Roval Traverse Fattie 650b wheels

Specialized’s Roval Fatties were some of the first wider trail wheels available and their light weight and flowing ride feel will suit longdistance cruisers. They’re too flexy and slow on the uptake for pinners though. The shallow rim comes well-taped and with valves installed, so tubeless inflation is immediate and easy. At 28mm, it supports 2.4 to 2.5in tyres well. The carefully thought out spoke arrangement gives a soft, forgiving ride over rough terrain. They’re light and easily hopped around, and the DT Swiss rear internals are totally dependable. Excessive flex means steering accuracy and front tyre feedback is woeful though, and they feel mushy and lacking in muscle under both braking and driving torque. The freehub is slow to engage too, creating a clunky lag on the trail.

Weight 810g+920g= 1,730g
Width 28mm/32mm
Freehub lag 15°
Sizes 650b, 29in

Price $660

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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ENVE M50 29" Wheels

Utah based company ENVE have been making drool-worthy carbon components for some years now. Despite the fact that carbon rims are becoming more and more common on mountain bikes these days, you can guarantee that ENVE wheels will be a talking point when someone is eyeing off a steed. Instantly, the big bold logos on each rim scream "fast", "light" and to some extent, "expensive" The kids call this 'bling'.

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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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YT Tues downhill bike

The new Tues downhill bike is here – and won a World Cup on its first outing While a number of big brands have launched 29er downhill bikes,YT Industries are sticking with proven 650b wheels – for now, at least. The latest Tues comes in five sizes (S-XXL), with the biggest sporting a reach of 495mm. Head tube and chainstay lengths now vary between sizes, to put the rider in a better position on the bike. The S-L bikes have 435mm stays, while the XL and XXL are a shade longer, at 440mm. Reach is longer than last year on some sizes, including the XL ridden to victory by Aaron Gwin at this year’s openingWorld Cup round.A reachadjust headset can be used to tailor the fit further. YT have also made subtle but significant changes to the suspension. The initial stroke is said to be more sensitive, while there’s more mid-stroke support, to sit the bottom bracket a shade higher when on track.YT have decreased end-stroke progression, by five per cent, to make tackling really big hits th...

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NS Bikes Metropolis bike

There aren’t many companies like NS Bikes, whose entire product range is designed around getting rad, ripping corners and boosting jumps. The Polish brand are passionate about freeride and have gained a reputation for building heavy-hitting,wellspecced and reasonably-priced bikes. This latest incarnation of their Metropolis dirt jump rig follows in this vein, with a doublebutted 4130 chromoly frame and an array of reliable kit. The frame mixes MTB and BMXtechnology, using a threaded bottom bracket and Race Face AEfect two-piece crankset in combination with horizontal dropouts and an integrated headset and seat clamp. A Manitou Circus Elite fork gives 100mm of air-sprung travel, with a 20mm front axle to maintain stifness. The Metropolis rolls on 26in NS Fundamental rims, fitted with Kenda Small Block 8 tyres. We reckon the combo of chrome frame and tan-wall rubber looks pretty rad too! The full build weighs a fairly robust 12.13kg , but it should have no problem shrugging of s...

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