Mountain Bike Rider

Crashing is part of mountain biking, right? So given the (Sophie's) choice, would you rather snap a collarbone or suffer a bit of a knock to the head? Most of us would take a broken helmet over a broken bone, wouldn't we? Yet concussions are potentia

Size ridden L Rider height 5ft 11in Head angle 63.9° Seat angle 68.5° Effective SA 75.4° BB height 333mm Chainstay 440mm Front centre 822mm Wheelbase 1,262mm Down tube 755mm Top tube 627mm Reach 480mm ■

Frame XDURO AllMtn i600 carbon, 150mm travel Shock Fox Float DPS Performance EVOL Fork Fox 38 Performance, 160mm travel Motor Yamaha PW-X2 Battery Yamaha 600Wh InTube Display Yamaha, Side Switch, 1.7in LCD Wheels HaiBike 110/148mm hubs, Mavic E

Size tested L Head angle 64.9° Seat angle 70.4° Effective SA 77.4° BB height 335mm Chainstay 435mm Front centre 809mm Wheelbase 1,244mm Down tube 755mm Top tube 615mm Reach 486mm ■

Geometry and tyre choice give the HT725 a confident, hard-charging personality. It’s a bit of a bargain considering the frame quality and spec. Ribble’s in-house Level 35 rims don’t like holding air. Seat angle could be steeper for better climbing pr

Frame Carbon CC, 170mm travel (168mm measured) Shock Fox Float X2 Factory Fork Fox 38 Float Factory, 170mm travel Wheels Reserve 30 Carbon wheels, Maxxis Assegai/Minion DHR II 27.5x2.5/2.4in tyres Drivetrain SRAM X1 Eagle Carbon crank, 32t, 170mm

To make the testing process as fair as possible we fitted the same Maxxis tyres to both of the down-country bikes in this test and used Orange Sealant for maximum puncture resistance. To minimise rolling resistance without compromising cornering conf

Size ridden L Rider height 5ft 10in Head angle 63.9° Seat angle 69° Effective SA 77.9° BB height 345mm Chainstay 435mm Front centre 817mm Wheelbase 1,252mm Top tube 608mm Reach 479mm Down tube 735mm ■

With progressive geometry and 135mm of travel married to a 150mm suspension fork, the new Trance X 29 is designed to do it all Trance X 6011 Aluxx alloy frame is connected with a carbon rocker A Fox 36 Float Rhythm fork with GRIP damper and 44mm offs

130mm-travel trail bike with 29in wheels, carbon frame and progressive geometry Size-specific suspension kinematics mean the bike should be optimal for any size Fox Float Performance-level suspension, with 140mm-travel fork SRAM GX and NX drivetrain,

Frame Reynolds heat-treated 725 chromoly steel Fork RockShox Revelation RC, 150mm Wheels Level 35 wheels, Maxxis Minion DHF/DHR II 3C EXO 27.5x2.6in Drivetrain SRAM GX Eagle 32t, 170mm cranks, SRAM GX Eagle r-mech and 12-speed shifter Brakes SRAM

Size ridden M Rider height 5ft 9in Head angle 64.7° Seat angle 69.9° Effective SA 76.5° BB height 344mm Chainstay 430mm Front centre 800mm Wheelbase 1,230mm Down tube 720mm Top tube 609mm Reach 456mm ■

● New 29er trail bike that replaces the S-150 ● Alloy frame with new tubeset, 150mm travel and revised kinematics for more progression ● Two models available, both get 160mm travel forks ● Shape It link offers two stock geometry settings ● RaceFace A

The next time you ride, set yourself some goals. This is often easier on familiar terrain because you’ve ridden it before and know what to expect. You can spend a little more time pre-planning on your way into sections and executing your plan. You ma

● Mild facelift for the iconic Nomad ● Subtle re-profiling of the head tube and BB area with crisp edges and sharp creases ● Reach goes up on largest three sizes and seat tubes get shorter ● Proportional chainstays to keep weight balance constant acr

mbr magazine, Pinehurst 2, Farnborough Business Park, GU14 7BF mbr@futurenet.com Thank you for my monthly bit of joy through my mailbox. I’ve been thinking about buying a new bike for about… well like most mountain bikers just a few months after I b

Frame Alloy, 150mm travel (148mm measured) Shock RockShox Super Deluxe Select+ RT Fork RockShox Lyrik Select + RC, 160mm travel Wheels Alloy double sealed hubs, Race Face AR-30 rims, Maxxis High Roller II/Dissector29x2.5/2.4in tyres Drivetrain SR

Frame 6061 aluminium Fork RockShox Pike Select RC, 140mm travel Wheels Shimano MT400 hubs, Alex DP30 rims, Schwalbe Magic Mary/Hans Dampf 29x2.35in tyres Drivetrain SRAM Descendant 6k chainset, SRAM NX r-mech and 11-speed shifter, SRAM NX 11-50t c

