Mick Kirkman – MBR

Best mountain bike forks: XC, trail and enduro forks reviewed and rated

Mick Kirkman — Thu, 09 Jan 2025 10:03:48 +0000

With fork technology evolving, the singletrack is getting faster and faster - our pick of the best mountain bike forks will help you run smoother.

Stacking up the suspension forks for a round of testing

With fork technology evolving, the singletrack is getting faster and faster - our pick of the best mountain bike forks will help you run smoother.

Rapha’s Trail Gore Tex Pants are the best waterproof trousers I’ve tried in twenty years of testing

Mick Kirkman — Thu, 09 Jan 2025 07:00:27 +0000

I ride through the winter in any weather, and Rapha's Trail Gore-Tex Pants keep me drier and comfier than anything else out there... but they come at a hell of a price

Rapha Trail Gore-Tex Pants

If it’s not currently raining, it will be quite soon. This is the reality of winter mountain biking, but get …Continue reading »

I didn’t gel with SRAM’s old AXS shifters, but the new Pod Controller is totally intuitive

Mick Kirkman — Wed, 08 Jan 2025 17:00:53 +0000

The latest generation of SRAM AXS wireless shifters is cheaper, more adjustable, and plain easier to use.

SRAM AXS Pod controller

Ever since SRAM first launched its electronic AXS drivetrains for MTB about five years ago, it’s offered a wireless gear …Continue reading »

Endura’s MT500 Polartec jacket is cheaper than my favourite cold-weather top, and more practical too

Mick Kirkman — Wed, 08 Jan 2025 07:01:04 +0000

The Endura MT500 Polartec jacket helps you insulate yourself from the worst of winter riding with its clever thermal management.

Endura MT500 jacket

Endura’s MT500 fleece is a new hooded mountain biking jacket designed to offer ‘incredible temperature regulation’. It uses multiple textures …Continue reading »

Merida’s new ‘lightweight’ eOne-Sixty SL is a gorgeous-looking e-bike, but I think it’s powered by the wrong Bosch motor

Mick Kirkman — Fri, 03 Jan 2025 07:00:50 +0000

Merida e-bikes have always been synonymous with Shimano motors, so this Bosch SX-powered eOne-Sixty SL is a seismic shift for both manufacturers.

Merida eOne-Sixty SL

Merida’s new eOne-Sixty SL is exactly the kind of machine that would have made our massive Superlight E-Bike of the …Continue reading »

Three products helped my riding more than anything else in 2024, here’s why they get my vote for Gear of the Year

Mick Kirkman — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 07:00:38 +0000

e*thirteen's Sidekick hub, Gore Tex Trail Pants and the RockShox Zeb are the best poducts I've tested in 2024, and they snaffle my Gear of the Year award

Gear of the Year 2024 Mick Kirkman - RockShox Zeb fork, Rapha Gore Tex Trail Pants, e*thirteen Sidekick hub

Downhill racing drives mountain bike innovation like nothing else, and my Gear of the Year 2024 comes straight off the …Continue reading »

I’ve tested dozens of e-bikes but none of them will ever thrill me like this regular pedal-powered MTB, and it’s my Bike of the Year 2024

Mick Kirkman — Mon, 23 Dec 2024 07:00:01 +0000

Yes Merida’s new eOne-Eighty is a masterpiece of science and technology, but it doesn’t make me feel alive like the Yeti SB 165, and that's why it's my Bike of the Year 2024

Yeti SB165

It’s been coming for a long time, but 2024 was the year e-bikes steamrollered normal, analogue mountain bikes. Leading brands …Continue reading »

Best mountain bike wheels: aluminium, carbon, and budget options

Mick Kirkman — Mon, 16 Dec 2024 11:33:54 +0000

Getting the best mountain bike wheels can totally transform your ride – it's one of the most effective upgrades out there.

Getting the best mountain bike wheels can totally transform your ride. Upgrading your bike's existing wheelset will add speed and improve the feel.

Propain’s new Spindrift is a shapeshifter: fun and fast on the descents with 180mm travel, but efficient enough to work on mellower singletrack too

Mick Kirkman — Thu, 12 Dec 2024 07:00:11 +0000

The Propain Spindrift 5 with RockShox Ultimate custom build somehow manages to blend great downhill performance with pedalling efficiency and singletrack fun

Propain Spindrift

In a world where excess is increasingly frowned upon, it’s easy to find reasons to be more conservative and play …Continue reading »

Near DH protection, without the stuffiness: the Bluegrass Jetro helmet is my favourite 3/4 helmet

Mick Kirkman — Wed, 11 Dec 2024 09:18:37 +0000

The new Jetro Bluegrass is a trendy 3/4 style lid with MIPS protection, chunky padding, and good comfort and ventilation.

