I had mixed feelings coming to this Stanton Switchback Gen 3. Firstly, I’ve often slavered a little at Stanton frames…
David Hayward
David started mountain biking in the 90’s, by which he means “Ineptly jumping a Saracen Kili Racer off anything available in a nearby industrial estate”. After growing up and living in some extremely flat places, David moved to Yorkshire specifically for the mountain biking. This felt like a horrible mistake at first, because the hills are so steep, but you get used to them pretty quickly.
Previously, David trifled with road and BMX, but mountain bikes always won. He’s most at peace battering down a rough trail, quietly fixing everything that does to a bike, or trying to figure out if that one click of compression damping has made things marginally better or worse. The inept jumping continues to this day.
Slicy Products Smooth Tyre Inserts, Sealant and Valves – Reviewed
David extends his tyre insert experience even further, with yet another test. This time, it's banana yellow Smooth Tyre Inserts…
The Stif Squatch – More than just a big wheeled Morf?
Since launching the Morf in 2016, Stif have taken four years to develop and launch this Squatch, their first 29er…
Behind The Design: crankbrothers New Shoe Range
crankbrothers have been working on a range of shoes for four years, and almost no one guessed. They’ve even been…
ENVE AM30 Wheelset | An indepth look
ENVE’s Foundation Series of carbon mountain bike wheels, launched earlier this year, is something entirely new for the Utah based…
Tested: Fasst Flexx Suspension Handlebars
David breaks out the digital calipers to test the effectiveness of the Fasst Flexx suspension handlebar. There's something undeniably nineties-sounding…
Formula Cura 4 Brakes | Shiny Stoppers With Modulation and Power
David tests out the ever so shiny Formula Cura 4 brakes. Once he’s stopped looking at them, or himself in…
10 Mountain Bike Tyre Inserts Tested And Rated
David brings us a round up of the many, many tyre inserts that he has been testing. Which tyre insert…
Review | SRAM AXS Eagle – Wireless Shifting That Works
David tests out the flagship SRAM AXS Eagle XX and X01 groupsets – will the wireless drivetrain stun him with…
Review | EXT Storia V3 – The Last Shock You’ll Ever Need To Buy?
The EXT Storia LOK V3 is a high end, Italian coil shock. I first spoke with EXT at Eurobike in…
Review | Manitou Mara Pro – Do You Like To Party?
Manitou, and parent Hayes Group have spent a while focussed on enduro-type products, from forks, to brakes, wheels and now…
Sun Ringle Düroc SD37 Pro Wheels | For Rim Dingers
We sent David ‘Dinger’ Hayward out to beat up these Sun Ringle Düroc SD37 Pro wheels, available as both a…
Manitou Mezzer Pro | Just The Right Amount Of Tuning?
We put the Manitou Mezzer Pro fork through a winter of hard use – did the testers come back smiling?…
Giro 100 Proof Winter Gloves Review | Mittens For MTB?
Giro 100 Proof Winter Gloves Review. Are these winter riding mittens a contender for best extreme weather riding wear? Mittens…
Radon Slide Trail 8.0 Review | There’s A Lot To Like
David checks out the value packed Radon Slide Trail – a full suspension 29er – and finds there’s plenty to…
Review | Tannus Armour – Inner Tubes Ain’t Dead
If you’re still running tubes, this Tannus Armour will give you a little more protection on the trail. Tubes. The…
Review | Formula Selva R – The most adjustable fork there is?
David rides the highly adjustable Formula Selva R fork. Will he get tweak fatigue, or find his perfect setting for…
Pepi’s Rokkline Tire Noodles
Pepi’s Tire Noodle is another foam sausage designed to fit betwixt rim and tyre, protecting both from those nasty pinch…
Motion Ride E18 Linkage Fork | Anti-dive That Works
It might look unusual, but how will it ride? David checks out the Motion Ride E18 Linkage Fork. Around 2011,…
RockStop Tubeless Insert | Review
Can’t Stop The Rock. We’ve been warned repeatedly. It’s been received wisdom for decades, but now, thanks to Rockstop, could…
Goodyear Newton EN Premium Tyres | Review
David checks out this pair of Goodyear Newton tyres, the latest MTB rubber from Goodyear. Despite starting out making bicycle tyres…
Deaneasy ABS Fork Tune | Foam Inserts Reviewed
Foam! Truly this is mountain biking’s era of foam. No longer confined to the bit we sit on, there are…
Review | Hellkat Pro AEC Tyre – For When The Going Gets Steep
David tests out the Hellkat Pro AEC, an enduro tyre from Kenda. Way back in the day, Kenda had a…
Review | Upcycle your SRAM 1×11 drivetrain with the e*thirteen TRS Plus 12-Speed Upgrade Kit
This clever e*thirteen TRS Plus 12 Speed Upgrade Kit is designed to upgrade your SRAM 1×11 drivetrain to 1×12 Five…
Review | The Rimpact tubeless tyre inserts are some of the best value rim protection you can get
Tubeless tyre inserts claim to offer additional protection for your mountain bike rim, so you can run lower tyre pressures…
