Saris Bones 3-Bike car rack

Assembling the Bones requires no tools and doesn’t take long. It’s then an easy job to mount the rack on your car boot using the straps and hooks provided, where it has a really solid fit. The plastic ratchet straps attached to the arms can secure up to three bikes, but they don’t stop them rocking back and forth. This meant we had to use additional padding and straps, which aren’t included, despite the high price. The large, tapered arms and fixed straps mean you have to get creative with how you mount some bikes, and if yours has a horizontally-mounted shock (where there’s limited clearance between the damper and top tube) and/or a low-slung frame, this rack may not be for you. On high-booted cars, we also struggled to fit bikes with 760mm or wider bars in the position closest to the boot without fouling the bodywork.

Price $240

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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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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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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