Traditional wisdom says you should buy your bike at the local bike shop. Apart from the fact that it supports your local economy, your local bike shop will probably offer you a personalised deal and some decent after-sales service.

However, don’t always expect a cut-price deal from a local dealer. Would you ask for a deal on groceries from the corner shop? Local shops work on relatively small profit margins and are often barely surviving compared to the giant retailers. Good local dealers usually only survive if they offer a good service. That might mean offering expert advice or helping you to choose the right bike for your size, riding preferences and local terrain. It might mean swapping a flat bar for a riser bar, changing a saddle or putting you in contact with a local ride group.

Think before you buy. Would you prefer to deal with a real person, a do-everything sales assistant in a superstore, a web page or a voice on the end of a phone? There are pros and cons to each. You’ll know what suits you best, but bear in mind that ‘in stock’ (when you see it in an ad or on a website) might not always mean just that. A phone call is a good back up, but you still can’t see the product in the same way you can in your local shop, and you’re taking more of a gamble on after-sales service. But, websites are good for browsing and you can use Google to search for opinions or reviews on products before you commit. It’s wise to use websites and mail order merchants that come recommended from other riders. There are plenty of good ones.

Bargains
Everyone likes a bargain. You’ll see bargains in bike shops from time to time and you’ll probably see even more in the magazine ads for the mail order specialists. There are all sorts of reasons for reduced prices. One way or another, reduced prices will usually be linked to products being in over-plentiful supply, being unpopular, or both.

Supply and demand sets the price of everything. Over-supply of a product does not necessarily mean there’s anything wrong with it – just as a product being unpopular doesn’t necessarily mean there’s anything wrong with it. Sometimes manufacturers and distributors simply get their projected calculations of product sales wrong. This can boil down to something as simple as colour, or that a suspension fork has a little less travel than the suddenly fashionable norm.

One of the big problems for the average bike dealer is that stock becomes ‘out of date’ – in other words, there is a time of year when bikes are replaced by new versions of the same thing. Inevitably, marketing hype helps to sell product and while we try hard to separate hype from genuine innovation, there’ll be times when we’re as guilty as the marketeers of getting far too excited about new stuff and overlooking the fact that the old stuff was great too.

All change!
The big stock change in bike shops traditionally starts to happen from around September time. Manufacturers normally launch their ‘new year’ budget bikes around about then, followed within the next few months by the higher end models. In some cases, the real top end stuff won’t arrive until about March. It’s a tough time for bike dealers if they’re left with old stock, but buyers can take full advantage of the bargain spree.

Distributors are often left with large amounts of old stock which they have to sell to bike shops at vastly reduced prices and this is when the real bargains occur – shop around and you can get old models at half price. Look in the shop ads in the monthly bike mags, particularly around the year’s end. If the bike is old stock, ask if you’ll get all the usual warranty advantages.

There are plenty of less obvious reasons why bikes and bits end up as sale stock. Every time new sprocketry or shifters arrive, the ‘old’ system is seen by many as being somehow inferior. In the wider scheme of things, it really doesn’t matter. More gears just means more overlapping ratios, and more suspension isn’t always a good thing if it’s not appropriate to the needs of the rider.

Taking stock
There are certainly times when old stock isn’t as good as new, or when bikes are just discounted to a price that reflects their perceived worth. On the whole, suspension (both front and rear) is still improving each year in terms of both function and value for money. Full suspension systems in particular are gaining benefits of hindsight. Some swingarm linkages – once supported by bushings that wore out far too quickly – are now likely to be joined by quality bearings. The bearings of main pivots have become better designed for durability as the years have passed. An average suspension fork has come down in price and become far better controlled in function. In short, suspension still gets better every year, so be wary of old model suspension bikes that haven’t sold well.

On the whole, though, bikes are discounted because someone made or bought too many of them, or because something about the colour isn’t as appealing as the opposition that have sold better. In some cases, one single item of componentry on the bike looks wrong. Perhaps the stem’s too long or low, or you want a riser bar. Such things are easily and cheaply put right.

Suspension set-up and parts choice will come into it, but it’s basic fit and feel that matter most. If a bike feels initially strange, it can often be improved by fine tuning aspects of the ride position, the parts, the suspension, or all three. These are all factors that dictate ride feel and handling more than many riders imagine. Our testers can usually manage to work out why some bikes feel right/wrong.

It’s rare for one thing to dictate, or even dominate, bike feel. Feel is dictated by a combination of several factors, none of them can really be considered in isolation. The recent tendency among frame designers has been to build most frames as compact as possible. Compact triangles make for a stiffer, stronger, lighter structure, all positive factors in these days of suspension doing so much of the donkey work.

Originally, the listed size of a bike was the seat tube length, measured from the centre of the bottom bracket. Some brands still measure their bikes like that, but others measure to the top or centre of the top tube, and some simply prefer to work around small, medium and large sizes.

Most MTBs are built with sloping top tubes for good standover clearance and lots of seat post length so that saddle height adjustments are easy. The aspect of frame sizing that makes the biggest difference to a rider is the reach. This is dictated by a combination of top tube length, stem length and saddle position. But it’s not as simple as it sounds. Because the slope of the top tubes and the frame angles vary between bikes, the top tube measurement that matters is an imaginary horizontal top tube.

Moving geometry
When MTBs all came with rigid forks for fairly steady cross-country (XC) use, the geometry was very similar between brands. The head angles were usually 71 degrees, seat angles were usually 72 or 73, the bottom bracket height was 11.5in and the wheel base (front to rear wheel axle) was usually 42in. There were a few minor fluctuations, most notably in top tube length, but it was often things like stem length and fork rake rather than basic geometry that dictated the ride feel of a bike.

With the advent of suspension, geometry became more confusing because of the differences between static geometry and active geometry: static geometry is the geometry of a frame when a bike is built, the tyres are pumped up but no one is sat on it; active geometry is when the bike is moving and the suspension starts working.

As soon as you sit on a bike, you have to take suspension ‘sag’ into account. Suspension sag is how much suspension sinks when you sit on a bike. On hardtails, fork sag will steepen frame angles by a degree or so, then another degree or two when you start hitting stuff on the trail. On a full suspension bike, front and rear sag may balance out the geometry, but bottom bracket height will be more affected than on a hardtail. As soon as you’re hitting stuff on the trail, the feel of the bike is influenced as the geometry changes as the suspension compresses.

