CNC’d XC BSO with ETT of 571 and BSA fitting… we’ve all scanned our way through the spec list of a new bike and read the letters, but do we actually know what any of them actually mean? Here’s your chance to test yourself… While you’re here…

We’ve rounded up some of those product ‘features’ that we think should go without saying. Feel free to disagree, or add your own below! When you’re looking at products, especially on the web, you’ll find yourself seeing bullet pointed lists of ‘product features’. Some of these will create the difference between one price point and another – carbon vs alloy, for example. Some of them will tip you over into the ‘ooh, yes, I’ll have this one instead of that one’ category – maybe an eco credential, or a guarantee.

But some ‘features’ are things that are so useful that we wonder why anyone still sells products without them. These should come as standard, not be promoted as features. ‘Bike has wheels’ is not a feature, it’s a basic requirement.

Some of you who enjoyed our A Reyt Good Time Bikepacking in the Dales article will no doubt want to know what sort of kit the riders used.

Dieter is the kind of bike nerd mechanic that every good bike shop should want. He is endlessly enthusiastic about getting people of all kinds onto bikes of all sorts. He can fix your bike even when the outlook looks bleak. Go for a ride with him and you’ll probably end up doing high fives and exclaiming ‘sick!’. In short, he has boundless enthusiasm for all things bike. He’s also a bit of a socially conscious punk environmentalist, so he’s probably a bit rubbish if your bike shop is one of those glittering concept store type places where it doesn’t smell of rubber and GT85 (Or WD40). Luckily for him, and us, he works at our local social enterprise bike shop, and we’ve talked him into bringing us a few of his more ingenious and interesting fixes, alongside whatever commentary he might like to get off his chest. We hope you enjoy…

140mm Suspension Forks AKA Best Modest Travel Trail Forks. Which fork for real world riders on real world trails? Benji has the results.

Benji and Rhys look at the world of £2k full suspension bikes. Can a good ride be had at this price?

Rapha has launched a limited edition collection of clothing. It’s a collaboration with ‘Brain Dead’, a trendy LA-based international fashion collective.  With its disruptive, graphic-led approach, Brain Dead takes its cues from post punk, underground comics, and the spirit of subculture as a whole. Not defined by a singular style…

Mountain biking is not cheap. You’ll never ‘save’ money as a mountain biker. But you can stop a lot of avoidable spending if you’re canny.