Having tested about a kerbillion tyres on his unforgiving home trails in the Lake District as part of last year’s High Tech Trail Tyre Group Testr, James Vincent has become our resident go-to expert of all things round and rubbery. So when we received a…
Review
Winner Of ‘Best All Round’ – Shimano Saint M820 SPD Pedals
Wil and the clip-in crew have spent the last few months trying to work out which are the best platform clip-in pedals. For this group test, they took eight of the latest platform clip-in pedals to see what each brand has to offer. Each pedal…
Winner Of ‘Best Feel’ – HT Components X2 Pedals
Wil and the clip-in crew have spent the last few months trying to work out which are the best platform clip-in pedals. For this group test, they took eight of the latest platform clip-in pedals to see what each brand has to offer. Each pedal…
Winner Of ‘Most Durable’ – Time ATAC DH4 Pedals
Wil and the clip-in crew have spent the last few months trying to work out which are the best platform clip-in pedals. For this group test, they took eight of the latest platform clip-in pedals to see what each brand has to offer. Each pedal…
2019 Specialized Stumpjumper review | Expert Carbon 29
I’d be lying if I told you that Specialized has just unveiled its most advanced and refined Stumpjumper yet. Because there are actually three new Stumjumper models for 2019. And they’re all rather snazzy. This year we’re going to see two additional models of Stumpjumper…
Winner Of ‘Best In Mud’ – Crank Brothers Mallet DH Pedal
Wil and the clip-in crew have spent the last few months trying to work out which are the best platform clip-in pedals. For this group test, they took eight of the latest platform clip-in pedals to see what each brand has to offer. Each pedal…
Review: Bontrager’s versatile & durable SE4 Team Issue tyre earns a ST Recommended award
With four casing options, six different tread patterns, and numerous widths and diameters available – not to mention the four fat bike tyres it offers – the Bontrager mountain bike tyre range is about as niche-filling as it gets. Thankfully its mountain bike tyre line…
Review: Fox’s brand new 34 Step-Cast fork is here from the future and it is super light
The slender front suspender you see before you is called the 34 Step-Cast, and it’s from Fox Racing Shox. Based upon the 34 Float series, this Step-Cast version is a brand new addition to the Fox lineup for 2019. It still features 34mm diameter stanchions…
Review: The Fox 36 Factory Series fork gets the new FIT GRIP 2 damper for 2019
I’m losing likes. My followers are dropping like flies. And my stats? Well, don’t even talk to me about my stats! You see, like many of you reading this review, I live my entire life through Instagram. There isn’t a moment that goes by without…
6 Carbon Wheels Under £1500 Abused & Reviewed
Carbon wheels are creeping down in price, but are they worth the outlay? David Hayward and the team have been testing six sets under £1500 to see how they compare. It’s often said that wheels are the best place on a bike to shed weight,…
Battle of the mats – can you really get a good night’s sleep bikepacking?
“Sanny!” It was Mark on the blower. “We have a couple of sleeping mats we want you to test. It should be right up your street for all your bikepacking adventures!” Without even knowing what I was getting into, I was already in. “You know…
Sixth Element combines tough Asian-made carbon rims with bulletproof UK-made hubs for the Race SE 34.28 wheelset
In Issue #116 of Singletrack Magazine, David and the crew tested six sets of sub-£1500 carbon mountain bike wheels. We subjected all of these wheels to the same bikes, the same tyres, same air pressures, riders, trails, weather conditions and abuse, all the while keeping and…
Review: The silky smooth Mavic XA Pro Carbon wheelset will have you dancing on the trail
In Issue #116 of Singletrack Magazine, David and the crew tested six sets of sub-£1500 carbon mountain bike wheels. We subjected all of these wheels to the same bikes, the same tyres, same air pressures, riders, trails, weather conditions and abuse, all the while keeping and…
Review: At less than a grand, the Bontrager Line Pro 30 is one of the best value carbon wheelsets we’ve tested
In Issue #116 of Singletrack Magazine, David and the crew tested six sets of sub-£1500 carbon mountain bike wheels. We subjected all of these wheels to the same bikes, the same tyres, same air pressures, riders, trails, weather conditions and abuse, all the while keeping and…
Review: Alpkit Argonaut – Cheap Enough To Buy Several Of For When You Crash
While recently sorting through all my kit in preparation for the Strathpuffer I counted 12 jackets of varying makes and styles. Some waterproof, some windproof, some expensive, some cheap, some paper-thin, others full-on winter mountaineering jobs. Even though not all of them are cycling specific, they share a common cause in that…
Review: Goodbye Bell Super Helmet, Hello New Sixer!
