First look at the 2020 Juliana Joplin with an added 10mm of travel, updated VPP suspension platform, slacker geo, adjustable dropouts and plenty of build options. The Joplin is the women’s version of the Santa Cruz Tallboy. Built for long days in the saddle with…
Review
Santa Cruz Tallboy 4 Review – What Is Extreme Country?
The Tallboy 4 is Santa Cruz’s full suspension XC bike. It’s a 29r and we’ve had our hands on this CC model for the past week to give it a first ride review. It being an XC bike I naturally took it to an urban…
2020 Calibre Bossnut First Ride Impressions – Super affordable fun!
First ride impressions of the 2020 Calibre Bossnut, a bike that proves that you don’t need to spend a fortune to have fun on 2 wheels. I have to admit to being a Calibre Bossnut virgin. Although, I have ridden and reviewed the Calibre Sentry…
First Ride Review: Is The Sonder Cortex The 120mm Travel Trail Bike You Should Be Riding?
Andi gets an exclusive first ride review of the latest 120mm travel full-suspension bike from Sonder. Meet the 2020 Sonder Cortex. Sonder, the bike brand of Alpkit, has been making waves in the British mountain bike world for a couple of seasons now, and with…
Review | Ti Hard – Sonder Signal Ti
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 Sonder Signal Ti. As I’m sure you all know, but Sonder is the bike branch…
Review | Ti Hard – Nordest Bardino Ti
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 Nordest Bardino Ti. Easily the rarest of our titanium trio is the Nordest Bardino Ti.…
Review | Ti Hard – Kingdom Vendetta X2
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 Kingdom Vendetta X2. Kingdom Bike is based in Copenhagen and like many other brands from…
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…
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 road racer who built the frames he won on, Ritchey created some of the first…
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…
Review | Aventyr: A Mountain Bike Board Game
Make even your rest time play time with Aventyr, a mountain bike themed board game. And now for something completely different… a board game? Based around the idea of ‘Trailquest’ or orienteering by bike, Aventyr is a game where players aim to collect points at…
Review | Etnies Jameson Mid Crank flat shoe
Hannah checks out the Etnies Jameson Mid Crank MTB shoes, developed with Brandon Semenuk. Suede? Pale grey suede? What kind of mountain biker are these built for? The answer is one who does tricks, probably on dirt jumps (which are a dry weather activity…) and who…
Review | The Stan’s No Tubes Sentry MK3 is a total sleeper wheelset for 2.5-2.6in tyres
Tom tests and reviews the Stan’s No Tubes Sentry MK3 wheelset If you’ve mountain biked for any length of time and even half thought about buying a new wheelset or rims for your bike, it’s more than likely that Stan’s will have been one of…
Review | Cane Creek eeWings – Titanium. Oh yeah, baby
We gave Barney a pair of Cane Creek eeWings. Is he still soaring? There is something mysterious about titanium. From its use in rockets, spaceships, and military aircraft from the sixties on; its forging by the Soviets in enormous vacuum chambers; its use as a…
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…
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…
Review | Who needs carbon when the Hunt Enduro Wide wheelset is as good as this
James gives us his review on the Hunt Enduro Wide wheels after 9 months of punishment What do you do when you can’t find a wheelset with the exact specification that you’re after? Most of us would either compromise or go down the custom route,…
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…
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 with that high street access, this is likely a bike that will catch the eye…
Review: Northwave Clan flat shoes gives you gecko grip plus
Andi slips on a pair of the new Northwave Clan flat shoes featuring a tread and rubber collab from the rubber wizards at Michelin. We first spotted the Northwave Clan shoe way back at Eurobike in 2018. There the shoe was shown alongside the Northwave…
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 a decade or so ago, that seemed to have fallen to competitors, who’d quickly made…
Longterm Review | FSA Flowtron Dropper Post
After six months of testing, James Vincent delivers us his verdict of the FSA Flowtron dropper post Which has revolutionised trail riding more; 1x drivetrains or dropper posts? Now there’s a question. Sure, 1x drivetrains have made gear shifts easier, cockpits less complicated and given…
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…
Osprey Raven 10 | Women’s Hydration Backpack For Long Days Out