Review | The 2019 Radon Cragger 8.0 is a whole lotta hardtail for less than €2K
David gives us his review of the 2019 Radon Cragger 8.0 hardtail Radon isn’t a name that tends to come…
Review | For £450, the X-Fusion Sweep RL2 is a big-hitting fork for those on a budget
Alongside the plethora of high-end mountain bike suspension forks out there from Fox, RockShox, Öhlins, MRP and Cane Creek, the…
Review | Vibration-Killing Pro Series RevGrips
£99 for a pair of mountain bike grips? You read that correctly. But as David Hayward found out, the RevGrips…
Review | Nukeproof ARD Tubeless Inserts
Tubeless tyre inserts claim to offer additional protection for your mountain bike rim, so you can run lower tyre pressures…
Review | Judgement Day For The Trust Message Multi-Link Suspension Fork
The Trust Message is undeniably strange compared to anything we’re used to seeing on the front of a mountain bike.…
Review | The Panaracer PanDura is a fast-rolling tyre with some surprises on the trail
Though many mountain bikers will know Panaracer for the classic Smoke & Dart tyres (which are still in production!), the…
Trust Performance Message: Testing This Bonkers Carbon Linkage Fork
We take the latest carbon fibre linkage fork on the market and test it in the U.K grit and mud.…
Review | Flat Tire Defender tubeless inserts are easy on your rims, but hard on your hands
Tubeless tyre inserts claim to offer additional protection for your mountain bike rim, so you can run lower tyre pressures…
Review: The ShredMate Computer lets you know how rad (or not) you really are…
ShredMate recently introduced a GPS sensor designed for your mountain bike, but as it turns out, this ain’t no ordinary…
Review: The Magura HC 1 – Finger Brake Levers Change The Way Your Brakes Feel
A lever blade may seem like an odd thing to review, but as one of the contact points for your…
Review | Panzer Rim Protection takes on the big guns of the tubeless tyre insert world
Tubeless tyre inserts claim to offer additional protection for your mountain bike rim, so you can run lower tyre pressures…
Review: The Cane Creek Helm Coil Fork – Is it better than the Helm Air?
Shortly after releasing its very first mountain bike suspension fork, the Helm, US brand Cane Creek brought out a coil-sprung…
Review: Hayes’ new Dominion A4 may just be some of the best 4-piston disc brakes we’ve tested
Hayes recently debuted a brand new hydraulic disc brake called the Dominion A4. Designed as a powerful 4-piston disc brake…
Review: Is the Liteville 301 MK14 the most German mountain bike on the market?
German brand Liteville sent us the 14th iteration of its 301 full suspension trail bike, which is quite possibly the…
Love running really low pressures? We review the CushCore Inner-Tyre Suspension System
When it comes to protecting your rim from damage while running low tyre pressures, CushCore is one of the best-known…
Review | Vittoria Air-Liner Tubeless Tyre Inserts provide maximum fit-and-forget protection
Tubeless tyre inserts claim to offer additional protection for your mountain bike rim, so you can run lower tyre pressures…
Review: Brake Force One’s 2nd generation H20 disc brakes are filled with…water?
This isn’t the first time we’ve tested the H2O from Brake Force One. We first reviewed them in our disc…
Review: Shimano GR7 vs GR9 Flat Pedal Shoes
Shimano unveiled a brand new line of gravity-oriented flat and SPD shoes last year, and since then we’ve been testing…
Review: This 185mm long Revive dropper post from BikeYoke is better than the original
Shortly after the original BikeYoke Revive dropper post was introduced, we tested and reviewed one. Full of promise with its…
After 8 months of foul-weather testing, here’s our review of the OneUp Components Aluminum Flat Pedals
Having tested no fewer than 17 flat pedals in last year’s epic group test, David Hayward has developed a keen…
6 Carbon Wheels Under £1500 Abused & Reviewed
Carbon wheels are creeping down in price, but are they worth the outlay? David Hayward and the team have been…
Sixth Element combines tough Asian-made carbon rims with bulletproof UK-made hubs for the Race SE 34.28 wheelset
In Issue #116 of Singletrack Magazine, David and the crew tested six sets of sub-£1500 carbon mountain bike wheels. We subjected…
Review: The silky smooth Mavic XA Pro Carbon wheelset will have you dancing on the trail
In Issue #116 of Singletrack Magazine, David and the crew tested six sets of sub-£1500 carbon mountain bike wheels. We subjected…
Review: At less than a grand, the Bontrager Line Pro 30 is one of the best value carbon wheelsets we’ve tested
In Issue #116 of Singletrack Magazine, David and the crew tested six sets of sub-£1500 carbon mountain bike wheels. We subjected…
Review: Merida One-Sixty 7000
The One-Sixty is Merida’s longest travel full suspension bike, with 160mm of rear travel and a 170mm travel fork. Designed…