It's not often that a bike comes in that's got all the new things. But we've got our hands on the new Merida e.Big Trail 900e (catchy name), which has. It's got a Shimano STEPS MTB motor. It's got Shimano's electronic XT Di2 gears. It's got plus-sized tyres. It's got the lot! And it puts in a good show, too: it's a user-friendly and capable trail hardtail that's happy both on fire roads and technical terrain. £4,700 is a lot of money for a hardtail, which will limit its appeal against some very capable big-travel bikes in the same price bracket, but it's still a good performer.

The Specialized Turbo Levo Hardtail Comp 6Fattie is a really interesting trail hardtail. With a super-quiet, smooth transmission and an integrated battery it looks and feels a lot like a non-powered hardtail, and it will appeal to people who want a bit of assistance in their riding without buying into the e-bike look. The app-based control is interesting too, and the whole experience feels very stripped back: no displays, not much changing of modes, just going out and riding.

The Mondraker e-Prime R+ has us a bit conflicted. On the one hand it's a super-capable trail hardtail that's a lot of fun to ride: it's one of the best electric hardtails we've tried in terms of the way it rides, and it's light for an e-MTB too which certainly helps. On the other hand it's very expensive for what you get, with other brands offering a much higher spec for this kind of money. If you're after the trail experience and the price tag isn't so much of an issue, though, you won't be disappointed.

Trek’s new Powerfly range starts at £2,100 for the hardtail Powerfly 5 and this Powerfly 9 FS is the second-most expensive bike in the range at £4,275; only the long-travel Powerfly 9 LT (£4,350) is more. Four grand is a lot for a bike but you’re getting a lot of bike: This is a hugely capable mid-travel suspension mountain bike with Bosch’s top-tier motor and biggest battery. It’s fun to ride over pretty much any terrain and it has enough range for big rides.

Cannondale's Moterra range uses an interesting and unique frame design to place the battery lower down for a better centre of gravity, a custom motor mount to keep the chainstays short, and a chainline that's moved away from the frame for better mud-shedding. The result is a bike with excellent and predictable handling that's a hoot to ride in all conditions.