It’s getting harder and harder for women to choose kit these days, because we seem to have more choice than ever before. The Osprey range alone features women’s specific packs for commuting, racing, big mountain days out and everything in-between. In this case I have…
FINDRA Stroma Jacket | Eco-Friendly Doesn’t Sacrifice Performance
Amanda tests out the FINDRA Stroma waterproof jacket, made with…coffee? Tweed Valley based clothing designer FINDRA has only been on the market since 2014, but has already established a great reputation for its womenswear range. With a strong belief in the importance of layering clothing for…
Review | Shimano SH-XC901 SPD Carbon Soled MTB Shoes
Jason reviews the latest go-fast SPD MTB shoe from Shimano; the S-Phyre SH-XC901 If you’re serious about riding bikes fast and going faster than other people, you’re probably going to be interested in the S-Phyre SH-XC901 shoes (or the XC901 if you want to keep…
Review | Chromag Contact Flat Pedals – Nip Your Cranks, Not Your Shins
Amanda tests and reviews Brandon Semenuk’s favourite flat pedals – the Chromag Contact For the past six months I have gone from trail bike to enduro bike, back to trail, and eventually ended up on a steel hardtail. I’ve been changing shoes and bikes as…
Review | 7Mesh Women’s Revo Shorts – Waterproof Your Bum
Hannah has been grinding these 7Mesh Revo waterproof shorts through a winter of slop. Is her bum still dry? 7Mesh is a clothing company based in Squamish, British Columbia. If you are British, this is of interest, because they have weather that is not too…
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 being drawn to Pace Cycles’ radical products. The Yorkshire based brand was at the cutting…
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 steel hardtails, so it was with some excitement that the move into full suspension frames…
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…
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 making cheaper ones by converting existing cassettes with expander cogs was all the rage for…
Review | These Leatt 3DF 5.0 soft-shell knee pads are almost perfect
James Vincent gives us his longterm review of Leatt’s soft-shell 3DF 5.0 Knee Guards It’s incredibly rare that you’ll see me out on a bike sans knee pads. Ever since I had a relatively innocuous low speed crash that left me with a loose ACL…
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 new option, so we got our local rim-dinger, David Hayward, to put them through the…
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…
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 the lesser known brands in the UK perhaps, and though not unheard of, never reputed…
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…
Review | Evoc Neo Protector 16L Backpack
Hannah reviews the EVOC Neo – A Backpack With Protection. I’m a fan of having a back pack on – I like having something between my back and the ground when I crash. Yes, I mean when I crash. I seem to have developed something…
Five Ten Impact Pro Review: Is the king of grip still king?
Andi tests the latest incarnation of the Five Ten Impact Pro. Do these stealthy, sticky shoes still sit on the flat shoe throne? Five Ten shoes were once the one and only sticky flat sole shoe to run on your mountain bike, but the past…
Review | Syncros XR 1.0 SL: A lightweight, carbon railed racing saddle
Looking for a lightweight saddle to give you the edge in a race? Jason tried out this carbon railed offering from Syncros. The Syncros XR 1.0 saddle sits at the top of the Syncros XR range of saddles and sports a carbon base, carbon rails…
Review | BikeStow Bike Rack – foldable storage, no drills required
The BikeStow offers bike storage without the need for fixing to a floor or wall. How did we find it? The unit is well built and has an appealing ‘thunk’ quality to it that I certainly wouldn’t achieve with a home brewed version of it.…
Review | Bell Super 3R MIPS Helmet – the ideal ‘just in case’ full face?
The Bell Super 3R MIPS helmet is a (surprise, surprise) MIPS equipped lid with removable chin bar, but as a touch lighter than Andi’s Editor’s Choice Super DH MIPS helmet, this one is designed for trail riding rather than more extreme downhill stuff. With 23…
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…
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 and Hail Enduro bikes to make an entrance. I attended the product launch for the…
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. Is it cheap on performance too? We gave a set to local Calderdale skipping stone,…
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 Cruz, Yeti, and Pivot, to the other end of the scale with alloy offerings from…