FSA Afterburner brakes

FSA ARE NEW to brakes but have released two for this season - the uber-expensive K-Force and the more affordable Afterburner here.

The squat, angular body means it's an impressively solid feeling brake. Reach and bite point dials are built in, but like most contact point adjusters, the latter doesn't make much difference. The cam assisted 'Quick Draw' actuation means fast initial contact and the braking feel is firm and immediate rather than soft and squeezy. Actual stopping power is relatively weak though. While the brake price is average the separately supplied rotors (20$) and brackets (12$) are great value whatever brakes you're running. Because it's brand new we've no long-term feedback on the Afterburner, but we've had no trouble in the past few months.

WEIGHT 443g

POWER 87m/s^-2

PRICE 260$

Merida Big Nine 100

Wit the bikes swapped over, we head out on the same loop again, this time on the 29in Big Nine 100. Whereas the Big Seven was snappy off the line, the 29er takes a couple more pedal strokes to get up to speed. That said, once it's up there, it's easy to keep the big wheels rolling, allowing us to cover ground with ease. The fire road is at times a little rough, and the bigger wheels roll over the imperfections so we barely notice them.

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Chromag HiFi 35 (50mm) stem

This is a seriously solid stem. Chromag use 5mm Allen bolts throughout, which makes it that bit easier to fit because you don’t have to swap tools. Once torqued up to the recommended 6-8Nm, it clamps both steerer and bar solidly, with no appreciable flex. We couldn’t get it to twist on the steerer, either in our static test or when riding. It’s also available in a 35mm length and three other colours. At 204g the HiFi is the heaviest stem on test by some margin, despite being one of the more expensive offerings here. Price $112

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CANYON NERVE AL 8.0

S ince their entry into the UK market a few years ago, Canyon have made a name for themselves as purveyors of well-made bikes that exhibit often extraordinary value. The secret (or catch, depending on your point of view) is that the brand don’t have dealers – they ship bikes directly to your door.

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Cannondale Trail SL 29 SS

The fat aluminium tubes are a constrast to the skinny items seen elsewhere in the test, but this rigid Cannondale uses them to create one of the most old-school - and lightest - rides here.

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Scott Scale 750

We continue to swap over our different wheel sized sparing partners and returning to the 750 from a lap on the Scale 950, immediately, the smaller wheel and thus smaller fork means there's extra stiffness up front. It's still not as stiff as we'd like, a bolt-thru axle here would still be appreciated, but hitting the first few berms is more accurate and thus a touch faster.

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All Arround MTB

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