Hannah says: I have a conundrum of the most modern and first world variety. I need to decide what to do with my name when I get married next week.…
Ben Haworth
185cm tall. 73kg weight. Orange Switch 6er. Saracen Ariel Eeber. Schwalbe Magic Mary. Maxxis DHR II. Coil fan.
NBD: Orange Switch 6, SRAM Apex, Lapierre E-Zesty…
... Hope Dropper Lever, Cannondale Habit HT, Sixpack Headset Cable Routing System, Rocky Mountain Slayer, Saracen LSL Hardtails, Specialized Levo SL Kids.
Daytrippin’ Kit Essentials
Benji brings you a kit list for a pilgrimage to the mountains, or just somewhere new and far away.
CamelBak M.U.L.E. Pro 14 Review
“Hydrate or die.” This is one of my favourite ever marketing slogans. CamelBak came out with it in the nineties, and it has a point.
Specialized Gambit Helmet Review
This Specialized Gambit is going to be a controversial one. It is a product I very nearly didn’t include. Why? Not because of its price tag.
Troy Lee Designs Resist Trouser Review
I’m happy to say the Troy Lee Designs Resist Trouser completely confounded expectations and have proved to be an excellent.
Unparallel West Ridge Shoe Review
Although these Unparallel West Ridge are high-top shoes, I usually don’t lace them all the way up the very top.
Torque Covert 7 Crank Multi-Tool Review
This Torque Covert 7 multi-tool could be better. I’m happy to accept the cost-cutting aspect of it in exchange for the lower price tag.
Gusset Sleeper Push-on Grip Review
If you suffer from arm pump during rides, forget new bars/forks/wheels/bike, just spend ten quid on some Gusset Sleeper push-ons.
CushCore XC 29 Review
The best solution to keeping the dreaded deflations at bay is a tyre insert. And in my opinion, CushCore XC is still the best option.
Scrub Alloy Trail Wheelset Review
These Scrub Alloy Trail wheels from one-man-band UK outfit Scrub are what I’d actually spend my own money on.
Marzocchi Bomber Z1 Coil Fork Review
Time for some more preaching. Coil is better. Always has been. Always will be. Yes, some gravity racers prefer air. Are you a racer? I’m not.
Jackery Explorer 1000 Portable Power Station Review
The Jackery Explorer 1000 Portable Power Station is not for everyone, BUT for some folk this thing will be really, really useful to have.
Lenzerheide DH World Cup: How Was It For You?
SPOILERS. The racing itself was as amazing and entertaining as ever, but how did the new format and the new broadcasters fare? It's time for some 'hot takes'.
Double Yer Money Hardtails: Bike Test
Hardtails are not just for winter, and mountain bikes don’t have to be expensive. Benji looks at what your money can get you.
Voodoo Braag Review
The Voodoo Braag is an exercise in seeing how low you can go with price while still ticking sufficient ‘proper mountain bike’ boxes.
Merida Big Trail 400 Review
The Merida Big Trail 400 may not have some of the more boutique brands’ bits bolted to it, but it has absolutely nailed the essentials.
Trek Procaliber 9.6 Review
Sure, you can ride the Trek Procaliber 9.6 whenever and wherever you like but the raison d’être of this bike is to perform between race tape.
Column: Weight For It
Benji argues that weight does matter (but not much). The following column will hopefully unite the warring tribes in mountain biking. From the weeniest of weight watchers, to the whatever-est…
Fresh Goods Friday 656 – Lenzerheide And Seek Edition
In many* ways, Fresh Goods Friday is like a Downhill World Cup.
WTF is happening at tomorrow’s MTB World Series DH?
Welcome to the brave new world of elite Downhill racing. New race formats, new schedules, new broadcasting rights and new commentators.
New Mountain Bike Event Hits Dyfi Valley on 1st July
Dyfi Wild Ride is a new mountain biking event in the Dyfi Valleys on 1st July.
Big Vid: Amaury Pierron’s Rise and Fall and Rise Again
Two World Cup Downhill Championship titles with a space of four long years between them, connected by the resilience of one man. 'The Pilot' is a 79 minute fillum about…
Bike Check: Benji’s Stif Squatch
I got the Stif Squatch frame in to act as a testbed for the sort of stuff that wouldn’t quite suit my other longer-travel full-sus testbed.
Fresh Goods Friday 654 – Kylo Ren’s British Knights Edition
Benji is out on a hill with bikes. So is Amanda. Charlie is on holiday. This video was already in here, so it means something to someone but I (Hannah)…
NBD: Deviate Highlander II, Pivot Mach 4 SL, Polygon Siskiu TE E-MTB…
… new Manitou Mattoc, Manitou J-Unit youth fork, very yellöw Öhlins Factory parts, Radical Bicycle Co. Chilli Dog updates and THAT commuter helmet. Pivot Cycles press release: CHALLENGE THE THRESHOLD…
Fresh Goods Friday 653 – The Fast & Bulbous Edition
That's right, The Mascara Snake, fast and bulbous. Bulbous also tapered? That's right. Certainly when it comes to carbon enduro bikes at least.