So the way you set up your suspension affects lots more than just comfort and shock absorption. To make matters more complicated, lots of bikes have adjustable suspension travel now. Frame geometry will usually change as you alter the travel, especially if you alter one end but not the other. The skill is to make sure those travel adjustments offer you real advantages. Think before you adjust. Experiment. Usually, full travel at the back works at its best when the fork is set to full travel too. If you reduce fork travel for a climb, you may forget to wind it back up again, leaving you trying to tackle a stretch of gnarly singletrack with nervy steep steering and a bottom bracket height that means you slam your pedals on the ground.

One geometry formula won’t work well all the time. Static geometry for all-rounder bikes, full suss or hardtail, will vary between 68 and 71 degrees at the head and between 71 and 74 degrees at the seat. A steep seat angle sits you forward, so you end up getting better use of the fork than on bikes with slack seat angles that sit you back. Bikes with slack geometry rely on downhill terrain and/or an out of the saddle attacking ride style, to get everything feeling right and working properly.

Bottom bracket height varies enormously these days. Average mid-range hardtails (assuming 80mm travel fork) should have static bottom bracket heights of 12-12.25in. Average hardtails with long travel forks (100-120mm) and average XC full sussers (100mm both ends) should be around 12.75-13.5in, to allow for more suspension compression. For long travel full sussers, expect anything between 13.5 and 16in. A low bottom bracket’s better for stability, worse for ground clearance, and vice versa.

Contact points
As your front and rear suspension compresses, the position of everything on the bike, including yourself, shifts in relation to the contact patches of the tyres on the ground. Think of these constant changes as ‘Rolling Chassis Geometry’– this changes in relation to the ground and in relation to the way the bike responds to your input. A skilled rider reacts instinctively and pre-emptively to terrain variations with weight shifts on the bike, but adjustments of where you sit on the bike and where you hold it are important too. So you need to get the position of the saddle, bars and stem right. It’s the position of these that most dictates how a bike feels over different types of terrain…

Saddle position
Inline seat posts will sit you further forward than laid-back ones. This can be a good thing if your seat angle is slack, not so good if you have a short top tube. Saddles can also be moved a couple of inches backwards or forwards along the rails. However you do it, positioning a saddle further back or further forwards changes the working seat angle of the frame and changes your sat-down weight distribution on the bike.

The height of your saddle will also change the way your seat angle works for you on the bike. As you put your saddle down you shift your gravity centre further forwards over the bottom bracket. At the same time you’re moving your gravity centre lower. If your saddle is too low, you’ll have to stand and hover over the saddle more and shift your weight back and forth more to get the best traction from your tyres and feel from your bike. Of course, this won’t be a problem if you’re riding the sort of steep, technical terrain where you want your saddle to be out of the way.

While all this standing, hovering and weight shifting can go some way towards making up for a poorly positioned saddle, it still makes a lot of sense to set everything up for steady sitting-down trail pedalling, at least until you actually need to put the saddle down for more radical manoeuvres. You need to feel at ease with your ride posture and the bike handling all the time.

Stem position
The way your bike feels through the steering, getting your stem length and height right is almost as important as the manufacturer getting the head angle bang on.

Ten to 15 years ago, the fashion for long stems was trying to compensate for the fashion for short top tubes. Most of the stems were very low too, an attempt to mimic the race posture of roadies. But long and low doesn’t work for many riders. Many of the bikes were lumbered with steering that felt both sluggish and twitchy and many riders ended up so stretched that they couldn’t do those subtle shifts in body weight that help with handling over difficult terrain.

Steering a race-bred MTB was like steering a race-bred rowing boat, the stem being the tiller. Fortunately it’s now been generally accepted that length is better designed into top tubes. Gary Fisher’s ‘long top tube short stem’ Genesis geometry designs effectively brought the inherent stability of downhill bikes to the cross-country market, while at the same time keeping the lively steering of racey cross-country set-ups. Most manufacturers have been influenced. Over the last five years or so, stem length has reduced by 25-40mm and top tube length has increased by about the same.

An overlong stem tips your weight too far forward over the front wheel, particularly if it’s positioned very low too. A shorter and higher stem helps you to sit in what we refer to as ‘the centre’ of the bike. If a bike is the right size for you, you’ll feel well balanced.
Stem height is obviously a very personal thing relating to finding a position on the bike that feels comfortable for your muscle structure. But, as with stem length, stem height also has a lot of influence on how well balanced you feel when you’re controlling the bike on tough terrain.

The combination of saddle and bar position, stem length and height dictates how much body weight you’re supporting with your arms and how much with your arse. A high stem might initially shift you up and back and put more weight on your arse, but it also allows you to bend your elbows more when you want to shift your weight down and forwards. Put simply, a shorter higher stem will allow you to change position and move your weight around more easily.

Handlebar position
Bar width, shape and position is also something that has far more influence on the overall feel and handling of a bike than most riders imagine. The old-school cynics think that riser bars are a fashion, transient design. They may be fashionable, but they’re a lot more besides.

A ‘flat’ classic 22.5in handlebar may have a bit of back-sweep to accommodate your natural wrist and hand position, but it’s essentially just a lightweight adjustment-free rod acting as a steering lever. The riser bar, in its many height, width and sweep guises, offers you a lot more control and adjustment possibilities. Okay, the extra height could be more efficiently accomplished with a higher stem, but the width and sweep can be personally tailored to suit the feel and position you want. Most risers are easy to trim on the ends, and most will move through an adjustment arc that changes the grip position and angle enough for you to notice changes in your ride posture and control. Persevere with back and forth adjustments and get a feel for the way they change your posture before you settle on one position. Like stem height/length, bar position changes your whole weight distribution and body posture on the bike

A – Head angle
Average mountain bikes have working head angles of about 71 degrees. Steeper angles make a bike steer faster, to the point of feeling nervous. Slacker angles make a bike more stable, to a point of the steering feeling slow. Suspension forks change the static angle by enough to change steering characteristics as the fork compresses and extends. It’s crucial that a fork suits a frame. A smaller frame might be built with a slacker head angle, a larger frame a steeper angle. A big bike has a longer wheelbase and often carries a heavier rider, so tends to be inherently more stable.

B – Seat angle
A good custom frame builder will determine your seat angle by taking body dimensions such as inside leg, upper leg and foot length as well as considering what sort of rider you are. An off-the-peg bike manufacturer has to make assumptions about such things. They usually get it right. A typical seat angle on mountain bikes intended for all-round use will be near 72 degrees. As with stem length and head angle, a different seat angle will affect a rider’s weight distribution and change the overall balance and feel of the bike, as well as the efficiency of the suspension.

