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.
Stanton Switchback Gen 3 Review
I had mixed feelings coming to this Stanton Switchback Gen 3. Firstly, I’ve often slavered a little at Stanton frames friends have had, as they always look immaculate. When they...
Slicy Products Smooth Tyre Inserts, Sealant and Valves – Reviewed
David extends his tyre insert experience even further, with yet another test. This time, it\'s banana yellow Smooth Tyre Inserts from Slicy Products. Another foamy contender enters the ring. Hoop?…
The Stif Squatch – More than just a big wheeled Morf?
Since launching the Morf in 2016, Stif have taken four years to develop and launch this Squatch, their first 29er hardtail. I respect that, because upfront it tells me they...
Behind The Design: crankbrothers New Shoe Range
crankbrothers have been working on a range of shoes for four years, and almost no one guessed. They’ve even been posting photos and videos of pros riding them for the...
ENVE AM30 Wheelset | An indepth look
ENVE’s Foundation Series of carbon mountain bike wheels, launched earlier this year, is something entirely new for the Utah based company, who design and manufacture all their own carbon fibre...
Tested: Fasst Flexx Suspension Handlebars
David breaks out the digital calipers to test the effectiveness of the Fasst Flexx suspension handlebar. There\'s something undeniably nineties-sounding about suspension handlebars, especially given that these work with elastomers.…
Formula Cura 4 Brakes | Shiny Stoppers With Modulation and Power
David tests out the ever so shiny Formula Cura 4 brakes. Once he’s stopped looking at them, or himself in the reflection, how do they perform? Having tried a lot...
10 Mountain Bike Tyre Inserts Tested And Rated
David brings us a round up of the many, many tyre inserts that he has been testing. Which tyre insert might be right for you? Given the first review in…
Review | SRAM AXS Eagle – Wireless Shifting That Works
David tests out the flagship SRAM AXS Eagle XX and X01 groupsets – will the wireless drivetrain stun him with its performance? Historically, I’m not a fan of mixing mountain...
Review | EXT Storia V3 – The Last Shock You’ll Ever Need To Buy?
The EXT Storia LOK V3 is a high end, Italian coil shock. I first spoke with EXT at Eurobike in 2017, but at the time they didn’t have a UK...
Review | Manitou Mara Pro – Do You Like To Party?
Manitou, and parent Hayes Group have spent a while focussed on enduro-type products, from forks, to brakes, wheels and now this new Mara Pro shock. In Sanskrit, the word mara...
Sun Ringle Düroc SD37 Pro Wheels | For Rim Dingers
We sent David ‘Dinger’ Hayward out to beat up these Sun Ringle Düroc SD37 Pro wheels, available as both a rim only or complete wheelset option. Will his reputation as...
Manitou Mezzer Pro | Just The Right Amount Of Tuning?
We put the Manitou Mezzer Pro fork through a winter of hard use – did the testers come back smiling? There’s a particular place online where some bike mechanics share...
Giro 100 Proof Winter Gloves Review | Mittens For MTB?
Giro 100 Proof Winter Gloves Review. Are these winter riding mittens a contender for best extreme weather riding wear? Mittens are not something I’d typically use for mountain biking, mainly...
Radon Slide Trail 8.0 Review | There’s A Lot To Like
David checks out the value packed Radon Slide Trail – a full suspension 29er – and finds there’s plenty to like. This Radon Slide Trail 8.0 arrived early in the...
Review | Tannus Armour – Inner Tubes Ain’t Dead
If you’re still running tubes, this Tannus Armour will give you a little more protection on the trail. Tubes. The thing I always carry on rides, but haven’t had to...
Review | Formula Selva R – The most adjustable fork there is?
David rides the highly adjustable Formula Selva R fork. Will he get tweak fatigue, or find his perfect setting for every trail? A little under three years ago, I first...
Pepi’s Rokkline Tire Noodles
Pepi’s Tire Noodle is another foam sausage designed to fit betwixt rim and tyre, protecting both from those nasty pinch flats and dings. Due to their colour, which is much...
Motion Ride E18 Linkage Fork | Anti-dive That Works
It might look unusual, but how will it ride? David checks out the Motion Ride E18 Linkage Fork. Around 2011, there was a conversation I kept on having over and...
RockStop Tubeless Insert | Review
Can’t Stop The Rock. We’ve been warned repeatedly. It’s been received wisdom for decades, but now, thanks to Rockstop, could Apollo 440 be wrong? There’s a chance. The rock might...
Goodyear Newton EN Premium Tyres | Review
David checks out this pair of Goodyear Newton tyres, the latest MTB rubber from Goodyear. Despite starting out making bicycle tyres at the end of the 19th Century, from the mid-seventies,...
Deaneasy ABS Fork Tune | Foam Inserts Reviewed
Foam! Truly this is mountain biking’s era of foam. No longer confined to the bit we sit on, there are now foam tyre inserts, vibration dampening foam-filled bars, rims filled...
Review | Hellkat Pro AEC Tyre – For When The Going Gets Steep
David tests out the Hellkat Pro AEC, an enduro tyre from Kenda. Way back in the day, Kenda had a solid reputation in mountain biking and seemed to dominate. By...
Review | Upcycle your SRAM 1×11 drivetrain with the e*thirteen TRS Plus 12-Speed Upgrade Kit
This clever e*thirteen TRS Plus 12 Speed Upgrade Kit is designed to upgrade your SRAM 1×11 drivetrain to 1×12 Five or so years back, 1x drivetrains were fairly new, and...
Review | The Rimpact tubeless tyre inserts are some of the best value rim protection you can get
Tubeless tyre inserts claim to offer additional protection for your mountain bike rim, so you can run lower tyre pressures for improved traction. The Rimpact Tyre Inserts are a relatively...
Review | The 2019 Radon Cragger 8.0 is a whole lotta hardtail for less than €2K
David gives us his review of the 2019 Radon Cragger 8.0 hardtail Radon isn’t a name that tends to come up much in discussions I have about bikes. One of...
Review | For £450, the X-Fusion Sweep RL2 is a big-hitting fork for those on a budget
Alongside the plethora of high-end mountain bike suspension forks out there from Fox, RockShox, Öhlins, MRP and Cane Creek, the £450 X-Fusion Sweep RL2 is pretty darn cheap in comparison....
Review | Vibration-Killing Pro Series RevGrips
£99 for a pair of mountain bike grips? You read that correctly. But as David Hayward found out, the RevGrips ain’t no ordinary lock-on grips Vibration is a well known...
Review | Nukeproof ARD Tubeless Inserts
Tubeless tyre inserts claim to offer additional protection for your mountain bike rim, so you can run lower tyre pressures for improved traction. Nukeproof’s Advanced Rim Defence (ARD) system is...
Review | Judgement Day For The Trust Message Multi-Link Suspension Fork
The Trust Message is undeniably strange compared to anything we’re used to seeing on the front of a mountain bike. Its originators are three bike industry heavyweights: Dave Weagle, rear...