Hardtails are very much alive and kicking. They may well sit in the shadows of both the latest e-MTBs and tech-heavy trail bikes but there’s still plenty of development going…
Mountain Bike Rider
Transition Relay Carbon GX AXS first ride review
Transition has made a bike to tempt the e-bike naysayers, a lightweight raver of a bike driven by Fazua’s Ride 60 motor. We rode it until they demanded it back,…
Pivot Shuttle AM Pro SRAM X0 first ride review
Finale Ligure, Italy, the outdoor region famed for its 1000km trail network all within riding distance of the picturesque coastal town. The ideal place to launch an uplift dodging e-bike?…
Propain releases all-new Ekano 2 AL electric mountain bike
Propain’s design brief for the new Ekano 2 AL was clear: a high performance electric mountain bike which has a focus on fun, whether climbing or descending. The aim was…
YT Industries Capra Core 2 GX review
It’s hard to believe but the Capra is nearly a decade old, having launched in 2014 with a carbon frame, killer parts list, 27.5in wheels (modern indeed) and a price…
Leatt Airflex Hybrid Pro knee guard review
Extended coverage The long (35cm) cylindrical tube has Leatt’s perforated Airflex padding cupping the knee with a kind of memory foam style impact gel padding. On top of this are…
Nukeproof Giga, Mega and Reactor carbon 2024 refresh – don’t mess with success
Over the past year, Nukeproof’s Giga, Mega, and Reactor have proven themselves on the race course, and as the bikes of choice for countless mountain bikers across the globe –…
POC Oseus VPD knee pad review
The POC Oseus VPD pads are a compact design, fairly short in length with the main coverage only extending to the front and sides of the knee cap. This is…
Fast and Fit – Greg Minnaar reveals the secrets to staying fast in his forties
Words: Jamie Darlow It can be frustrating to hear yourself utter the words ‘I used to be able to…’ and to tell anyone who will listen what you could do…
All-new Pivot Shuttle AM – a mid travel, Bosch powered electric mountain bike
Pivot has announced an all-new full power Shuttle AM, bringing a new inbetweener that sits bang in the middle of a three model e-bike range. Looking leaner, with a less…
Trailblazers: Caersws Bike Park – one to hit up on your summer road trip
Bike brands like to talk about evolution. Every model year brings tweaks and changes, increases – or decreases – in wheel size, suspension, weight and all the metrics that look…
Roval launches new Traverse wheels, ThreadBed valve and ‘**it happens’ crash replacement scheme
Specialized’s wheel brand Roval has launched three new enthusiast-focused wheelsets, all developed around the pillars of durability, performance and control. There are two carbon rim options, the lightweight Traverse SL…
Cotic FlareMAX Gold XT first ride review
The first generation FlareMAX 29er was a down-country blueprint before the genre really became a thing. We ride the latest evolution, in Gold XT spec, to check out how Cotic…
New 2024 RockShox SID forks and shock – now lighter, stiffer and more tunable
RockShox SID – Don’t call it a down-country fork…or do. The new RockShox SID drives like an enduro fork without sacrificing the efficiency and light weight that XC racers like…
Time Speciale 12 pedal review
Most of the Time pedals we’ve tested previously have had a composite (nylon) body but the Speciale 12 is the first that’s all aluminium. It features a quality 6106-T6 series…
Trek Top Fuel 8 review
Think Top Fuel, and the image of a XC race bike instantly springs to mind. But like a faded polaroid tucked into the corner for a dusty picture frame, it’s…
Nukeproof Horizon Pro Sam Hill Enduro pedal review
We’ve awarded Nukeproof’s Horizon Pro Downhill top marks several years on the bounce so this year we’re testing its slightly smaller sibling the Sam Hill Enduro. It uses a similar…
Ragley Big Wig Race first ride review
For 2023, Ragley has made some minor modifications to the Big Wig platform. It’s still a hard-hitting 29er trail bike with a robust 4130 steel frame, but the angles and…
HT T2 pedal review
This is the stealth black colourway edition of HT’s T2 Enduro pedal, which is £10 more than the base price. There’s also an oil slick finish for another £20. The…
Gusset Slim Jim pedal review
Although Gusset’s Slim Jim has been given a recent makeover, we never actually tested the original. What we do know is this Slim Jim is the cheapest pedal in our…