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.

- Danny Milner, Alan Muldoon

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 is 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.