Howies Vail Merino Wool T-shirt

Howies Vail Merino Wool T-shirt

Some things are obviously good value for money. Some things need a little more contemplation before their value becomes clear. The Howies Vail T is a ‘normal’ T-shirt made from…

Rock Shox Lyrik Solo Air

Rock Shox Lyrik Solo Air

Standing in the queue for the bike-park gondola I compared my Solo Air to a triple-clamp fork on someone else’s late 90’s downhill bike. With 35mm stanchions the single crown…

Knog Frog Lights

Knog Frog Lights

Emergency or ‘just get me home legally’ LED lights have been around for a while now and while most consist of single LEDs (one in white, one in red) Knog…

Magura Durin

Magura Durin

Looking around at the number of dedicated XC forks you’d be forgiven for thinking fork manufacturers had decided that the market was dead and that we all need 160mm forks…

Straitline Stem

Straitline Stem

There’s something to be perversely admired about a company that kicks convention in the teeth and smiles doing it, and Canadian company Straitline have a lot of shattered enamel on…

Islabikes Rothan

Islabikes Rothan

When you find that nearly everyone you meet is doing a double-take at your new purchase you know it’s either because you’ve bought something quite stupid, or you’ve chosen one…

Freak Bike: Santa Cruz Easy Rider

Freak Bike: Santa Cruz Easy Rider

This bike ticks all the boxes to qualify for a place in Singletrack’s "Bike Pron" feature: Would it draw a crowd if it were leant up against the food tent…

Identiti Alloy QR Seat Clamp

Identiti Alloy QR Seat Clamp

Are you a saddle dropper? If not, why not? The usual reply is “I can’t ride with my saddle down”. This confuses me greatly. What advantage to bike handling can…

Cane Creek Double Barrel Shock

Cane Creek Double Barrel Shock

This shock comes out of a collaboration between Cane Creek and Ohlins Racing, the Swedish suspension gurus who have cut their teeth on the likes of Supercross and GP bikes…

Hope 1.5in Stepdown Headset

Hope 1.5in Stepdown Headset

Those of us with fat head tubes have traditionally only had two choices when it came to 1.5-into-1 1/8th headsets: cheap and nasty ball-bearing ones that weigh a ton and…

Singular Swift

Yes, it’s another 29in wheel bike. But for a change, it wasn’t sent from a manufacturer eager to get themselves into this subset of a niche before the boat left,…

Shed Shackle

Shed Shackle

The Shed Shackle is a security device that you fit to your shed, providing a fixed er, shackle to lock your bike to. It’s not going to stop anyone breaking…

661 Veggie Wrap Shin Pads

661 Veggie Wrap Shin Pads

For SPD users the journey into flat pedal riding can be a perilous one. Sure, you’re going to improve your technique and learn to bunnyhop properly, but you’re also liable…

Alpkit Fat Airic

Alpkit Fat Airic

My body is definitely getting old. If it’s not, then I’m getting a lot weaker. There was a time when I’d sleep straight on the ground or with a thin…

Shimano M300 shoes

Shimano M300 shoes

These are Shimano’s top of the range, none-higher, all-singing and quite a bit of dancing, race shoes.

Deuter Race Back Hydration Pack

Deuter Race Back Hydration Pack

Deuter's 10 litre capacity "short blast" stylee handbag.

Felt Breed

Felt Breed

Steve Makin reviews a big lad's bike with shonky brakes, skinny tyres, dodgy bars, a very racy saddle and no gears. Possibly the most fun bike he's ridden in years.

Lizard Skinz Blizzard Gloves

Lizard Skinz Blizzard Gloves

Lizard Skinz Blizzard Gloves Price: £28.00 From: www.2pure.co.uk A winter glove with neoprene trimmings over the knuckles and round the cuff but despite the neoprene this glove is water resistant…

Lifesystems Mountain Thermal Bag

Lifesystems Mountain Thermal Bag

Lifesystems Mountain Thermal Bag Price: £9.99 From: www.lifesystems.co.uk It may not be sexy and you’ll probably never have to use it but this metalised polyester based survival bag should be…

Ortlieb Medium First Aid Kit

Ortlieb Medium First Aid Kit

Ortlieb Medium First Aid Kit Price: £13.69 From: Lyon Equipment www.ortlieb.com Having a First Aid kit and the knowledge to use it should be something that every mountain biker has.…

Sealskinz Technical Mountain Biking Glove

Sealskinz Technical Mountain Biking Glove

Sealskinz Technical Mountain Biking Glove Price: £37.50 From: Sealskinz 01553 817990 www.sealskinz.com These winter gloves are the highest spec mountain biking glove in the Sealskinz range, they are waterproof, breathable…

Jimi Wallet

Jimi Wallet

Jimi Wallet Price: £12.00 From : 2pure www.2pure.co.uk The Jimi Wallet so the marketing goes is the wallet for people that don’t do wallets. It’s a classic I-generation product. (How…

Crankset Group Test

Crankset Group Test

Benji and the team look at a stingy bakers’ dozen of the latest cranks.

Orange P7 Belt Drive Prototype

Orange P7 Belt Drive Prototype

Orange P7 belt drive prototype Price: N/A From: Orange www.orangebikes.co.uk One of Orange’s advantages in the market is that they’re small enough to play with different ideas. With only 15…

Group Test: Waterproof Jackets

Group Test: Waterproof Jackets

A dozen UK-esque waterproof jackets tested.

Foes FXR 2:1

Foes FXR 2:1

Foes FXR 2:1 Price: £1,849 frame only From: Balfa.co.uk The Bike The 6in travel ‘aggressive trail’ FXR has been part of the Foes line-up for the past few years. This…

Grouptest: Big and Bald Tyres

Grouptest: Big and Bald Tyres

Benji and his crack squad of sad rubber sniffing tyre obsessives try to convince you of the myriad splendours of a bunch of funny looking fat tyres with bugger-all knobs…

Scott Spark 10

Scott Spark 10

Scott Spark 10 Price: £3799 or £1949 frame only From: Scott 01670 712129 There’s no doubting that this is a machine made for going a long way fast. The cockpit…

Group Test: Boots

Group Test: Boots

We’ve rounded up an even ten boots – from rugged summer numbers to depth of winter monsters and given them a thrashing.

Genesis iO

Genesis iO

Fully rigid steel singlespeeds, eh? Nice looking and everything but a complete nightmare to write a review about. Well, a review that isn’t full of quasi-mystical gibberish about ‘purity’ and…