Wil gives us his review of the new Endura MT500 Lite Knee Pads Just two months ago, Endura released several brand new protective products under the venerable MT500 label. These included a very lightweight, (as in, 640g lightweight!) full-face helmet equipped with Koroyd protection, and…
Wil Barrett
Specialized S-Works Enduro 2020 | First Ride
Specialized Enduro unveiled for 2020 Following 20 years of evolution, the latest iteration of the Specialized Enduro arrives as the biggest and baddest one yet. As EWS stages have become as gnarly and as steep as your average World Cup DH race track, the requirements…
2020 Specialized Epic is THE lightest hardtail on the market
The 2020 Specialized Epic HT – Same Same, But Different Wil reports on the new Specialized no-mercy XC race hardtail. Back in June this year, I was invited out to Lake Tahoe in the US for the Specialized Summer Camp. We were there to test…
Longterm Review | 12 months on the Santa Cruz Reserve 27 carbon 29er wheelset
It’s been two years since Santa Cruz announced it would be developing its own carbon fibre mountain bike wheels. Coming under the ‘Reserve’ label, the carbon wheel range hosts a range of width options in 27.5in and 29in sizes, ranging from lightweight 25mm wide XC…
Hunt Bike Wheels releases lightest ever mountain bike wheelset
Hunt Bike Wheels introduces new sub-1600g Race XC Wide wheelset It’s been barely a year since Hunt Bike Wheels first entered the mountain bike game, but the British-based company hasn’t taken long to establish itself as one of the go-to names in the world of…
Review | 2020 Specialized Fuse Comp 29
Wil reviews the brand new 2020 Specialized Fuse Comp hardtail Not everyone wants to ride a full suspension mountain bike, and not everyone wants to be on an angry XC race hardtail. For all of those folks, Specialized has this bike – the Fuse. First…
Specialized announces all-new Fuse trail hardtail for 2020
Introducing the 2020 Specialized Fuse – a new hardtail mountain bike with attitude Having debuted way back in 2015 (when plus tyres were still becoming a ‘thing’), the Specialized Fuse is receiving a complete overhaul for the 2020 model year with brand new frames, new…
Power Of The Pickle – Racing the 2019 Grand Junction Off-Road
Wil takes us on a journey at the 2019 Grand Junction Off-Road race Last month, I made the long journey from Australia to the US for the Pivot Cycles launch of the brand new Mach 4 SL. We’d been staying in nearby Fruita, Colorado for…
Review | The 2019 Whyte S-120 C RS is an absolute yahoo-factory
Wil reviews the 2019 Whyte S-120 C RS – a ludicrously fast trail bike with bonkers geometry Brand new for 2019, the S-120 storms into the Whyte lineup as the hotly-anticipated replacement for the popular T-129. Equipped with 29in wheels, 120mm of travel and progressive…
Tested | 12 Top Mountain Bike Accessories To Upgrade Your Ride
Wil tests and reviews 12 top mountain bike accessories for your new (or old) ride New to cycling? Just got yourself a spangly new mountain bike? Or maybe you’ve been riding for years, but prefer to spend your time actually riding and hanging out with…
Fresh Goods Friday 451: The Black, Red and Orange Edition
This week has brought us mixed weather and mixed emotions. We’re very happy to have Wil back in the office! Yet we’re very sad to report that he is walking around in shorts and flip-flops, apparently forgetting that he’s in the UK now. He’s kicking…
Review | The Dakine Split Roller 110L is a rolling duffel bag that’s ideal for travelling riders
Wil experiences a revelation after testing the voluminous Dakine Split Roller travel bag I’ve recently come to the realisation that, for far too long, I’ve been attempting this whole travelling journalist caper completely the wrong way. Over the years, I’ve battled numerous plane, train, ferry…
Stan’s & Hope Respond To Shimano Micro Spline Licensing Frustrations