C – Stem length
As a rule, short stems create a more light and lively steering feel and long stems slow things down. You shouldn’t use stem length as the main way of adjusting bike fit though. Top tube length is more important. All frames have an ideal stem length relating to both top tube length and a combination of head angle and seat position. Rider weight distribution can vary considerably with different stem lengths and saddle positions.

D – Saddle position
If everything about frame size, geometry and stem length is spot on, you’ll probably be looking to have your seat post clamped dead centre on the saddle rails with the saddle top lying flat. Remember, moving your saddle back and forth changes the effective seat angle, worth bearing in mind if an off-the-peg bike isn’t quite right.

In terms of getting the right saddle height (disregarding low saddles on jump or downhill bikes) there are all sorts of formulas. The rule of thumb is to get almost full leg stretch when your foot is at the bottom of the pedal stroke.

E – Top tube
Sloping top tubes make a lot of sense. They result in more standover height, more seat post in use and better absorption of trail vibrations.

Length wise, trends over the last few years have seen a move towards longer top tubes and shorter stems, often with steeper seat angles to place the rider slightly further forward and get the best out of longer travel suspension forks.

F – Chain stays
Longer chain stays make the bike more stable. Shorter stays improve climbing traction, but that has to be considered against the disadvantages of less stability, particularly with longer forks, and less tyre room.

G – Wheelbase
A longer measurement between the front and rear wheel axles results in a more stable bike. A shorter measurement adds agility. However, the wheelbase is simply a result of all the other geometric configurations.

H – Bottom bracket height
Higher bottom brackets keep the pedals clear of the rocks, especially crucial when pedalling through corners, but raises the centre of gravity of the bike and rider. A low bottom bracket is inherently more stable, but you risk ground contact more often, particularly on a plush suspension bike where a sudden compression takes you by surprise.

Even the best secondhand bikes are often only worth half of what they cost new. However, with a little care you can avoid losing money on buying and selling MTBs. The ground rules are simple: buy secondhand and then, when you come to sell, make the bike look way better than it was when you bought it.

Okay, so it’s easier said than done, and you certainly need a modicum of mechanical know-how to ensure that your ride experience stays free, but read through our brief secondhand guide and you’ll be well on the way to minimum expenditure for the rest of your life.

Most real MTB enthusiasts are buying new bikes and bits all the time. Work on a buying principle of seeking out bargains being sold by riders who’ve lost their enthusiasm or need quick cash for cars, houses, babies or life’s other cash suckers. Okay, so it’s predatory, but by keeping a finger on the secondhand pulse, you can buy stuff for way under the going rate and, with good planning, sell it for above the accepted norm.

Don’t be afraid to buy a dirty bike. It’s a sign that someone’s lost their enthusiasm and just wants rid of it. Just remember, though, that dirt could be hiding problems. If your own mechanical knowledge isn’t great, take a mate who knows exactly what to look for.

When you’ve bought your bargain, give it a good clean/de-grease then touch up or T-Cut all paint blemishes and add protective strips to areas where cables or the chain rubs. Bike Shield or similar clear protective strips do a great job. You can cut them to size and they ‘heal’ when they get scuffed. Look after a bike and it’ll look the same a year later.

When you come to sell, make sure everything looks and feels as close to new as possible. Clean, de-grease, re-lube and polish the bike. Fit a set of new brake blocks, tyres (buy old model tyres for under £10 each) and cables. Make sure there are no rattles. If you have any upgrade stuff you don’t want, like a riser handlebar, new grips or some old bike-candy quick release skewers, fit them or tell the potential buyer you might be willing to include them. A couple of upgrades will make any bike seem worth a bit more than the average 50% of the new price. Chuck in a bit of clothing to secure an ‘asking price’ sale.

The cleaning process
It usually doesn’t take any more than £25 to rejuvenate a mud-crusty modern MTB. Take the rusty chain off and get a new one – or if it’s not too far gone, soak the old one in rust remover or paraffin, give it a good brush scrub then hang it up to dry before re-lubing it with a lightweight oil. Remember though, if a chain is worn out you may have to replace all the sprockets, too.

In principle, you could do the rest of the cleaning work with soap and water, but our favourite fast method is to use a powerful degreaser, like X Lite’s Muc-Off. Spray it on lavishly, leave it for a few minutes (if you leave it too long it’ll start lifting decals and penetrating bearings), then hose it off. Use a soft brush to get into the nooks and crannies and a harsher bristle brush with more Muc-Off for cleaning the cassette and all the other bits that need a bit more effort. We’d recommend investing in a brush set, too. Such tools make the job far easier.

When the bike’s become a mud-free zone, use a light lubricant that can penetrate to give all the moving parts a once over. Leave the bike a good half hour, then apply a heavier weight oil to the chain and all other hard working parts. One way to get some oil into the wheel and bottom bracket bearings without dismantling anything is to put the bike on its side so that the wheels still spin then dribble oil in under the bearing seals with the wheels spinning. If you want to do a more thorough job, take things apart and regrease them. We deal with this regularly in the workshop sections of WMB.

Stand the bike upright in the fresh air, wipe it down with a soft rag and leave it to dry. An hour or two after starting, you’ve got a bike that looks nearly as good as new. Ready to sell again for another £100? Well, that’s how the secondhand shops do it, but after all that work you’ll probably just want to go out and ride it.

Safe secondhand sales
There are a few basic rules when you’re selling secondhand and they’re nearly all related to justifiable paranoia about dodgy customers.

• Never put your full address in the ad, as someone may pay a visit to your garage in the middle of the night.
• Always ask your potential buyers lots of questions about what sort of bike they’re looking for before you give them your address – ask them how tall they are, for example. You usually get a feeling about how genuine they are.
• Ask the full name of potential buyers on the phone and take their phone number. If they’re hesitant, they may not be genuine.
• If you’re particularly paranoid (you have every right to be), arrange to meet them somewhere, rather then letting them know where you live, where you keep the bike or whether your family are at work all day.
• Assume that they’ll want to go for a test ride. Be prepared to go with them if you can use another bike. If you can’t, then get them to leave at least a wallet, credit cards or something of importance that they can prove is theirs. A leather jacket may be worth less than the bike.
• Once you’ve processed all the paranoia, be as helpful as you can. Show them receipts, service records, etc. Tell them about any work you’ve done on the bike recently – it’s well worth fitting new cables and brake blocks before you sell.
• Be prepared to throw in some extras if it helps to secure the sale.

