NS Bikes Fuzz 1

Polish brand NS are best known for their dirt and street frames, but for the past few years they’ve been steadily refining their trail and downhill ranges too. Their Fuzz DH rig certainly looks the business, with a slack 62.5-degree head angle, a long front centre (which can be tweaked using the supplied reach-adjust headset) and a proven four-bar rear end. The Fuzz 1 is the top-spec model, with a ‘Performance Elite’ series Fox 40 fork and DHX2 shock, SRAM Code brakes and GX DH drivetrain, and NS finishing kit. At 16.93kg (medium) it’s no featherweight, but Sam Pilgrim has proven that it can take some hammer.

Price $6300

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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