Hub manufacturers express frustration at Shimano’s tightly-controlled licensing over Micro Spline freehub standard Last year when Shimano released the XTR M9100 groupset, it also unveiled a brand new proprietary freehub body called Micro Spline. This Micro Spline freehub body was developed specifically to be able…
2019 Fort William World Cup – Elite Men’s Finals Results
Elite Men’s Results Are In For The 2019 Fort William World Cup It’s the third and final day of racing here at Fort William, which can only mean one thing – Finals Time! After two tough days of surviving the notoriously rough Fort William race…
2019 Fort William World Cup – Elite Women’s Finals Results
Elite Women’s Results Are In For The 2019 Fort William World Cup! After a (relatively) dry day during Saturday’s qualifying session, the rain showers returned to the Ben Nevis range for Sunday race day. But while the rock-armoured upper and lower sections of the 3km…
2019 Fort William World Cup – Junior Finals Results
Junior Results Are In For The 2019 Fort William World Cup! It’s the third and final day of the 2019 Fort William World Cup, and the junior field has just finished racing down the mountain. While the rain had mostly held off for the morning,…
Live Q&A On The New Shimano 12-Speed Deore XT & SLX Groupsets
Send us in your questions on the new Shimano 12-Speed XT & SLX groupsets! In case you missed one of the biggest product announcements of the year, Shimano has just announced it will be rolling out brand new 12-speed iterations of its popular Deore XT…
Rotor Introduces Lightest Ever Crankset – The 429g Kapic Carbon
Rotor rolls out Kapic Carbon – its lightest and stiffest mountain bike crankset ever Spanish drivetrain manufacturer, Rotor Components, recently revealed its first ever carbon fibre crankset; the new Kapic Carbon. At just 429g including a 32t chainring, the Kapic Carbon is the lightest, and…
2019 Fort William World Cup – A Day Of Surviving Qualifying
Qualifying results are in for the 2019 Fort William World Cup! It’s Saturday the 1st of June, which is *technically* the meteorological start to the UK Summer. You wouldn’t know it if you were here at Fort William though. But hey, who are we to…
2019 Fort William Course Preview – Gee Atherton takes us for a wet & wild run down Ben Nevis
Watch Gee Atherton deliver a wet & wild practice run for the 2019 Fort William course preview video We’re up in Scotland at the 2019 Fort William World Cup, and today was the first day that riders were able to get out on course to…
The Fastest Riders From Timed Practice At The 2019 Fort William World Cup
Results are in from today’s timed practive at the 2019 Fort William World Cup Well, it’s been a wet ol’ day up here at Fort William for the 2nd round of the 2019 Downhill World Cup Series. After yesterday’s official track walk session, today would…
First Ride Review | Shimano SLX M7100 1×12 Drivetrain & Brakes
Wil gets his grubby mitts on the new Shimano SLX M7100 groupset for an early ride review In case you hadn’t heard the news, Shimano has just announced it will be rolling out both new XT and SLX groupsets for 2019. Having launched XTR 12-speed…
First Ride Review | Shimano Deore XT M8100 1×12 Drivetrain & Brakes
Wil gets a first ride review on the brand new Shimano Deore XT M8100 groupset Last year Shimano unveiled its first 12-speed mountain bike groupset; also known as XTR M9100. With two new brake systems, the choice of 1×11, 1×12 and 2×12 drivetrain options, a…
Shimano Unveils Brand New 12-Speed Deore XT & SLX Groupsets
Shimano Deore XT M8100 and SLX M7100 see 12-speed technology trickled down from the XTR M9100 groupset In a move that will surprise literally nobody, Shimano has just revealed its brand new 12 speed Deore XT M8100 groupset – almost exactly one year after XTR…
Bike Check | Chloe Woodruff’s Live Valve-Equipped Pivot Mach 4 SL
