BOS Vip’R Rear Shock Review

The first air shock from French suspension fanatic BOS is expensive and stiff over the small stuff, but a belter if you’re a big mountain rider. Developed with French DH legend Nico Voullioz, BOS’s Rare coil shock has been a cult item amongst gravity riders.  The Vip’R is relatively heavy for an air shock but the low-speed compression lever makes a difference for climbing. Even at the minimum setting stiction means a chattery ride over smaller bumps, and it’s hard to detect the subtle position sensitive damping changes the rebound dial makes in the car park too, which makes initial tuning difficult.  Start pushing hard on the trail...

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Haro Flightline Comp Review

The long established Haro brand is probably better know for its BMX rigs. The UK distributor doesn’t bring in the complete mountain bike range but the 2011 hardtails look great. As with many of its price rivals, a Flightline Comp can be found for less than its RRP if you’re willing to shop around. That’s a good thing, as it’s up against better-equipped bikes at this price. The Flightline Comp has a great frame and rides well but we expect to find a better fork than a RockShox Dart at this price. It’s hefty and under-equipped for its RRP, but worth considering if you find one for less. Ride & handling: Overall trail feel is goodThere...

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Argon 18 Krypton review

The Krypton frame has been designed around Argon 18’s Horizontal Dual System (HDS) concept: imagine a diagonal line from the top of the head-tube to the rear dropouts – everything below this is designed with maximum rigidity and stiffness for power transfer and handling, while everything above should be more flexible (vertically) to improve comfort.  It also has Argon 18’s 3D head-tube, which replaces standard headset spacers with threaded ones that match the head-tube diameter. rather than adding spacers above the headset’s top-bearing race, you screw them in below, effectively extending the head-tube. It should be better for headset...

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Contour+ helmet camera – First ride review

The Full HD Contour+ has the best picture quality of any helmet cam we've tested but it's let down by poorly designed mounts and it's very expensive. It uses the same sleek brushed-alloy and plastic body as its predescessor, the ContourGPS, but this time with a smart raw finish and a wider angle lens (170 vs 135°).  There's a large sliding 'record' button up top, which is easy to operate with gloved hands, along with a rotating lens so you can mount the camera at different angles. There's no screen but you can connect the Contour+ to your iPhone or Android mobile via Bluetooth and use your phone as a viewfinder, after downloading...

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Mongoose Fireball Review

Like GT, Mongoose are a brand with a deep BMX heritage, which shows in their hardcore MTBs. The Fireball might be low on their jump bike menu, but it still packs an excellent frame and highlighted componentry pack for a confident kick-ass ride on dirt, street or wherever else you take it. Frame You're certainly getting a great frame for your money here as it's the same frame as the top line Hardball. The big square headed main tubes get an embossed Mongoose logo for extra pimp appeal, and there's a neat shallow gusset underneath the thick wall head tube. The flat-topped top tube drops away steeply for maximum crotch clearance, with...

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Mongoose Salvo Sport review

Mongoose’s three bike entry-level Salvo suspension line starts with the Sport here, but the same frame and cockpit are used on the £999 Elite model. It’s these basics that make the Salvo one of the better riding bikes at this price point, despite a slow rear shock and our limited love for the front fork. Ride & handling: Balanced handling for off-road funThe size specific cockpit dimensions are pretty much spot on for cross-country/trail use. It's this combination of reasonable length (rather than over-long) stem and decent width bars, you notice straight away compared to the Salvo's peers. While the angles of the frame itself are...

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Muddy Fox Reflex review

Muddy Fox were one of the first big MTB brands in Britain over 20 years ago, but now they concentrate on the value end of the market. The Reflex is a good-looking bike with more control than most of its peers and some decent gear for its current reduced selling price too.Ride & handling: Suspension is limited and adds little control but is generally clank-freeThe Reflex’s low weight, relative to other budget options, is obvious in the way it picks up speed as well as when you get to any stiles or gates on the trail. It’s simply a lot less effort to propel forward than other similarly priced bikes which leaves a smile on your face for...

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Specialized Tarmac Pro SL3 Review

Specialized’s super light Tarmac S-Works has dominated the climbing stages of the Tour de France since it appeared. The SL3 uses the same shape in a slightly downgraded material, but proves it’s got morale-boosting moral fibre when the roads get mountainous. Specialized’s second-tier Tarmac isn’t as light or power responsive as true top-end, sub 7kg superbikes, with flexy wheels and bars undermining flat-out race focus on technical roads. Where it shines is by combining a racy ride position with a smooth and energy-conserving ride that will make a lot of comfort-oriented ‘sportive’ bikes very jealous, and a lot of longer distance cyclists...

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