All Arround MTB

THIS ‘SIDE PULL’ bottle cage comes in two versions, one offering access from the left (SSL) and one from the right (SSR).

There's no denying that as mountain bikers in 2015, we're spoilt for choice. Never before have we had such a selection of options across a wide range of price points and disciplines. Value for money is improving every year, and with so many brands vying for our dollar, there has never been a better time to invest in a new rig for hitting up the trails.

Big wheels, carbon and a big price tag. They’re two hardcore team issue hardtails, but which adds fun to your riding if you’re not racing?

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.

The concept of gravity enduro is simple enough; you head out for a ride with your mates, have a chat as you pedal up the hills, then race your buddies for bragging rights on the descents—it’s simple enough and many of us have been doing it for years.

Cannondale’s Jekyll debuted in 2011. It was a gutsy bike, or really, two bikes. Click the handlebar-mounted travel adjuster and the Jekyll morphed from downhill slayer to climbing stud. The stout frame was uniquely tied together with 15-millimeter thru axles, and at the heart of it, the Fox-built DYAD pull shock. Until then, pull shocks weren’t famous for their reliability, but the Jekyll’s fancy dualchamber shock worked surprisingly and consistently well.

SO GOOD… The Airport Plus’s footprint is large, giving a solid, stable base for pumping. The handle may be one of the narrowest here but its teardrop shape fits comfortably into your palms.

SO GOOD… At just under 300mm in length, the Airspeed will easily fit in most hydration packs. The fold-out foot peg and T-shaped handle help steady the pump and give it a solid footing for pumping. The pump head simply screws on to Schrader valves on one side and Presta on the other, and is easy to attach to both types. The air volume is high too, with the pump reaching a fairly high 12.8psi in the 100-stroke test.