Race Face Atlas Cinch crankset

THESE LONG-RUNNING Canadian cranks have been updated with Race Face’s excellent Cinch system to create a versatile and user friendly hardcore crankset.

The cold forged, pocketed-back arms are heavy but they’re solid underfoot for direct torque transfer and traction feel. The Cinch system uses a stiff 30mm axle teamed with BB options compatible with all frame standards, from PF30 to old-school screw-in. Separate arm and ring adds cost over complete packages like the Turbine Cinch but give you more colour and ring size options plus 180mm arm lengths. The axle is fixed to the non-driveside arm so it’s easy to remove the driveside arm to replace worn rings, and the threaded Cinch lockring uses a relatively common BSA30 BB tool.

WEIGHT: 707g
ARMS: 170, 175, 180

Price 315$

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 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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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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Anthony Messere’s Morpheus Vimana Slope

A flying chariot built with one thing in mind – slopestyle domination

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All Arround MTB

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