Turn GIRDER M30 crankset

DURABILITY KINGS PRAXIS have joined up their BB and chainring offerings with these bomber cranks.

The huge box-section arms can scuff ankles if you pedal duck-footed, but their massive stiffness is obvious as soon as you put foot to pedal.Add an oversize 30mm axle and they haven’t flinched or flexed under even our most hardcore testers. Ground clearance/low BB fans will be glad of the short 165mm arm option, and they’re not as heavy as you’d expect. The spider is fixed and UK distributors Upgrade only offer a 32t version as a complete package (30-38t options sold separately), but the ultra tough, impressively secure cold-forged Praxis chainring won’t need replacing any time soon. Praxis’s BBs (52$- 90$) are equally durable, and available to fit all frames.

WEIGHT: 691g
ARMS: 165, 170, 175mm

Price 345$

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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