TRANSITION SPUR X01

£5,995.95 / 29in / transitionbikes.com

This year is fast becoming the year of the down-country bike, and, for me at least, the most exciting model released to date is the Transition Spur. I mean, take a look at it… what a weapon. Yes, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but that continuous line from the dropout to the head tube is simply stunning, and anyone who thinks otherwise should have gone to Specsavers. Or Barnard Castle.

What you can’t tell from the photos is how little it weighs. Yes, it has bulging, hench tubing profiles and a head tube thicker than a rugby player’s neck – as befits the new design language adopted by Transition this year – but the bike