E Thirteen TRS Race 2.35in tyre

It’s a bold move to make your first tyre the most expensive conventional rubber available, but e*13’s TRSr really is worth it. Made by Maxxis’s parent brand CST, it’s been designed to be as user friendly as possible in every aspect.

For a start, it seats and seals with casual ease with just a track pump and stays locked in place under scything cornering loads. Rather than using solid sheets of extra ply, the high-tech carcass has carefully placed reinforcing bands that keep it super-compliant but still stable at ‘teen’ pressures. Despite being so large that it almost scrapes the crown on some forks, it weighs a reasonable 900g so acceleration isn’t too bad. The ‘Sticky Triple’ race compound uses a harder base for improved responsiveness, stability and wear of the soft 50 duro block-tread centre. The shoulders are an even softer 42 duro tread, with concertina sipes on the outer edge of the knobs for controlled deformation and predictable slide. The result is an insane amount of traction and feedback in every situation and weather condition we threw it at. Its compliance also gives fantastic suspension-flattering damping that makes most other reinforced tyres feels harsh and clattery in comparison. Unsurprisingly, it’s slow rolling on hardpack and road, but if it’s slightly rough then the way it flow over stutter bumps offsets the sticky compound for a reasonable roll. Unlike some super-soft tyres, we’ve had no problems with knobs tearing or ripping off either, although they wear fast from the top down. That makes the crazy price even more expensive in practical terms, but as a chaos control upgrade it’s still very cost effective. The TRS+ uses a more durable, faster dual compound on the same carcass for 85$.

Best for: Front
Weight: 900g
Width: 59mm

Price 102$

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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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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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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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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All Arround MTB

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