Photography by Dave Smith

The Pivot Firebird promises a lot with as much travel as a dh bike and DW link suspension that promises to climb effortlessly - can it deliver on everything...

"110mm sounds like an XC Bike and riding an XC bike around here can be like bringing a dove to a cockfight..."

" I'd hit swoopy sections of trail and cackle with glee, amazed at how much fun I was having..."

This ultra-light trail slasher swaps between 115 and 130mm of travel using a renamed VPP suspension configuration and lots of pretty carbon...

"Sporting 160mm travel front & 150mm rear, and a 65° head angle, this is one of the most aggressive 29'ers on the market..."

This bike is an embarrassment of riches, with Eagle, a new Lyrik, Roam 60 wheels, a 2017 Reverb and a shiny new carbon frame...

This thing might actually be a lot of fun to ride, even though it will instantly turn you into a jerk.

Along with a sleeker and slightly more angular profile, 1-by fans get a new chainring with a carbon spider.

"Last year at Sea Otter you could have come to the conclusion that the 29er was an endangered species..."

This isn't you Uncle's 29er. YT claims it's the most aggressive big wheeler on the market - and they tell us Cam Zink and Aaron Gwin agree...

"...it was always going to be the XT version of Di2 that would be of greater interest to the bike-buying public."

"Well-designed, extruded, black, aluminum rims are laced to solid DT hubs with the now eponymous black DT Swiss spokes..."

"If your focus is descending or you’re racing enduros, you will thoroughly enjoy your time on the 2016 GT Sanction Team..."

With the front derailleur being pushed nose first into the loam, the logical step in the drivetrain campaign is to attack from the back.

Dave Smith went to some great riding destinations in 2015 and documented the experience

Dave Smith tries to determine if eyewear and a helmet from the same firm can work together to make time on the trail blissful...

A hardtail will force you to keep your lazy line choices in check, and is, in my opinion, a whole lot of fun...