Top 10 Scrooge tips
How to keep your bike looking great and running sweet for peanuts

• Clean, trim and oil inner and outer cables instead of buying new ones. Squirt X Lube or WD-40 through the outers.
• Prolong the lives of brake blocks by filing them flat if they’re unevenly worn.
• Alternate between two chains to prolong your sprocket’s life.
• Fitting your chain round the other way from time to time will prolong its life by spreading the wear more evenly.
• Always buy a new chain before the sprockets wear themselves out.
• If your chainrings can be fitted either way round, swap them over from time to time so that the teeth don’t start getting hooked forwards.
• Mask your paintwork in vulnerable areas until it’s time to sell.
• Keeping your tyre walls clean is sure to keep a bike looking new.
• Make a bike feel like a bargain by including extra kit when you sell it.
• Wash your bike just before someone comes to look at buying it. Wet things always look cleaner.

New materials and inspired designs have provided a wide range of top quality togs and accessories. Even the low cost kit now offers a better comfort and image spec than at any other time, and it’s all far more practical than sawn-off denims, T-shirts and trainers. You’ll hear riders talking of the technical properties of kit, referring to features like cooling properties, breathability and air flow. Some of it is simply successful marketing spiel that’ll make only tiny differences to your overall ride experience, but it’s still worth taking a look at the advances that’ll concern you.

First, a tip for new riders: Don’t wear your normal underwear underneath bike shorts. There are special short liners on the market these days and normal underwear is the curse of the new cyclist. Seams chafe, material gets soggy, things scrunch up and the ride experience becomes unpleasant.

MTB-specific clothing
Mountain biking demands a hell of a lot from clothing. You need to dress appropriately for the conditions and be prepared for the worst. Baggy or loose fitting MTB-specific shorts and tops may be designed to look like street wear, but under duress they perform as well as the best sports clothes. The shorts usually have a liner with a padded insert for increased comfort. Tops are usually made from fabrics designed to wick moisture from the skin and wet weather gear is as breathable as it can be.

If you still prefer figure-hugging Lycra, it’s better than ever these days – almost like a second skin. It’s ideal for long rides and better than baggy clothing in winter. Thermal Lycra-based tights, combined with a long sleeve thermal jersey, are good for cold weather riding and short-sleeved jerseys are fine for warmer conditions. Comfort comes in many forms, but fast-drying material is one of the most crucial factors in all clothing.

Sensible layering of clothing is crucial. Two or three thin layers will always be better than one or two thick ones. Layers of lightweight breathable clothes allow your body to cope with changing conditions. A wicking, fast-drying base layer (vest) is always a good start at any time of the year. Mid or outer layers will obviously depend on weather, but good breathability and wicking properties are still crucial. An outer shell is a good extra, even in the summer. The smaller shell tops will pack down into an insignificant space and can be carried in a waist pack or rucksack. Heavy-duty waterproofs are only really necessary for heavy rain or in the extreme cold.

Gilets, or over-vests are the unsung heroes of bike wear. They’re small and light enough to stuff in a bag or back pocket when not in use, but they’re a great extra layer for cold or wet conditions. They take the chill off your chest and they’re great after stops when you’re sweaty.

Wet and dirt proofing
For really filthy conditions, you need to protect both yourself and your bike from the elements. Crudcatchers (front) and Crudguards (rear) are the best off-road mud deflectors, and you can seriously improve a bike’s ability to survive the filth by using appropriate lubrication, and perhaps fitting Neoprene boots around the head set, exposed fork stanchions and shock cylinder. For yourself, a heavy-duty waterproof, water-resistant socks and tights and shoes (or overshoes) are a useful wardrobe addition. Look for a cycling-specific waterproof with a long back, proper fit and pockets in the right places. Sadly, walking waterproofs don’t perform as well.

Footwear
MTB-specific shoes have very stiff soles with inserts to fit cleats for clip-in pedals (like SPDs – Shimano Pedalling Dynamics), although you can use them without. Stiff-soled shoes, especially when used with clip-in pedals, are a major advantage over normal trainers in terms of the energy you expend going straight towards forward motion. Image wise, modern shoes are looking more like trainers and less like race shoes.

Headwear
Always wear a helmet for off-road riding, even if you’re not a helmet fan. It’s amazing how often we see people with broken helmets, even as a result of the most innocent-looking falls. Immobile as they are, trees, rocks and roots can wreak havoc with your ‘safe line’ choices. It’s worth bearing in mind that helmets are designed to absorb shock. If they have to absorb a shock they’ll be damaged, so they should be replaced after a crash. Get the right fit when buying, because if a helmet doesn’t fit properly, it will slip as soon as you fall, leaving part of your head vulnerable. Spend time trying on different models – we all have different-shaped heads. The padding that comes with helmets is for fine tuning only, so make sure the basic helmet shape is a good fit before you stuff in extra padding.

Check that a helmet conforms to safety standards set by institutes like SNELL or ANSI – this will be marked inside the helmet. The more you pay for a helmet, the more features it’ll have. The coolest helmets, in both image and temperature terms, are often the most costly, naturally.

Handwear
Gloves are almost essential for comfy riding. Short-fingered mitts will protect your hands from the vibration of the trail and potential damage when falling. They’ll also improve your grip when your hands are sweaty and/or muddy. Proper cycling gloves have the padding in the right spots. Finally, make sure gloves are easy to wash, as they get filthy off-road.

Eyewear
Wearing glasses off-road will keep the crud out of your eyes, but some riders find that the build up of sweat on the inside of the lenses makes them difficult to wear in extreme riding situations.

Fixtures and fittings
Once you’ve got your bike – and probably while you’re getting it – you will become aware of the vast array of MTB paraphernalia that people keep telling you that you must acquire. Some stuff is almost essential. Other stuff is simply useful. WMB

Useful tool pack additions
Here are some essential items that are sure to take the stress out of your ride…

• Zip ties. These are bound to come in handy eventually. Use them to fasten a broken pedal together, tie freewheel sprockets to the spokes when the drive mechanism strips (creating a fixed wheel), fasten kit to the bike when a clip or bolt fails or keep a chainring or jockey wheel in position when it’s lost a bolt.
• Wire, tape, toestraps. These are also all useful extras that can hold things in place after a breakage (bottle cages, saddle rails, etc.).
• A rag or Wet Wipes. If you carry out on-trail repairs, it’s good to be able to clean your hands afterwards. Grass or leaves will suffice in most cases, but Wet Wipes are more efficient. A rag can also be used to pad out your tool kit and stop stuff from rattling.
• Nuts and bolts. If you’re going anywhere that’s not within easy access of civilisation, take a few spare nuts and bolts with you. You never know…
• Cables. For long tours, extra brake and gear cables may come in useful.

