the sole contact point between all that expensive kit and the trails you choose to ride, it is impossibly hard to ever know which ones are decent without having the chance to test loads somehow. so agreed, every issue should have an ever-increasing tyre database in the back.

Like a couple of them idea's;

Chamois Cream – STW team sit bare arsed on belt sander for a minute then go ride! Reporting which soothed the best!

PeterPoddy – Nice idea, eg Turner 5 Spot, horst, TNT, DW.

Pitchforks.
Stakes.
Matches.

I like the idea of 3 generations of Turner frame.

Large volume, light weight UST tyres tested in rocky environments would be useful for me.

How about a group test of fourms ?

Seriously though, most of the stuff tested is good/ok/very good. What about all the crap stuff – lets have a list of whats really bad and why. That way we wont waste our money on it.

For example, those upy, downy, seatposts – great idea, but they dont last in the real world. Well lets tell the world they are crap and perhaps they will get better. We all benefit.

Plus we all like reading about how bad stuff is – assuming its not us that bought it.

Lets have a test of £99 FS bikes – all at a trail center – prize for the fastest lap of the Wall, prize for the most bits to fall off.

Whiskies. I trust the tipple judgement of STW staff absolutely.

Large volume, light weight UST tyres tested in rocky environments would be useful for me.

+1, but not too light weight!

Lets have a test of £99 FS bikes

One of the mags done this (can't remember which one, sorry) and it turned out pretty much as you'd expect…

So a Cotic Soul with Hope/Stans Hoops, SLX groupset, Thompson finishing and Nevegals

that's my bike!

yeah, not too light weight. Robust trail tyres without going over a kilo.

Apres ride pint. I am willing to volunteer my services for nowt too.

yeah, not too light weight. Robust trail tyres without going over a kilo.

Exactly what I was thinking.

Put that on the list please ST people. 😉

I would like to see a real cross section review.

Say £1000 to £1500 price, 29er HT, vs 29er FS, vs 26er HT vs 26er FS, vs 650B etc.

Preferably with similar travel, and ideally from same manufacturer.

For example. Giant Xtc 29er, Giant Anthem X 29er, Giant Xtc and a Giant Anthem X.

Would be interesting to read different opinions on the pros and cons of each bike, especially from a cross section of reviewers.

How about testing say hardtails with a 100mm ish forks from a wide price range £200 -£7000 round an xc loop and timing it to see which is fastest. use a set of control tyres to keep it fair, it would be nice to see if the extra money is money wasted. I'd enjoy seeing a rockhopper get the same lap time as a Flash.

Iain

lets have a grouptest of mtb magazines…

the one with the least "grouptest" would be my winner

the ones with best pics and things written about places, faces, and races would score highly

I'd like to see a test between 2 identical frames. 1 kitted out with budget gear, the other with top end. Everything would have to be unbranded so the tester remains impartial. To see what difference they make of it.

Grouptest of STW forum members obviously.

Maybe a grouptest of tubeless wheels – how well they seal with tubeless and non tubeless tyres, as well as the obvious points for a wheel. And maybe a small one on what sealant they like the best.

Never seen anything on workshop tools, I'd quite like that,

How about reviews on the bikes that are mail order / people less likely to be able to test ride. Think a mag has done something similar, but I would like to read about inbred vs ragley vs merlin (and others?)

Something on best value trail bikes at the £1000 C2W limit, but with LOADS of bikes rather than just 3 or 4.

Always think the better grouptests are when lots of products are compared with short descriptions rather than one or two with long description.

Things like handlebars, cranks, stems are pointless to 'review' they either work or don't and the reader can look at the specs sheet and see if they suit them. Similarly other simple components such as headsets, bbs, mechs etc either stand up to use well or don't, we dont need a load of hyperbole and redundant conjecture on how it will cope with a muddy calderdale winter or peaks grit. Just try it for an applicable amount of time and say yes, it's good/ no it broke, get something else. To this end the section on the website showing the lastest kit comming in for testing lets us know what to expect, we don't need to be shown it in the mag as MBUK is guilty of. Ooh look at this new thing, I don't know anything about it and everything i'm saying is straight of the spec sheet.. blah blah wow I filled up a column with nothing of any use to the reader.

Therefore, I would like to see tests on things that don't have the top trumps review of weight, geometry, strength, price which the reader can make a choice on themselves. e.g. tyres, clothing, foods, tools, coaching services (although I appreciatethat could stir up bad vibles and politics)

Long weekend destinations -balancing cost, ride choice/quality, accessibility etc etc

herefore, I would like to see tests on things that don't have the top trumps review of weight, geometry, strength, price which the reader can make a choice on themselves. e.g. tyres, clothing, foods, tools, coaching services (although I appreciatethat could stir up bad vibles and politics)

It would be quite fun to de-badge some components and bikes, have people test them, then do a "reveal" wouldn't it 🙂