VITUS SOMMET PRO

THE SOMMET PRO is a head turner with its matt black finish, matching blacked-out SRAM and RockShox components and bright yellow Mavic hoops.

Under all that finery lies a machine that's ready to rip up the trails or tackle the gnarliest enduro stages, if the numbers are anything to go by. With 160mm (6.3in) of travel up front, 155mm (6.1in) at the rear and a relatively slack 66-degree head angle, the Sommet doesn't look like it'll hold you back. The 6061-T6 alloy frame uses a Horst Link four-bar linkage design and comes kitted out with a SRAM X01/X1 transmission, RockShox Pike RCT3 fork and Monarch Plus RC3 DebonAir shock.

PRICE 5560$

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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KONA SHRED

With a reputation for no-nonsense ruggedness and a background in the always progressive and punishing riding of Canada, Kona have been building hardcore hardtails for longer than almost anyone else. The Shred is the most expensive bike on test but it’s a proper trail tank.

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SKS Airbuster CO2 inflator

The alloy Airbuster has a large knob so you can regulate the flow of gas, a mechanical stop to prevent the cartridge being pierced in transit and a dust cap to keep the valve free of debris. While it works with Presta and Schrader valves, switching between them requires a fiddly change of the valve head. The thin rubber sleeve doesn’t provide much protection from cold spent canisters. You can’t insert much of the valve into the inflator head, so you have to be careful to avoid leaks. Price $33 w/16g cartridge

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