For America’s Chloe Woodruff, everything clicked into place on Friday the 25th of May at the second round of the UCI World Cup at Nove Mesto in the Czech Republic. During the Short Track XCC race, Woodruff made a powerful move during the 6th lap…
Ibis Collaborates with Stan’s on new carbon wheels, creates cheesy video all by itself
Ibis rolls out new Carbon S-Wheels designed in conjunction with Stan’s No Tubes Ibis Cycles has been producing complete mountain bike wheels for a good while now, having been one of the earlier brands to jump on super wide rims back in 2014. The latest…
Hayes Performance Systems Introduces New Enduro Fork, Shock, Wheels AND Brakes
New Performance Products from Manitou, SUNringlé, Hayes and ProTaper MTB For the 2020 model year (yes, it’s only May…) Hayes Performance Systems, which includes the Manitou, SUNringlé and ProTaper MTB brands, will be launching a swag of new products aimed at the enduro crowd. For…
Review | Pivot Cycles Mach 4 SL Team XTR
Wil reviews the brand new Pivot Mach 4 SL The Mach 4 SL debuts in 2019 as a freshly baked model for Pivot Cycles. With a sleek carbon fibre frame, 29in wheels and 100mm of efficient dw-link suspension, it slots into the Pivot lineup as…
Pivot Cycles Launches New Mach 4 SL
Brand new from Pivot Cycles is the all-new Mach 4 SL Standing in the Pivot mountain bike lineup as the flagship full suspension XC race bike, the Mach 4 SL replaces two existing models; the Mach 4 Carbon and the Mach 429 SL. The Mach…
Review | The 2019 Merida One-Twenty 8000 is a zippy, fun-loving trail bike
Wil reviews the 2019 Merida One-Twenty – a zippy, fun-loving trail bike Following a 2.5 year gestation period, the Merida One-Twenty arrives on the scene as a brand spanking new trail bike for 2019. Following in the footsteps of the longer travel One-Forty and One-Sixty,…
Longterm Review | 2019 Giant TRX 1 Carbon Wheelset
After four months of testing, Wil gives us his longterm review of the Giant TRX 1 carbon 29er wheelset Giant has been producing wheels for a good few years now, primarily for its own range of mountain and road bikes, but also for the aftermarket…
Review | The Specialized Fast Trak GRID 29×2.3 is a fast AND tough XC tyre
Wil reviews the Specialized Fast Trak; a fast-rolling XC tyre with a tough GRID casing When it comes to choosing race-worthy components for XC and marathon bikes, the traditional approach has been to go as light as possible. After all, it’s your legs that have…
Review | Specialized connects you to earth with the Ground Control GRID 29×2.3 tyre
Wil reviews the latest version of the venerable Specialized Ground Control tyre I seem to have been riding a lot of chunky tyres lately. I’d say it has a lot to do with the influence of living in a steep valley amongst the Pennines for…
The Bike Box Roller converts your cardboard box into a travel case on wheels
Prefer to travel with a cardboard bike box instead of a bike bag? The Bike Box Roller could be what you’re looking for It’s the age-old question. Travel with my bike and a cheap and lightweight cardboard box, or buy a purpose-built bike case? For…
Review | The sub-300g Syncros Hixon iC 1.0 Rise is a bonkers all-in-one carbon bar & stem
Wil reviews the 800mm wide Syncros Hixon iC 1.0 Rise carbon fibre handlebar As the component arm of Scott Sports, Syncros originally developed the distinctive Hixon iC handlebar specifically for the flagship Genius 900 Tuned – a bike I tested last year. Standing for ‘Integrated…
Short vs Long Fork Offset | Testing On The Santa Cruz Blur
Wil delves into his experience of back-to-back testing 44mm & 51mm fork offsets to find out just how big of a difference it makes. Or doesn’t. If you haven’t already checked out Part One of my online feature on reduced-offset forks then you can do…
What Is Fork Offset? And Why Does It Matter?