The essential collection
Your bike won’t last very long if you don’t look after it. Get all this stuff while you’re buying the bike. If you don’t, you’ll be begging, stealing and borrowing it from irritated ride partners. The guiding light of mountain biking is self sufficiency. Here’s the gear we recommend:

Pump. Mini pumps are popular among mountain bikers because they’re light and simple to carry in a pack – and many will come with frame attachment clips. Beware of the cheapest ones, though, even the best ones take a while to inflate a tyre and the worst just don’t do the job properly.
Water Bottle or Hydration Pack. If you plan to ride for more than half-an-hour or so, fit at least one water bottle – most MTBs come equipped for two. Many cyclists drink too little liquid, resulting in dehydration and its debilitating effects. Rucksack-based Hydration Packs – like the Camelbak – are popular, particularly among those who ride for more than a couple of hours. Most Camelback-type packs come with pouches for food and accessories.
Tool Pack. There are many ways of carrying tools, food, spares and extra clothing. Pockets are good enough for the lighter weight stuff but most riders will use some sort of pack system. You can choose anything from the absolute solution, a rucksack with a water bladder sleeve, to a waist pack or an under-saddle pack. Most cycling-specific packs come with a useful array of pockets, straps and possibly a mini pump sleeve. Your pack should always contain at least a spare tube, a puncture repair kit, tyre levers, spoke key and enough tools to deal with all minor trail repairs. Many multitools on the market include a chain link splitter.
Lights. Think carefully about what sort of lights you need. If you do a lot of night riding you’ll need to spend a fair amount of money on an upmarket system that allows you to see trails clearly and to be seen to be safe and legal on the road to and from the trail. Even if you’re not really a night rider, it’s useful to have front and rear ‘emergency’ lights for those occasions where you get caught out by evenings closing in. Small flashing lights are not street-legal in all countries, but they’re easy to keep in your trail pack and they’re far safer than nothing at all.

From frame materials and tubing configurations to characteristics determined by tyre tread compounds, wheel build, fork stanchion/slider overlap, handlebar grip touch, suspension damping control, crank length and beyond, the finer points in a bike’s design and assembly can be just as crucial in dictating ride feel as the geometry itself.

Think of your frame, fork, wheels and tyres as a rolling chassis. It obviously takes a few more parts than that to get a bike up and running, but it’s the rolling chassis that dictates the main characteristics in the rolling feel of the bike. Obviously, the priorities and characteristics of ‘feel’ change radically as you add more suspension to a chassis.

First, a thought for those who shun suspension: every bike has suspension, and you need it. Air-filled tyres are suspension. First, choose your tyre size, then add or take away air depending on how much absorption of shock you want – just like other forms of suspension, really. Tyres with big air chambers run at about 40psi will compress by an inch or so over rocks and roots and, while an inch won’t affect geometry enough to radically change a bike’s handling, it will certainly affect feel. A rigid bike with skinny tyres pumped hard to avoid pinch punctures will roll faster over easy terrain, but the fact that it’s less comfy and harder to control over rough ground could make it slower overall than a rigid bike with fat tyres.

The character of a frame’s tubing material will make its presence felt in the ride of a rigid forked bike more than a bike with suspension. Everyone used to talk about the feel of steel. Well, it’s true – quality steel and titanium frames do have a certain zing to them that’s often missing in alu frames, and even alu frames vary a hell of a lot depending on thickness, shapes and qualities of tubes.

Tyre size and pressure is more relevant in shock absorption terms than frame material, but quality steel or titanium tubes noticeably make your chassis feel a little more sprightly, which is worthwhile if you ride a rigid fork and a minor plus if you ride a short travel suspension fork. A steel hardtail frame will weigh, on average, about a pound more than its alu performance counterpart. To put this into context, an average rigid fork weighs about two pounds less than an average suspension fork, but rigid forks need more skill and finesse to ride hard, fast and in control over rough terrain. In terms of feel, it’s a little like comparing hard skinny tyres with slightly softer bigger tyres – there are pros and cons either way.

In terms of feel, hardtail frames with suspension forks are constantly changing entities. The changes are dictated by what’s in the fork and by how it’s set up. The more suspension travel a fork offers, the more it’ll change the way the bike feels over different types of terrain. Obviously, the geometry changes as the fork compresses, but the main feel issue is how you tune the internals of your fork, assuming that they’re tunable – many budget forks are factory-set.

We won’t go into the fine points of suspension tuning here. It’s too big a subject. The main thing is to get compression and rebound damping feeling right. The way suspension works is a function of how strong the fork’s spring is (with an air fork, that means how much air is in it) and how the internal valves controlling the oil and/or air flow are set. On a quality fork, damping can be tuned by external knobs/dials. Compression damping controls how fast a fork compresses, while rebound damping controls how fast it rebounds. Bikes with well set up forks feel vastly superior to bikes with badly set up ones, and too much uncontrolled spring power on the rebound is as hard to control over the bumps as a rigid fork.

The more fork travel you have – within the geometric limits of the frame – the more you can sit forward on the bike over bumpy terrain and really work the fork. This effectively takes pressure off the back end of the bike, too. If you’re sitting forward, the back wheel follows through without being punished by your weight sitting right on top of it.

Shock and roll!
Everything we’ve said so far about suspension adjustment on forks applies to rear suspension too. A badly set up rear shock will detract considerably from the ride feel of a bike, while a well set up shock will considerably improve the ride. Maintenance – obviously an issue with forks – is an even bigger issue on a rear suspension chassis. As a rule, single-pivot frames involve less maintenance than linkage ones. But, whatever you ride, the main thing is to keep a check on all the bearings and bushings. If there’s any hint of ‘play’, replace the relevant bearing/bushings before the play produces major wear problems, either at that point or somewhere else.

As with suspension forks, we don’t have the space here to go into the fine-tuning aspects of all the different rear suspension systems or shocks. The main thing beyond common sense maintenance is to keep the front and rear shocks feeling well balanced. This has nothing to do with matching travel. It’s about setting up the fork and rear shock so that big and small bump responses don’t unduly mess up the ride feel of the bike and your body balance on it. For example, you don’t want to be sat so far back on the bike that a too-soft rear shock is doing all the work while an over-sprung fork is hardly compressing, or vice versa.

Finally, it’s probably worth stating the obvious here. Suspension will usually work at its best on a chassis that’s not flexing, twisting or fluttering under heavy braking. A stiff aluminium structure will usually perform best, with the ‘feel’ of the bike coming from the designs of the frame, shocks, wheels and tyres rather than coming from the materials. Obviously, you’ll still want to keep the weight sensible for the intended purpose, but there’s little point in making a full suspension frame that focuses on the ‘feel’ of steel, titanium or carbon unless the suspension travel is absolutely minimal, like on short travel soft tails. In all other cases, the formability and stiffness of alu is by far the best solution.

