Paul Burwell – MBR

Best mountain bike shoes: ultimate footwear for both flat and clipless pedal

Paul Burwell — Mon, 11 Nov 2024 09:03:36 +0000

I've tested hundreds of shoes over the years, sometimes to destruction, to bring you the very best mountain bike shoes around. So whether you ride flat pedals or clip in, and whatever your budget, there's an option for you here.

best clip-in and flat shoes

We've thrashed the bejesus out of these MTB sneaks and here is our pick of the very best mountain bike shoes. Whether you ride flat pedals or clip in.

Best mountain bike lights: bar mount, helmet and e-bike specific

Paul Burwell — Wed, 30 Oct 2024 10:37:07 +0000

Bombing around in the dark may seem like a mad thing to do, but night riding is great! Here's our rundown of the best mountain bike lights as rated by our expert panel of testers.

Ready to night ride

Here are the best mountain bike lights. Bombing around in the dark may seem like a mad thing to do, but night riding is great.

The Canyon Spectral:ONFly’s dynamic ride quality left me smitten, but the small battery ran out of energy before I did

Paul Burwell — Thu, 12 Sep 2024 09:00:07 +0000

Now you can get Canyon's Spectral in three flavours, with the latest Spectral:ONFly offering minimal weight and limited assistance for an assisted ride experience that comes close to the purity of a conventional trail bike.

Canyon Spectral:ONFly

This is Canyon’s new Spectral:ONFly Ltd, a lightweight, low-powered e-bike, but one that shares the same geometry and suspension travel …Continue reading »

Best disc rotors for mountain biking: Tune your stopping power

Paul Burwell — Fri, 26 Apr 2024 11:10:16 +0000

If you want optimal stopping power from your brakes, make sure you have the best disc brake rotors for mountain biking you can afford.

SRAM disc brake rotors

Along with the lever and caliper, the brake rotor is an essential and, some would argue, the most important component …Continue reading »

Best torque wrenches for mountain bikers: Make sure your bolts are tightened correctly

Paul Burwell — Fri, 26 Apr 2024 08:31:26 +0000

Keep your bike running sweetly and avoid rattles, noises, and possible damage by accurately tightening up bolts with a torque wrench.

A torque wrench is essential for the security and health of your bike's components

There’s a couple of hundred bolts on the average mountain bike and every single one of them has a recommended …Continue reading »

Best mountain bike clipless (clip-in) pedals: Maximum efficiency and ultimate security

Paul Burwell — Thu, 04 Apr 2024 07:40:31 +0000

Quite simply the best clipless (or clip-in) mountain bike pedals on the market today, plus what to look out for in the latest big-platform pedals

Testing mountain bike clipless pedals

Find the best mountain bike clipless pedals. Including what to look for when buying the new breed of bigger platform trail clipless pedals.

The new Fox Defend 3L Water is the best e-bike jacket going: extra coverage, more waterproofing and a DWR that’s built to last

Paul Burwell — Tue, 05 Mar 2024 07:00:14 +0000

Fox hit the sweet spot with the Defend 3L Water, and it's my pick for big days out and dirty weather

Fox Defend 3L waterproof jacket

Fox’s latest Defend 3L Water jacket is designed to go into battle with the rain, it uses a 3-layer fabric …Continue reading »

The Kali Protectives Cascade helmet is a smart eco-choice, and it doesn’t scrimp on protection either

Paul Burwell — Sat, 02 Mar 2024 09:00:57 +0000

The Kali Cascade boasts great recycled content, and is packed with safety tech too

Kali Protectives Cascade helmet

Kali has traditionally focused on the safety side of mountain bike helmet design but it claims the new Cascade also …Continue reading »

The Alpinestars Sierra Waterproof Jacket is a proper storm shield, but you’ll need plenty of reproofer to keep it that way

Paul Burwell — Wed, 07 Feb 2024 07:00:44 +0000

True to its name, the Sierra is one for big days in the mountains thanks to a secure fit and maximum coverage

Alpinestars Sierra Waterproof Jacket

The Sierra is a 2.5 layer jacket, which sounds odd but means it has a Nylon face fabric bonded to …Continue reading »

Best mountain bike tubeless sealant: Go puncture-free!

Paul Burwell — Tue, 06 Feb 2024 14:22:25 +0000

The best tubeless sealant will keep the air in your tyre for longer and actually fix punctures while you ride. No more inner tubes or patches!

The best tubeless sealant will keep the air in your tyre for longer and actually fix punctures while you ride. No more inner tubes or patches!

Best floor pumps and tubeless tyre inflators: no stress, just success!