First shown off to the public last Autumn, the Sixer is a fresh top-of-the-line lid from Bell Helmets. Designed as a replacement for the venerable Super – one of the original (and most popular) half-face trail helmets on the market – the Sixer aims to provide similar…
Review: The 2018 Genesis Mantle 20 is no boring XC race bike
Last year, Genesis Bikes brought out its brand new carbon fibre hardtail called the Mantle. We gave it to our lean, mean, climbing machine, Rachel Sokal, to put it through some winter slogging to see how Genesis’ lightest mountain bike stacks up. Over to Rachel!…
Review: Bikemonger’s Happy Bottom Bum Butter – definitely not for toast
Bum Butter. Flash in the pants or cracking good product?
Review: Ortlieb Frame Pack – A truly waterproof option?
One of the great things about the increasing popularity of bikepacking is that it is no longer confined to small volume producers with long lead times. That is not to say that the original bikepacking innovators aren’t still leading the charge in terms of product…
Review: 2018 Whyte 909 Hardtail – A contender for the one-bike shed?
When the Whyte 909 turned up at Singletrack HQ, there were two riders particularly keen on riding it. Hannah already owns a Whyte hardtail, albeit a slightly older 901 hardtail, and she was more than interested to see what the latest chubby-tyred version would be…
UK Exclusive First Ride Review: We test the 2019 Rocky Mountain Thunderbolt
We managed to get an exclusive first ride on Rocky Mountain's brand new Thunderbolt, a super versatile 140mm superbike
Review: Showers Pass Crosspoint Waterproof Knit Gloves
The Showers Pass Crosspoint Waterproof Knit gloves appear to be a fairly simple knitted pull on glove, and indeed they’re sold as ‘multi-purpose’ rather than ‘cycling specific’, so you might not expect many of the features we’ve come to expect in a cycling glove. But…
Review: At £15, this Love Mud Detonator track pump is perfect for T-Rex
A track pump for the tight-fisted, from the Alpkit and Sonder bikes stable
Review: The 2018 Norco Sight C2 is ready to shreddy straight out of the box
For the past few weeks, I’ve had the pleasure of soaking up some (much needed) Vitamin D during a holiday Down Under in Australia. Aside from the obligatory family and local pub catch-ups, it was also an opportunity to take a smug, momentary pause from…
First Ride Review: Santa Cruz Highball 3 CC X01 Reserve
In a refreshing change of programming, Santa Cruz is going all-XC on us for the start of 2018. Jib-specific trail bikes and Beyonduro™ shred-sleds may still whip up the majority of the marketing whirlpool, but cross-country riding and racing is quietly making a comeback, and…
First Ride Review: Santa Cruz Blur 3 CC XX1 Reserve
It’s been about five years coming, but the Santa Cruz Blur is finally back First introduced back in 2002 alongside the V-10 downhill bike, the Blur was one of the original VPP suspension bikes from Santa Cruz. Sporting 26in wheels, 115mm of rear travel and…
Women’s Specific Geometry On The Canyon Spectral WMN CF SLX 9.0 – How Different Can It Be?
By Amanda Wishart, Singletrack Magazine Back in March I was fortunate enough to be one of a select group of journalists to be invited to a Canyon women’s specific bike launch in the south of France. This is kind of a big deal (Ed: the…
Review: You may hate the Brain, but the 2018 Specialized Epic Expert is ready to prove you wrong
In Issue #116 of Singletrack Magazine, Wil and the crew tested three new generation full suspension XC race bikes. Read on for the full review of the 2018 Specialized Epic Expert. As one of the most decorated full suspension race bikes on the market, the…
Review: Suspension tinkerers rejoice! The Formula Selva fork has all the bells & whistles
The Selva fork is the newest enduro fork from Italian motorcycle and mountain bike suspension/brake manufacturer, Formula. We got one a huge 160mm travel 29er version to test, and gave it to our similarly long-legged Yorkshireman, Mr Tom Hill, who’s spent a solid four months…
Review: The TwinLoc system on the 2018 Scott Spark RC 900 Team is this bike’s secret weapon
In Issue #116 of Singletrack Magazine, Wil and the crew tested three new generation full suspension XC race bikes. Read on for the full review of the 2018 Scott Spark RC 900 Team. It was 2007 when the first Spark blew minds and broke records…
Review: The 2018 Anthem Advanced Pro 29er 1 is Giant’s best full suspension XC race bike to date
In Issue #116 of Singletrack Magazine, Wil and the crew tested three new generation full suspension XC race bikes. Read on for the full review of the 2018 Giant Anthem Advanced Pro 29er 1. The Giant Anthem was first introduced in 2006 as the successor…
Review: The new Rudy Project Sintryx is a sunglasses transformer in disguise
Ben Gerrish is one of our crash test dummies based up in the South Lakes, who also makes a regular habit of travelling further afield to embark on riding adventures of the gnarlier kind. A speedy human on a bicycle, Ben also has a tonne…
Review: The Shimano AM901 is good enough for Rachel Atherton, but is it good enough for regular trail riding?
