These Scrub Alloy Trail wheels from one-man-band UK outfit Scrub are what I’d actually spend my own money on.
Ben Haworth
185cm tall. 74kg weight. Orange Switch 6er. Saracen Ariel Eeber. Schwalbe Magic Mary. Maxxis DHR II. Coil fan.
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 of funtime trail riders, everyone should be able to get behind the following words. Essentially,…
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 one Amaury Pierron.
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) have no idea what. But I am partial to a spot of Leonard Cohen. If…
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 Pivot’s New Mach 4SL, an Ode to Pushing Performance Tempe, AZ – Razor sharp responsiveness,…
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 extra Bank Holiday is nothing to be sniffed at.
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 off by the 75km/h wind. But fear not! The rain has arrived, and brought with…
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 colours and THAT Hydra freehub.
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 awaits you if you explore the rest of that channel, you may get lost: …and…
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 your three year old as they tell you a long winded tale of what their…
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.
New SRAM X0 Eagle AXS: First Ride Thoughts
The new SRAM X0 Eagle AXS drivetrain requires a UDH equipped frame. Why? To enable a direct bolt-on mounting method that's designed for robustness and ridiculous shift under-load capability.
Canyon Neuron First Look: A Very Rejigged Trail Bike
What sort of bike is the new Canyon Neuron? The simple answer is: it's a mountain bike. The more specific answer is: it's a trail bike. A trail bike with 29in wheels with 140mm travel front and 130 rear.
Fresh Goods Friday 644 – The Where Am I Edition
It is, inexplicably, Friday again. The longest fastest week to date. Are we sliding ever faster, reaching terminal velocity, and then about to hit British Summer Time? Hopefully it’s like one of those waterslides, that then launches you high into the air, whoosh into the…
NBD: Ritchey Ultra 50th, YT Capra Core 3, Canyon Grizl CF SL 7…
Cube ebikes with Bosch ABS, 5Dev chainrings and SQlab Innerbarends. They're all featured in this week's handy roundup of the most interesting New Stuff That's Come Out.
Retro Ridgeback gallery and video walkthrough
2023 marks Ridgeback's 40th anniversary and Madison had a bunch of retrobike beauties on display at their recent iceBike* trade show. For those who couldn't attend the show, here's our gallery and video for your delectation.
NBD: Trek Farley, Thok Gram, Audi E-Tron, Last Cinto V2…
... YT Decoy CORE 4, Islabikes Creig.S and Luath.S. They're all in this week's New Bike Day round-up.
The Best Bits from iceBike* 2023
iceBike* is UK-bike-distributor-behemoth Madison's trade show. We popped down the road to Manchester to roundup the best bits.
27.2 Dropper Posts: 15 Options For Skinny Seat Tubes
27.2 dropper posts are not common but if you have a bike frame with a skinny seat tube you can still take advantage of the benefits.
Fresh Goods Friday 642 – Cake For Me, Corned Beef For You
It’s been mixed up week here at STW Towers, mostly thanks to everyone suddenly realising they haven’t used up their annual leave so they’d better take some time off. We assume something similar happens in the roads department every year, when they realise they haven’t…
NBD: Last Tarvo 2, Specialized Tero X, Crankbros Mallet Trail…
... POC Omne Lite and Ultra helmets, Pole Voima ID, Bell Full-10 helmet, Cane Creek ILG2 shocks, and Focus Jam/Sam 2s.