Paul Burwell — Tue, 23 Jan 2024 09:08:06 +0000

The task of converting to tubeless can leave you feeling deflated — the best floor pumps and tubeless tyre inflators make the process totally stress-free.

Tubeless inflator pump test

The task of converting to tubeless can leave you feeling deflated — the best tubeless tyre inflators make the process totally stress-free.

Best mountain bike tire pressure gauges: Get the perfect set-up to maximise grip

Paul Burwell — Tue, 23 Jan 2024 08:29:43 +0000

Checking tyre pressures is part of the pre-ride ritual for every serious mountain biker. Here are the best tyre pressure gauges for the job.

Checking tyre pressure

Since the tyres on your bike are the only thing in contact with the trail, maintaining an optimum tyre pressure …Continue reading »

Scott’s packable ExplorAir Light Dryo 3 Layer Jacket lets you batten down the hatches when the weather turns

Paul Burwell — Tue, 23 Jan 2024 07:01:25 +0000

Scott keeps it minimal with the Explorair Light Dryo 3 layer jacket, but doesn't scrimp on the essentials.

Scott ExplorAir Light Dryo 3 Layer Jacket

The Explorair Light Dryo 3 is a proper three-layer waterproof jacket. It has an outer Polyester skin, which is made …Continue reading »

Best mobile pressure washers: blast the filth away

Paul Burwell — Thu, 18 Jan 2024 15:00:15 +0000

Most winter rides end up in an remote car park with no hosepipe or jet wash to hand, but with the latest and greatest portable washers, that's no longer a problem when it comes to cleaning your bike.

Muc-Off Pressure Washer Kit

Most rides end up in an anonymous car park with no hosepipe or jet wash to hand, so the only option is to buy one of the best mobile pressure washers.

No need to pedal: Canyon’s Spectral:ON CFR will change gear while coasting… but is it a gimmick or a genuine performance boost?

Paul Burwell — Thu, 11 Jan 2024 07:00:23 +0000

When the Spectral:ON CFR first popped up on the Canyon website, Canyon claimed that it was one of the first e-bikes to feature Shimano’s new Auto Shift technology. But there was a catch...

2024 Canyon Spectral:ON CFR

What attracted you to the Canyon Spectral:ON CFR? Given that the Spectral:ON CF 9 was mbr’s e-bike of the Year …Continue reading »

The Exposure Six Pack SYNC Mk 13 light is sunshine in a can

Paul Burwell — Tue, 02 Jan 2024 11:59:20 +0000

An updated version of the Exposure Six Pack with more grunt and a wider beam. It’s still SYNC compatible, meaning you can configure the settings like run time and output using Expsoure’s dedicated App.

Exposure Six Pack SYNC Mk 13 light

Every year Exposure updates its lights with more power or more features, and the latest Six Pack SYNC Mk 13 …Continue reading »

RaveMen’s XR6000 light is great value but needs a longer run-time

Paul Burwell — Mon, 01 Jan 2024 11:00:26 +0000

Bigger and brighter dedicated trail light from the Taiwanese manufacturer with a new head unit, machined clamp and tethered fame mounted battery pack.

RaveMen XR6000 light

We’ve tested Ravemen’s PR1600 several times here at mbr and, while this all-in-one design was great value and functional, it …Continue reading »

Seeing is believing with the minimal Exposure Diablo Mk14 light

Paul Burwell — Sun, 31 Dec 2023 07:00:27 +0000

Currently, we’re only up to the 14th iteration of the Diablo, Exposure’s best-selling helmet light but who knows where it will all stop? The improvements keep coming, so the company keeps adding one to the name.

Exposure Diablo Mk14 light

With the new Diablo, there’s 100 extra Lumens (as well as a £20 increase in cost), but the weight, styling …Continue reading »

The Knog Blinder 1300 Night Light is a quality helmet light for under £100

Paul Burwell — Sat, 23 Dec 2023 07:00:47 +0000

The Blinder 1300 is a new compact headlight from the Australian accessory brand that, as the name suggests, puts out 1300 Lumen on full beam. It’s compact and lightweight and can be mounted on the handlebar or a helmet as a second light.

Knog Blinder 1300 Night Light

Knog’s previous PWR light was modular design with lots of built-in accessories. It was reasonably powerful, but run time wasn’t …Continue reading »

Best MTB helmet lights: light up the trail ahead

Paul Burwell — Fri, 15 Dec 2023 14:04:32 +0000

Light up the night - and the trails - with these tried and tested helmet-mounted lights for mountain biking

As the days shorten and the clocks go back, time to ride in daylight hours becomes severely limited outside of …Continue reading »

The Magicshine Monteer 12000 MTB light turns night into day

Paul Burwell — Thu, 14 Dec 2023 11:12:17 +0000

Magicshine offers great value lights with a ton of features. The big deal with the Monteer 12000 is the amount of Lumens it produces – 12,000 on high beam, making it one of the brightest bike lights out there.