Componentry feel
The feel of componentry is dictated by an impossible-to-simplify blend of shape, weight, structure and materials. To complicate matters further, all these factors co-relate in different ways according to body shape, weight, structure, and materials. Think different size limbs, different muscle structures, different fat mass, different riding preferences and different attitudes.

The main thing to understand is that not all bike parts are created equal. A 24in carbon handlebar with soft compound grips will feel very different to a 24in aluminium handlebar with hard compound grips. It’s up to you to work out whether you want to pay a lot of extra cash for a bit of extra ‘give’ in the carbon bar and soft grips. If you’re on a budget, an alu bar with the soft grips would seem sensible. The point is to think carefully about what your priorities are.

The less chassis suspension you have, the more you should think about how to make a bike comfy and controllable in other ways. Tyres are the obvious focal point. As well as air chamber size, and how much air you choose to put in it, tread patterns and tread compounds will play a major role in how your bike feels.

As a rule, the round edged and/or shallower tread patterns (Hutchinson Pythons are a good example) feel faster and more predictable in terms of bike balance and steering feel, but their trail bite is a lot less aggressive than deeper knobbed and/or squarer-edged treads. Squarer-edged treads bite into the ground more aggressively when you’re cornering, but they also tend to be a bit slower in straight lines and less stable, because those big block edges are grabbing traction and affecting steering feel on every earthy edge that presents itself. Think about the sort of conditions you ride in and how much comfort and speed you want.

Saddles and seat posts can also have a major bearing on the feel of your bike. The bounciest saddles are rarely the comfiest, and all bums are shaped differently anyway. Experiment with saddle shapes and padding, but note that big plush saddles often become less comfy as a ride gets longer. Skinny saddles with generous surface padding are often the best compromise. Consider a suspension seat post, too. The decent telescopic ones add a little comfort, but it’s the longer travel parallel-linkage action of the Cane Creek Thudbuster that makes the biggest feel difference overall.

Weight for it
As with our own bodies, what actually matters in terms of performance is getting the right power-to-weight ratio balance. To put it simply, too much ‘dead weight’ means things get inefficient, too little ‘live weight’ means things get flimsy. A common sense approach – plus some trust in marketing descriptions of products – will usually guide you in deciding whether bulk and strength built into a product is overkill or just right for the sort of riding you do.

Feel-wise, more weight will usually make a bike go slower unless you’re going downhill, but it’s the weight at the spinning edges of wheels that make the biggest difference, slowing acceleration noticeably more than weight in a frame or other components. Lightweight tubeless tyres on lightweight rims will make an enormous feel difference to a bike. As always though, weigh up the pros and cons of lighter and flimsier versus heavier and stronger. If you ride with finesse and/or big tyres and lots of suspension, the lightweight parts on your bike are better protected than they would be if you rode clumsily and/or with skinny tyres and very little suspension. WMB

Trial and error tips
You’re fully entitled to experiment if your bike doesn’t feel comfortable…
A new bike, or someone else’s bike, often feels wrong simply because you’re so used to another one. Remember that it could be the bike you’re used to that’s wrong, as given time, you’ll get used to anything – so persevere for a while before you change anything major on a new bike.

Don’t automatically expect a bike that’s theoretically the right size to be right in every other way. Two riders of the same height are likely to have different length legs, arms and torsos. Even two riders of similar weight can have completely different weight distribution and this will definitely affect bike feel. Think about it. Skinny legs on a big upper body might demand a different bike set-up to big muscle-bound legs on a skinny upper body.

Tiny differences in componentry can make big differences in feel and ride confidence. Most MTB cranks are 175mm long, but if you’re 5ft 7in or less you’d probably be better off with 170mm ones. Think about all the bits on the bike that can be adjusted. Brake and gear levers can be swivelled on the bars or moved further inboard. Brake lever reach can be altered, handlebars can be swivelled to make a different wrist angle and stems can be raised or lowered. Different setting will suit different riders, so experiment. Try different tyre pressures from time to time and don’t get stuck in a rut as there are lots of different ways of tuning feel.

Back in the early days of the MTB, the bikes weren’t really very good at doing what they were meant to do. Sure, they were fine by standards of the day, and by the vague standards of the comparisons we had – beach cruisers and cyclo-cross bikes. But MTBs back then are miles apart from those of today. Fast developing rider skills meant that we got by and we learnt from mistakes. Bit by bit, though, the bikes improved, but it took a good 20 years or so to fettle and tune the species, at least to where we are now. Who knows what the next 20 years will bring.

The development of the species – and its confusing array of sub-species – has resulted in the mountain bike becoming a thoroughbred do-anything multitool. Downhill bikes have evolved to a degree where untrained eyes simply see them as motorbikes without engines, while most other MTB genres have become totally accessible to mere mortals. From town bikes to jump bikes to cross-country (XC) race bikes, the tool the MTB has become somehow manages to satisfy its multitude of users as perfectly as an adjustable spanner.

Cross-country (XC) hardtail. Spend at least £200, £700 upwards for a thoroughbred

A ‘hardtail’ has front suspension only and is the ‘traditional’ enthusiasts off-road bike. It was only about 10 years ago that the suspension fork made its mark and now it’s on almost every MTB. Even low budget XC bikes are hard to find with a rigid fork. At the top end, hardtails are being out-hyped by full suspension bikes, but lots of riders still love the relative purity of the lightweight hardtail. It’s a very relevant speed option and it still attracts riders at every price point.

With average generic aluminium frames (most are made from alu) weighing well under 2kg (4.5lb) and the lightest weighing less than 1.5kg (3.3lb), it’s no surprise that the weight wary usually ride hardtails. The lightest suspension frames tip the scales at about 2.5kg (5.5lb) and most are a fair bit heavier. It’s not unusual to find a racer on a hardtail that weighs less than 9.5kg (21lb), but an average mid-range bike still weighs about 11.5kg (25.5lb). It’s the parts that makes the difference. Top end parts are nearly always quite a lot lighter than moderately priced ones. For example, a pro race level XC fork will often weigh 0.5kg less than a fork on a mid-range bike.

