The past 12 months have been a vintage year when it comes to riding, for me at least.
January and February saw bone-dry weather in the South West of the UK – never before has Trail Bike of the Year been tested in such primo conditions. For weeks, my cleaning routine consisted of wiping dust off my bikes – IN JANUARY!
Then there was our Bike of the Year shoot in Italy, following which came a long, productive summer. I was fortunate to sling my leg over some exceedingly fast XC race bikes from the likes of Pivot, Lapierre and Cannondale, as well as a lovingly crafted lightweight ebike from Mondraker and a super-pricey one from Pivot.
The late summer and autumn may have brought exceedingly damp conditions down here, but that didn't dissuade me from testing bikes from the likes of Yeti, Merida and Cervelo.
While this may all sound like a humble brag (for which I apologise), during this time I've had the chance to ride a broad array of components and have squeezed into plenty of clothing.
Here are the bits of kit that have brought a smile to my face when I've fitted them, or fitted in them.
Manitou Mattoc Pro fork
- £1,323 / $1,049.99 / €1,260
It cannot be understated how important getting one of the best suspension forks is to the quality of your ride. While tyres, wheels, bars and grips all impact on feel, with anywhere from 100 to 200mm of bounce, it is the fork that does the bulk of the work, isolating you from the ground below, helping you keep control and your tyres stay in contact.
Manitou has been around for pretty much as long as suspension has existed, but it has rarely been a go-to fork brand, thanks to the dominance of RockShox and Fox.
The Mattoc was updated this year, and so I popped the top-end Pro model on the front of my Ragley BigWig and set about seeing what the deal was.
I found, pretty quickly, that the Mattoc is an excellent trail fork.
The air spring is borrowed from the Dorado DH fork – a legend of the genre. It's supple, supportive and easy to tune. It's also perhaps the softest 'off the top' of any fork I've ridden.
It's backed up by the IRT system (Infinite Rate Tune), which is a secondary air spring that meaningfully tunes the mid- and late-stroke of the suspension.
Rather than opening all the damping circuits (which I tend to do on competitor forks), I found the fork worked in the middle of the settings – encouraging for riders lighter or heavier than I.
I also found the chassis stiff enough for trail-riding fun, even though it 'only' has 34mm stanchions – the reverse arch and Hexlock axle (that's a little fiddly in use) probably contribute.
The take-away though was that this sub-1,800g fork is super-adjustable, easily tunable, lightweight, stiff and comfortable. That's why it sits at the top of my Gear of the Year list for 2023.
ODI Reflex grips
- £27.99 / $30.95 / €32.95
I spend a lot of my time rattling through man-made trails on my quest to delve deep into the performance of a bike.
This is because they tend to be the most repeatable, consistent trails around – ones on which I can make a single alteration and be relatively confident I've minimised the variables having an effect.
The downside is these fast, rough and often unforgiving trails can be pretty hard on the hands.
This is only exacerbated when a bike is fitted with thin grips with a plastic internal sleeve.
I might be a sensitive soul, but I do like a thicker, softer grip. If I can ensure my cockpit is comfortable, I'm more able to assess what the rest of the bike is doing rather than concentrating on how painful my hands are.
Now, a quick qualifier here; if I'm reviewing a bike, I will test it with the specc'd grips, but… I might change them mid-way through my testing to ensure I can still ride.
On one such test session, I had a pair of bikes that had particularly unpleasant grips. I quickly nipped up to the shop at BikePark Wales and was relieved to see my grip of choice, the ODI Reflex in stock.
A quick twiddle with an Allen key and I was back enjoying the trails with comfort reinstated to my hands.
Thick, soft and reassuringly not vague, the Reflex is my go-to comfy grip.
Madison DTE Waterproof Bib Trousers
- £199.99
Those who've followed my writing on BikeRadar will know I'm a big fan of the waterproof onesie. I've mentioned them here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here – as well as on the BikeRadar Podcast.
An all-in-one waterproof jumpsuit is the best barrier to wet weather you can have.
However, they have limitations – they're warmer in use, and if the fit isn't good, the fit really isn't good. So, while I'll always advocate for them, I will do so with a word of caution.
Madison's waders (sorry, 'bib trousers') were first spotted at IceBike (Madison/Freewheel's trade show), and as soon as I spotted them I knew I had to try them (especially with Alex Evans' glowing words about the £400 POC dungarees).
Do they work?
Yes, very much so.
The trousers do as trousers do, with a decent-sized pocket on one side and a vent on the other. They then extend up, past your kidneys, before splitting into the front and rear panels. These offer excellent waterproof coverage for your torso. Elasticated straps then give sizing flexibility and keep the whole operation from falling down to your knees.
The inclusion of these bib trousers into my winter wardrobe adds versatility. On a stinking wet day, pair them with your best waterproof jacket. Want to add ventilation? Open the jacket up and stay dry thanks to the front panel.
On a wet but not rainy day, pair them with a jersey, keeping your backside dry and your upper breezy – still with some additional protection from spray.
Are they perfect? Well, nothing is, but these are very good nonetheless, and I shall continue to wear them as we transition through winter and into spring.
Fox Crossframe Pro
- £189.00 / €199.99
This is a slightly tenuous addition to the list. But it's here and I'm sticking with it.
That's because there's nothing particularly special about the Crossframe Pro.
It is Fox's first non-visored helmet, targeted at XC and gravel riders, but that's not going to win it any awards.
However, it has proved comfortable in testing, with a shape that fits me nicely and a decent adjustable Boa cradle on the rear.
The large vents that are generously dotted about the shell add ample ventilation, while there's decent stowage for glasses – something I really appreciate on a helmet.
The Fidlock strap clasp is my favourite, easily opening and closing with a single hand.
Finally, I think it looks great. The aesthetics are right up my street, and while I'm far from a dyed-in-the-wool 'roadies and MTBers should never mix' person, I like repping a fully fledged MTB brand while on my gravel bike.
