Skip to main content

Troy Lee Designs Ruckus jersey


When it comes to style, fit and feel, the Ruckus is a hard jersey to beat, though not everyone will be into the price. While we were a little dubious about the three-quarter-length sleeves initially, we like the fact that they can be rolled up and will actually stay put while riding. They’re also just about baggy enough to fit over low-profile elbow pads. There are two zipped pockets on the back, where you can stash a car key and some cash without issue. A phone will fit too, though the added weight made the jersey bounce around a bit too much for our liking. A decent-sized glasses wipe rounds things out nicely. Although the fabric is relatively thick, the Ruckus wicks sweat well enough for that not to be too much of an issue, though it does take a while to fully dry out. The plus side is that it’ll shrug off bramble snags without tearing to shreds. When it comes to understated good looks, it’s easily one of the nicest jerseys out there.

Price $82

Popular posts from this blog

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.

Chromag HiFi 35 (50mm) stem

This is a seriously solid stem. Chromag use 5mm Allen bolts throughout, which makes it that bit easier to fit because you don’t have to swap tools. Once torqued up to the recommended 6-8Nm, it clamps both steerer and bar solidly, with no appreciable flex. We couldn’t get it to twist on the steerer, either in our static test or when riding. It’s also available in a 35mm length and three other colours. At 204g the HiFi is the heaviest stem on test by some margin, despite being one of the more expensive offerings here. Price $112

CANYON NERVE AL 8.0

  S ince their entry into the UK market a few years ago, Canyon have made a name for themselves as purveyors of well-made bikes that exhibit often extraordinary value. The secret (or catch, depending on your point of view) is that the brand don’t have dealers – they ship bikes directly to your door.

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.

Trek Session Evolution

In this series we’re looking at the evolution of three bikes that enjoy enduring popularity with UK riders. Each fits into a different category – we’ve had a hardtail and a full-suspension trail bike, so for this final feature it’s the turn of the long-travel bike. And few ‘big bikes’ have undergone such a transformation as the Trek Session, which had a bit of a confused birth at a time of overlapping disciplines but has evolved into a sleek, lightweight race bike with multiple World Cup wins to its name.