Steel frames have fallen out of favour over the last five years or so, but they still have their fans, as they’re often said to have more ‘feel’ than alu frames. ‘Feel’ is hard to quantify, but there’s no doubt that alu frames usually feel harsher over bumpy ground, relying on bigger tyres and well padded saddles for comfort. Titanium and carbon-composite hardtail frames also offer a superb ride feel (like steel, titanium and carbon have more shock absorbing qualities than alu), but they’re costly. Tubular magnesium frames are gaining favour in some quarters, mainly because they offer a low-vibration ride feel and they’re very light, but it still hasn’t been generally accepted as a frame material.

It’s the build simplicity and riding ‘purity’ of the hardtails that’ll ensure their survival in a market increasingly dominated by suspension bikes. Many riders love the fact that hardtails put you more directly in contact with the terrain and pedal power. You may feel the bumps more, but you learn to ride with a level of grace and finesse that helps you to tame the terrain. Learn to ride difficult terrain on a hardtail and you’ll be a better rider in the long run.

The ‘ordinary’ mountain bike is the bike most people buy. Okay, there are all sorts of sub-genres like hybrids, comfort bikes and adventure bikes, but most of them are simply comfortable non-specialist machines that encourage you to have a go.

This is the bike that has made the MTB into a mainstream bike for every man, woman or child. It’s the generic entry-level MTB that’s given birth to all manner of sub-categories for those who really don’t want a thoroughbred, fat-tyred off-road bike. The ‘ordinary’ MTB ranges from the perfectly adequate suspension fork-equipped trail bike to the commuter bike that simply borrows the best aspects of MTB technology.

Adjustability and adaptability is the key to the ideal starter MTB. Not everyone wants a handlebar, stem and saddle in the same position, so look for a long seat post, fore/aft saddle rail adjustment and height adjustment in stems. When a stem bolts straight on to the steerer, look for washers on top of the fork steerer. These can be placed over or under the stem for height adjustment.

The majority of entry-level MTBs will be fitted with a suspension fork. If you want a bike for urban use only, look for one of the few with a rigid fork. Suspension offers more comfort and damage limitation on pot-holed urban streets, but you’re better off saving a bit of weight and money and investing in better tyres, mudguards and a rack.

Okay, we’ll admit that it’s not always that bad. There are some top deals out there from genuine sellers. Some people are simply looking to upgrade to a better bike. Others are selling up because a baby, a car or a holiday is imminent and they’ve lost interest in riding anyway.

Even the most honest sellers always try to get top dollar for their old bike. They’re not going to spend money on upgrading worn parts if they can get away with simply making them look good and relying on buyers with little technical know-how. And they will usually base their asking price on what they view as a reasonable percentage of what they paid, without taking into account the fact that new bikes have become better value since then. Read on to find out how to avoid the slippery secondhand slope…

Before you do anything when you see a bike advertised, look at the new prices on similar bikes. Even if this year’s model is twice as much, you might find shops selling off last year’s at two thirds of the price or less. This doesn’t mean it’s an inferior bike. It’s just old stock, an old colour and with last year’s parts on it. In most cases, last year’s parts, frame, fork, or whatever, are very little different to this year’s. Manufacturers like to give bikes a fresh look every year. And as soon as they do that, there’ll be bargains to be had in old stock.

How to buy a secondhand bike
When you phone ask questions to establish rightful ownership and the real reason for the sale. For example “How long have you had the bike?”, “Did you buy it new?”, “What sort of riding have you been doing?” or “Have you replaced any parts on it?” A real giveaway for the seller’s honesty is to ask “Have you ever crashed on it?” If the answer is “No”, then you can’t really believe anything they say as we all crash sometimes.

Arrange a time and place to meet and tell them you’d like to go for a test ride. Expect them to arrange to come with you on another bike for the test ride (in case you disappear with the bike). It’s better if they come with you anyway, as you can keep asking questions while you’re riding.

From tyres to tubes gilets to waterproofs we trail tested it!

Tyres

Women’s saddles

Disc Brakes

Winter Layers

Kids Bikes

Bike Locks

Tax Free Bike Schemes

Cranks

Winter tyres

Base Layers

Waterproof Jackets

Tyres

Handlebars

Suspension Travel

Baggy Shorts

Brakes

Helmets

Winter Jackets

Saddles

Leisure Shoes

Lycra shorts

Car racks

GPS devices and software

Gilets

Stems

XC Pedals

Hydration Packs

What Mountain Bike is brought to you by the most authoritative team in the business. Our combined expert experience amounts to over 150 years of riding, testing and writing about mountain bikes and gear, with thousands of bikes, components and trails ridden. The result is that we are recognised as the very best at slicing through the marketing hype and guiding you through the often baffling maze of bike and product types to find exactly the right ones
for you and how you ride, whatever your budget.

Our mission
To arm you with the best buying advice available and make your next purchase the right one for you.

Our tests are
Relevant: Every month we test bikes and gear that are relevant to you and your budget; we test the benchmark. We’re here to help you buy better products against the newcomers; ensure that the products you want to buy are tested when you need them; test kit to suit all budgets; and test through all conditions and many miles of real-world riding to arm you with the facts you need to know about each and every bike and bit of kit to help you buy better.

Comprehensive: We test more bikes and gear than anyone else, and have both male and female full-time ‘in the field’ testers amid our core test team. We put in thousands of miles ridden each year to give you the complete picture of how each and every product shapes up both initially and over the long term. Our 34-page Buyer’s Guide in every issue lists the cream of every bike type and key price points together with the best of the seasonal components and software. We update it every issue with the best new bikes and gear so you can be sure you’re getting the greatest overview possible.

Independent: What Mountain Bike is part of Future Publishing and is subject to the company’s strict code of conduct on testing. Products from advertisers are tested to the same exacting standards as every other product. Advertising considerations never influence our reviews, even if this policy works to our commercial disadvantage.

Accurate: We research the needs of a typical buyer to ensure that our tests are accurate to their needs and spend hours poring over the facts. We measure, check and recheck all bikes and gear using our own equipment and facilities to ensure that you always get accurate and impartial hard data – and not just the figures claimed by the manufacturers.

How we test

• We test every bike and product in the UK on one of our test routes in Bristol and Bath, the Mendips, the North York Moors and the Yorkshire Dales over real-world terrain and conditions that you’ll encounter day in, day out, as well as testing on manmade trails the country over.

• Each bike and product tested is ridden as many times as it takes for us to feel 100% at ease with our final judgement by a variety of expert testers and trusted real-world riders.

• We combine ride testing with empirical testing and analysis wherever necessary to give you the true picture of how products perform.

• We check all claimed facts and measurements after our initial ride tests so that no preconceptions cloud our judgement, and we test the bike as a whole – not merely the sum of its constituent parts.