If you’ve been flicking through fresh pages of the current issue of Singletrack Magazine, you may have already read our in-depth technical feature about the latest generation of platform clip-in pedals. As part of that feature, we took eight sets of these new generation clip-in pedals and…
Review: The adaptable ION Haze Gloves have a very clever trick up their sleeve
To be honest, finding the right pair of cold weather riding gloves can be a bit of a battle. There are plenty of them on the market, but finding a pair that doesn’t feel like you’re suiting up to operate heavy agricultural equipment is another…
Review: Endura adds a new ‘Pullover’ option of its popular MT500 Waterproof Jacket – but is it more comfortable?
Forgive me if March seems a little tardy to be reviewing a full-blown rain jacket. But really – who are you trying to kid? A jacket like this can be a handy wardrobe addition during any month of the year in the UK. Additionally, I didn’t…
Longterm Review: Is the 2018 RockShox Lyrik RCT3 the butteriest of them all?
For 2018, both Fox and RockShox have come out swinging with updates to their long-travel suspension forks: Fox with its new 36, and RockShox with the new Lyrik. Over the past six months, Barney and Wil have been back-to-back testing one of each. Both forks…
Review: Starling Cycles Taiwanese-Made Murmur Factory 29er
Our very own in-house office wildebeest, Rossco, has been playing about on the new Murmur Factory from Starling Cycles. With its slender steel tubing and progressive frame geometry, would it challenge Rossco’s preconceived ideas on what numbers are ideal for riding a bike over all…
Miss your twin rings but nowhere to hang a mech? The Vyro FrEn 1 could be the answer
Is this the future of front shifting? Sanny takes a look at the latest tech from Austrian design gurus, VYRO.
Cheap on price, but not on performance; we test and review Shimano’s entry-level Deore M6000 groupset
With very little fanfare, Shimano quietly unveiled its new Deore M6000 groupset last year. We got our test groupset in before Xmas, and put it in the hands of a mile-munching Huw Oliver to put the new drivetrain and brakeset through its paces. Over to…
Review: Syncros integrates a pump, multi-tool and bottle cage into the Matchbox Tailor HV+
The bike industry is falling over itself at the minute to develop ways of stashing kit on your bike, rather than on your back, but many of the solutions on offer don’t offer much improvement over the traditional electrical/duct tape. Syncros has put a bit…
Women’s Specific Geometry On The Canyon Spectral WMN CF SLX 9.0 – How Different Can It Be? Read Our First Ride Review Here
Amanda has just returned from the south of France with a huge smile on her face, and it's not down to the wine.
29in front, 27.5+ back, and Shimano STEPS in the middle. Canyon welcomes you to the e-Party with the unique Spectral:ON!
In huge news from the German direct-to-consumer brand, Canyon is launching its first e-MTB. Called the Spectral:ON, this is an e-bike that has been a long time in the making, and Canyon is very, very excited about it. We sent Dean over to the launch…
Review: Is it pants or trousers? When they fit as well as these ION Shelters, who cares!
According to my unofficial trailside surveys over the past six months, 78% of UK mountain bikers seem to be growing curious about the concept of riding trousers. Or pants, as we call them where I’m from. Commuters and XC winter pluggers have long been accustomed…
Review: Merida One-Sixty 7000
The One-Sixty is Merida’s longest travel full suspension bike, with 160mm of rear travel and a 170mm travel fork. Designed as a big, burly all-mountain rig made for going down steep and rough things very fast, we put the One-Sixty test bike into the paws…
Review: Deuter Attack Enduro 16 Bag – capable of carrying a full face helmet
Hannah'd been carrying and crashing this pack around for 7 months - how has she got on?
Smoove Universal Chain Lube – does it live up to the hype? | Review
So good, Huw wants a bigger bottle.
Review: Genesis Longitude – big adventures and a small price tag?
A bike that might just have you heading over the hills and far away
Singletrack Recommended: Watch Out Schwalbe & Maxxis – Kenda’s New Hellkat Pro Tyre Is Brilliant
You like acronyms? With DTC, ATC and even KSCT, the Hellkat Pro is sure to please your NFA.
Review: Bontrager Vella Stormshell, A Jacket Amanda Is Actually Willing To Wear
Amanda discovers why people invest in a good waterproof jacket.
Review: DMR V-Twin Pedals – Clip-in pedals from the kings of flats
The V-Twin is DMR's first clip-in pedal. So does it live up to the same standard as the Vault & V8 flat pedals?
Is This The Best All Rounder 29er Tyre? Reviewed: Maxxis High Roller II
Somewhere in the middle when it comes to grip, width and weight - but are they top performers?