Giro Rivet II gloves

You won’t find any padding on this minimalistic mitt, but that doesn’t mean it is devoid of valuable improvements. To start, Giro incorporates a Pittards leather palm. Pittards has been specializing in leather–mainly for gloves and footwear, for damn near 200 years.

However, the vegans out there can rest easy in knowing that there’s no actual leather here–it’s a synthetic microfiber material. The perforated palms are soft and supple, breathe well and offer great grip, even when saturated with sweat. For even more simplicity, there’s no Velcro closure on the Rivet II, just an elastic cuff. I love this feature, but not everyone falls into this camp. Based on Giro’s sizing chart, which measures hand circumference and finger length, I’m squarely a medium, the same as all the other gloves in this test. The fit is spot-on in the fingers, palm, and around the wrist. Even the cuff length is good, ending mid-wrist. Touchscreen compatibility lets me whip the phone out for quick photo-ops without fumbling with my gloves. The only potential issue is that the lightweight mesh used between the fingers builds weaker seams so these might be single-season gloves.

PRICE 30$

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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Nukeproof Vector AM Comp Cro-Mo saddle

The Vector AM is pretty race focused, with minimal padding. There’s a deep (if narrow) pressurerelief channel to keep the blood flowing where it’s meant to. Used with bib shorts, we found it pretty comfortable for shorter rides and suffered no pain or discomfort in the central region. On steep climbs the slightly downturned nose provides a reasonable forward perch, while the svelte profile and smooth edges make it particularly unobtrusive when moving about on the descents. It’s quite stiff though, and can feel harsh on long rides or bumpy ground. We definitely wouldn’t want to spend much time on it without a chamois. It’s heavier than we’d expect for such a lightly padded perch too. There’s a lighter Pro version with titanium rails for $105, but at 241g it’s only 10g lighter. Weight 251g Price $67

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GT Zaskar Evolution

While some bike models last just a couple of years, others change with the times to stay at the top of riders’ wishlists. In the second part of this series looking at the evolution of bikes that enjoy enduring popularity with UK riders, we turn to the GT Zaskar – a bike that was at the forefront of our sport for a long time and still has plenty of appeal today.

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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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Merida Big Seven 100

We've rolled up to our local woods, with a meandering blue trail, some natural wooded tracks and a bit of fire road chucked into the mix to see how the Big Seven 100 tackles trails that entry-level riders are likely to cut their teeth on.

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All Arround MTB

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