The Santa Cruz Nomad has long been one of the best enduro mountain bikes on the market, but the last version was a bit behind the curve with its 27.5in…
29er full suspension
Canyon Lux World Cup CFR Team review
With the paint barely dry on the brand new Lux World Cup CFR Team, it should come as no surprise that it’s a modern XC race bike packed with all…
Intense Sniper T Expert review
The Intense Sniper T Expert costs £3,899.99, has 120mm travel front and rear and comes with a dropper post fitted as standard. But at 13.7kg, is it too heavy to…
Vitus Rapide FS CRX review
The Vitus Rapide is a pure XC race bike, just not in the traditional sense. Yes, it’s got 100mm travel, the full carbon frame weighs only 2,080g and it wants…
ARC8 Evolve FS first ride review
This new featherweight whippet from little-known brand ARC8 aims to compete with the best XC race bikes on the market. And with progressive sizing, low mass and some clever engineering,…
BMC Fourstroke 01 LT One first ride review
Tom Pidcock’s race machine with a bit more oomph, BMC’s Fourstroke LT gives mere mortals a bit of a safety net that takes it into best down-country territory. Need to…
Specialized Stumpjumper Expert review
The Specialized Stumpjumper Expert is a 29er full-suspension bike with a long history – after all, the first Stumpy came out an impressive 40 years ago! Of course, its had…
Carbon Wasp Truffle review
Unless you’ve had a carbon frame repaired or you’re also into time-trialling or track racing, you’ve likely not heard of Carbon Wasp. However, it only took a few metres of…
Canyon Spectral 125 CF 9 review
Take a cursory glance at the new Spectral 125 and you could easily mistake it for the full-blown 150mm Spectral. Make no mistake though, the Spectral 125 is a unique…
Mondraker Raze Carbon RR review
The Foxy is probably Mondraker’s most popular mountain bike to date. But as it morphed into a bigger hitting 160/150mm trail bike it left a vacuum in the range. A…
Bold Linkin 135 Ultimate review
The Bold Linkin 135 is a 29er-wheeled, 150mm-travel full-suspension trail bike packed with plenty of interesting features – hello on-board storage and interesting shock arrangement. That it looks damn good…
Specialized Stumpjumper Evo Expert review
As winner of our 2022 Trail Bike of the Year test, the Stumpy Evo Comp has more than proved its worth. So what, if anything, does the more expensive Expert…
Orbea Rallon M-Team first ride review
rbea The new Orbea Rallon will be ripping it up on the EWS circuit this year piloted by Martin Maes. We swung a leg over it to see how it…
Trek Slash 9.8 XT review
The Trek Slash 9.8 XT is an enduro bike with progressive geometry and 29er wheels and 170/160mm of travel, and offers a performance that seriously impressive. Good enough to make…
Canyon Strive CFR (2022) first ride review
It’s already the EWS’s fastest bike under Jack Moir, but that hasn’t stopped Canyon pushing the boundaries with the brand new Strive CFR with the goal of becoming one of…
Santa Cruz Megatower C GX AXS RSV first ride review
‘Bigger and badder’ exclaims the slogan on Santa Cruz’s marketing blurb for the new Megatower. Considering the first generation bike was hardly a minnow, boasting 160mm of rear wheel travel…
The GT Force Carbon Pro LE review
The thoroughly redesigned new GT Force Carbon Pro LE is the brand's new 29er enduro race bike with a carbon front end and alloy rear.
Forbidden Dreadnought XT review
Forbidden now has a big gun but who needs the Forbidden Dreadnought XT when the Druid is already billed as capable? In short... everyone. Let me explain.
Santa Cruz Chameleon first ride review
The much-revered Santa Cruz Chameleon turns 25 in 2022 (much like our beloved MBR magazine). This do-it-all hardtail rolled into production in 1997 and is one of the longest-running model…
Orange Stage 6 Evo SE first ride review
Tired of feeling disconnected from the trail thanks to miles of suspension travel? Well, the Orange Stage 6 Evo aims to deliver that frenetic, plugged-in feeling you get from the…