Our very own Bruce Willis lookalike, Andi Sykes, tested out three titanium hardtails from Kingdom, Nordest and Sonder for Issue 122 of Singletrack Magazine. Here is his review of the…
Bikes
Ritchey Ultra frameset review: a classic reborn in understated steel
Antony reviews the Ritchey Ultra, a relaunched and reworked classic. When it comes to legends of mountain biking, they don’t get more legendary than Mr Thomas Ritchey, Esq. A pro…
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…
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…
Review | 2019 Norco Fluid FS 1 – A Sub-£2k Full Suspension Bike
Hannah checks out the 2019 Norco Fluid FS 1, a sub £2k full suspension bike. Norco is sold exclusively in the UK by Evans cycles, and at this price point…
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,…
Pace RC529 review: the business in front, party in the back hardtail
Andi reviews Pace Cycles’ low-slung Pace RC529 steel 29er to see what this versatile hardcore hardtail is made of. I remember leafing through mountain bike magazines in the mid-’90s and…
Review | Stanton Switch9er FS – UK Made Steel Full Suspension Play Machine
Hannah reports back on her time on the Stanton Switch9er FS, a hand made steel and alloy bike from the UK. Stanton Bikes has a well established reputation for building…
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…
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 | 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…
Liv Intrigue Advanced 1 – Easy Climbing Meets Playful Descending
For 2019, the Liv Intrigue has returned to the women’s specific brand line-up. This is after taking a couple of years off in 2016 to allow for the Pique SX…
Head To Head Trail Bike Review | 2019 GT Sensor Expert Vs 2019 Trek Fuel EX 9.7
When it comes to full suspension trail bikes these days, there are so many options to look at. We’ve got super high-end, luxury carbon options from the likes of Santa…
Review | The 2019 Trek Fuel EX 9.7 is a tech-heavy trail bike that rips hard
As part of a head-to-head review feature, Rob’s been testing two 130mm travel 29er trail bikes; the 2019 GT Sensor Expert and the 2019 Trek Fuel EX 9.7. So which…
Review | The 2019 GT Sensor Carbon Expert ditches complicated suspension for pure, unadulterated fun
As part of a head-to-head review feature, Rob’s been testing two 130mm travel 29er trail bikes; the 2019 GT Sensor Expert and the 2019 Trek Fuel EX 9.7. So which…
Review | Propain Hugene Highend 29er – Makes Pedalling Fun
Propain is a direct to consumer bike brand based in Germany. A lot of you will know the Propain name from the World Cup DH circuit, where the likes of…
Review | The Calibre Sentry is a wallet-friendly enduro bike
For a brand that didn’t even exist five years ago, Calibre Bikes has shot to stardom pretty darn quickly. In its short history, the company has been breaking new ground…
First Ride Review: 2019 Sonder Transmitter First Impressions
Sonder’s popular Transmitter alloy hardtail returns for 2019 with a fresh lick of paint and updated geometry, but how does it ride? We sent Andi to the woods to find…
Review | The 2019 Focus SAM 9.9 delivers a few surprises for a 170mm travel enduro bike
Focus launched its new SAM enduro bike in late 2018, so we got one in and put it in the hands of our local Calderdale tester, Rik Legge. Over to…
Review | We Test The Carbon Specialized Stumpjumper EVO Pro 27.5
In case you hadn’t heard already, Specialized has just announced the Carbon Specialized Stumpjumper EVO Pro 27.5. You can get all the details of the bike right here, though read…
2019 Canyon Neuron CF 9.0 SL | A Longterm Review Of Canyon’s Carbon Trail Bike
Wil gives us the verdict on the 2019 Canyon Neuron CF 9.0 SL It’s been quite a few years since we last saw a carbon fibre trail bike from Canyon.…
Review: Jason likes titanium but did this Pilot Duro live up to expectations?