Reduced-offset forks are all the rage at the moment, but what is fork offset? Wil explains in this two-part online feature about fork offset Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past two years, you’ll have noticed that fork offset has been a…
Review | The 2019 Trance Advanced Pro 29er 1 is a very ‘un-Giant like’ trail bike
Wil delivers us his longterm review of the 2019 Giant Trance 29er My recent experience of Giant bikes includes testing the latest Trance 27.5, the Anthem 27.5, and the Anthem 29. While none of them were exactly fire-starters, they’re all good bikes that suit their…
Fresh Goods Friday 445: Monkey Sauce, Giant, Rubber and Strap-On… Wheels
What a mixture of product. Some direct from Sea Otter, some from a monkey milking farm in France, and items not even in the office but in a far off land known as Australia, a wondrous place famous for the Kula Bula and Billa Wonga.…
On Board | Testing The Raucous 2019 Whyte S-120 C RS
Wil takes us on board for the first ride with the 2019 Whyte S-120 test bike As part of our ongoing foray into the new-school 29er trail bike world, we recently got our hands on a 2019 Whyte S-120 C RS. With 29in wheels and…
Review | Bike Bag Dude Top Tube Mini Garage
Wil checks out this strap-on top tube bag from Bike Bag Dude for carrying the essentials on your mountain bike Mountain biking these days is a little different to the (good?) old days. Wheels and tyres have gotten bigger. Seatposts are now expected to go…
12 Huge Cassettes For 1x Drivetrains That Aren’t Shimano Or SRAM
Not so long ago, wide-range cassettes were an Exciting New Thing. Actually, we still think they’re pretty exciting, and we’re seeing more brands outside the two Big S brands – Shimano and SRAM – bringing out their own versions. That got us wondering: how many…
On Board | Testing The Merida One-Twenty 8000 Trail Bike
Wil takes us for a ride on the 2019 Merida One-Twenty test bike Last year Merida unveiled the latest generation of its popular One-Twenty trail bike platform. Equipped with a brand new frame, carefully massaged geometry, and an updated suspension design, the One-Twenty nestles into…
FGF 443 | Alcopops, bottle cages & body armour – the perfect Fresh Goods Friday combo!
Well our work experience lad has left, not taking up our offer of an extra week having realised that we really don’t ride bikes very often. So normal service has resumed and we’ve got a mixed bag of items for Fresh Goods, but unfortunately no…
e*thirteen offers humongous 556% range with new 12-speed 9-50t TRS+ cassette
Looking for more range than both SRAM Eagle and Shimano XTR 12-speed? Well e13 has just jumped in to wipe the floor with a brand new TRS+ cassette that offers a yuuuge 9-50t ratio! Yeah you read correctly – e*thirteen has a 12-speed cassette that…
New Norco Revolver 2020 – One Frame, Two Bikes
Norco gives us two bikes for the price of one with the new 2020 Revolver 100 and Revolver 120 The existing Revolver is Norco’s 100mm travel full suspension XC mountain bike. For 2020, the Revolver receives a significant update that sees it splitting into two…
Zipp’s new 3ZERO MOTO wheelset uses US-made single-wall carbon rims
Zipp has just announced its re-entry into the mountain bike wheel market with the 3ZERO MOTO wheelset – a high end set of hoops that feature US-manufactured carbon fibre rims and an eyebrow-raising single-wall profile… Hot on the heels of the announcement of the hotly…
Cotic has a new full suspension bike! Say hello to the Longshot Flare
Brand new from Cotic Bikes is the completely redesigned Flare The Flare is Cotic’s 27.5in full suspension trail bike, and is now the fourth and final full suspension model from the Peak District-based company to receive the Longshot treatment. First debuted on the Rocket enduro…
Review | Shimano goes for mega bearing durability with the tough-as Saint M828 flat pedals
For over a quarter of a century, Shimano has held an unwavering reputation for producing some of the most functional and durable clip-in mountain bike pedals on the market. Curiously, the dominating popularity of its SPD system hasn’t exactly translated through to its flat pedal…
Review | The Ergon SM Pro Men’s Saddle Wins A Singletrack Recommended Award
Rarely do mountain bike saddles attract the attention they truly deserve. Then again, perhaps nobody really wants to talk about saddle sores, ingrown hairs and numb genitals. I’m no advertising guru, but I suspect that sort of thing is impossible to market in a way…
Merida Factory Team racing modified One-Twenty trail bike at Absa Cape Epic
Known as one of the hardest mountain bike stage races in the world, the 2019 Absa Cape Epic is currently being raced right now in South Africa. The Cape Epic attracts a combination of the world’s fastest XCO and XCM racers, who team up into…