Bluegrass Jetro 3/4 helmet

Three-quarter helmets like this new Bluegrass Jetro have forged a bit of a category of their own, sitting between regular half …Continue reading »

“Like riding chainless” – e*thirteen’s Sidekick decoupling hub irons out the trails, but XC riders will probably hate it

Mick Kirkman — Sat, 07 Dec 2024 17:00:05 +0000

e*thirteen's Sylvan Race Carbon wheels use the new Sidekick decoupling hub to reduce pedal kickback, but it introduces a lot of lag when it's time to crank on the pedals

e*thirteen Sidekick hub and Sylvan carbon wheel

e*thirteen has something special inside the rear hub on these Sidekick wheels. Seven years in the making, the brand’s innovative …Continue reading »

The Atherton S170 is like nothing else when it comes to how it looks, the way it’s made, and the range of sizes, but at 17.5kg it’s one of the heaviest enduro bikes I’ve ridden

Mick Kirkman — Tue, 03 Dec 2024 17:00:07 +0000

Designed to be much simpler and cheaper to manufacture than the high-tech 3D-printed models, Atherton Bikes' new S170 offers the same comprehensive size range, and even more distinctive looks, at a lower price.

Atherton S170

Atherton Bikes moves so fast that loads has happened since the brand’s first aluminium bike – the S170 – first …Continue reading »

My last SDG Tellis dropper post did 5,000km without a service, and this V2 version is even better

Mick Kirkman — Fri, 29 Nov 2024 07:01:07 +0000

With significant improvements to the function and adjustability of its latest Tellis V2 dropper post, SDG has made a good product great.

SDG Tellis V2 dropper post

The original SDG Tellis dropper came out in 2018 and made a bit of a name for itself as one …Continue reading »

Coil or air? Cane Creek’s unique Tigon shock gets both, but it’s not enough to lure me away from Fox

Mick Kirkman — Sat, 16 Nov 2024 17:00:23 +0000

Cane Creek's invented RAMP tube, a positive air spring that adds support and bottom out resistance to your plush gravity bike

Cane Creek Tigon shock

Cane Creek has made twin tube coil and air shocks for decades now, including the Kitsuma Coil shock I’ve previously …Continue reading »

Peaty’s Monarch Grips offer pinpoint control and build quality, but there are squishier options out there

Mick Kirkman — Fri, 15 Nov 2024 07:00:19 +0000

Peaty’s Monarch Grips come in thick and thin sizes, mushroom or knurl grip options, and five colours

Peaty's Monarch Grips in Mushroom shape

Peaty’s all-new Monarch grips come in two different designs and five different colours with both tread patterns selling for under …Continue reading »

Best mountain bike tyres: e-bikes, trail riding, XC racing, gravity, and everything inbetween

Mick Kirkman — Fri, 08 Nov 2024 10:14:01 +0000

The toughest tyres for your e-bike, the grippiest compounds for enduro or downhill, and the fastest rolling rubber for XC and down-country: we've got the best tyres for all situations

Three mountain bike tyres lying on the ground

Ultimate grip? Fastest rolling speed? Ride in sand? Rocks? Or loam? Here are the eight best mountain bike tyres for you and your trails.

Burgtec’s Josh Bryceland Bartender Pro Super Soft grips provide most of the comfort of a push-on design, with none of the hassle

Mick Kirkman — Fri, 08 Nov 2024 07:01:23 +0000

These Burgtec Bartender specials are super soft and aim to marry the comfort and feel of push-on grips with the practicality of a lock-on.

Josh Bryceland Burgtec grips

As one of just two bike contact points when you’re stood up taming the most technical trails, grips better be …Continue reading »

I’ve tested hundreds of mountain bike tyres, and the Schwalbe Albert Radial Gravity Pro has the most planted and supremely-damped ride quality I’ve encountered

Mick Kirkman — Thu, 31 Oct 2024 07:00:58 +0000

With a claimed 30% larger contact patch promising loads more grip, comfort, and control, Schwalbe's Radial tyre tech is an exciting development. But do the bold claims hold up on the trails? We put them to the test.

Schwalbe Albert Radial tyre

Schwalbe’s latest gravity tyre range has to be one of the most hyped in recent memory, with its new Radial …Continue reading »

Castelli’s Prosecco is the most effective base layer I’ve ever tested, it wicks sweat faster than you can make it

Mick Kirkman — Sat, 26 Oct 2024 16:00:15 +0000

The Castelli Prosecco Tech Short Sleeve base layer is a quality piece of cycling kit, if it didn't have the bib short section at the back I'd be giving it full marks

Castelli Prosecco base layer

Italian brand Castelli has been providing kit for pro road teams for decades and offers various product tiers from amateur …Continue reading »

Merida’s new eOne-Eighty is the most capable long-travel e-bike I’ve ever tested, at 27kg I’d hate to have to muscle it over a gate though

Mick Kirkman — Fri, 25 Oct 2024 07:00:49 +0000

With 180mm travel, Bosch’s new CX motor and 800Wh battery, and sorted geometry, the £7500 Merida eOne-Eighty 900 is a tank of an e-bike, but it comes alive when you’re up to speed

Merida started down electric avenue early, it developed sweet riding e-bikes before many other brands even got switched on to …Continue reading »

POC’s VPD Air Flow knee guards are supremely comfy and cool… and on sale right now at 63% off!

