MOUNTAIN BIKE RIDER mbr EDITOR'S CHOICE 2019
Spending your hard-earned cash on something new for your bike can be a daunting prospect. The mountain market is awash with products, all claiming to be the hottest thing since the last hottest thing.
Sure, you can check out online peer reviews, but these can be misleading, as they usually say the product is either amazing, or rubbish — there are rarely any shades of grey. And then there’s the very real possibility that the review is written by a bot, harnessed to bump up the overall ratings.
One thing you can rely on to be thorough, trustworthy and unbiased are the tech reviews in mbr. We have a team of experienced and highly regarded testers with a comprehensive overview of the market. If it’s worth considering, chances are we’ve ridden it.
Hence our 10/10 rating is the most coveted seal of approval in the industry. It’s the kitemark for quality that ensures you are spending your money wisely. All of the bikes and products awarded a perfect 10 are showcased in the following 35 pages.
Welcome to our Editor’s Choice 2019 — home of the best bikes and products on the market.
• A massive thanks to Purity Brewing for letting us use its premises as a location for this shoot. puritybrewing.com
VITUS SENTIER 275 VR
£1,099.99 / 27.5in /vitusbikes.com
The £1k class of our annual hardtail bonanza is always hotly contested, and 2019 was one of the most closely contested yet. Six bikes were quickly whittled down to three; the Nukeproof Scout and Ragley Marley duking it out with the Vitus Sentier to establish pole position.
From the very first ride we felt totally at home on the Sentier. And even after repeated back-to-back tests with the Ragley and Nukeproof, the Vitus never released that initial grip it had over us. Its playful character really made us want to rip, and whether pumping or pedalling, it never failed to reward us generously for our efforts.
One key reason for the best-in-class ride is the top frame. The other reason is that by cutting out the middle man, Vitus is able to pump up the specification on the Sentier without raising the price.
As such, it had the best fork in test; a big advantage on any bike, but often the defining one on a hardtail. The bigger negative chamber of the Debonair spring increases small-bump sensitivity and traction, while simultaneously adding mid-stroke support to the 140mm-travel RockShox Sector RL fork.
There were no shortcomings in the rest of the build kit either. The 2.6in Schwalbe tyres offer predictable traction in a variety of conditions, the two-finger Shimano brakes increasing control further, without any of the bite-point migration problems that plague the more expensive Shimano units.
In fact, the only minor complaint with the specification on the Vitus, and it’s one that’s common to most bikes in this category, is that the disc brake rotors are only compatible with organic pads, not the harder-wearing sintered metal variety.
• Issue tested: June 2019
WHAT’S NEW FOR 2020
The most obvious change to the Sentier 275 VR is the move to a bright red Marzocchi Bomber Z2 fork. It also gets a dropper post fitted as standard, and the drivetrain switches from Shimano 11-speed to SRAM Eagle, extending the gear range to include a 50t cog for winching up the steepest gradients.
Unfortunately the price has crept up too, and with the latest Vitus Sentier 275 VR now costing a still affordable £1,099.99 — sadly it won’t be returning to defend its sub-£1k Hardtail of the Year title in 2020.
EXPOSURE DIABLO MK11
£215 / exposurelights.com
The Devil is in the detail with Exposure’s Diablo helmet light. Now in its 11th incarnation, the latest model gets more power for the same price and still uses the excellent all-in-one lamp and battery casing and market-leading helmet vent mount. There’s an innovative tap mode, which lets you change the power settings by tapping on your body instead of reaching up and fumbling with the light. Beam power and spread are also first rate — it’s no wonder an Exposure
