WTB High Tail Carbon And Volt Carbon saddles

WTB'S HIGH TAIL saddle has been designed with input from suspension specialist Dave Weagle and features a strikingly concave rear end designed to prevent rear wheel buzz when you're running the seat down low on a long-travel bike.

At 159g for the carbon railed version, it's light enough to bolt on to an XC bike. The Volt is a more conventional perch that aims to combine race-ready weight (156g in carbon guise) with all-day comfort thanks to generous padding, a low nose and a deep "love channel" that should keep you ready for action, on the bike or off it!

PRICE High Tail 270$, Volt 240$

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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