1-4 Something’s wrong. It’s rare, but sometimes a product will have a design flaw or some other weakness that means we can’t recommend it. Steer clear. 5-6 OK – one or two faults but it has potential. 7 Good – worth considering. 8 Very good – f

Brand new carbon-framed 140mm trail bike available in both 27.5in and 29in wheels sizes Revised suspension layout with increased progression and control Rejigged geometry and a new XL frame size, that’s genuinely large The Escarpe 29 CRS is the mid-p

Editor Danny Milner Bike test editor Alan Muldoon Front section editor Jamie Darlow Deputy digital editor Benji Haworth Contributors Laura Bailey, Andy Barlow, Alice Burwell, Paul Burwell, Ben Day, Roo Fowler, Dan Gould, Mick Kirkman, Sim Mainey,

Frame UD Carbon, 166mm travel, Super Boost Fork RockShox Zeb Ultimate RC2, 170mm travel Shock RockShox Super Deluxe Coil Ultimate Drivetrain SRAM GX Eagle Super Boost Plus 32t chainset, GX Eagle r-mech and 12-speed shifter Wheelset Industry Nine

One of the most exciting things about mountain biking is that it’s always changing. From the bikes we ride to how and where we ride them, things never stand still for long. And here at mbr we’re convinced things are getting better. The Trailblazers s

Power hungry PB’s been reliving his youth, dropping us on the climbs with his new Yamaha-driven Haibike. Been trying out some risible new waterproofs that let water in but not out. Next month: string vests and lensless glasses. Put eight sets of cr

All-mountain -bike with a 160mm-travel Fox 38 fork and 150mm of rear travel Carbon frame with air intake ports on the head tube for cooling Powered by the latest 80Nm Yamaha PW-X2 motor and 600Wh InTube battery Mullet design with 29x2.5in tyre up fro

● The latest Wreckoning boasts 166mm of travel and gets a steep seat angle ● Frames available in four sizes with longer reach measurements, water bottle bosses, fully internal cable routing, built-in chain device and squidgy chainstay silencer ● Full

Frame Carbon/alloy, 130mm travel Shock Fox Float Performance DPS Fork Fox Float Performance 34, 140mm travel Wheels Stan’s NoTubes Arch S1 rims, Formula hubs, Maxxis Minion DHF/High Roller II 29x2.5/ 2.3in tyres Drivetrain Truvativ Stylo 6K crank

Loss of consciousness/deteriorating conscious state Lying motionless on the ground Confusion/unusual behaviour change Increasing confusion or irritability Severe or increasing headache Severe neck pain/tenderness* Repeated vomiting Double-vision Seiz

(LOW SETTING) Size ridden L Rider height 5ft 10in Head angle 64.6° Seat angle 71.6° Effective SA 77.5° BB height 340mm Chainstay 440mm Front centre 825mm Wheelbase 1,265mm Down Tube 760mm Top tube 610mm Reach 478mm ■

Frame T700 Carbon/ 6061 T6 aluminium, 140mm travel Shock RockShox Deluxe Select+ Forks RockShox Pike Select RC, 150mm travel Wheels DT Swiss M1900 wheels, Maxxis Assegai/ Dissector 29x2.5/ 2.4in tyres Drivetrain Shimano SLX M7100 30t 170mm chains

● UK-designed Reynolds heat-treated chromoly steel hardtail featuring slack and long geometry ● Built around a 150mm-travel RockShox Revelation suspension fork ● Customisable spec and colour accents via Ribble’s direct-sales BikeBuilder ● Three model

● Alloy hardcore hardtail, with a 140mm fork and 29er wheels on the biggest sizes, 27.5in on the smallest ● Keen geometry for descending, with a slack head angle and long wheelbase ● Aggressive components: super-tacky tyres, powerful brakes, RockShox

There have been lofty claims and gushing reviews for the new EXT ERA fork. But is it all hype to justify the equally lofty asking price, or is the ERA really so disruptive that we need to recalibrate our expectations? Before we can answer that, let’s

Installing test cranks on the same bike allowed a direct comparison between each model regarding ease of installation, as well as stiffness and drivetrain smoothness. Cranks were then removed and handed out to various hard-riding friends to clock up

Can I just start by apologising for the long-winded letter but it’s worth reading to the end. Trust me! Just been reading the second installment of your E-Bike of the Year test [February 2021] with interest. Speaking from personal experience and know

Frame Aluxx-SL aluminium, 135mm travel Shock Fox Float DPS Performance Fork Fox 36 Float Rhythm, 150mm travel Wheels Shimano Sealed 110/148mm hubs, Giant AM29 rims, Maxxis Minion DHF/Dissector29x2.5/2.4in tyres Drivetrain Shimano MT501 30t chains