Magicshine Monteer 12000 light

I think there is an unofficial arms race among light manufacturers to make the most powerful light on the market, …Continue reading »

Best winter gloves for mountain biking: Maximum feel in total comfort

Paul Burwell — Thu, 07 Dec 2023 16:12:27 +0000

Protect those pinkies and insulate your palms with a pair of our recommended winter riding gloves.

100% Brisker glove

The body doesn’t work in mysterious ways, when it gets cold the vessels that supply blood to the skin constrict …Continue reading »

The Exposure Zenith was my go-to helmet light last winter, now it’s almost half price for Black Friday

Paul Burwell — Tue, 21 Nov 2023 11:23:50 +0000

What’s better than a powerful, focussed and easy to use light? A powerful, focussed and easy to use light with £130 lopped off the price, of course.

Last winter I tested pretty much every helmet mounted light I could get my hands on, and the standout unit …Continue reading »

Best tubeless valves for mountain bikes: Faff-free options for tubeless bliss

Paul Burwell — Mon, 30 Oct 2023 13:09:33 +0000

Keep your tyres inflated and sealed with the best presta valves for tubeless tyres.

Tubeless valves intro image

The presta valve is the smallest component in a tubeless system but it’s essential for tyre bead seating, topping up …Continue reading »

Topeak D-Torq Wrench DX review

Paul Burwell — Mon, 16 Oct 2023 14:29:09 +0000

Topeak is well known for offering a comprehensive range of portable, high quality multi-tools but also caters for the home mechanic too. We tested the brand's workshop-focused D-Torq DX wrench and compared it to cheaper and smaller options.

Topeak Torq Digital torque wrench

When I tested Topeak’s Torq Stick earlier this year I said it was the perfect torque wrench for the first-timer, …Continue reading »

Canyon MTB Performance Flat pedal review

Paul Burwell — Mon, 16 Oct 2023 11:23:35 +0000

Canyon's component and accessory offering is growing and it has some real gems tucked away in its line up. After Canyon's SD:ON e-bike saddle impressed us we thought the brand's MTB flat pedal.

Canyon MTB flat pedals

Like most bike manufacturers, Canyon offers a range of in-house components, including bars, stems, saddles, and this new addition, the …Continue reading »

TSG Slim glove review

Paul Burwell — Fri, 13 Oct 2023 08:13:12 +0000

Swiss brand TSG offers a comprehensive range of gloves along with helmets, armour and clothing. It's the Slim glove that we've tested here and as the name suggests it's a no-frills, clean design that TSG says is aimed at the mountain biking purists.

TSG Slim glove

As you can see from the weight, the TSG (Technical Safety Gear) Slim is one of the lightest full-finger trail …Continue reading »

100% Geomatic glove review

Paul Burwell — Thu, 12 Oct 2023 08:15:08 +0000

100% is a brand that's given us the Brisker, a benchmark off-season and wet weather riding glove. So how does its Geomatic trail glove compare to the best lightweight options for warmer and drier days?

100% Geomatic glove

Like the Fox Defend Race we tested, the 100% Geomatic has a full spread of (synthetic rubber) TPR bumpers across …Continue reading »

Troy Lee Designs Air glove review

Paul Burwell — Wed, 11 Oct 2023 10:56:57 +0000

Troy Lee Designs' gloves have been a popular choice for both trail and gravity riders for many years. The brand oozes moto style and usually scores well in our reviews. We drop TLD's latest Air trail glove into the mix in our recent group test.

Troy Lee Designs Air glove

You can read the name of the Troy Lee Designs Air glove in two ways – it’s lighter than air …Continue reading »

Fizik Terra Aidon X5 saddle review

Paul Burwell — Wed, 11 Oct 2023 09:06:40 +0000

Like most saddle manufacturers, Fizik has a massive range, including this Terra Aidon X5, which is designed for e-bikes. We've tested Canyon's e-bike focused SD:ON saddle before and it worked perfectly, so we were keen to compare this Fizik option for comfort, durability and performance.

Fizik Terra Aidon X5 saddle

It’s debatable whether there’s such a thing as a specific e-bike saddle, but I’m open-minded, and was keen to give …Continue reading »