Cotic FlareMAX Gen 5: First Looks ‘N’ Feels
This Cotic FlareMAX Gen 5 is the brand's 29er short-travel ripper. Besides looking very pretty in the bluebells, what is it all about?
Fresh Goods Friday 652 – The Roadtrippin’ Edition
Some of us have been roadtrippin'. Some of us are still out there roadtrippin'. Some of us are merely plottin' some roadtrippin'. How about you? Are you thinkin' o' 'trippin'?
2023 UCI Mountain Bike World Series Dates & Venues and How To Watch
All this year's UCI Mountain Bike World Series dates and venues in one handy place. Elite level Downhill, XC, Enduro and Marathon events.
Pidcock’s new Pinarello Dogma XC revealed
Pauline Ferrand-Prévot and Tom Pidcock to race full suspension Pinarello Dogmas XC at this weekend's UCI XC World Cup at Nové Město.
Gusset S2 31.8mm Handlebars and Stem Review
This Gusset S2 31.8mm cockpit combo is great for those occasions that require a higher rise set of bars or an even shorter stem.
Fresh Goods Friday 651 – The C-Word Edition
Regardless of where you stand on the whole divine right to rule over a nation of subjects whilst wearing a really heavy bling-bling hat, we can all agree that an…
Here are all the things wrong with dropper posts
Dropper posts are the best thing to happen to mountain biking since disc brakes. But a lot of them leave a lot to be desired still.
Radness Alert! Frameworks Racing x Cotic Steel DH Bike Collab
Cotic has designed a Reynolds 853 front triangle for World Cup DH racer (and excellent YouTube vlogger) Neko Mulally's Frameworks Racing project. Love to see it!
Fresh Goods Friday 649 – Sparkling Finger Magic Edition
Hello, good evening and welcome to this week’s Eff Gee Eff. It must be evening somewhere, right? We’ve been struggling for instrospiration this week, possibly due to motivation being carried…
NBD: Thule Epos rack, Yeti 27.5 SB135, Cushcore Trail…
... Salsa Cassidy-Blackthorn-Rustler trio, Nukeproof Dissent Carbon, Propain Tyee, Hutchinson Kraken downcountry tyre and Marin Rift Zone E range.
A deep dive into Industry Nine wheels
We take a look at Industry Nine and their legendary, US-made, high-engagement wheels. Carbon or alloy rims, 24 to 32 spokes, 25 to 31.5mm internal rim widths, all of the…
Two new shocks: Fox Float and Fox Float SL
The Fox Float shock range now covers four genres of riding: XC (Fox Float SL), trail (Float), 'All Mountain' (Float X) and gravity (Float X2).
I ❤️ Love My… Bike Reviewing Kit
Benji brings you the details of his hard worn – and almost worn out – bike testing set-up. What’s he using and why?
Fresh Goods Friday 648 – Sort It Out Edition
Enough with the chocolate, it's time for everyone's favourite end-of-the-week shiny bits showcase: Fresh Goods Friday!
NBD: Purple Hayes, Wireless Brake Sensor, Emergency Bleed Kit…
... Pässilä Runtu Ti, E*Thirteen Helix Race Crank, PINND E-Bike Cranks, Liv Intrigue LT Advanced Pro, Roval Control XC Components, Mavic X Tend bike motor and Race Face Turbine Wheels.
Bike Check: Chipps’ 1994 Fuquay Logic Prestige
This 1994 Fuquay Logic Prestige was custom-built for Chipps in 1994, after a full measuring-up session with Mr Fuquay.
160mm Bike Test: Brit Boxed Burly Bikes
What do you do with three bikes that are hard to pigeonhole? You ride them, a lot, and enjoy it.
Bird Aeris 9 review
The Bird Aeris 9 is a 160mm travel full suspension 29er made out of aluminium. Designed, specced and assembled in Britain.
Privateer 161 GX review
4-bar is one of the oldest designs in biking (hey, it clearly works), so it was always the geometry that was the USP of the Privateer 161 GX.
Saracen Ariel 60 Pro review
Despite the rolling of years, changes in wheel size options, suspension technology improvements, the Ariel 160 Pro remains true to its origins.
Fresh Goods Friday 646 – The Weird Galactic Soup Edition
Let’s start out with something approaching normal service… For the CNC and skate nerds, it’s kinda cool, but also seems like a vest waste of metal. Beware the wormhole that…
Kids Ride Shotgun Dirt Hero off-road balance bike
Say hello to the Kids Ride Shotgun Dirt Hero. The Kiwi company has launched Magura-equipped, off-road balance bike that can be fitted with 12in or 14in wheels. Looks rad!
Fresh Good Friday 645 – Things that make you go Mmm…
Mmm… Pentax 645. Benji wrote that, and then went on holiday. So who knows? What sort of ‘Mmm’ is it? Perhaps it’s a ‘Mmm’ of the variety you give to…
NBD: Cane Creek Electric Wings, Marin Alpine Trail Es, Bosch x Tektro ABS…
... Liv Intrigue X, SRAM Stealth brakes, BikeYoke Revive 272 dropper and Canyon Exceed. They're are here in this week's collection of Most Interesting Stuff Launched Since Last Week.