Reviews

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....

Drivetrain 1

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...

Bikes 1

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...

Clothing 10

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 2

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...

Review 1

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,...

Bikes 3

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...

Backpacks

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...

Clothing

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...

Foot Wear 1

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,...

Pedals 1

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...

Clothing

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...

Bikes 10

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...

Bikes

2019 merida one-twenty 8000 wil lysterfield

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...

Bikes 5

2019 giant trance advanced pro 29 trx 1 carbon wheel

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,...

Review 1

specialized fast trak tyre tire grid 29x2.3 gripton

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...

Review 4

specialized ground control tyre tire 29x2.3 grid gripton

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...

Review 2

e*thirteen e13 12-speed conversion kit shifter sram

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...

Drivetrain 6

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...

Protection 1

stan's notubes flow ex rim rimpact tubeless insert

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 9

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...

Handlebars & Stems 1

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...

Bikes 7

2019 giant trance advanced pro 29er 1 wil

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...

Bikes 1

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...

Backpacks 3

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...

Clothing 3

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...

Review

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’...

Other Stuff 7

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,...

Helmets 1

bike bag dude giant trance 29 top tube bikepacking mini garage

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...

luggage 4

Liv Intrigue Advanced 1 2019 Riding Amanda

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...

Bikes 3

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