“Many, many years you will be enjoying the magical riding qualities of your handcrafted, high grade titanium frame”, it says on the Pilot website. My own personal experience of titanium…
First Ride Review: Santa Cruz Chameleon C SE 29 Reserve
There can’t be many models of mountain bike out there which can claim to have the longevity of the Santa Cruz Chameleon. It’s been around since 1996, when it burst…
First Ride Review: Islabike Jimi – A Mountain Bike For Those Who Refuse To Grow Old
Islabikes is best known for making good quality children’s bikes. Owner, Isla Rowntree, developed the children’s bike range when she found her friends’ children needed bikes, but that there wasn’t…
3 Consumer-Direct Mountain Bikes Tested & Reviewed
With more and more brands selling complete mountain bikes direct to consumer, we decided to check out three of the latest options from Intense, Bird, and Sonder, to put each…
Review: The UK-designed Sonder Evol aims to deliver maximum grins-per-mile
With more and more brands selling complete mountain bikes direct to consumer, we decided to check out three of the latest options from Intense, Bird, and Sonder, to put each…
Review: The Intense Primer Expert comes with extra enthusiasm as standard
With more and more brands selling complete mountain bikes direct to consumer, we decided to check out three of the latest options from Intense, Bird, and Sonder, to put each…
Review: The Bird Aeris 145 GX Eagle is uber-long and uber-fast
With more and more brands selling complete mountain bikes direct to consumer, we decided to check out three of the latest options from Intense, Bird, and Sonder, to put each…
Review |Canyon Lux CF SL 8.0 Pro Race – Mile-Muncher For Mortals
The Lux isn’t just Canyon’s latest XC ripper – it’s also the lightest and most advanced full suspension race bike that the German brand has ever produced. We put one…
2019 Canyon Strive First Ride Impressions with Shapeshifter 2.0
To say I was surprised when I laid eyes on the 2019 Strive is an understatement. Of course, we’d had an inkling that we would be meeting the updated Strive…
YT Jeffsy CF 29 Pro Race 2019 – First Ride Review
It’s the first few minutes of a bike launch and I’m having to try quite hard not to weep. The scepticism brought about by predictably dramatic music, followed by an…
Review: With a 120mm fork, the Santa Cruz Blur is a pocket rocket trail bike
As far as contemporary XC bikes go, the latest generation Blur from Santa Cruz Bicycles ticks a lot of boxes. Plugging an important gap that the Tallboy left behind as…
Review: 2018 Cube Reaction TM – a ready to roll package
Cube has a reputation for well priced bikes – you get a decent amount of bike for your money. It’s a brand you’ll find in many a local bike shop,…
Review: The All City Electric Queen Puts The ‘Oh!’ In Retro
An exercise in style over substance, or a capable trail bike
Unsprung Heroes – 3 Fully Rigid Bikes Tested & Reviewed
Chipps rides three fully rigid bikes from Kona, Pinnacle and Surly. Words Chipps Photography James Vincent I always like to wear a watch. I’m lost without one and don’t like to…
Review: Surly you can’t have fun without suspension? We test the fully rigid ECR
Surly has always been individual and self-confident in its outlook. From pioneering the first production singlespeed (the 1×1, which pre-dated even Kona’s Unit and the On One Inbred) to…
Review: After a playful bargain? The Pinnacle Ramin 3 Plus might be the bike for you
Pinnacle is the house-brand of retail giant, Evans Cycles, but the range is way more than a selection of rebadged catalogue bikes. The brand’s bike designer James Olsen has a…
Review: Kona’s Unit X is like a singlespeed, but with 10 more gears?
The Kona Unit has a long history, from a Canadian company with an equally deep heritage. While Kona celebrates its 30th birthday in 2018, the Unit name dates back at…
First Ride: We Test The Brand New 2019 Canyon Neuron CF
For those who were taking notice, you’ll remember that a short while ago we reported that German direct sales giant, Canyon, had quietly released an updated 2019 version of the…
Review: The Specialized Stumpjumper Expert Carbon 29 rides well beyond its spec sheet
Earlier this year Wil had the pleasure of heading out to Spain for the launch of the new Specialized Stumpjumpers. We’ve now had the Stumpjumper ST Comp Carbon 29 (130/120mm)…
Review: The Specialized Stumpjumper ST Comp Carbon 29 may be shorter on travel, but it ain’t short on fun
Earlier this year Wil had the pleasure of heading out to Spain for the launch of the new Specialized Stumpjumpers. We’ve now had the Stumpjumper ST Comp Carbon 29 (130/120mm)…
Review: Is the Liteville 301 MK14 the most German mountain bike on the market?
German brand Liteville sent us the 14th iteration of its 301 full suspension trail bike, which is quite possibly the most over-engineered mountain bike we’ve ever laid our hands on.…
Longterm Review: 2019 Scott Ransom 900 Tuned
It’s been three months since we first got our hands on the brand new Scott Ransom. Fully redesigned for 2019 and beyond, the Ransom glides into the Scott lineup as…
Review: Canyon Spectral WMN AL 6.0
Canyon released the new women’s specific Spectral trail bike earlier this year, and it features a unique frame, suspension design and geometry. But how different is the women’s Spectral to…
Mondraker Foxy R 29 Review – Don’t read this review if you don’t like riding fast.
I spent the first part of this year onboard the fantastic Mondraker Foxy, so when the 29er version of the same bike arrived at Singletrack Towers I was quick to…
Review: Brother Cycles Big Bro – For long and short adventures
There’s something very exciting about getting a new adventure bike out of the box for the first time. With a trail bike, you kind of know what you’re going to…
Review: Curtis AM7 – Not just a pretty face, pretty fast too.
There’s no actual reason to buy a Curtis, other than the fact that you want one. And that’s a perfectly good reason. The bikes are hand made in the UK,…
Singletrack Issue 121: XXC: Cross Country Extra
Three bikes that take the short travel full suspension bike to another world.
UK-Made Full Suspension Group Test – Robot R130 Review
Robot Bike Co. first shot to fame at the 2016 Fort William World Cup when it debuted a stunning full suspension mountain bike called the R160. Made from carbon fibre…
UK-Made Full Suspension Group Test – Swarf Contour Review
In comparison to the other two on test, our third bike comes from a much smaller outfit. Founded in Dorchester in 2011, Swarf Cycles is currently a one-man show that…