Mick Kirkman — Sat, 19 Oct 2024 16:00:24 +0000

POC's VPD Air Flow is as slimline and minimal as knee pads come, and now they're on offer at Amazon for just £48

The POC VPD Air Flow knee pad takes its design cues from roadie bib shorts, it’s the lightest and most …Continue reading »

Michelin’s DH22 Racing Line tyres offer unmatched traction in the wet… but there’s a price to be paid

Mick Kirkman — Sun, 13 Oct 2024 16:00:56 +0000

The Michelin DH22 Racing Line tyres grip tenaciously in loose and wet muck, but they're slow rolling and expensive too

Michelin has completely rebooted its gravity tyre line up this year and the latest on test is its DH22. It’s …Continue reading »

Winter’s coming: Rapha’s sleeveless base layer adds warmth and comfort, but its roadie fit was too snug for my bulk

Mick Kirkman — Sat, 05 Oct 2024 16:00:25 +0000

It's base layer season again, and the roadies make the best out there, including this sleeveless number from Rapha

Rapha Men's Lightweight Base Layer - Sleeveless

This sleeveless base layer from Rapha is designed for the much more serious business of road cycling… but don’t let …Continue reading »

Hope’s handmade HB.916 is dull and dead to ride… but in a really (really) good way

Mick Kirkman — Sun, 29 Sep 2024 16:00:16 +0000

Hope has made a work of art in HB.916, a masterpiece of design it's so fast and composed you'll need to watch yourself

Hope HB 916

High pivot bikes with idlers have been trending recently, but are they all hype like the Emperor’s New Clothes or …Continue reading »

“Just about perfect” PNW’s Range Stem is stiff, well made and looks great

Mick Kirkman — Thu, 26 Sep 2024 06:00:20 +0000

PNW’s Range stem comes in both 31.8 and 35mm diameters and just two sizes – 40mm and 50mm length

PNW says its Range stem is CNCd from a block of 6061 aluminium, but judging by the shape it’s been …Continue reading »

The Abus HiDrop is a tropical microclimate for your head, and one of the hottest full face helmets I’ve ever tested

Mick Kirkman — Tue, 10 Sep 2024 12:00:43 +0000

Abus got plenty right with the HiDrop, it feels safe and secure but it's too hot

Abus is probably best known for making bike locks, but the German brand is well versed when it comes to …Continue reading »

Lightweight, lively and nimble: Cannondale’s Habit LT is a proper trail bike, not an overbuilt enduro rig

Mick Kirkman — Sun, 25 Aug 2024 07:00:35 +0000

The LT Habit has 10mm more travel, for poise in the rough stuff without spoiling its pep

As one of a handful of trail bikes with a very similar shape and suspension design, Cannondale’s Habit LT had …Continue reading »

I’m a diehard mountain biker, but the roadies nailed it with Sportful’s Pro Baselayer Tee

Mick Kirkman — Wed, 21 Aug 2024 06:00:55 +0000

Cool in hot weather, Sportful's Tee is like a second skin to help wick sweat away. Caution: may turn you into a road rider

The Sportful Pro Baselayer Tee is really designed for roadies, but don’t let that put you off. Because base layers …Continue reading »

I love enduro racing, but competing with a mate at Enduro2 in the alps made for double the fun!

Mick Kirkman — Sat, 17 Aug 2024 07:00:36 +0000

Enduro2 takes place on some of the best trails in the French alps, and being a two-person team event, means I got to enjoy it with a friend!

Enduro2 2024

There aren’t many mountain bike events around where you can clock up over 15,000m of timed vertical descending in a …Continue reading »

I’ve tested stacks of long-travel enduro forks, and I think RockShox’s latest Zeb Ultimate Charger 3.1 is as close to suspension perfection as you can get

Mick Kirkman — Mon, 12 Aug 2024 14:17:40 +0000

RockShox has reduced friction and lightened the damping on its latest Zeb Ultimate to make it the best hard-hitting enduro/e-bike fork on the market.

RockShox Zeb Ultimate MY25

What RockShox used to call the Totem many moons ago became the Zeb when this 38mm stanchioned fork launched a …Continue reading »