• Our verdicts are the results of hours of debate among WMB testers – not just one journalist’s view – to give the most accurate and considered judgements possible.

Our combined expert experience amounts to over 150 years of riding, testing and writing about mountain bikes and gear, with thousands of bikes, components and trails ridden.

The result is that we are recognised as the very best at slicing through the marketing hype and guiding you through the often baffling maze of bike and product types to find exactly the right ones for you and how you ride, whatever your budget.

Steve Worland, Technical Director
Steve is long term proof that you can get a buzz from any bike at any time, provided your attitude is right. He’s almost evangelical in his passion for pedal power and is equally accepting of absolute beginners and the most potent forms of bike snobbery. You’re just as likely to see him flowing his way through the local singletrack on a £300 starter bike, a rigid forked singlespeed, a cyclo-cross bike or a £5000 superbike. He can succinctly explain the pros and cons of each while in the same breath explaining why the bike only ever plays a supporting part of the joy of riding.
Years Riding – 45 Years Testing – 25

Matt Skinner, Editor
Matt places the blame of his infatuation with bikes firmly and squarely on the shoulders of his brother, from whom he was first infected with the biking bug, and bought his first proper mountain bike from – a 1989 Kona Cindercone. 17 years on and Matt’s not lost the love for all things two-wheeled; if anything, it’s got worse with age. Becoming a bike journo for the simple reason that he couldn’t make his mind up as to what subject to specialise in after studying English and Sport Science at Loughborough, he has yet to regret his indecision. More concerned about finding good value, reliable kit than the latest bike porn, his ‘mechanically challenged’ mindset is, he says, an essential tool in his analytical arsenal in order to eke out the finest fit and forget kit from the high-maintenance prima donnas.
Years Riding – 17 Years Testing – 7

Guy Kesteven, Bike Test Editor
Guy’s early years of rough stuff riding over the North York Moors transferred into ‘proper’ mountain biking when a battered Peugeot ATB fished out of Exeter shipping canal led him onto Dartmoor, a job at the local bike shop and a life of mud and mechanical mangling.

Addicted to excessive exercise, fanatical about ferreting data and autistically analytical about every aspect of riding, he’s found his perfect therapy in thrashing bikes of any price or type to their limit on a daily basis. More punk now than when he had a pink mohican, whether it’s a global mega brand bike or a garden shed light, as long as it makes your riding better he’ll rate it, and if it doesn’t he’ll slate it.
Years riding off road: 26 Years testing – 14

Justin Loretz, Product Editor
In the spring of 1987 Justin squeezed past two mud spattered mountain bikers – the first he’d ever seen in the doorway of Avon Valley Cyclery. He knew his road bike days were over, by August he was on fat tyres. More than 20 years later, 19 of them testing
and writing for MBUK and WMB mags he’s still like a kid at Christmas when he’s got the chance to ride his mountain bike for a few hours.

He’s raced local, national, international cross-country events including solo 24-hour, and even a couple of World Cup downhills in his time, so he knows what it’s like to suffer, and importantly what bits genuinely help make things easier and which are just hype.

Ours is an amazing sport, one of self discovery, one full of genuinely nice, grounded people (it’s hard to accept pain like a rider has to and be a big head). “If,” as he says, “I can help you have a better mountain bike ride by pointing you in the direction of some good kit, then my job is done.”
Years riding MTB’s – 23 Years testing –19

Jenn Hopkins, Tester and Ride Guide guru
Jenn has been riding bikes for as long as she can remember and the transition from her first battered blue and yellow, rigid-tyred toy to the current faves has been mostly seamless, from her point of view anyway. Along the way she’s dabbled in most forms of bike-related play, up to and including racing a singlespeed tandem which ranks very highly on the list of stupidest ideas of all time.

She likes white socks, rocks, very very long rides, autumn, beech trees and Battenberg cake; she will also quite happily spend an entire day trying to convince you that close-spaced, small block tread patterns on a high volume, non-tubeless carcass are the correct sort of tyre for every occasion.
Years riding – 20+ Years testing - 5ish?!

Seb Rogers, Tester and Photographer
Seb says his love affair with bikes and riding all began thanks to a break-up with an ex at uni. Rather than spend his time moping down the union bar, Seb skipped lectures to rack up huge miles on the South Downs and then drink his local bike shop’s tea. He’s never looked back.

A perfectionist by nature, Seb’s often to be heard these days complaining that he’s not as fast as he used to be. Then again – as many people have pointed out – the huge camera bag he insists on taking on most rides could have something to do with that.
Years riding – 20 Years testing – 14

Mike Davis, Bike and Product Tester
Mike discovered mountain bikes in his teens, at which time he was handily living on the edge of the Peak District. Long, steep and rocky rides quickly became the norm and even now he struggles to think of anything less than a full day out as a “proper ride”. University years spent riding bikes and exploring the then-fledgling internet led, largely accidentally, into a career that’s seen him work on numerous mags and websites.

Now plying a freelance trade, Mike’s perfectionist tendencies mean that no product deficiency slips by. Never happier than when out on a bike, he’s inspired by the new things that are always just around the corner, be they trails, events, skills, bikes or gear.
Years riding – 20 Testing since – 1994

Dan Milner, Photographer & Tester
There’s not many places left in the world that Dan hasn’t ridden – or shot – bikes, and that’s for a reason. Dan got stuck into his love affair with the mountain bike back in the mid ’80s and the flame of passion hasn’t dwindled yet, leading him to seek bike-orientated adventures further and further afield to capture the aesthetic beauty of singletrack riding.

Twenty years of mountain bike design evolution has merely mirrored Dan’s own rising appreciation of the evolving possibilities today’s mountain bikes offer and as a Cristalp and Transalp marathon veteran he’s ready to admit that his once hardened XC-style has a definite all-mountain twang to it nowadays.

Based in the French Alps for over a decade now, Dan has a challenging testing ground for any bike or component right on his doorstep.
Years riding - 35 (MTB 25) Years Testing - 6

Owen Coutts, Tester
Owen is the latest recruit, testing, riding for photoshoots, acting as voice activated light stand and being in charge of the kettle, are top of his current duty list. Having spent his youth trying and failing to mimic his hero Hans “No Way” Rey, he now realizes that the longer the ride the more fun it can be, it’s also more fun to fix pinch flats with a great view rather than in the back garden.

He’s played with all sorts of bikes from rigid singlespeeds to big bouncy freeride steeds even racing Downhill in the frozen North of Finland. He’s obsessive about bikes, reading about them when eating and dreaming about them when sleeping.
Years riding off road – 16 Years testing – just the one.