Gear reviews

Bikes

BOARDMAN Comp Fi 2010, £499, www.boardmanbikes.com Published: 04:03pm 29 Apr 2011

This is our first look at the all-new range of women’s-specific bikes from Boardman, which also includes road and mtb models in similarly elegant white livery with pink accents. It’s fair to say that not all our testers appreciated t...

PINNACLE Borealis 4.0, £650, www.evanscycles.com Published: 04:01pm 29 Apr 2011

 

Boreas was the Greek god of the north wind, so it's an appropriate choice for this particularly swift hybrid which tops a four-bike range (from £350). All the models have an aluminium frame, in this case with carbon seat-...

SPECIALIZED Sirrus Comp 2010, £899, www.specialized.com Published: 03:59pm 29 Apr 2011

The 2010 Sirrus Comp updates the model we reviewed in 2009 with an E5 frame — and luckily the rest of that winning formula remains. It’s pitched at the sportier end of the hybrid spectrum, weighs just under 10kg (56cm size), and is s...

TREK Soho, £750, www.trekbikes.co.uk Published: 03:57pm 29 Apr 2011

 

Beneath its sleek, battleship-grey exterior the Soho hides a battery of new technologies. It uses a carbon-composite belt rather than a regular chain (like the District we tested in the last issue) which is both quieter and requires...

DAHON Mu Uno, £480, www.uk.dahon.com Published: 03:46pm 29 Apr 2011

Dahon is well known for its vast range of folders and in previous tests we've been impressed by their ultra-competitive pricing and spec, but felt the looks and build lagged behind the very best (like Birdie or Brompton). However, the Mu Uno ans...

B’TWIN Hoptown, £250, www.decathlon.co.uk Published: 03:46pm 29 Apr 2011

Decathlon has been selling good-value kit in London for more than 10 years, and this is its 20in-wheel aluminium-framed folder. Although the bike sits at the budget end of the market, it still features seven Shimano derailleur gears and a p...

MONTAGUE FIT, £999, www.montaguefoldingbike.co.uk Published: 03:44pm 29 Apr 2011

Many readers won’t know the Montague name, but this US company has been producing full-size folders since the late 80s. The company also makes Swiss Bikes, which are rugged all-mountain folders, while the FIT heads the marque’s commu...

CANNONDALE CAAD9, £999, www.cannondale.comPublished: 03:29pm 29 Apr 2011

With a frame that weighs just 1.25kg and impressive, solid handling, the CAAD9 proves that aluminium road bikes still offer an attractive option at the £1k price point. The CAAD frameset has a distinguished history — the first model ...

NORCO VFR Disc 2009, £600, www.norco.comPublished: 12:00am 21 Dec 2009

There's a touch of the boy racer about the gloss finish and red go-faster stripes on our review sample, even though the lines are clean enough and black is at least the most understated colour Norco could have chosen.
The spec comprises alumini...